Metal Mouth Message Board

So my treatment is a bit behind (what else is new right??). But the last 2 years have zipped by so fast. I was supposed to be debraced in a couple months according to my approximated treatment deadine. But I xpected a good 6 mths leeway neways. But yea.. Feb 22nd ill be undergoing BSSo mandibular reduction. Not really worried at all as I am very confident with my surgeon.. Getting a chin advancement as well for an aditional 1600 bucks :S. He suggested it but didnt say it was totally necessary but i figured if i was going to chop my chop i might as well tweak my chin so everything is balanced out. i dont want a recessed looking chin. But yea Im excited and anxious.. a TEENY bit nervous but not worried at all. It just sucks that i lose a week worth of work with no pay because of the line of work I am in. I am a personal trainer and pretty much I only get paid when I work bc Im my own boss. In the end I know it will be worth it. I am goign to try to get back to work without taking more than a week off. And probably will start working out and back to playing hockey in that time as well. Being 26 years old. Hopefully my youth will allow me to get back to my active lifestyle sooner than later.

any idea how far your surgeon will be moving your jaw?

Thats what I had done near enough a week last friday (1st feb though with out the chin) and Im no way near enough to go back to work and I dont get paid for when I dont work either!!

I cant chew food at the moment and Im still swollen and bruised.

Dont get your hopes up too much about going back to work so soon, you will slow down your recovery rather than speed it up

how old are you clairet? they say the younger and healthier you are the faster you recover. they dint say i would be at 100% after a week but they said that i woud be able to get back to work after about a week cuz im only geting my lower jaw done and not upper and lower. they said more than anything it is my energy levels that will be realy low due to the lack of food i will be able to eat and also the energy my body is putting into the recovery.

my jaw wont be reduced to much. if i clench my teeth rite now the bottom and top actually just lineup perfectly.. the lower jaw doesntly actually protrude further than my top. thing is my top teeth are a bit tilted anteriorly so that gives the illusion of a lesser underbite too.. so i would say a good inch? looking at mewithout my my teeth clenched you would never suspect i had an underbite though.

Im 28 and relatively healthy, I go to the gym 3 - 4 times a week

Do they realise how strenuous and active your job can be (I use a personal trainer and know how much he does during a week)

I guess at the moment a lot of my swelling and bruising is from my upper jaw as well as my lower but even then...


If I move my head too quick or lift my head up too quick I get shooting pains in the muscles down my chin and neck - all Im saying is be careful..


Your health is more important than earning money!

I totaly agree with you.. and yes it does take a lto of energy telling ppl what exercise to do and how many reps . but yea, they said top jaw surgery is a lot more strenuous on the body... im assuming you had both done?

did your surgeon use plates and screws for your bottom jaw? im not sure but i think almost all surgeons opt for this now since they dont want to wire anyone's mouths shut.

but yes,. if i dont feel good i def wont get back to work earlier than i should.

My PT does a lot of running with his other clients too so its not just telling people how many reps, though it is like that with me....

Yes I had both done and I have plates and screws in both jaws but also elastics holding my jaws together - hence the not being able to eat properly (ive already snapped 2 elastics)

My bottom teeth are really sensitive as well, chewing even stuff like scrambled egg really hurts, so its all going down as it goes in my mouth. Its like feeding a baby

Hope it all goes well and you are back on your feet as soon as possible, I know the feeling of not being paid, this week is going to be a struggle as I get paid weekly a week behind, so last fridays pay was for the last week I worked, this week is going to be virtually zero

theres no way i would workout with my clients.. i need to pay attn on what they are doing and also i need energy to kick my own butt in my own workouts lol. but yea.. like i said the hit to the wallet is going to hurt more than the actual rearrangement of my face hahaha.

And probably will start working out and back to playing hockey in that time as well. Being 26 years old. Hopefully my youth will allow me to get back to my active lifestyle sooner than late

Scuze me, I just about spit my orange juice all over the screen. Hockey? A week after surgery? Please tell your surgeon so he can slap you with a logic stick. Your jaw is broken. It's like a broken arm or leg. Would you play hockey with a broken arm? ... nevermind, don't answer that.

Don't expect your recovery to be simple just because you are young. I so badly wanted to be Meryaten's recovery, sipping beer a week later, but there was absolutely no way after surgery that I could have pushed safely any further. It will go as it goes, whatever that may be. I've heard that you should expect one week of recovery for every hour of operation (which would in my mind explain why Meryaten was sipping beer so quickly:P)... not only does the surgery take it out of you, so does the anesthesia, no rest in the hospital because they keep waking you up, eating with all the post-op obstacles, the swelling, keeping your head elevated after, etc etc.

Oh. And I'm younger than you, and in great shape.

Hockey a week after surgery is probably not too realistic. You should check with your surgeon about when you can go back to strenuous sports. You don't want to get hit or bumped in the face so soon after surgery - the bones take months to completely heal.

Having said that, I went rock climbing 12 days after surgery. I felt well enough, and rock climbing has little chance of injuring your face. I am a bit of a klutz and probably more likely to walk into a door or trip on a crack in the sidewalk.

I did spend most the next day sleeping, though.

I know you guys are thinking im nuts if I do decide to play hockey. I did say I would see how I felt. It wasnt like I was gonna do it no matter what. Obviously I wouldnt if I could barely walk up a flight of stairs. I play in a rec hockey league/dropins. So there isnt any deliberate contact. Yes, I know there still is a chance of getting hit in the face whether it be a puck or elbow or whatever it may be. Its the same chanca I take not wearing a mouth guard and not wearing a full face shield. I know I am pushing my luck and you never know what can happen in a game.

My surgeon did say that my jaw would be prety stable because of the screws andplates that will be holding the jaw in place. He said that I should stay away from exercises for about 2 weeks and its not so much the actualy bones in my face but the energy level and my ability to focus and concentrate would be hindered dramatically.

One of my ortho's assistant did have a BSSo done and she was back training for her marathon 10 days later. I know each situation is specific to the individual. I guess we will see what happens. ill keep you guys posted.

Off topic: Also as a personal trainer I hear a lot of ppl say they are in great shape because they are runners, or they are lean and have good amount of muscle mass on them. They go through one workout with me and they are ready to throw in the towel.. either literally or by the sight of their lunch all over the floor lol.


As for playing hockey with a broken arm.. Ive played with a broken hand if that counts. But that was years ago.. i as young and not AS stupid.

Is it wrong that my standards are "go to beer festival week after surgery = poster child for excellent recovery time"?

t minus 6 hours

Good luck JayC! and don't take it to fast post-op!

Best wishes, JayC! I hope all goes perfectly with your surgery.

Lo

quite the experience... the anasthesia kicked my but cold... lol.. it was a very interesting and cool feeling when you know are you going under and teres really nothing you can do about it. and the next thing you hear is them clallin your name and you giving them the thumbs up. i didnt experience much pain.. my throat was just very dry which made it hard to swallow and sometimes breath.. i was barely on any pain meds mainly cuz my tolerance for pain is fairly high. The removed ALL 4 of my wisdom teeth during my BSSO and that is why the pain i am feeling is mainly headhaces from the teeth being pulled (pain inear my temples). the actual jaw itself just feels like pressure and swollen. the best feeling so far was when they took the pressure bandages off my face.. omg! and then when they finally took the drain tubes out.. that was well errr. interesting hahaha. good thing i was slightly morped up even though you can justt still it. :S. neways im in bed rite now.. on t3s when needed, antibiotics, sleeping meds r nite if needed, and also anti swelling meds.. my rite side is much more swollen than my left since the drain tubes went a litle out of place during recovery and it didnt do that great of a job.. so half my face looks like a chipmunk while the other just looks lie i gained 5 lbs lol.

neways thats all i can update for now. im alreayd moving my jaw left to right opena dn close and retracting it here and therejust to get some movement. again it doesnt really hurt if at all.moing my lips and mouth. i feel a bit weak but am able to walk around.keep you guys updated daily for the next couple weeks. hopefully the swelling wil get better dramatically teh next couple days... hahah my mom and sister just laffed at me when they saw me. the nurse that undid my dressings was fun too. she keep making kjokes and so forth.

oh yea, i got my chin advanced a bit too