SARPE Surgery

Message

#916 Post by **lueyfufu** » Mon Jul 21, 2008 5:58 am

Er, to clarify, today is day #5 of expanding. I'm doing two turns a day, so Hubby just did turn #9 this morning. I have 23 more turns to go.

Yep, my upper teeth are definitely crowded. My surgeon didn't turn the expander at all during surgery, so maybe that's also part of why I haven't seen anything yet?

I can definitely see that the bars in the expander spreading open, and I can DEFINITELY feel the pressure in my face every time hubby turns it. So my two front teeth just can't bear to be apart.

I'm still trying to wade through the 60-some pages of previous posts in this thread, but so far, I haven't read about anyone who had SARPE that didn't involve fracturing the middle of the palate. Is it strange that my OS didn't do that?

#917 Post by **lueyfufu** » Thu Jul 24, 2008 4:09 am

Okay, I was definitely worried over nothing. After turn #14 last night, I went to bed with what felt like a little bit of a gap. This morning I woke up to find a definite gap! Please note that in a couple weeks, I'll probably be complaining about the gap, but in the meantime, wahoo!

Did any of you experience any bleeding with the initial expansion? I know this is gross, but I noticed a little blood on my front teeth when I woke up this morning, and I'm thinking maybe it's from the expansion pulling on my incision.

#918 Post by **crazybeautiful** » Thu Jul 24, 2008 6:29 am

Congrats on the gap! I loved mine- when it gets bigger drink all drinks with a straw; it's awesome!

I think I had a bit of bleeding too- it's a bit gross, but don't wory about it

PS- I dunno what taffy is, but I bet you can eat Doritos! I break them in half if needs be, but I still have them

Thu Jul 24, 2008 10:31 am

i agree with crazy, i ate doritos with braces right up until my second surgery...Taffy, though i defintely stayed away from...its a sticky, gooey, chewy, soft candy...just asking for trouble. though, i did get a starburst stuck to my palate expander WHILE teaching (first grade)! give me a break, i wore that thing for a year, i was trying to jsut savor the taste and i almost drooled and sucked it back in and opps, stuck...no more starbursts after that episode!

regarding the blood- id post of picture of what it looked like when i came home, but i dont think anyone wants to see that mess! i wasnt allowed to clean my mouth at all until i saw the surgeon the next day. there was dried blood allll over my front teeth, right around my cute gap that formed in surgery. boy was i glad when i was able to clean that up! so im guessing that it does bleed. i wouldnt worry too much, so long as you dont have a geiser spurting from anywhere. im 2 1/2 weeks post op and am coughing up dried blood clots. it all has to work its way out of your sinuses somewhow...

#920 Post by **lueyfufu** » Thu Jul 24, 2008 11:24 am

Ewww. *lol*

Maybe I'll change my ticker to "23 months and 1 week until Starburst!"

#921 Post by **Elspeth** » Sun Jul 27, 2008 3:52 am

I'm officially getting an expander within 3 weeks, without SARPE surgery!

I'll have it for about 6 months. I guess I won't have the same initial discomfort of surgery that the rest of you do, but I'm still apprehensive about turning and all that.

The info my ortho gave me says that one may experience an odd pressure down the middle of the face when turning. *wince* What's that like?

Also, I think my ortho mentioned wanting to put braces on at the *same time* as my expander. Is that common practice or somewhat bizarre? I may have misheard him because at the time I was like "buh?" thinking that braces only went on after the expander was done.

#922 Post by **lueyfufu** » Sun Jul 27, 2008 6:23 am

I thought the pressure felt sort of like how my sinuses tighten up right before I sneeze.

It makes sense that you'll have braces and the expander at the same time. If I'm not mistaken, you won't be turning the expander for all six months. You'll have period of time at the beginning when you're turning it and creating space, and then the rest of the time, the expander will stay in your mouth just to stabilize things while the bone fills in the new space. For me, the braces will go on shortly after that initial expansion period.

#923 Post by **phil** » Sun Jul 27, 2008 10:39 am

Elspeth,

I just want to make sure that I understand correctly...you have an expander, but are not having the SARPE surgery, is that right?

Do you mind me asking how old you are? If the palatal suture has already begun to fuse, the only thing the expander will move is teeth, and that may not be a good thing...

For everyone who is having SARPE and/or using an expander, I would like to offer my bit of advice as to how I dealt with turning...every morning I would take my Ibuprofen about 30 minutes before turning the key, then immediately after turning I would apply a moist heat pack to my face for about 10-15 minutes. Once I sorted out this routine, I was much more comfortable. The sensations of pressure around and behind the nose can be alarming at first, but following my routine would definitely help. Also, I find that how I perceive the sensations that I'm experiencing in my face greatly affects how good/bad I feel, and by accepting the feeling for what it is, and just observing it, the result is a greater degree of comfort during the whole experience.

I wish everyone in the expander club great success!

Be well, and at peace,

Phil

#924 Post by **lueyfufu** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 2:05 pm

I do the Ibuprofen-30-minutes-before-turning trick too. It works well.

I'm starting to get some feeling back in my furthest-back left molar. It feels all weird and loose. I'm still hesitant to chew on that side for some reason, even though I'm chewing fine on the right side. Hopefully that won't affect the bone expansion or healing with the uneven pressure of only biting on one side.

#925 Post by **phil** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 3:56 pm

lueyfufu,

Glad that you found the Ibuprofen "tactic."

I just noticed...I like your ticker..."until doritos and taffy."

Now let's see, for me it would be popcorn and...popcorn! Can you tell that I really miss popcorn?

Be well, and at peace,

Phil

#926 Post by **chipmunkcheeks** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 4:10 pm

luey- you are allowed to chew, so soon??? boy did i get the short end of the stick with my SARPE...not only did i wear the expander for a COMPLETE YEAR!!!!, i wasnt allowed to chew for 6 weeks...S-I-X! lucky you. its all mind over matter with the chewing, we all get that way about something. for me it was the stitches on one side. lucky you! chew on!

#927 Post by **Elspeth** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 6:42 pm

phil wrote:Elspeth,

I just want to make sure that I understand correctly...you have an expander, but are not having the SARPE surgery, is that right?

Do you mind me asking how old you are? If the palatal suture has already begun to fuse, the only thing the expander will move is teeth, and that may not be a good thing...

Hi Phil

I'm 19. My ortho said I was at an age where an expander without SARPE is still possible, but that if I'd come to him in a few years then the surgery would have been necessary.

My problem is (from what I understand) a crossbite caused by a too narrow top jaw that is causing my bottom jaw to swing sideways (hence asymmetry). So I definately hope the expander will not just move my teeth but actually expand the jaw.

I just got my spacers on this morning, and will get the expander next Tuesday. Wah!

#928 Post by **phil** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 7:40 pm

Elspeth,

Ah. Well, from what I understand, you may be on the borderline.

I think a good ol' x-ray easily shows whether or not the palatal suture has fused. Surely (let's hope!) he has done that and made that determination for you prior to treatment.

I wish you all the best. If you can expand the bone without surgery, that would be much better!

Be well and at peace,

Phil

#929 Post by **crazybeautiful** » Tue Jul 29, 2008 5:51 am

I was 17 when I had SARPE- I think it depends on how much expansion you need! (for me, a lot!) Not a lot can be gained without surgery- but if you don't need a lot then I guess an expander without surgery would be effective

Again- I was chewing basically 2 days after. My surgeon said I could eat/chew as soon as I felt I could, and I wasn't staying on soups if I didn't need to. I'll save that for my next surgery!

Beans on toast is good for 'tentative chewing'

...is this a British meal though? You need Heinz for sure

#930 Post by **lueyfufu** » Tue Jul 29, 2008 7:30 am

chipmunkcheeks: Yep! I was told to stay on soft foods the first week (pudding, applesauce, macaroni & cheese, etc.). After my one-week post-op checkup, I was cleared to eat anything I wanted. Of course, I haven't wanted to eat anything hard or chewy yet, so I'm pretty much still on a soft food diet.

I am planning to try some Goldfish crackers for my morning snack attack. We'll see how that goes.

I had my two-week followup with the oral surgeon this morning. She took out most of the loose stitches but left the knots in. I'll go back in two weeks for a final checkup. I am now cleared to drink from a straw and sneeze through my nose. What fun.

And speaking of stitches, she said she used dissolvable stitches. Is that a misnomer? Do they not really just dissolve by themselves?

Metal Mouth Message Board

SARPE Surgery

blood

:(