Arnica / Witch hazel combo for swelling

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#1 Post by **Mikatgeo** » Mon Oct 01, 2007 10:56 am

I'm 2 1/2 weeks post op for a bimax and see none of the "slow steady improvement" I had hoped to see at this point as far as swelling goes. In fact the inside of my mouth is just as swollen, if not more than the first week. I hate to complain since my experience so far as been so easy but this swelling is getting to me. It almost seems to be peaking at this point.

So I consulted a friend who's a bit of an herbalist and she recommended a combination of arnica and witch hazel and I wondered if anyone has tried that with any success. I had used the arnica cream for a few days when the bruising first appeared and it did dissipate really quickly but I didn't think it was supposed to be effective on swelling so I stopped using it. This friend is also of the opinion that bromelain is really most effective as a preventative measure taken very early on before and after surgery and isn't very effective in reducing swelling that is already present. Has anyone tried bromelain after a couple weeks with any success in reducing the swelling?

Other than this persistent swelling it's been a very easy ride so far. Off all pain meds and feeling pretty good.

#2 Post by **Delag** » Mon Oct 01, 2007 11:32 am

Arnica can work wonders - I do not know anything about witch hazel though. My vote would be to go to a homeopath. They can give you an oral dose of arnica and other medications which would probably be more helpful than a topical mix. I am planning on taking some homeopathics as well for my surgery. My Dr. suggested starting 5 days pre-op and following surgery for 15 days.

#3 Post by **HighandLo** » Mon Oct 01, 2007 11:44 am

Mikatgeo,

I did use the Arnica Montana and bromelain right before and after surgery (I checked with my OS first). I bought them both at Sun Harvest (a Whole Foods store) for about $20. I used the bormelain for 2 weeks post-op. My swelling after several days (BSSO) was very much improved. But then, I peaked at about Day 2 and got better from there. Walking helped me a lot with the swelling!

That said, you probably know that the swelling is your body's way of protecting itself from further injury after a previous injury (surgery). The swelling pads your jaw a bit, so it's to be expected so soon after surgery. I suppose you'll be seeing your surgeon again so you can ask him if this is normal for you?

Lo

#4 Post by **Mikatgeo** » Mon Oct 01, 2007 12:12 pm

Meryaten - You make a very good point that bears constant repeating about checking with your OS. At my pre-op I asked about arnica and bromelain and they're pretty traditional and felt arnica wouldn't hurt but felt the jury was still out as to the effectiveness of bromelain. So, as much as I wanted to try a homeopathic route, I decided to take his advice and not take the bromelain. Especially since my pre-surgery instructions were to stop all supplements 7 days prior to surgery.

And Lo, you're so right that you should probably just "listen" to your body. I asked my OS last week if my swelling concerned him and he said they see the whole spectrum of swelling there so he wasn't concerned. I also haven't been taking an anti-inflammatory like Advil and have relied on Tylenol because of the interaction with anoother medication I normally take and he felt Advil may have helped bring it down a little quicker but four weeks from now in the scheme of things it wouldn't matter. His best advice was moist heat, fluids and excercise. Where have we heard that before???

I guess I'm just being really impatient and the post-surgery blues are setting in. But thank you everyone for being there

#5 Post by **ohmyjaw** » Mon Oct 01, 2007 12:20 pm

I really recommend MLD (manual lymph drainage)! It works wonders. But it can be a bit expensive (about $50 per treatment). Besides getting rid of swelling, it also promotes healing and makes you feel better.

I hope your swelling is just swelling - your doc has checked for signs of infection, right?

#6 Post by **Mikatgeo** » Mon Oct 01, 2007 12:29 pm

MLD does sound interesting. I know very little about it but I have heard that it's difficult to find someone who is adeqauutely trained in the procedure.

I saw my OS last Friday for my second post-op and he checked the suture sites and said there was no infection. And he took another radiograph and said my sinuses were clearing and screws were all in place. How do you check for infection otherwise? Would it show up in an xray? That's obviously my big fear and that's why I asked if he was "concerned."

I see him again in two weeks and I like to think if there were any concerns he might not have let me go that long without some words of warning about signs of infection, which he didn't offer. I guess there comes a time when you really do have to place yourself in their (hopefully) capable, experienced hands.

#7 Post by **Brandyleigh35** » Mon Oct 01, 2007 3:34 pm

I used bromelain starting 2 days before my surgery, and for 8 weeks afterwards It made a huge difference! I ran out at 1 month post op and stopped using it for 3 days. In that 3 days my swelling got worse and I noticed a very big difference as soon as I started back on the bromelain. I would highly recommend it! I also used arnica and found it to be helpful. I bought them together in this kit.

http://www.makemeheal.com/mmh/product.d ... &catid=635

I had a lot of swelling inside my mouth, and at 4.5 months post op now I can say that I still have quite a bit on the left hand side. It is not noticible to others but it is to me. I have to be very careful when I chew as I chomp down on my cheek all the time. I have personally found the swelling inside my mouth has taken the longest to go down. It is very slow and persistant.

I also did MLD massage at about 2 weeks post op. I had to search high and low, but eventually found someone here who was trained at the Vodder institute. It was very expensive $180.00 for one session, and I'm not sure that I noticed that it did much at all for me. My insurance covered it all but I never went back for another session as I didn't notice any changes. Of everything I did, the bromelain seemed to work the best, and for the price was well worth the money. It really helped my swelling come down pretty quickly. I used a lot of heated rice packs on my face too, and I think that probably helped a lot with increasing circulation and getting the fluids moving. If you are not in pain, and you are not feeling a lot of heat coming from the swollen site then I would guess that you are healing just as you should be and that you will just have to let you body do things in its own time. It really is a waiting game.

Brandy

#8 Post by **Mikatgeo** » Mon Oct 01, 2007 6:05 pm

Meryaten - Thanks for that link. I checked it out and the closest one to me is unfortunately about 90 minutes away. I'm going to try to give this a little more time but I may consider it.

Brandy - Thanks for your input. I'm going to try the bromelain. It looks safe enough to me with only minor side effects so it seems worth a try. I'm not feeling any discomfort or heat from the swollen areas, just tightness. That was a good point. It's mostly at the mid face region, either side of my nose and my upper lip area - the areas where there was certainly the most trauma. And the insides of my cheeks are beyond swollen and totally stuck on the brackets. It's just so hard to get in there to make an attempt at brushing. I think I've read that many others would agree that the internal swelling is the last to go.

Thanks again everyone, I really do feel a lot better that there's probably nothing wrong and I just need to wait it out. I also just need to learn to check my vanity at the door and get myself out there and not let it bother me. I almost lost sight of the fact that my top teeth now overlap my bottom teeth for the first time in my life and I think I'm going to really like my new profile!

#9 Post by **charlesclemens** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 10:45 pm

#10 Post by **phil** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 4:03 am

I attribute my reduction in swelling this time around to Omega 3 supplement. Most people don't get enough of it in their diets anyway, so it wouldn't hurt to try.

#11 Post by **Mikatgeo** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 7:36 pm

That's very interesting, Phil. How does Omega 3 relate to the swelling? I'm very curious. I'm over 4 months post op for double jaw surgery and I still have some very annoying, persistent swelling. The kind that causes you to chew the insides of your cheeks. I've also just started taking Omega 3. I've never really been big on supplements but decided that was probably something worth taking. Whatever information you have on it would be appreciated.

#12 Post by **phil** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 8:50 pm

Mikatgeo,

Here's some info about Omega 3:

http://www.healthtouch.com/bin/EContent ... &cid=htalt

#13 Post by **phil** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 8:50 pm

Mikatgeo,

Here's some info about Omega 3:

http://www.healthtouch.com/bin/EContent ... &cid=htalt