August 2011 Surgery Buddies?

[citeeofangels]

Hi Everyone, New here, wanted to see who else is having surgery in Aug 2011. I'm having mine Aug 12th, Lefort I and BSSO and possibly genio. Hope I'm not alone. Good luck to all those who are undergoing or underwent this grueling journey for the perfect set of teeth!

[citeeofangels]

wow, no upcoming August surgery buddies? I hope there are some so I dont feel so alone. Scared to death.

[Atenas]

Hello, I am an August person, I am actually also getting my surgery on the 12th, wahooo! Date was originally set for July 13th, but I had to switch surgeons, oh well! 20 days left!

[citeeofangels]

cool! best of luck on yours! what are you having done? i'm like you, my original surgery was slated for july 5th but i decided to switch surgeons because I liked this one better so now it's August 12! 3 weeks to go! best wishes to a smooth sailing surgery and speedy recovery! very scared and excited at the same time! ekkkkk

[Atenas]

Same here with the nervous excited! I am getting double jaw surgery, moving my lower jaw back and my top jaw forward. Even though its three weeks away I feel so unprepared! My surgeon said I would be on clear liquids only for a day, then all liquids for 6 weeks, I think I'm going to get bored of it verrrry fast

Good Luck to you too!

[citeeofangels]

I'm opposite of you, I have an overbite and couple of other problems like a cant. midline issue and lil asymmetry so gonna have lower jaw brought forward and maybe top jaw a little back, possible genio etc. Just went to my 1st pre-op this past Tues. and took impressions, xrays, molds not to mention donated blood in case I loose too much during surgery! ekkk!! Counting down before J-Day hehe Hopefully I'll get to have my last Supper soon before I get banded shut! Same here, I'm a foodie! I'm going to miss real food so much! Liquid diet, yuck but whaddaya gonna do, this is part of the grueling journey. =(

I feel the same way about preparation, I started researching, joining forums like this one, reading people's blogs and youtube vids several months ago and still feel unprepare. I need to start gathering my supplies. Are you having it done with Kaiser?

[citeeofangels]

Best of luck to all August surgery patients as well as upcoming ones! Mine will be this Fri. Aug 12th @ Sunset Kaiser! Very excited but scared to death at the same time. I hope I make it out without getting too banged up. Good luck everyone!

[conine]

Looks like I'm the first one to have undergone the knife. I had my procedure last Wednesday (8/3) and I'm recovering now. Other than this weird cracking sensation I'm getting up near my ear (mentioned in a separate post), everything seems to be going OK.

I was warned that days 1 and 2 post-op would be deceptively easy. They were. I honestly thought that I could go back to work the following Monday if I could get around the no-talking part. Then, Saturday hit. Days 3 and 4 post-op is evidently when the steroids wear off, and are the worst. Today was better. but I don't see myself going back to work for a while, especially since speech is so much of my job (I'm an attorney).

Here's my story to those who are interested: Overall, I'm glad I did it. When I was a kid, I had really bad buck teeth. We got at least four opinions. My Mom chose the cheapest and easiest treatment plan (NOT the best plan) - braces only with no headgear or appliances. (As an aside, I was my orthodontist's first patient. Not that that's a bad thing, I had a first client once, too). Lots of resulting extractions left me with less teeth and hidden problems. By the time I was in my mid twenties, I started thinking about checking in with a new orthodontist even though my retainers still fit perfectly. Things didn't feel right. By the end of my twenties, I had massive headaches and sleep issues. I did some research, got a sleep study, and saw that I had obstructed airways. Everything started to make sense.

Honestly, the biggest challenge I've faced thus far is location. I live in a very rural area. There's only one orthodontist in the area, and he wasn't willing to do an orthognathic case because the insurance was too risky. So, I drive 75 miles one way to my orthodontist and surgeon, who practice together. Also, I do get a lot of stares - there's a lot of kids who don't get braces - it's rare around here when an adult gets them. But I know that when I finally get these off everything will be worth it.

[conine]

By the way - I realize I never identified the procedure. Mandibular Osteotomy (lower jaw) only.

[boatsink]

Good luck to all of you who are anticipating your surgery - it's coming up!

Conine- hope you're making it through the recovery hump!

[conine]

Thanks for the support. Actually, this has been a much easier recovery than I envisioned. Again, maybe it's because my procedure was not as complicated as many of the others listed on here, but other than days 4 and 5, it really hasn't been that bad.

[Crayola]

Hey all,

Just had my surgery yesterday (aug 9th). Had my lower jaw moved back and am now wired shut. I'm at home now, but boy is this going to be a rough 6 weeks... I'm really hoping this all gets better as time goes on. I actually really enjoyed the suction machine at the hospital, so I rented one, which I'd helping a lot with the mucus.

Let the countdown begin!

[conine]

Today is day 12 post-op, and I feel great. I honestly believe I'll be back to work by the end of the week. I believe I could go to work today, but a few months back I had a couple of setbacks with nasty post-op infections after an appendectomy, so my wife is asking that I take it easy. The bruising is completely gone, and the swelling is about 90% gone. I still have no feeling in my lower lip or chin, but that's to be expected, right? Additionally, the crunching that I felt in my jaw joint is gone now that I have balanced rubber bands.

I'm also talking more now. I do notice that I have quite a lisp. I'm not sure if that's because my lower lip/chin are still numb, if it's because my lower jaw moved so much and my tongue hasn't adjusted, or a combination of both. But, I'm shocked at how much better I feel.