MAY 2011 BUDDIES!!!!

[sb4512]

Hey all. Its now the 4th day after surgery and just starting to see my smile today. I'm totally thrilled, it looks so great already, just elated to see myself smiling now. Makes it all COMPLETELY worth it. So happy right now seeing my smile.

Every night I've been able to sleep pretty well sitting upright, I guess I'm lucky in that regard, as last night I only woke like once. Swelling has started to go down today and I'm eating well, but I'm already getting really sick of blended foods, just need to take it one day at a time or else I will get frustrated about not being able to chew. Also, be really careful about laughing cause everytime I do, it hurts terribly. Getting a few pins and needles feeling, but nothing uncomfortable. I also have a lot more movement with my smile/fish face.

Stay positive, it gets better every day.

[Sams]

Thanks for the advice Bracedfaced!

Sb4512 Congratulations, it must be a great feelong to be so happy early on in your recovery! Keep up the positive attitude You must be one of the last May Buddies, waiting to hear about the Junies now.

Back to work today. Hope peoples reactions aren't too shocked

[trc]

Question (kind of gross) - How do you clean the back of your tongue when you are banded. Mine is starting to feel really thick and gross. It makes me feel like I want to gag.

[Rizzie]

trc, try 7-up. I read on another site that 7-up is great for clearing out that gunky feeling. I don't know of any way to clean the back of your tongue if you are wired/banded shut. Once you increase your fluid intake your tongue and back of your mouth should feel cleaner.

[trc]

Thanks Rizzie, I will give that a try. With all the antibiotics they have you take it feels like it could easily be a yeast infection on the tongue. So disgusting. I have a post op appointment in 3 days. I am hoping he will take off the couple of bands I have and let me in there to clean.

To all the May Buddies - I have enjoyed reading your posts and have used them to get through these past 6 days. I knew it was going to be difficult but didn't realize just how difficult. I had my surgery May 25th. I am intolerant to any type of pain meds so I get terrible reactions mostly being stomach issues and withdrawal type effects from even the smallest amounts. So I have be off all meds for the last 24 hours and going through much withdrawal. I didn't help that I was taken by ambulance to the ER 2 days post op for complications with my stomach. Spent the weekend in the ER with no real care just a lot more meds. They didn't even help me with getting liquids in, cleaning my mouth, nothing....it was such an awful experience. I am so happy to be home now but still not free of the nausea yet. Trying so hard not to be sick. I have only had a total of 6 hours sleep in the last 5 days. Feeling the effects of it for sure.

On a positive note the surgeon was happy with how the procedures went. I had upper, lower, genio and a bone graft. I have tingling and zaps all over my face except my chin.

I am realizing now that I didn't not ask enough post op questions of what to expect. I have a splint wired to my top jaw and then I have 4 smaller bands holding my mouth closed. I should have the splint for 6 weeks but think the surgeon said I was only going to be banded shut for a few weeks.... I will have to get my list of questions for my appt. on Thursday.

[jenbrack]

Hi Everyone,

Sorry I've been kind of MIA the past couple of days, I was really focusing on getting through the first week. It sounds like we've all had somewhat similar experiences as far as recovering but we've made it and that's what is most important. Once you start hitting milestones, it's a GREAT feeling and I'm looking forward to more of them in the future. I'm officially 1 week post op and so glad that part is behind me, yahoo!

For me, the first 24-48 hours really were not THAT terrible. I had a small bout of nausea in the hospital the day of my surgery but that was most likely from the amount of blood I may have swallowed or from the anesthesia. Either way, that was really my only issue in the first two days. I will however say that days 3-5 were probably my worst. That was the height of my swelling and I also suffered from severe nausea which I think had to do with the percocets that I was prescribed for pain. I also had a lot of trouble sleeping and still am having a little trouble sleeping solid throughout the night, I actually sleep better during the day. Normally, I'm a very deep sleeper and lately, the drop of a pin could wake me up. I'm hoping that it will get better over the course of the next week.

On Friday I had my follow up with my oral surgeon and he was very pleased with my progress thus far. He turned the key of the palate expander 2 times and showed my mom how to turn it while we were in the office. I'm turning 2 times a day until I reach the desired expansion of 7 mm. It seems small but when you put that between my two front teeth, it suddenly seems A LOT bigger. I'll be happy when this part is over for sure. As far as the turning goes, it isn't bad at all. I read several blogs that said that you often feel pressure but for me, I have literally felt nothing.

I'm meeting with my orthodontist this week so fingers crossed for that! I'm assuming that she's just going to check things out and start preparing for braces in a couple of weeks. Other than that, I'll be meeting with my oral surgeon again in 2 weeks and hopefully at that point, I will be primarily healed from surgery and we'll be able to go forward with the next step and hand over the baton to my orthodontist. Gotta keep my eye on the prize

One question for those of you who have stitches, I think that I have the dissolvable ones (they're like fishing twine, very thin and clear/white). The ones that are in my bottom right gum where my one wisdom tooth was extracted are kind of uncomfortable and causing a little bit of pain at times. They seem like they're poking my gum and the inside of my cheek at times. Is this normal? Has anyone else experienced this?

[TitaniumAdded]

Question (kind of gross) - How do you clean the back of your tongue when you are banded. Mine is starting to feel really thick and gross. It makes me feel like I want to gag.

As suggested by Rizzie, 7 up may help your tongue, although it will help a lot more clearing out phlegm in your throat. In addition, rinse your mouth with salt water/mouthwash and it will help your breath a lot. Otherwise you cannot clean your tongue until unbanded/unwired. My surgeon's office cleaned mine once I was unwired.

[Sams]

One month-versary for me today! What a month it's been.

Update: Still numb and still have some swelling, or at least i hope i do as i look like i've had some dodgy plastic surgery and i'm hoping beyond hope that my cheeks and lips will return to normal soon... Anyone else feeling they look a bit strange?

[bracedfaced]

Sams, I am on day 23 and I still look weird. The left side if my face looks comoletely different than the right side. The left side looks normal-ish... The right side is seriously swollen and my mouth has significantly less animation. I look lopsided. Also, I definitely know I am still swollen because I din't have laughlines or wrinkles...which I had pre-surgery, I am an adult. I just got back the divet above my lip the other day. I wake up very swollen and it subsides throughout the day. I thought i'd look more normal by now.

[TitaniumAdded]

Hey I'm also about nearly a month post op and I feel like things haven't exactly settled down in swelling and numbness. For one, my talking is still off, and secondly in between my nose and cheeks I feel really puffy. I constantly check the mirror and notice symmetry is coming back, but my left looks way bigger than my right. It looks normal enough to go out and about, but I know it's still going to take some time. I really don't mind if it takes another month. Life is a lot easier now.

[aussiere]

I also have quite a bit of numbness and swelling, although last night the nerves were coming alive in my bottom jaw and it was painful and uncomfortable. But, my real concern it that my lower jaw sticks out past my upper jaw (like a bulldog). I am starting to get nervous this isn't right. The OR tells me it will take months to get to my final appearance

Please calm my fears.

[TitaniumAdded]

I also have quite a bit of numbness and swelling, although last night the nerves were coming alive in my bottom jaw and it was painful and uncomfortable. But, my real concern it that my lower jaw sticks out past my upper jaw (like a bulldog). I am starting to get nervous this isn't right. The OR tells me it will take months to get to my final appearance

Please calm my fears.

Could you take a picture? You're making it sound like you have a new underbite, which can't be the case post surgery.

Does this affect your bite? Because even if swelling is not the cause, orthodontics and set you straight after anyways, so need not worry.

[trc]

Day 9 for me today. Still having trouble with sleeping. I have never had trouble before the surgery but now when I try to fall asleep my breathing gets really slow and then stops and wakes me up sometimes gasping for air. I am not taking any narcotic medication and haven't since last Saturday. My nose is fairly clear so I am able to breathe through both my mouth and nose but it seems to be my lungs slow way down and then stop. I haven't slept more than an hour at a time since the surgery. Last night I was able to get 3 hours sleep but only one hour at a time. Anyone else have something similar and did it clear? It feels like sleep apnea but I know I don't have that.

Good news is that my appetite has returned! I am so hungry all the time now. It feels great. I also was debanded yesterday and given elastics to put on myself. My splint is still in but at least I can open my mouth a little now. I hope I can get my jaw opening up because it is very limited right now. Still can't fit the toothbrush inside. That is my goal for this week! and to get some SLEEP.

[Rizzie]

Day 24 here. I'm doing well overall, I think. I still have quite a bit of tightness and swelling in my upper lip and lower cheeks. Actually, I have a little bit of a monkey face right now. My chin gets achy and tight in the evening, so I use moist heat to help with that.

I'm still having to medicate with tylenol and ibuprofen to stay comfortable. My discomfort is mostly in my upper jaw and feels like a SUPER tight ortho adjustment. Anyone else having this kind of feeling?

I am still banded "shut" with 10 elastics. They have loosened up on their own so it is now easier to drink thicker soups and talk. At this point, I am looking forward to the end of my 6 weeks in bands, and being able to eat soft foods. Oh, and also looking forward to more mobility in my upper lip. I have a couple of stitches that are still tight and uncomfortable, one is slightly reddened, so I'm keeping an eye on it and swishing with salt water often.

I'm so happy to be at this point in recovery! I'm ready for this to be over!

[Sams]

A monkey face, that's just how i feel too! It is hard to figure out what is still swelling (in which case, need to be patient) and what is now part of the new look (in which case, arghhhh!) I read such varying accounts of how long it takes swelling to diminish, even what counts as swelling so it's hard to judge