Surgery Date Nov 4- Double Jaw- Excited!

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Mon Nov 23, 2009 4:44 pm

projo- that sounds much more invasive! I imagine it would make recovery a lot more difficult! Are you happy with the results?

#62 Post by **SuperJet** » Mon Nov 23, 2009 6:38 pm

asmileconnectsus, its great to hear your doing good. Yea the first 4 days are the hardest with pain. I remember sleeping after surgery for the first few days. It was hard to positisition my head so my face would be comfortable.

I do have a few questions what was the frankenstin stitch for? They actually stitched your eyelids closed? why? last one is what were the front top and bottom hooks attached too in your mouth???

Did you get to see your X rays after surgery? I did and I took a picture of it. Its pretty cool. 4 plates and 21 screws for my lower jaw surgery.

Mon Nov 23, 2009 8:29 pm

Hi SuperJet- the Frankenstein stitch was for a screw that they put in during surgery to use as a reference point for measurements. As is my understanding, there are few OS that use this method, I think it might be a newer method. I am not sure.

They used one stitch on each eye to keep them closed, lubricated, and safe from flying shards of bone or anything else during surgery. Some doctors use tape, but my doctor finds that too many people had bad reactions to the tape and the stitch is much more effective.

The front screw and bottom hood are attached to my jaws! I will have them removed in March. The top one is not irritating at all because I have not feeling in my gums up there yet, and the bottom is REALLY annoying and I like to call in my nemesis in the banded shut process.

I have 4 plates each with 4 screws, both on top and bottom...8 plates total. I have not yet seen my post-op x-ray but will be sent a copy of them in the next week or two! I will post them to my blog! I can't wait to see where the plates are!!! And to see where all the grafting is!

Wed Nov 25, 2009 9:01 am

yesterday i became painfully (literally) aware of my mouth, the banding, my teeth, the brackets, my cheeks...i guess my nerves are coming more alive and are in hyper-sensitive mode...my face is also starting to come more alive, which i am happy about, but I hate the pain. I am taking Tylenol Extra Strength to help with the pain, and I am on a muscle relaxer to help with my TMJ tension.

Has anyone else felt this?? How long did it last? I am scared this ultra sensitivity will last...it is so exhausting!

#65 Post by **Esoteric** » Wed Nov 25, 2009 10:09 am

What kind of pain are you having? I have had zero pain through my whole process. Well I take that back, my jaw was soar when I first started opening it but that's about it. I didn't feel any pain when my nerves started to grow back either, although sometimes my lip and chin would tingle or feel like they were burning a bit but it wasn't bothersome at all.

Wed Nov 25, 2009 11:00 am

I have been in pain from the very beginning. They say it's because I had so many bone grafts done, along with a lot of movement. The pain I'm having, I think (and so my Dr says) is nerves coming back to life...it is just very intense. I do have twitches in my lip and chin, and tingly/itchy feelings in my face where it is numb. This part doesn't bother me, and is not painful. The pain is all also very exhausting...I have always thought of myself as a very pain resistant person, and I am being proven very wrong in this recovery process...I just don't know how to cope . I was in A LOT of pain before surgery due to the state of my TMJs, but this pain is different. ugh I just feel at such a loss. I have a very support groups around me at home, but it is hard for them to understand without going through it...

#67 Post by **Esoteric** » Wed Nov 25, 2009 12:19 pm

Hmm, wish I could help ya out. I will tell ya though that my bottom lip and chin would twitch all the time for a good week or two. I'm not sure exactly why it happens but I assume that it's the muscles reconnecting with all the nerves and getting things sorted out. We had kinda of the same surgeries I think but maybe they were done differently.

Thu Nov 26, 2009 10:52 am

Thanks Eric, I am feeling better today, trying to stay on top of the medicine, and keeping hydrated and getting protein and calories in. I am still very frustrated with my puree died because i really can't get anything in past my closed teeth unless it is as thin as broth.

I am going to try making soups that have thin broths and just strain it...The diet has been the hardest part of this whole experience. Being high risk I have to be on this diet for 10 weeks, it has been 3 weeks so far...7 more weeks...then a soft chew diet begins...which I am looking forward to more than anything!!!!

I would love some encouragement, it's pretty lonely in the "real world" of eating...that and all my life I have loved to eat and this is such a struggle not to...

Happy Thanksgiving!

#69 Post by **enigma** » Sat Nov 28, 2009 12:57 pm

Just sending you a hug here as I cant post to your blog glad to hear your doing better....even though your feelings have taught me something new "post op blues" never realised so thank you for sharing and Im glad to hear your feeling better.
Keep smiling your looking good with it....you have come so far be proud xxx

Sat Nov 28, 2009 6:53 pm

enigma- thank you so much! i really appreciate the support! I really have come far, sometimes I forget to think about that...thanks for the reminder

#71 Post by **Marisama** » Sat Nov 28, 2009 7:08 pm

Dr. G really requires 10 weeks of liquid diet? I haven't heard of that long of a liquid diet before.

Sat Nov 28, 2009 9:57 pm

well yes and no...i mean technically it is

1st and 2nd week are strained liquids any color because particles can cause infections,

after 15 days you can have particles in your liquids. It's just hard to get anything past the closed teeth. I am high risk so I don't know if you are too, but I have to be very careful with my diet. So right now I could blend up anything, thin it out and try and get it down, but I can't stand the particles in my braces because i'm having a hard time brushing (just cause of the opening being so small) not to mention the nausea (which will hopefull be cleared soon)....

the soft-chew diet begins at 8-10weeks post-op.

#73 Post by **mjj929** » Sun Nov 29, 2009 10:08 am

Hi, I've been following your blog as I too am considering Dr. Gunson. I hope you feel better everyday!

I recall they advanced your jaws a good amount, yet your nose looks similar to before. Did Dr G use any techniques to keep it from changing/widening?

Thanks!
Mikey J

Sun Nov 29, 2009 10:42 am

Hey Mikey J,

First off Dr.G is so awesome! I think the reason my nose didn't change very much was because I had a lot of extra space in my mouth, my jaw sizes we so small before surgery that I had space to move where I guess it just didn't change. Also, Dr.G and his team have an amazing eye. They know how to move your bones so you still look natural. Personally my nose wasn't a concern of mine. I just wanted my jaws fixed so I wasn't worried my nose, it was a little joke because of the size of the arch of my nose before. Dr.G said my nose might change, and if I had any concerns about how it would look than he could help me. I just told him I trusted his eye. I am happy how it came out, my arch is slightly lower because of the widening/lowering of my pallet.

Sorry I don't know about any special techniques. I know he didn't use and special stitches as I've heard other doctors do, but it might depend on person to person.

I hope this helped a little...

Mary

#75 Post by **enigma** » Mon Nov 30, 2009 1:29 pm

Back again Mary!
Do you think your face looks different from a frontal aspect obviously with your swelling its probably hard to see at this point. But was wondering if you had any comparison pictures for this if there is a difference.
Keep smiling you should be so proud of your blog and your messages on here are such a help to everyone xxx