Metal Mouth Message Board

march 21st is my big day im having surgery on both upper and lower jaws. on the 8th im going to the hospital for some pre-op stuff. i'm just curious about a few things like....about how long on average will swelling take to go away, the doctors will be using rigid fixation so ill only be wired shut for like 1 1/2 weeks- even still do you reccomend sticking with liquids,how long before ill be able to play soccer and resume weight lifting,and very important how long before resuming kissing haha and is it painful when kissing at first. i plan on asking my doctor next time i see him some of these things but it will be a while and kind of embarrasing to be asking the doctor when i'll be able to make out again in front of my mom you know what i mean. i would greatly appreciate any responses you might have for me and welcome any other thoughts on the whole process that you may have to share.

Hey Piner,

I just had my upper and lower jaw surgery 18 days ago. http://bracemyself.blogspot.com/ documents the entire experience - from pre op anxiety, to breathing difficulties post surgery, to swelling, to drinking with syringes, etc. I hope you find it helpful.

Kissing actually isn't painful (no French, of course). In fact, your lips might be numb in the beginning, so it definitely won't hurt.

Kristen

thank you that was really helpful...i completely forgot to mention this thought ive had too... my prom is on friday may 18th ill be about back to normal by then right i mean we're talking 8 weeks?

Piner - Oh yes, I think so. I swelled up incredibly 2, 3 days post surgery. My OS tells me that I was the most swollen patient he's ever seen - and he's not one to exaggerate. Even for me, now at 18 days post op, the swelling is about 70%, 80% gone. So I'd think you'd be totally safe at 8 weeks. Even if it's not 100% gone, I'd imagine whatever's left over would be hard to notice.

Kristen
http://bracemyself.blogspot.com/

as if this week could get worse i just came home to learn from my mom that my surgery has been postponed a week by the surgeon and i dont even get a reason. i swear i know he's great at what he does and is known for his results but that office constantly makes me feel like an after thought.

That is sure a downer to have your surgery postponed. I"m still sure you be back to normal by prom though. Don't psych yourself out about it. That makes things harder.

I"m sure your surgeon wouldn't postpone your surgery on a whim.

Kim

the day is coming nearer and nearer less than 3 weeks away i had my pre-admissions appointment the other day took some blood and kind of let me know what would be going on. they said i'll most likely be in the pediatrics area but that's not a definite so we'll see.anyone have any suggestions on stuff to bring that will make me more comfortable while im at the hospital?

That is great that you can be in in the pediatric area - they are nicer and more cheerful. My vote to be more comfortable is to bring a cheap pillow from Wal Mart. The hospital pillows are covered in plastic (sweat city) and you don't want any nasty guncky stuff on your comfy pillows from home.

ok so i went to the doctor the other day for some pre-surgery yada yada type things. he informed me that id be having a catheter put into my bladder for my duration at he hospital i'm ever so slightly freaked out about that so could someone possibly share their insight on this subject with me.oh and also he fells that they should do a genioplasty because even with moving my bottom jaw foward he feel i will still have a week chin...any opinions would be appreciated..thanks

The catheter depends on how long the surgery lasts and how long you are to remain in bed before moving around. Usually the more procedures you are having done the longer it takes and the more likely you will have a catheter.
That said, it may be negotiable with your surgeon and the hospital staff. It never hurts to ask about it.

I don't know about the genio because I had upper surgery only.

Kim

One week to go piner08! Here's hoping your surgery and recovery go super well.



-Bill
http://semper-braces.blogspot.com

uuggghhhh 3 days till surgeryy

Good luck!! Please don't stress, it is going to be alright...

Good luck piner!

surgery is complete i expected that pain swelling yada yada yada but my major difficulty is i have to continually hack up blood/flem that make sfor a nasty mixture and it gets stuck behind the splint and i figured a way to thin it out using my syringe and water but it really hurts my face to cough and when its a really bad cough and i feel like a i might break the splint or my face haha its terrible im up to day 3 and it feels like its gunna take forever to heal. im drinking water,capri suns,antiobotics,pain killers...i miss my morphene if thats one way to put it...i tried a carnation breakfast shake today and i was doing good buti think the milk just began to make even more mucus which well i already have a enough of so i went back to juice...i saw my after xrays they looked good and i have a few dr.s appointments for w/e.but anything anyone has to say at this point would be nice to hear thank u.