Any regrets??

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#1 Post by Le » Mon Aug 09, 2010 6:09 am

I have been braced for over a year and now have a surgery date for August 27, and Im starting to have serious second thoughts!

I need to have my lower jaw moved forward 9mm, I will not be wired, will need to spend 1 to 2 nights in hospital, and take 2 weeks off work... These are the things I know but all the unknowns are doing my head in.

In working out the finer details (and finding out my health insurance wont cover it!) I'm starting to wonder if its worth it. My jaw clicks but doesn't cause me pain or migraines, is it worth spending $8k and how ever many weeks/months in pain, unable to eat, swollen up??

Are you happy you got surgery? Was it worth it in the end or do you regret it?

#2 Post by **Emmauk** » Mon Aug 09, 2010 7:28 am

I cant offer any words of wisdom as i havent had my surgery yet but if you need support just look around on the site and you'll find story after story of people soooooooooo pleased they did it even if there were complications.

I dont think you'd be human if you didn't have some second thoughts, its a major thing to go through - but ultimately only you know how much you want it to change.

#3 Post by **ReneG** » Mon Aug 09, 2010 8:44 am

It was absolutely worth it and if I had a choice I would have done it sooner!

#4 Post by **VikingGirl** » Mon Aug 09, 2010 9:15 am

You won't end up spending weeks/months in pain. Well, it's highly unlikely

#5 Post by **James0099** » Mon Aug 09, 2010 12:49 pm

I don't have any regrets, I had upper and lower July 20th, it wasn't as bad as I thought. I was real worried and it turned out to be fine, had no pain at all, never needed any pain medication, no numbness outside of my mouth. The only pain is being wired shut and not being able to eat food, besides that this hasn't been that bad and I am happy I got it done.

I really don't look that much different either, just that my upper lip is now even my bottom instead of being behind. My nose is a little wider but I didn't really need big changes to my looks, I didn't do this for my looks.

#6 Post by **indecisive1** » Tue Aug 10, 2010 2:12 am

I had upper and lower jaw surgery to correct and open bite, plus a genioplasty. I am 40 years old and my only regret is not doing it sooner. I won't lie to you, the first week post op is truly challenging. Every day I would ask myself "what on earth did I do to myself what was I thinking?" I am currently 7 weeks post op and can honestly say would do it all again in a heartbeat!!

#7 Post by **isolde** » Tue Aug 10, 2010 9:59 am

I don't regret it for one second, and I'm still drinking all my meals 3 weeks later. I did have the same doubts as you and was worrying over what I'd signed myself up for. But I knew I wanted it really. We all panic last minute. BTW I was both jaws, underbite surgery.

is it worth spending $8k

I live in the UK so can't help you there, we have free healthcare.

and how ever many weeks/months in pain, unable to eat, swollen up??

The swelling differs from person to person but it isn't THAT bad - you live with it and will watch the swelling go day by dy. Eating gets frustrating at first but again, you learn to live with it. You'll adapt.

Are you happy you got surgery?

Definitely. Didn't expect to love doing this so much: : D (though my smile is more elastic than that). I can't wait to be able to chew food properly.

Was it worth it in the end or do you regret it?

Not in the slightest, though I'm only three weeks post op, and every case is different. You will need strong support from family/friends (you won't want to make your own soup in the first week); you will need to be patient, you need to trust your surgeons and ortho because initially things might not all align yet; and overall you need a lot of positivity.

Fill free to PM me with more questions if you want.

I was exactly the same as you a few weeks before mine.

#8 Post by **mulligan24** » Wed Aug 11, 2010 1:44 pm

I'm only 2 weeks post-op (upper, lower, genio), but count me among those who say they wish they had it done sooner. I had mine done for mostly medical reasons but every time I look at my new profile I'm absolutely thrilled. For the first time in my life I don't hate the way I look from the side.

I won't lie, the first couple of days were rough. I swelled up like crazy, had to sleep upright on the couch (which meant not sleeping at all) and was drinking Ensure for all of my meals. Now most of the swelling is gone, I have no residual bruising, and strangers are only able to tell that I've had surgery when they hear me talk (because of the splint in my mouth). The no-chew diet sucks, but I'm drinking a ton of smoothies and with all the fresh fruit, leafy vegetables, yogurt and tofu I'm putting in them I'm actually eating much better than I usually do (don't get me wrong, I'd still kill for a steak, but really 8-10 weeks is not actually that long in the grand scheme of things).

Everyone's recovery is different, and mine is far from over, but it's not been so bad. The anticipation leading up to the surgery was the worst part by far.

#9 Post by **HkyGrl s2k** » Thu Aug 12, 2010 3:13 pm

I will be the person on the other end of the spectrum here. I do regret getting my surgery. I had the lower jaw moved forward back in december. I had to go back again in february because all the hardware was coming out of my jaw. Then back in again a third time at the end of last month beacuse the hardware was being rejected once again on the right side of my jaw. I still have numbness in my lower lip and chin that I'm just not sure is going to come back anymore with all of the stuff they've had to go back in and do.

This is all stuff I was warned could happen, but had I known I would have to deal with it for this long, I woulda just lived with an overbite.

You just have to read everyones stories on here, look at your financial situatinos, weigh your options and make a decision. Best of luck to you

#10 Post by **boatsink** » Thu Aug 12, 2010 6:22 pm

Hey HkyGrl s2k,

I'm sorry to hear about the problems you went through. 3 times in surgery and the screws were still rejected by your body =(. I'll be having surgery within one year's time. I know I will be having the surgery with the same surgeon as you. Did you have any problems w/ the Kaiser surgeon?

Thanks.

#11 Post by **isolde** » Fri Aug 13, 2010 6:11 am

HkyGrl s2k wrote:I will be the person on the other end of the spectrum here. I do regret getting my surgery. I had the lower jaw moved forward back in december. I had to go back again in february because all the hardware was coming out of my jaw. Then back in again a third time at the end of last month beacuse the hardware was being rejected once again on the right side of my jaw. I still have numbness in my lower lip and chin that I'm just not sure is going to come back anymore with all of the stuff they've had to go back in and do.

This is all stuff I was warned could happen, but had I known I would have to deal with it for this long, I woulda just lived with an overbite.

You just have to read everyones stories on here, look at your financial situatinos, weigh your options and make a decision. Best of luck to you

I'm really sorry to hear about that too. You are a warrior! When did you begin to know the hardware was being rejected, or was that something the surgeons saw first in x-rays? Could you feel anything? This has always been in the forefront of my mind with this surgery...

#12 Post by **sadpanda** » Fri Aug 13, 2010 4:50 pm

Hi Le -

I haven't had surgery, but I can relate to your story about your jaw clicking, but not causing much pain. My ortho says I really shouldn't have jaw surgery until the tmj causes me unbearable pain. For right now, I'm just having braces correct everything they can and I plan to avoid having surgery, especially since I have heard how bad it can be and that there are no guarantees. I was wondering why you want the surgery. I think if your jaw is causing you major problems and pain, paying the $8k would be worth it. If it's for cosmetic purposes, that's really your choice. But I've been told that tmj is not a huge problem until it becomes very painful. The orthos just told me not to agitate it and make it worse by purposely making it click. Also - is your health insurance not covering the surgery because it's not medically necessary or are they just being a mean insurance company like so many of them are?

#13 Post by Le » Thu Aug 19, 2010 5:26 pm

Wow, thanks so much for the support and the good stories! Sometimes all you hear are the horror stories which are not helpful when already freaking out.

I saw my surgeon yesterday, and today have felt like the cloud of fear and anxiety that has been with me all week has just dissappeared... I know it wont be fun, but I don't think it will be as bad as I originally thought. I'll keep you posted... this time next week I'll be under the knife!!

#14 Post by Le » Thu Aug 19, 2010 5:45 pm

In answer to you sadpanda I'll give you the whole saga! (And my apologies, I don't know or remember any of the technical terms)

I originally sought a ortho consult because my front top teeth were angled in (the opposite of buck teeth!) and resting on my bottom teeth, this was causing the enamel to where away on both the top and bottom teeth.

My ortho then told me the problem was a mis-aligned jaw, and though he could put braces on, this would just increase the gap between my front teeth and my bottom teeth. When the braces came off the teeth would gradually fall back in again because there was no support for them. My surgeon said the same thing.

Everyone I saw my also pretty disturbed by the click in my jaw which happens everytime I open my mouth at appointments... but like I say to date does not cause me any real pain.

At the end of the day it was my choice, but I felt I didn't really have much of one... it was wear away my teeth to nothing or get it fixed.

Also.. my health insurance company are just jerks! Though I have found out later I am partially covered by public health cover, so I will get some money back.

Mon Aug 23, 2010 12:56 am

13 days post surgery and so far no regrets whatsoever.