October 2011 Surgery Buddies?

[daffodil]

Is anyone else scheduled for October surgery yet?

I'm (finally) scheduled for orthognathic surgery on October 7, 2011. I'm having my pre-op appointment about 10 days beforehand. I also received approval from my insurance company a few days ago --I promptly put the letter on my refrigerator door with a magnet.

I'm having my lower jaw moved forward about 10 mm and also a Lefort 1, widening my upper jaw and moving it forward about 1 cm. I have some really pronounced asymmetry (one lower jaw is about twice as big as other), but apparently nothing can be done about that because of where my nerve is placed --that's disappointing, but I'm looking forward to having aligned jaws and being able to chew food properly.

I'm supposed to be in the hospital for one night after the surgery, and then I'll be sent home after they see that I'm stable and can open my mouth (although my jaws will be banded together for about 2 months). The surgeon says I need to have someone with me 24/7 for the first 5-7 days after surgery, so my mom is going to take a week of vacation to come stay with me. I'm going to type out detailed instructions for every possible contingency while she's here in case she needs something and I'm tired and incoherent.

I'm planning to take 2 weeks off from work, which my surgeon says should be enough (and I really hope it is, because I can't take off any more than that without foregoing pay).

I've had my braces on for about 20 months and had some extra teeth removed before getting them (and thought about the whole braces-surgery thing for a long time before that), so I've read plenty of blogs and had plenty of time to think about the ordeal --but now that it's one month away I need to actually prepare!!

My surgeon said I'll be on just liquids or anything I can "slurp down, like eggs" for the first 6-8 weeks, after which I can move on to soft foods. I've gained about 15 unwanted pounds over the past year, so at least I don't need to worry about becoming emaciated on the liquid diet My main concern is being able to keep up my energy well enough to get through my days and concentrate at work. I'm going to stock up on plenty of Ensure, and I think I'm going to invest in a Vitamix blender, which I've seen other people have recommended. I might also try to write out some liquid 'meal plans' for myself ahead of time to help myself plan and get through the weeks on the liquid diet when I'll be on my own and working full time.

I also started working out 5 days/week this past week (which I should have been doing anyway!) so that I'll be in as good a shape as possible going into surgery. My surgeon emphasized that it's important to be up and walking around after the surgery, so I'll make sure that I take at least a few short walks around the block each day while I'm recovering, and then get back into the gym as soon as possible.

And I'll stock up on whatever supplies other people have suggested (I still need to make a list).

[Adriae]

I'm scheduled for October - but it's the very last day (31st) so I might as well be in November. I was given the choice of two dates (Oct. 31st or December 28th) and I just couldn't see waiting until December to do something I've already been planning to have done for the last year. Since I have Kaiser healthcare everything was approved when the doctor made the diagnosis that I needed surgery. That aspect is pretty awesome of not having any paperwork or any approval process to deal with.

I'll be having five procedures at once being done. At first it was up in the air if I was going to be able to do everything all at once or split it up and have surgery in October and then surgery again in January. I really pushed to see if we could do everything at once since I really have never had surgery before and couldn't imagine splitting it up into two recoveries. I'm more concerned with the recovery period instead of the actual surgery part. The waking up after surgery is the part that bothers me, that and I'm wired shut for two weeks and then heavily banded for 6-8 weeks after being wired. Just really not looking forward to the whole liquid diet and the loss of feeling in the face and it slowly coming back. I can't imagine it being very much fun.

Anyways, I'm having my lower jaw moved forward 13-14 (from memory) and my upper moved back around 4, a minor SARPE and my surgeon made a comment about doing something with my sinus to make it wider and also to reshape my chin. I have severe sleep apnea and this surgery should correct it completely. I had a sleep study completed and I stopped breathing 67 an hour on average. I think it'll be worth all the aggravation if I can just get rid of the sleep apnea.

I'm taking 6 weeks off of work to recover, so more than enough time, and my job would give me more time if I wanted. I could probably just return to work in January and since I'm still being paid while I'm out it isn't such a financial strain. I work in title insurance and do a lot of customer service and training so talking is a big part of my job so I'm ok with having 6 weeks off and not have to worry about rushing back and not feeling up to it. My husband is taking the first two weeks off to take care of me so that will be a relief.

Kaiser has this feature of "mandatory" pre-surgery appointments. The first being a 2 hour class to educate you about the surgery you'll be having and all of what you should expect during recovery. etc. The second is another appointment with your surgeon to go over any last minute discussions and the last one is with the anesthesiologist. I think I'll have my husband attend the class and surgeon appointments just for him to get an idea of what we'll be dealing with. I'm not sure how much I'll be able to communicate afterwards with all the swelling and being wired shut so I just want him to have some idea of what to expect also.

I think I'll be relieved once this is all over with. Now that I have a date I find myself getting more and more anxious to have it done and over with and just to move on from focusing so much on my mouth and braces and ortho appointments. I've been at the ortho office every couple of weeks, to do molds and I had my surgical wires and hooks already put in, and just my basic adjustment appointments.

My surgeon did have a conversation with me that I told him wasn't very nice. He did warn me that at some point during this ordeal I would question what I was doing and that at some point I would probably really dislike him for having gone through this. He said as far as surgeries go, this one was more difficult. I hope he was exaggerating, so I guess we'll see. His concern was with the five procedures and some of it being within my sinus that my swelling is a concern and it may have me staying a the hospital longer. Bleh!

[Jsmith1972]

Howdy ya'll from Texas!

I have surgery scheduled for Oct. 6th, but I am not yet sure if I am having only lower jaw advancement or bi-jaw surgery. My surgeon mentioned back in November of 2010 that he may need to do both, due to the "angle" or something on my jaw, but that he would need to wait until closer to the time to be able to tell for sure.

I know for sure my bottom jaw needs to move forward at least 7 mm, but beyond that, I'm not sure. I had new molds and measurements done about a week and a half ago and I will be meeting with him this Friday to go over them and see what his thoughts are as far as what procedure I will be having exactly.

Initially, my insurance denied the procedure. Stating it was a contractual exclusion. I recently contacted our benefits director at work and asked if it was worth appealing and she said that there should be no problem getting it covered, if we can prove that braces have not corrected my problem. I have been in braces now for a year and my bite is WAY worse than we we first started. You know how THAT goes!

Anyway, my surgeon's office will be resubmitting to BCBS this week, and our benefits director will be immediately following up to ensure that it gets handled quickly.

In the meantime, I have been saving money for a year to cover the cost of the surgery, paying out of pocket. My surgeon is on staff at two hospitals so we were waiting for quotes back from each before deciding on which hospital to choose from. One came back with a prices of $64,000! That's on top of my surgeon's $10,000 fees. The other one came back at $4200. Really?

The $4200 is a teaching hospital and they have "package" pricing for procedures that are commonly denied due to "cosmetic" reasons.

Needless to say, I can handle the $15K, but the other is completely out of my league.

I have also been stocking up on Ensure, soup, juices and applesauce. I am taking 2 weeks and 2 days off from work and my partner is taking the first week off to be with me. I am not 100% sure on how long I will be banded, or if there will be a splint involved or anything like that, but will hopefully get the answers to those questions on Friday.

Oh and I also purchased a recliner this weekend so that I can sleep upright for a few weeks. I know some people are fine propping themselves up on pillows in bed, but to me, this is more practical and comfortable.

Its nice to have you guys on the same route as I am and I'm glad we can come here to chat about it.

If you guys have a blog, please share.
mine is
thequestforlesscharacter.blogspot.com

Good luck and God bless

[ready4change]

I am! Oct. 27th is my day. I'm having double jaw surgery with genioplasty, and I'm so nervous. It will be nice to have "buddies".

[Adriae]

I received my surgery packet in the mail yesterday. I have to do a bunch of stuff in the next few weeks to prepare for the surgery. Mostly just more impressions, xrays that I'll have done within two weeks of the surgery and then the appts with Kaiser and the educational class.

Of course they scheduled all the Pre-Surgery appointments on the day that my husband is out of town so I'm going to call and see if I can get them done another day so he can go with me to the class and to my final surgeon appointment so he can ask questions if he has any. I'm getting pretty nervous and it's still a month away.

I'm glad I have buddies!

[boatsink]

Goodluck everyone! You'll all do fine!

[double jawbreaker]

Hi fellow October buddies. Its nice to meet you all. My surgery is scheduled for October 5th for double jaw surgery with Dr. Gunson. The surgical hooks have been on for several weeks now and all that's left is the blood donation and mentally wrapping my mind around the surgery. Good luck everyone.

[Jsmith1972]

How is everyone doing?

My last week has been very eventful.

Met with my surgeon last Friday to confirm that I needed lower jaw only, and I found out yesterday that my appeal to Blue Cross Blue shield was approved!

I guess the secret to success is to BOMBARD them with information. My surgeon and my orthodontist teamed up and sent in probably more than they ever could possibly need.

It was approved in less than 24 hours of receipt! PRAISE GOD!

Now I'm just waiting for Dr. Ts scheduler to call with pre-op appointments and times.

How is everyone else's progress?

[joyayn]

So, I've been reading all of the posts here for several months, without much to say so I haven't registered... but I am officially having my BSSO (setback) on October 12th!! It hasn't been that long of a road for me. Most of the other members seem to have gone through quite a process to get to this point. I on the other hand have had it pretty easy.

I have facial asymetry, which will result in a 7mm setback on the left side & a bit of of an "axis tilt" with a genioplasty and contour to rid myself of the "Jay Leno" look I have. Once that is done, I will be completely wired for 6 weeks (seems a little antiquated I know), and then a few tweeks of the orthodontics. Finally, I'll have 2 dental implants and four crowns put in to replace my six front teeth which are "peg laterals" and have simply had bonding on them since I was about 9. I've been braced since Jan 2011 and this is my second bout with braces. I had them 20 years ago to cosmetically fix the malocclusion, and its just been frustrating to have to destroy my nice even teeth to fix a bite issue.

I had my consult today with my orthognathic surgeon, and since Im in the military my process is much more streamlined than in the civilian world. I have a few more appointments in the next 3 weeks... a final cleaning next week, one more set of surgical impressions on 29 Sep,pre-surgical administration/physical stuff on the 3rd, my lugs go on 7 Oct, and my surgery commences the following Wednesday!

Im a little nervous about the surgery itself, but Im excited to finally get this show on the road!!

Joy

[Super Smile]

Hello Everyone,

I have a surgery date for 18 October. I am getting BSSO, Lefort I, and something with the chin to even everything out. I am not sure of the measurements or anything, but I have an appointment for Friday, September 30th, and I will be getting all that information then. I also don't know if I am going to be wired or banded or what my post surgery condition is going to be. I will probably go into the hospital the night before, and then stay admitted for at least 2 days. As long as everything goes well, I will get released on the second day. I really hope everything goes well. I am very excited about getting this done. I has SARPE last September, followed by upper braces in December, 4 extractions and lower braces in January, and now I am ready for the last major step. I'm not too nervous as I was told the recovery will be very similar to the recovery from the SARPE - which was not bad at all. The swelling was very annoying, but not painful. I’m really just ready to get it over and done with.

[planetpluto]

Having a 3-piece Lefort 1 osteotomy October 19th. Ugh.. same here-very nervous. Never have had surgery before, AND I am Deaf so I am worried about the communication issues in the hospital. Never have stayed overnight before either.

[jennaaa]

Good luck, guys! It's the best decision you'll ever make.

[Jsmith1972]

Hi ya'll,

My date was moved to 10/10 but I had pre-op yesterday with both the surgeon and the hospital. Every is all set and we're ready to go.

We're in the single-digit countdown!

http://thequestforlesscharacter.blogspot.com/

[underbiter]

Hello having been through the surgery 4 days ago (september buddy!) i would just like to reassure everyone that the surgery is worth it, even at the this early stage i can see the surgery was successful and am very much looking forward to further progress. There will be bad times but you will get through them just like i am doing xxx Jo

[mandysjaw]

Hi everyone - I'm having double jaw surgery on October 31st to correct an overjet and recessed chin. I'm female, late 40s, got braces on a year ago. Very excited now!