Got an infection - is this common?

[redfoxjo]

I've just had to go to a local A&E to get seen as I noticed today, 10 days post-op I had pus coming out of my lower right gum. Gross. So they have given me anti-biotics until I see my actual surgeon on weds in the hospital in another city. Is this kind of infection common? The nurse said it was most likely food getting trapped but I've been so meticulous cleaning though I am banded shut. I had upper and lower surgery by the way with a palate expansion.[/i]

[isolde]

Yeah, I had an infection too. They are a bugger. My surgeon told me how the mouth is a breeding ground for bacteria and it's one of the places most likely to get an infection, so yeah, they are relatively common. I was (and still am) obsessive with the cleaning as well since day one, no sugar, no lumps in soup, teeth cleaning and salt water rinses all day, but I was unlucky. Unfortunately you'll never be able to know if food or something has wedged its way into the incisions or whatever, plus your tongue has a lot of bacteria as it is. After my little episode at the hospital (it was my day 9 or something) I was even more obsessive with the cleaning and salt water rinsed after EVERYTHING that wasn't water, juice and all, sometimes I wouldn't have even eaten anything and rinsed for the sheer fun of it. Now, one month after and nothing ever came up again (I've heard of people getting two infections, one after the other).

Be careful now that you are on antibiotics that you don't get oral thrush. That's what I was fretting over. Salt water rinse like there's no tomorrow, especially where the wounds are.

[redfoxjo]

Wow thanks so much for that tears really helpful and comforting. I've just got myself into a major panic over it all and what if my plates are infected?! I'm so much more swollen on the side that is infected which now makes sense as I thought that was normal. I've just salt-rinsed. Do you literally just rinse with a bowl of tepid water and a small playful of salt stirred in? How long until your infection cleared up? I really hope nothing goes wrong with my plates I think I'd have a breakdown if I had to have another op sob. Boy this is hard. It's especially hard not to regret when complications start to arise

[Chefflaco88]

I had an infection in one of my incisions at 6 weeks post op. OS put me on antibiotics for 14 days. The swelling and pain from the infection cleared up after a day or 2.

[redfoxjo]

Okay so I'm not alone. I'm just so paranoid its the plates and not a stitch infection. I assume that would be worse though than a bit of pus oozing from the gumline? I don't feel any pain in the area its just more swollen and tender than the other side of my face. Oh how frustrating.

[isolde]

Wow thanks so much for that tears really helpful and comforting. I've just got myself into a major panic over it all and what if my plates are infected?! I'm so much more swollen on the side that is infected which now makes sense as I thought that was normal. I've just salt-rinsed. Do you literally just rinse with a bowl of tepid water and a small playful of salt stirred in? How long until your infection cleared up? I really hope nothing goes wrong with my plates I think I'd have a breakdown if I had to have another op sob. Boy this is hard. It's especially hard not to regret when complications start to arise

Don't worry, I was the same as you. As soon as it starting oozing I immediately thought that I had some infection with the metal. But as the doctor reminded me (and as I knew anyway, I was just panicking!) infections with the screws would take months to occur, I think the norm is 6 months. So don't worry! Oozing pus (and did it taste horrible?) is most likely an abscess under the skin that is just coming out of your incisions.

A salt water rinse is 1 teaspoon of salt in a cup of warm water (I found that 1/4 cup of boiling water from the kettle and 3/4 cold water was about right) will do the job. Rinse your mouth thoroughly after all of your meals and turn your head to each side so that the water goes really into the stitches at the side of your mouth, especially where the infection is.

From the day I started to take the antibiotics, it took about 4/5 days for the swelling to have gone completely (I had a very fat cheek in the beginning). I was a bit worried because it was still oozing every now and again until about the 2nd day of taking the antibiotics, but don't worry, it's GOOD that it's oozing because your body is getting rid of the infection.

Don't worry, this is a minor setback. Infections post op are unfortunately pretty common, it's why you were given antibiotics when in the hospital, and it used to be routine to be given antibiotics when you get out of the hospital, but too many antibiotics caused problems with infections turning into 'superbugs' so now doctors are reluctant to use the stuff so often.

Don't worry, take your antibiotics and in a week it should be gone and you'll forget it happened. I forget about mine unless someone else brings it up! : )

[isolde]

Didn't realise how many times I said 'Don't worry' there! But it's true, I went from hyper panic on the first day to just resenting the taste of the antibiotics the day after.

[redfoxjo]

Thanks so much Isolde that is so comforting. I am in such a state about it all and plus my damn elastics have snapped and unfortunately I live too far from the hospital to just pop in to get them replaced so have to wait until my next post-op on weds. I spoke to my doctor and he said 2 days without them wasn't going to cause a huge setback but you know with all this time on our hands recovering, its all one can think about.

Thank you so much for the salt water tip I've been doing a more diluted version so will follow that now. It has worked though definitely flushes out more food and feels good. But yes the pus keeps oozing out ewww and boy it stinks too like rotten breath. Bleugh! I have noticed the swelling go down though lots since oozing more and taking the anti-biotics.

How do you feel about your results? I'm slightly irked because it doesn't look like they advances my lower jaw as forward as I'd hoped. My overbite is better but I still look like I have a small chin.

I've been trying so hard to stay positive but it is difficult on occasions. Do you get/did you have any moments of regret? I'm hoping once all the swelling goes down and I start looking more normal again I'll cheer up

One good thing about today is ive required no painkillers! Every cloud....

Ha ha don't worry about saying don't worry too much. It's really helpful thank you.

[isolde]

Thanks so much Isolde that is so comforting. I am in such a state about it all and plus my damn elastics have snapped and unfortunately I live too far from the hospital to just pop in to get them replaced so have to wait until my next post-op on weds. I spoke to my doctor and he said 2 days without them wasn't going to cause a huge setback but you know with all this time on our hands recovering, its all one can think about.

Thank you so much for the salt water tip I've been doing a more diluted version so will follow that now. It has worked though definitely flushes out more food and feels good. But yes the pus keeps oozing out ewww and boy it stinks too like rotten breath. Bleugh! I have noticed the swelling go down though lots since oozing more and taking the anti-biotics.

How do you feel about your results? I'm slightly irked because it doesn't look like they advances my lower jaw as forward as I'd hoped. My overbite is better but I still look like I have a small chin.

I've been trying so hard to stay positive but it is difficult on occasions. Do you get/did you have any moments of regret? I'm hoping once all the swelling goes down and I start looking more normal again I'll cheer up

One good thing about today is ive required no painkillers! Every cloud....

Ha ha don't worry about saying don't worry too much. It's really helpful thank you.

One of my bands snapped too About day 5! I was scared too, thinking it would cause some kind of complication, but that was just anxiety talking. I got them replaced the next day but when I did see my surgeon a few days later, he said that I didn't really need them in the first place, it was just a precaution! Then he took them all off there and then. (I have them back on now but it's just for the teeth, not the jaw). It's all by individual case of course, but in the whole span of your many week long recovery, a couple of days without bands shouldn't be harmful to your jaw's recovery. Some people don't even need bands at all.

I had underbite surgery, but at first it looked like my top jaw was too forward too - I didn't let myself worry though because I felt a lot of swelling there, the top of my top lip was really fat. If you are having worries now please don't because the swelling does have a big impact on how you look, and how you perceive how you look. There is a lot of swelling inside your cheeks and around the nose as well as the upper jaw as a result of the upper jaw surgery, so there's it's imbalanced when you look in the mirror. My nose and upper lip felt and looked like they had been rocked out, this plus the swelling on my neck made my chin seem tiny. Now, 5 weeks later I look nothing like I would've expected based on the first week. It will all calm down and settle. My chin looks so much different - in the beginning it was tiny and lost in the swelling. Now, it's back to its usual self (though in the right place).

For me there hasn't been one moment where I've regretted it and have been happy with the results since (My underbite free bite feels priceless alone, even though I haven't been able to test it out on food yet).

And remember, the swelling is playing with your eyes! not only is your face different, but it's also buried in swelling so you don't really know where everything is just yet. just focus on being positive and don't let yourself worry so early on my favourite way to combat negative feelings was a pint of chocolate haagen dazs (left to melt first though ).

[redfoxjo]

Hi Isolde darn I've only just read this sorry to seem as if I was ignoring you.

I can so relate to everything you've said. Am glad you don't regret your surgery and that the swelling going down improved your look obviously.

I ended up getting my bands replaced but they've pulled the midlines over the other side now so I'm pretty annoyed but worst of all the antibiotics I was on were rubbish and my infection got worse and so I had to have it drained on Tuesday. Had a temporary drain stitched in which was meant to be removed today but they found more pus so I had to have it irrigated again and keep the drain in. So back on Saturday where please god I hope they move this drain. It's so uncomfortable and painful. I'm on co-amoxiclav and 500mg of amoxicillan so hope they kill it.

It's so hard to be positive and pleased about the surgery with such a nasty infection causing setbacks. I'm convinced I'm going to need the plates removing now.

Sorry to be a moaning Minnie just a bit scared