After 2 Surgeries Braces Are Now Off!!!

[katemm06]

Hi Everyone,

I just found out that I will be having lower jaw surgery (Sagittal Split Osteotomy) and a Genioplasty on January 9, 2007 . I wasn't expecting the surgery to be so soon but my oral surgeon and orthodontist feel that I am fully ready. I only found out two weeks ago about the surgical date so everything is still kind of a whirlwind. I am really excited though to get this over and done with and to see the final result.

I will be having my lower jaw pushed back with rigid fixation (aka titanium screws!) plus a genioplasty (more screws!) which will give me back my chin that I will lose from the jaw surgery. I think my oral surgeon will shorten the chin a bit too in order to make it more in proportion with my face. Currently, my chin is misaligned. I will have to wear a Splint for the first week after surgery and then it will be removed by my OS. The Splint will affect my speech a little bit but I will still be able to talk according to my OS. The procedure will be outpatient like my previous one for SARPE and I will have nasal intubation. My OS did a rough sketch of my profile in the months after the surgery and it is incredible!!

I will be taking three weeks off of work but my OS has told me that I will probaly only need two off. Just to be safe I'm taking three!

If anyone has questions about my upcoming surgical/postop experience please feel free to ask! I found it difficult to connect with people on this site who were having the same procedure as mine. As a result, I thought it would be helpful to document my own experience.

Talk to you soon!

[Brandyleigh35]

Hi Kate,
Wow! I guess I didn't realize that you were headed down the lower jaw surgery route also. I thought once they did your SARPE they would be able to fix everything else with just braces. You will be the first one I have talked to that has had SARPE, healed from it, then had lower jaw surgery! I will be having the same thing done in May only my lower jaw will be advanced forward instead of pulled back. I'm waiting til them so that I can have the summer off to recover.

Did you know you were going to have to have jaw surgery eventually or was this all a big surprise? I will be interested in following your progress and recovery from all this.

I'm currently having issues with my SARPE stuff. Almost 9 months post op and I'm having sinusitus issues which have been ongoing for about 5 months now. Long story....but very irritating. Its sorta making me nervous about the lower jaw surgery as I don't want to be dealing with more stuff! ugghh!

Anyway.....keep us posted. You will be the first SARPE survivior, and Lower Jaw surgery survivior as well! I can't wait to see how you are going to look! I bet the change will be just incredible!

Brandy

[katemm06]

Thanks for all the kind and supportive words Brandy, KK, Meryaten, and Linda! I really do feel that 2007 will be a great year for me It was a nice surprise to find out the surgical date because for a while it seemed like things were at a complete standstill.

Brandi~ I knew from my very first meeting with my ortho that I would need lower jaw surgery. My OS confirmed this with me in the subsequent consultation. I remember crying my eyes out after the ortho meeting when I found out I had a severe Class III malocclusion. I felt so abnormal. But I'm glad that I chose to get it treated. I hope you can resolve your sinusitis problems soon. I've been really lucky not to have experienced anything like that after SARPE.

Meryaten~ Thanks for the postop time breakdown. It's pretty impressive that you were able to go back to work so soon if even for a few hours! I'm hoping that by the second week postop I will start working again but only time will tell. I have an excellent oral surgeon and judging from my previous surgery I really don't expect to be off my feet for too long. What was the hardest part of recovery for you?

Linda~ I am so happy that the holidays are here because it really does take my mind off of the upcoming surgery. I bought a tree this weekend and I've been decorating the house as well. Merry Christmas to you too!

[missy bigsmiles]

Hi Kate,

I'll be heading down the BSSO route for class 3 occlusion also , poss Jan 07, I have't seen the OS yet, was supposed to meet him again , first time since my wisdom tooth extraction, 2 years now... 3 days ago, joint appointment with the ortho, however, he was off...so date to follow. I haven't had a SARPE, but will be having a maxillary osteotomy also...I seem to have a trillion questions to ask him...

I look forward to following your surgery and sharing the experience...

Regards,

Missy

[katemm06]

Hi Everyone,

Not much has changed since my last posting. I am still scheduled for surgery on January 9. Yay!

I had an ortho adjustment on Monday and my teeth still feel sensitive from that. They put on strong metal wires for the surgery which is maybe why my teeth are so tender. The surgical hooks will go on the day before surgery which I'm not too excited about. It was difficult to eat the hoagie at the office Christmas luncheon today because the bread was pretty hard to bite into! These are the times when I wish I did not have braces to deal with. But the good news is that I did notice an improvement in my Bite since the adjustment on monday.

I met with my OS yesterday and signed the consent forms and had Xrays and some digital pictures taken. Next week I will have my bloodwork taken and then the following week my OS will do measurements and molds. I received my ZipNSqueeze bags in the mail and the headwrap and now all I need to do is stock up on food and movies!!

So far everything has been going smoothly. Just trying to keep up with all the appointments. Not too nervous yet but I'm sure I will be when the day arrives. I really wish I could fast forward to a week after surgery but oh well.

Happy Holidays!

[katemm06]

Meryaten~Will do! Thanks

[katemm06]

Thanks Linda. Not too much time left before the big day is here Only three more doctors' appointments left to go! Just have to stock up on food and some movies but that is about it with preparations.

Happy New Year to you! Best of luck with your own treatment

[katemm06]

Thanks KK for the encouraging words!

It finally hit me yesterday at work that I am actually on my way to getting this done!! I had several moments in which I thought OMG will I actually be able to handle undergoing a second oral surgery procedure?? I remembered the previous swelling, the numbness, the bleeding, not sleeping good, the general uncomfortable feeling. But then I thought to myself this is the last procedure I will ever need to get done and just knowing that is enough to get me through this. So as of now I am officially out of work for the next several weeks! Just being off from work is a wonderful feeling

On Monday I will get my surgical hooks from the ortho and get fitted for my splint by the os. The surgery is early tuesday morning and if all goes well I will be home sometime in the afternoon. I got all my prescriptions filled already so I'm good to go. Like the previous surgery I was prescribed Tylenol with Codeine again for the pain. My OS claims I won't need anything stronger. I really hope he's right!!!!!

Did anyone find it helpful to use Zip N Squeeze bags at the hospital for drinking liquids? I'm wondering if I should bring one with me there.

[4beauty4symmetry]

Hi Kate,

Just wanted to wish you luck. Only just now stumbled across your story as I've only been in the surgery forum, preoccuped with my recent Sarpe.

In about a year I will also, like you, have a mandibular setback surgery to correct my underbite. You've probably been told this, but because the lower jaw does not have as much tissue or as many capillaries my understanding is that it is not generally as difficult for the body as upper jaw surgery--like Sarpe proceedures.

If I were you, I would take the Zip N Squeeze bags to the hospital--maybe just one, as you won't be there long. What have you got to lose?

Take care--Jennifer

[Brandyleigh35]

Hey kate,
Just wanted to wish you luck and fast healing from your jaw surgery. I will be curious to hear how it goes and what your recovery is like. Since you will have the SARPE to compare with, and having had one of those myself I'm interested to see if you feel it was less invasive or more so. I have heard it to be less as mentioned Jennifer previously. I'm sure you are starting to get a bit nervous, but I'm totally excited for you! You will be just that much closer to completing this whole oral journey....and BTW your teeth look awesome now!

Good luck, and I will send some good healing wishes your way no Tuesday!

Brandy

[katemm06]

Thanks Meryaten, Jennifer, and Brandy! I am ready to have this over and done with. I feel like I am just in waiting mode for today and tomorrow to pass by. I will bring a ZNS with me to the hospital in case I need it. And definently a pillow on the ride home because the car ride was way too bumpy the last time for my jaw!

It's my understanding that lower jaw surgery is less invasive than upper jaw surgery. However, my OS told me that he still considers the surgery I'm getting on Tuesday to be more serious and involved than SARPE. I think that SARPE is viewed by oral surgeons (or at least my own) as an easier procedure to perform than regular jaw surgery. I couldn't tell you the reasons why though.

It will be interesting to compare my two procedures. Tomorrow morning I get my surgical hooks. I hear they are pretty annoying but I soon shall see!

[4beauty4symmetry]

Could you speak with your surgeon about making sure you have a gel pack to ice your jaw as soon as you wake from surgery? I guess a jaw bra would be ideal.

I had a jaw bra on continously when I woke from my Sarpe, but the nurses wouldn't bring me something my midface, I think because they thought it wasn't a good idea, as they could see blood coming from my nostril, but my surgeon seems to think it could have been. It wasn't till about 2 hours after I woke that I was able to ice my midface.

I had little swelling in my jaw area, but quite a bit in my cheeks for the next several days, and I wonder if perhaps immediately application of ice would have nipped the swelling before it had a chance to, well ,swell.

At any rate, I would talk to the OMS about making sure you have a jaw bra ready to go for your lower jaw.

[katemm06]

Hi Guys,

I made it to the other side

This is a lot more involved and invasive than SARPE..trust me on this!
I have a splint in my mouth until Monday and I basically feel like I'm wired shut. It is so difficult to speak that I really only say minimal words. I'm very swollen and completely numb on my lower lip and chin. I've had a ton of blood come out from my mouth since yesterday. I'm told this is a result of the anaesthesia. On top of all this I also got my period today so let's just say there has been a crazy amount of bleeding going on!!

I haven't been able to drink from a cup yet because of the numbness but I have been able to use the ZNS which has been a godsend. I used one in the hospital yesterday although I had to argue with the nurse to let me use one. She tried to get me to drink from a straw which was absolutely ridiculous since I'm numb. My mom has also been pouring some liquids from a cup into my mouth..She has been so great through all of this. I drank mostly a clear diet yesterday and today I had a Boost. Later on I will start having milkshakes. It's very hard to get liquids into my mouth because of the heavy banding. I've been icing my face since yesterday but my OS said that the swelling will continue to get worse for a while. The ZNS jaw bra has been good but I've been using the hospital one more because it holds more ice. Earlier I used frozen veggies on my face which felt great!!

I'm glad I had this done but even with all the research I did not know it would be this uncomfortable with the splint and the blood in my mouth. I saw the x-ray picture today at my os and it looks great! My two jaws are aligned and I have three screws on the right side, three screws on the left side, and two chin plates. It's a lot of hardware to have but I am happy with the results. I will try and post pics soon.

Does anyone know how long I may need to wear the rubber bands for when the splint gets removed? I'm sure it will be a lot more comfortable once they are in.

[joao]

Congrats katemm06!!

I just wish you a wonderful recovery.

[4beauty4symmetry]

Congraultions, and hang in there.


Jennifer