Metal Mouth Message Board

I can't believe that the surgery I have been waiting years for has finally come! I don't know whether to be jumping out of my skin excited or running away terrified?...but I guess I'll know soon enough if I should've escaped the clutches of my OS while I had the chance...

My surgery isn't scheduled until 4 oclock, so I'm hoping to waste some time tommorow cleaning and setting up my "recovery room". The hospital is also an hour away, so that'll waste some time too. I really just want to get it over with! I'll be having a Lefort I single piece and a BSSO to correct my class III bite. Each jaw will be moved around 3mm. They will be making very high cuts on my upper jaw to give me some fullness underneath my eyes and on the sides of my nose. My surgeon might also do a plastic surgery procedure called a V-Y cut to give my upper lip some fullness if he thinks I need it after he has moved my upper jaw. I really trust his judgement, he's great. My surgeon is Dr. Jeff Elbaum btw if anyone in the NJ/PA/NY area has heard of him. I will be wired shut for 4 weeks.

I will definitley be sure to post some before and after shots along the way. You can also visit an older thread I had made to see a profile shot and a picture of my bite: viewtopic.php?t=25790&highlight=

My underbite has actually gotten alot worse since that photo was taken but I'll post a more recent one later.

I want to thank everyone who has posted their own experience and who has given me info and support. It has all been very helpful and has definitely helped me in preparing for my surgery. If all of you can go through having your jaws sawed and screwed back together and survive, I can too!

See you on the other side

Good luck. You'll be fine. Just live by the "tomorrow will be better than today" attitude and it'll all be over before you know it. Write that on a note and paste it to the bathroom mirror or something.

Good luck Tori! We look forward to hearing your updates "on the other side"!

Good Luck, the nerves in the few hours before were aweful for me, so i can completely understand you wanting it over with now.

Very good advice from Karl, each day will get better.

From someone fresh out of surgery-good luck and dont worry
you might get a couple of rough days but its not too bad.its a great feeling to be on the other side...
good luck..

Best of luck!

I truly hope you can stay busy until you need to go to surgery. While I'm in the eternal waiting for approval loop, I can't imaging how I'll deal with the night before. Having to wait until the afternoon will be a real challenge.

Good luck and here's to being on the other side!

Mike

good luck..my surgery is on the 6th, 1 day after yours.

thank you all for the well wishes! Thinking that I'll soon be on the "other side" is so surreal!


farewell underbite, you wont be missed!

Just wanted to wish you lots of luck!!

Beth xx

well, IM ON THE OTHER SIDE!!! and I just got home from the hospital! After a pretty hellish night ( In quite alot of pain, couldn't sleep, and I swear the IV wasnt even in my vein!), I'm glad to be home.

In good news though, my OS said I bled the least out of anyone he's every seen during an upper jaw surgery. I barely lost any blood. He also said my bones were dense and very healthy, which I was happy to hear. I have very little numbess and I'm happy that my lips aren't numb. My upper lip, altough very beat up, looks nice and plump because he did a plastic surgery procedure called a V-Y cut.

I'm pretty swollen and I'm having a little trouble breathing, but I'm in a great mood.

Ill post pictures soon!!!

-Tori

Good to hear from you! That's such great news!! (well apart from the painful night!) Your lips aren't numb at all?! I'm so happy for you Looking forward to the photos!

Hey, congratulations! Glad to hear from you. Keep posting whenever you feel like it. We want to hear from you. What part of New Jersey are you from?
Helen

welcome back!

Hello again! Im so restless so I decided to come back online.

Helen, I'm from Long Beach Island, New Jersey.

My nose has become relentlessly stuffy despite trying to keep a hot compress on it, inhaling steam and using saline mists. It's really uncomfortable and I'm trying my best not to panic.

Has anyone else seen a difference in their eyes from this surgery? Before my surgery, my one eye was a little smaller and droopier than my other, but since my OS rotated my upper jaw a bit, both of my eyes seem to be completely semetrical.

Tortor: Family around corner from me is from Long Beach Island! I will ask him what his name is and maybe you can PM me your name so we see if you know each other! Amazing. I never even heard of the place before he mentioned it.
Helen