Metal Mouth Message Board

Hi! My 3 piece LeFort I and BSSO to fix my open bite and overbite was on Wednesday Sept 17, and what an interesting five days it has been. Lucky for me, I was not banded shut, just have 1 rubber band each side. The hospital wasn't bad, after I figured out to mix my boost clear with tea to cut the acid for my first meal that night. The next morning they brought me oatmeal, yogurt, juice in a can, a bunch of straws. I explained via handy dandy white board that I couldn't eat any of it, and would they bring me a milk based ensure or boost. I'd already cleared it with my doc and nurses, but it didn't happen. My wonderful nurse eventually managed to scrounge me a Boost Plus and it was heaven. I wasn't terribly swollen or bruised.

Fast forward to being home, and bring on the swelling and the Angelina Jolie lips, and yellow bruises from my neck way down low on my chest, plus one on each side of my jaw. Upon release, my doc said if I could shove it in my mouth without chewing, I could eat it, so that was a bit of good news. I have a stockpile of soups, smoothies and my Ninja blender, so I felt as prepared as I could be. Of course, my face was numb from the eyes down and eating was an exercise in patience. Oh, and how many quarts can a person slobber? When does the slobbering end? And why does my beloved coffee taste so strange? Et, tu, coffee?

Ah, and now the nerves are coming back. Good, I guess? Ouch. Swelling is down, but wow, I'm even swollen in my eye sockets! It would be awesome if my lips would close, and if I could stop drooling. I was hoping to not need the Percoset by today, but the throbbing in my skull and intense pressure on my face when I attempted to not take them convinced me to take them a while longer.

The good? Selling and bruising isn't as bad as some people I've seen. My nose looks the same (a bit lifted from swollen upper lip, but the same), and I can eat applesauce, pudding and yogurt. My mouth opens 1 finger width.

The bad? Trying to make myself eat when I don't want what we have. I have to watch my blood sugar, and I've had a couple of episodes already thanks to going too long without something in my stomach. Swelling in my face making it hard to read, and I need to wear my glasses to see the TV. Hot flashes. The drooling, the frustration of trying to communicate, and how nuts I am going being shut in the house. I also miss my bed. The recliner is okay, but man... my bed.

Well, off to perio-rinse and attempt to sleep. Hot flash... need the fan.

I've found utterly liquified/blended food gets old very quickly. I've since progressed to soft minced foods, which my mini-chopper is making short work of. Two of my "go to" foods when I can't handle yet another shake and don't feel like "cooking" are:

Canned green beans and hot dogs (Nathan's Famous, fired up in a skillet); This doesn't look good, but it tastes nice and savory.

Corned Beef (or Spam) Hash made with mashed potatoes. Fry up canned corned beef or spam (spam will need to be run through the mini-chopper), and mix it with some mashed potatoes (I just use mashed potato flakes.) Stir in some shredded cheese. Top with ketchup. I usually eat it with scrambled eggs (which I've been cleared to eat) topped with Sriracha sauce on the side. Again, nice and savory after all those sweet yogurts, shakes, etc. And the meat has just enough texture so you know you aren't having another blended food.

Sweet potatoes are also good, and they don't need blending. They can be a little stringy though.

Thanks, will try those ideas. I'm going to watch the spicy though. I had refried beans thinned with some green chili sauce and ended up with the worst heartburn of my life. I've never had a problem with spicy food before, but WOW, was that meal not worth it. I had some miso soup today that was really good... nice and savory and not bad protein-wise with the tofu all mashed up. Still a liquid, but hey... I think I'll try the eggs tomorrow. I normally eat eggs with hot sauce, but I think maybe I'll stick with cheese for now. Really, it was the heartburn to end all heartburn. I was in tears... and I haven't been from the surgery.

I just had double jaw surgery on Tuesday. I'm older than average patient but it was necessary to open my undersized airway.

Anyway. Well. In spite of all the reading and prep I'd done and the over-the-top medical textbooks, I can honestly say This Gal Was Not Prepared

Did I just refuse to accept what many of you speak of? I can only speak of the first four days. I very much underplayed this and clearly did not grasp the severity of the surgery (8-9 hours) nor the recovery. At least at this point.

I'm swollen more than the usual patient apparently--but of course. The swelling is, at least I think it is the worst part-- that is, if you count all that goes along with it like the inability to close lips, terrible dryness numbness nasal blockage and inability to take food.

I thought that food would taste fine. Thought I'd be swollen bruised drooling caked-blood-lady but did not think I would be total invalid. I'm really hoping to hear again about just WHEN the FIRST hint of a significant healing milestone might happen

When did you notice a turn for the better. When could you look at yourself and stand it and most importantly when were you able to breathe? Comfortably?

When did you master the banding up? When did you notice the horrible effects of anaesthic finally go away? The smell? The grossness of post surgery? And when did you finally get the trick of allowing your jaw to be in its new position in the splint?

Miserable. Truly am. Sorry.

Well, your peak swelling day should be around today, so that will only get better. Keep up on your pain meds if needed; don't be shy about using them at all. (And opiates can be a decent sleep aid in addition to pain reliever.) Expect to be on Advil for quite a while. If you find your muscles just won't relax into the splint and it's uncomfortable, ask your surgeon about an Rx for muscle relaxants. (Though I'm not sure I'd want to mix those with opiates if you are still using them.)

Aquaphor lip balm is popular here for the dryness issue; it's expensive ($5-6 for a tiny little tube), but is worth it. (Instead of just being vaseline and wax, it's actually a humectant, meaning it latches onto water and holds it there.)

You should be on Sudafed and/or nasal spray; again, don't be shy about using them as directed (for instance, mine told me to use nasal spray as long as I needed to, past the normal three days you are supposed to as necessary.) My doc also had me use q-tips soaked in half-strength Hydrogen Peroxide to keep my nasal passages clean.

With you being under that long, needing a few days to "kick" the after-effects of the anesthetic is not unusual.

OMG. Thank you for those words if advice. My lips are in bad shape. I guess they actually started to crack during the surgery--due to the stretching. Any advice on product is most appreciated. I'm in USA so will look for some relief.

The pain meds are utterly necessary. And I was told to keep taking them as most people need for about 10 days.