I made it to the other side!

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#1 Post by **sillikitti** » Sat Jun 16, 2007 9:28 am

Just wanted to let everyone know I made it to the other side. Had my lower jaw surgery on Thursday. I'm hugely hugely swollen.it's quite gross...a bit of pain...am taking some liquid morphene with childrens tylenol. I'd have to say the worst part so far was the doc taking out the breathing tube from my nose in recovery..ouch.. I can't feel my lower lip or my chin but I can feel that they are swollen...I feel like my head is pulsing. Anyway, I'll update more later on...the morphene knocks me off my butt!!

#2 Post by **Delag** » Sat Jun 16, 2007 11:23 am

I am so glad to hear you are done and everything went well. I look foward to hearng all the gory details when you are up to it

Don't forget to drink your water!

#3 Post by **sillikitti** » Sat Jun 16, 2007 3:00 pm

Haha I've been getting so much rest that I forgot what day it was yesterday...feeling kinda dizzy..I want to walk outside and get some air but it's raining!! I've been drinking lots of gingeral and boost. Also had a can of beef broth umm last night? Been using lots of ice although it doesn't seem to help with the swelling..I think I am biting down on my right side on the gums or something which kinda hurts..I explored with a q-tip and moved it out of the way...ahhh

I haven't gotten the pics off my camera yet...I was pretty shocked when the nurse took my bandages off...the whole bottom of my face is huge! I'm not drooling at all which is quite amazing..drinking is pretty hard when you can't feel your bottom lip, but I am drinking from a cup already. Which I'm glad for cuz I never got any zip n squeeze bags.
Alright onto the questions..Seriously, your surgery is coming up in a week or 2 right?
I only stayed in the hospital 1 night. Surgery was around 11am...was about 2 hours long..I woke up in recovery around 330 I think...then I was brought to my room where I slept and went to the bathroom a million times during the night thanks to the IV drip keeping me well hydrated..I left the hospital around 1030 Friday morning. After I drank some apple juice.
Yes, I am banded together only with elastics on each side towards the front...the right side is a bit tighter than the left..I can open a little..I can even get my tongue out some but the doc told me not to use my jaws for a week. I have 2 really small incisions on either side of my jaw on the outside. Just 2 stitches I think. This was just so the doc could tighten the screws I think. I heard those don't leave any scars behind. The pain is managable..not as bad as I thought but it is there. It's mostly annoying swelling throbbing pain..not like agonizing or anything. I am waking myself up a few times though cuz I end up biting down or clenching my teeth which is not pleasant. And my neck kinda hurts from sleeping almost upright. Anyway, I'm happy to answer any other questions you may have. Think I"m gonna have another boost and tylenol and watch a movie..morphine is a little too much for me haha
Another thing I forgot to mention is that the numbness in my lower lip and chin sometimes feel cold and tingly...and it itches like crazy!! But scratching does nothing! Did this happen to any of you?

#4 Post by **Brandyleigh35** » Sat Jun 16, 2007 7:43 pm

Yes this feeling you describe in your lip and chin is normal. Sometimes my lower lip feels like it is freezing! I have developed this habit of sucking on it to try and keep it warm. Doesn't really work all that well but does help a bit.

As for the swelling, you might want to switch to warm compresses now. I found the heat to help a lot with the achiness, and I think it did a lot to reduce my swelling. I still use warm pack daily every morning to help make my swelling go down for the day. Taking a wash clothe and getting it wet with warm/hot water does wonders too! Might want to try it!

Brandy

#5 Post by **sillikitti** » Sat Jun 16, 2007 9:50 pm

ahh the warm compresses will feel so much better than ice! I haven't taken any pain meds today..just some gravol cuz I feel more nausous and spinny more than anything..also I think I'm biting down on my inner cheek or something on the right side..it hurts..It's hard t tell with all the swelling..I managed to eat some chicken noodle broth with a spoon before I spilled it all over my table haha. I feel like a baby!

#6 Post by **sillikitti** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 11:25 am

Hello

Well I am surviving, I gotta admit I am not liking this. I know it's only been a week. I think the worst part is the inside of my mouth is swollen and I keep biting down on my cheeks. Also sometimes during the night I'll wake myself up because I move my jaw suddenly...ow

I am getting better each day. The first few days I wasn't doing too well. I constantly felt nauseaous and couldn't stand for long. I am thinking it might've been the liquid morphine. I've just been taking Advil now. Eating is a real chore. I have to see my OS either tomorrow or Friday and he will give me looser elastics and remove the stitches from the outside of my jaw.
Seriously, you will be fine

We have all survived! It's not a walk in the park, but it is livable. I know a year seems long, but it does go by quickly. For me it seemed forever then boom it was surgery day and I was freaked!

#7 Post by **JuicyB** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 4:53 pm

Congrats on your surgery and I hope your recovery keeps going well
Have u lost any weight? I get surgery in august. I will put up pictures
Take care

Wed Jun 20, 2007 5:15 pm

sillikitti - congrats on getting to the other side! Your a few months ahead of me

I have surgery 08/15/2007and it's finally starting to hit me - I'm freakin out!

#9 Post by **sillikitti** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 4:55 pm

Yay! Here I am at day 7...exactly 1 week post op. I think today has been my best day so far...still some swelling and a yellow neck..but feeling pretty good otherwise. Saw my OS today..he took the stitches out from the outside and gave me 2 heavy elastics to be worn in triangles on each side which i'm allowed to remove to eat and brush. Eating is still a chore with no feeling in my lower lip or chin..but have a bad case of the tinglies..so guess that's a good sign. Also got to see my x-rays, weird. I should've asked him for copies..I have these 2 long metal things on each side..I guess a plate of some sort haha. Whew..I wasn't sure there for awhile that I was gonna make it lol...I think I'm starting to be happy with my decision now that I feel a lot better. As for losing weight..I'm not too sure..I haven't weighed myself but probably 5 lbs or so at least.
Orangecountymetal..I know what you mean..as the days get closer the heart beats faster...I was terrified as well. I cried in the waiting room and they gave me a small pill to put under my tongue..Adavan or something to help calm me. It must've worked cuz I was smiling in the operating room haha. What kind of surgery are you having?

Thu Jun 21, 2007 5:01 pm

I'm having lower jaw advancement for tmj issues and an overbite. It's almost been 1 1/2 years and I've been looking forward to the surgery, but now that I have an exact date - aaaaaaaaaahhhhhh

#11 Post by **sillikitti** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 10:41 pm

Hehe I know exactly how you feel..soon you'll be on the other side telling awaiting surgery undergoers that it wasn't that bad

#12 Post by **vgmessenger** » Fri Jun 22, 2007 2:15 am

Good Job on your recovery!!! You were out the hospital quick.

man my chin feels that way right now!!! it is pointless to try and scratch because I can not feel it anyways. I did get a headups on the sleeping arrangements. My friend had surgery on his shoulder so they sent him home with a huge temperpedic wedge for the bed that it awesome. needless to say I put it on and staked some others around for my arms and poof off to dreaming about crazy stuff like my cats sitting up on top of the curtain. could be the meds who knows but I did put the cats out of the room.

Think I will venture back to bed for a while....

Victoria Day 3

#13 Post by **jjames** » Fri Jun 22, 2007 6:19 am

Sillikitti - Really enjoyed reading your posts, but first let me say congratulations! Now that you're around a week out of it - I bet you're really going to start turning that famed "corner" they talk about all the time. It only gets better from here. Interesting about the elastics. You know I've always wondered what kind they put you in after, are you wearing the class C 1/4" Heavy ones?

#14 Post by **sillikitti** » Fri Jun 22, 2007 12:01 pm

Victoria, I was only in the hospital 1 night. They told me 1-2 nights. I'm glad I didn't have to stay again. It wasn't that great. I had my own room, but no window. And my IV cord wasn't long enough to reach the toilet so I had to kinda sit on the edge of it with my arm straight out lol..was such a pain. I know what you mean about the chin! Mine itches like crazy too but no point in scratching. That sounds like a pretty sweet sleep setup you have. I just piled a bunch of pillows up but kept waking up with a sore neck. I slept flat last night and got 8 hours of solid sleep. I woke up in the same position. It felt sooo nice to get some painless sleep. Lol about your cats. I have 2 of them and one likes to sleep right by my head so I get somewhat paranoid. But if I lock them out of my room I have to listen to them cry all night

Jjames, yeah I think you're right about turning the corner. I was a bit depressed the first few days cuz I was so hungry and tired of being swollen and not being able to talk properly. Well I'm still kinda swollen and can't say proper things with "v" or "f" cuz of the numbness. As for my first elastics I'm not sure what kind they were. There was about 3 or 4 of them though just to keep my jaws closed for the 1st week. They were really tight. Now I have 2 only. They are 6mm 1/4" heavy 4oz. Well that's what the package says lol. They aren't that bad.

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I made it to the other side!

I made it to the other side!

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