Metal Mouth Message Board

And I have some questions, I was not as prepared as I thought I would be. I am hurting more than I thought I would be and it is a lot harder to drink than I thought it could be.

I am banded closed.

How long did you ice your jaw after wards? I was told at least 2 days and then at night. Can I do it for longer, it helps with the pain.

How did you drink, I can not use a straw and have been taking sips from a spoon, anything else right now causes spillage. And even the spoon does not mean it all goes in. This is a very slow process.

How long did the drooling last? It is pretty bad.

There is pain, but also a pressure feeling, is this normal?

The pain seems to be kind of where they took out my wisdom teeth years ago. Is this normal?

At least the bleeding stopped from the nose, that was a little scary. I was told that if that did not get under control to go to the emergence room.

Bless you...I know how you're feeling now.

First off, no matter now prepared we think we are, there are always surprises so I don't think that one is ever fully prepared for something like this.

You're at day 3 right now so your pain is at it's peak. Heck, at day 3 for me, I had a hard time just sitting up to get on the computer to let everyone know I was ok because it hurt too much to even hold my head up. It will be better in a few days. I iced my jaw constantly until my follow-up appt on day 5. Then my surgeon told me to use heat.

I wasn't banded shut, so I can't help you on that one but I believe a lot of people used some sort of baby dropper. Hopefully someone who's used one can chime in to help.

After surgery EVERYTHING is a slow process. Be gentle with yourself. The pain and pressure are normal. Drooling is normal and although most of it will resolve itself soon, remember that you will be numb for awhile.

Hang in there and you will begin to feel better soon.

i onlt had elastics holding me shut so not sure i used small paper cups ( like the ones you have in your bathroom torinse your mouth) they worked well but i got it all over me for the first week and had a towel on my neck all the time...
i also iced for 5 days and heck do it if it helps with the pain it isnt going to help the swelling but if it makes you feel better then go for it!!!
the drooling last for 2 weeks for me had tissue in my pocket at all times and sounded like darthvader sucking in and swallowing the spit in my mouth.

I had no real pain but lots of pressure aching and tingling...at night i felt the most discomfort and sat in a chair to sleep for the first week

rest rest and drink as much as you can!!!
I feel for you i am only 5 weeks post op and remember the first few days it does get better even though you feel horrible right now

Ossiander:

I myself had a LeFort 1 Double Jaw Surgery on 12/22/09. As OzzysMom said, day 3 is the hardest, as was for me. That day was the most swollen I have been and was the most painful. I am also banded shut, for about another month. For me, it hasn't been too bad because I regained almost all my feeling a couple days after surgery. However, the first couple days I was using a food syringe to shoot liquid into the back of my throat. Honestly, it sucks, but know that it will get better with time. I am on day 10 now, and just chugging down soups and milky oatmeal and Ensures. Liquids aren't the greatest, but you learn to make do. Don't be scared if/when you drop some weight, depending on how long you are banded shut. I have dropped about 5 pounds so far, and hopefully it will stop soon.

The nose bleeds stopped for me around the 4th day. They weren't heavy, just annoying. You may have pressure in and around your ears, which is only due to the swelling of your face.

Hope that helps.

Thanks for responding, It helped put my mind at ease. It is just at this point you can not go back.

That was my first thought after waking up was I do not want to do this anymore. A little late.