Metal Mouth Message Board

I am going in for upper jaw surgery on aug 31 ... very very soon. I am extremly nervous. I was wondering for you what was the worst part?
also i am going to have tubes in my noes... did it hurt? what was that like?
and how much weight did you lose?
thanks in advance

Hi Dancindiva,

I haven't had surgery yet myself, just wanted to drop by and wish you all the best. I truly understand that you are very nervous, but from reading LOADS of threads here, it seems that most people handle this very well.

Here you can read about peoples experince with weight-loss post surgery:

viewtopic.php?t=30038&postdays=0&postor ... ry&start=0

Good luck!

Hi

It is perfectly normal to be nervous, I am sure everyone here who has undergone surgery has felt exactly the same...I know I did.

Weight loss can vary from person to person, it really does depend on your metabolism. The hospital should give you some special drinks called "ensure" that will help. The tubes up your nose shouldn't be a problem as they will most likely be put there while you are still asleep and so you won't notice them. I wish you every sucess, it will be worth it in the end believe me

Polly

I had BSSO on Aug 14. The worst part for me was not being able to eat or be active. I had to drink everything through a straw. Im a guy that is always in the gym and eating. So its been tough. I lost 12 lbs in the first 7 days. I was told I may wake up with a tube in my nose and if I dont I may feel a fullness in my nose from where it was. I did not see or feel the tube at all. I woke up in recovery and it was gone. I did not notice my nose at all or experience any pain to it.

The overall pain from surgery was a lot less than I expected. I was very nervous like you. I always think of the worst case scenarios when it comes to something scary and unknown. The surgery and recovery is not that bad though. The first 3 days are the worst because the swelling keeps getting worse until then. You will be fine and it probably won't be as bad as you imagine it to be.

dancindiva: I had only sliding genioplasty. But tube down my throat was worst part because of sore throat it gave me. Tube was out when I woke up, but after I got home I had sore throat for at least a week. That hurt more than anything else. As for weight loss, I probably lost about 8 lbs. but I am like that. With any big stress in my life I lose weight. But I gained it back eating lots of mashed potatoes and having smoothies. I think Ensure is a lot of sugar and home-made smoothies are more nutritious. I had crazy-looking bruising and some swelling, but it looked so ridiculous I laughed at it and took photos of it. But I'm weird I guess.

Another bad part for me was being allergic to adhesive tape so I itched and got incredibly red under the jaw bra.

We all vary in how we react. I hardly took any pain pills. I was so thrilled that I had my chin fixed after a lifetime that my mood was great.
Hope you have an easy time of it. It will be over before you know it. Let us know how it went after you get home. Try not to be nervous, which is impossible, I know, but try.
Helen

The tube caused very bad congestion for me the first 5-6 days. It was nearly impossible to breathe, let alone sleep at night. However, I got through it and you will too.

I've lost about 6 lbs., not really a whole lot. It depends on how much you ingest really. The fact that you probably won't be moving around a whole lot means you won't be burning as many calories. If you don't want to lose weight, buy calorie-dense weight gainer products and drink up.

I was very nervous also. I was so nervous that I almost backed out the day...no, no the moment of surgery! I was hooked up to the iv's about to be rolled back to surgery.
The tube is put in after your asleep, and before you wake up. I'm 8 days post op and my throat still stings when i eat and drink, and take pills.
Honesly I have eating maybe a cup and half of food and three cups of liquid since my surgery. Not good, I know but it is what it is.
The worst part for me is post op. The banded shut is what is the worst part for me. even though I only had a lefort (upper jaw) and i can't open my jaw very far. i can squeez a teaspoon in there but that's about it.

If I'd been asked are you sure you want to do this, I would have screamed "ell NO!" They didn't and I had surgery on June 1.

I lost about ten pounds in a month of liquid and soft foods. Don't worry it will come back.

As I write this, I know you're post op. Keep the ice on for at least three or four days. Its better to go overboard than take it off too soon. Get up and walk. Sleep with your upper body half elevated. Smile......hopefully you'll only look like this once in your life......and it will get better.

Mike

iBorg wrote:Smile......

Actually it really hurt my lips to smile during the first week or two post-op haha. I know what you're getting at though