September 2011 Buddies!!!!

[Marian]

Jo, how are you eating chopped up steak - are you allowed to chew yet?? If so, that's not fair . I've been told to stick to soft food this week (although I pinched your couscous idea). Are you taking your elastics (that aren't pinging around the room) off to eat?

The ortho told me to keep my elastics on for eating, as a result I have to spoon in flat spoonfuls of food, and even then half of it goes down my chin - I'm sure it's a very attractive look!! (Hubby and the dog have both just tucked into roast beef and all the trimmings - not that I'm sulking or anything!!!)

I have had an extremely tingly chin today - sometimes it feels icy cold - I'm guessing this is good????

Is everyone's chin tingly at the moment?

Marian
xx

[gothpenguin]

My chin is only tingly when I touch it as are my lips; I don't think I've been getting feeling back in my chin but I am getting feeling back in the lips.

My food today: porridge for breakfast, beans+ soup for lunch and pureed cottage pie for dinner. I'm still hungry I had my first fizzy drink last-night. Feeling rather guilty about it actually:(

Marian, my ortho said I could take off my front elastics to eat so I've been doing that. I'm probably not putting them on as quickly as I should afterwards though... speaking of which, I think my midlines may be a tad misaligned.

Question: I had a pretty severe overbite before the surgery, and now that I can open my mouth and see around it still looks like I have a small overbite. Are you guys the same way(I have freakishly large upper-front teeth so that may have something to do with it) I should also point out that everything looks nominally "better" when my front elastic is in so I don't know if the bite problems are muscular or skeletal. *shrug* I'll have to ask my surgeon if this was the intended position when I see him(and my ortho) on tuesday.

Question #2: I'm now 12 days post op and have run out of the mouthwash. My surgeon never told me to do salt-water rinses(I thought the mouthwash was meant as a replacement for the rinse). Are you all still doing rinses/washes etc? or are you just brushing?

Question #3: How have your significant others handled your new face. My wife likes it; but she's told me that "its not you"--- so while she's excited for me, she's been taken aback a little.


Jeff

[underbiter]

hi marian dont worry when i say chopped up i mean really really finely so that i can swallow without chewing, im taking my elastics off once in the morning for like 5 mins whilst i clean my teeth, then at night for my main meal then clean teeth and put them back on for the night, my ortho had said that as long as i wear them for as long as possible during the day and night im ok to take them off, i wouldnt feel properly clean with my teeth if i didnt clean them twice a day. today i had a roast beef dinner all really chopped up with lots of gravy which was lovely

Tuesday ive got an appointment with my surgeon, i think mainly to do xray before and after pics comparison, which im looking forward to seeing. And thursday ive got an appointment with my ortho in which he said he was going to take all my brace off and put it back on in a different way, not sure im looking forward to that so much ill be worried he'll do something to my jaw hes not the most gentle with his tools. I was hoping to have the 2 appointments in one so i didnt have to go 2 separate days but they couldnt get them on the same day tut well i suppose at least the 2 days will break up my week a bit.

oh and havent really got any more feeling in my chin im sure it will come back eventually but im not too worried i was more concerned that my lips would still be numb and i wouldnt be able to kiss haha!

[underbiter]

Oh and jeff in answer to your questions:

1) mine was an underbite, i still have a small underbite but apparently its to do with my teeth not my jaw as my jaw is lined up fine and the teeth will be the next thing to be sorted out

2) im 11 days post op and stopped using the mouthwash yesterday and using my own normal mouthwash which i was told was ok as long as i make sure im thorough with brushing and that. it was nice to have my own mouthwash back which feels so much cleaner than the stuff the hospital gave me.

3) i dont have a significant other unfortunately im single, but my mum and dad have said that it looks brilliant i catch them staring like they trying to get used to it tho! Jeff dont worry about your wife im sure she'll get used to the new you.

And as soon as i wrote that i started getting tingly itching feeling in my chin that no amount of scratching will stop its so annoying but i know its a good thing

[Marian]

Hi Jeff, I had my surgery two weeks ago tomorrow - I had to have a 9mm overbite put right. I still have an overbite of about 1-2mm I would guess, which as I understand it is how it should be.

I ran out of the antiseptic mouthwash about 4 days ago, and so just started using my usual Listerine. When I've look at other websites for advice the main emphasis seems to be on keeping your mouth clean. I guess if you are still bleeding at all, or you knock one of the wounds in your mouth then it would be worth hitting the salt water.

As for my other half, well he knows that there really isn't much point in deciding whether he likes the new me until about 6 months after the op. I think even slight swelling makes your face look so different. I read yesterday that when you have your elastics off you should do some gentle open and shut exercised (but you must NEVER force your mouth open with your fingers!!). I did the exercises last night and this morning and I am certain that it has helped the remaining swelling a little bit.

Jo, thanks for clarifying the 'choppedupness' of your food. I imagined you tucking into big slabs of beef, with envy!! I hope your ortho appt goes well. I had to have 4 brackets removed and re-sited before my surgery - it wasn't too bad at all - the ortho puts a bit of pressure on each tooth before snipping the bracket off - it really isn't so bad.

Off to do some ironing now (I'm sure this wasn't part of the prescribed convalescense plan!!!)

Speak to you soon.

Marian xx

[underbiter]

glad i cleared things up for you Marian haha! As for the ironing make sure you take your time dont overexert yourself

it is 12 days for me today it will be 2 weeks on wednesday.

Im getting a bit annoyed with the swelling now 'hamster face' springs to mind with my puffed up cheeks! Any ideas how long it takes for the majority of the swelling to go down?

I may try those exercises you mentioned marian hopefully thatll speed it up. I managed to ping another elastic yesterday but at least it was only one this time, and ive found im getting less clicking now so hopefully my jaw is not resisting so much now.

Jo x

Oh and apparently my measurements were 1cm(!) underbite before the op and the surgeon moved my top jaw 3 mm (it wouldnt go any further than that apparently) and my bottom jaw was set back 8mm so its been moved a full 11mm altogether which sounds good to me apparently it was necessary to do it that much in case of any muscle movement with the top jaw trying to claw its way back if you know what i mean.

[gothpenguin]

So, today being Canadian Thanksgiving (kind of like american thanksgiving, only without the pilgrims) I indulged. I had turky&gravy, rice and peas. Mind you the turkey was chopped up beyond recognition but still...soooo good *sigh*.

Have you guys been given exercises to do? I haven't been assigned anything. With my front elastic off I can open about a finger+ a bit wide. I accidentally tried chewing something the other day and that didn't work....not because I don't have the strength, but because I instinctively tried to force my lower jaw forward to bite. I didn't realize how much I've been compensating, learning to chew properly is going to get annoying:P

Jo, how do you snap your elastics? Marian, are you replacing all your elastics every-day? My ortho never told me anything about every day replacement, only about replacing the front one when I eat.

I got so many questions to ask them both when I see them tomorrow.

Jeff

[underbiter]

I managed to snap my elastics the first two times from over talking and laughing. Havent been given any exercises as of yet for my jaw.

[Marian]

Hi Jeff

I haven't been given exercises as such, I came across a hospital website that recommended gentle jaw exercise. (I'll be checking this out with my ortho on Thursday.)

With regard to the elastics, I have been told to replace them morning and night when I brush my teeth.

I can certainly feel that the new elastics are tighter than the old ones when I replace them to brush my teeth.

It is interesting to see the differences in the advice we are all being given and the treatments we are all getting all over the world!!

(Congratulations on slurping up your thanksgiving dinner!!)

Marian

[Kristyar0]

Hi guys!
I feel like I haven't updated in forever! So today I am 15 days post-op and today was my 2nd day back at work. I see around 30 patients per day and I have to say that by the end of yesterday and again today my jaws were aching from talking and smiling all day, especially as I'm working against the elastics every time I open my mouth. and I am making a big effort to open it wide, because I want to make sure I'm understood and no one is struggling to catch what I say.
Jeff: I bought some more antibacterial/ alcohol free mouthwash when mine ran out as I still have stitches in my mouth so I think until they all dissolve or fall out I'm going to keep using it. Now that I'm back at work I am only using it after breakfast and dinner and not after lunch or snacks because I don't want to do it at work. You also mentioned that you have some swelling on your right jaw that feels harder than you'd expect. I have this too! It's on my bottom right jaw. I was quite concerned about it as it felt kind of permanent! But I mentioned it to my surgeon at my 1 week follow up and he said it's nothing to be concerned about. And the last couple of days I have not noticed it as much so I think it's going down.
Yesterday I had my 2 week follow up with my surgeon. It felt like a huge waste of driving 45 mins to see him because he only looked in my mouth for a minute and that was it. And I forgot to ask him all the questions that I wanted to (eg. Can I go back to the gym and what can I now eat) . So I was only there for about 5 mins. But it got me out of work for about 2 hours, so I have no complaints!
I have to admit that I have started to eat some things that I'm not sure I should. But I've missed them so much! For example on Sunday I had deluxe cottage fries (with bacon, spring onion and sour cream- yum!) and today I had mcdonalds! I bought a cheeseburger meal and had the drink and the cheeseburger but could not manage the chips as they required too much chewing. So I just got another cheeseburger. Speaking of cheeseburgers, I have a random question about mcdonalds in the USA. When I was in Vegas earlier this year I went to buy my usual 'medium cheeseburger meal' and the lady behind the counter said 'we have a 2 cheeseburger meal, is that what you mean?'. Like there wasn't a meal with one cheeseburger in it! Is this the standard at mcdonalds, was it just that particular mcdonalds, or do you think she just had trouble understanding me in my weird Aussie way of speaking? Sorry to go completely off topic, but I have wondered ever since as it was the only time I had it while I was in the US.
I haven't been given any exercises or even a great deal of advice, so I'm kind of just doing what I feel I can without too much stress on my jaw. I'm really just excited to get back to the ortho and get going with my teeth again. But that is not until November to give me lots of time to recover.
I've loved reading your updates guys, and it's great to hear that everyone is going well.

PS: my very first stitch fell out! I'm not sure why but I am very excited about this!!

[underbiter]

Hi Kirsty great to hear from you! i know what you mean about forgetting to ask questions i completely forgot to ask mine things like about swelling but im seeing him thursday anyway. I had a small stitch fall out the other day which i was thrilled about! Funny how its the small things that matter!

[gothpenguin]

I had a small stitch fall out the other day as well; I was worried that I was brushing too hard.

Kristy. Its been a while since I've lived in the USA but as of a few years ago that was standard. Single cheeseburger meals were reserved for kids meals. When I moved to England the McDonalds tellers looked at me funny when I asked for a double-quarter pounder with cheese. Its just like a regular quarter pounder only with an extra patty. That really confused them *shrug* McDonalds is always different in every country you go to.

Off to see the surgeon and ortho in about an hour; got all my questions written down in my iphone. Hopefully I'll remember to bring it out.

jeff

[Marian]

Right, that's it - I'm sulking now - none of my stitches have started to come out.

I'm pleased that you guys mentioned a hard swollen area on your jaw bone - I also have this and it is giving me the appearance of having a square jaw - not really the look I was after!! However, I do also think that this is going down now.

Are any of you guys suffering from an icy cold feeling on your chin? I end up clutching my chin and hubby looks at me in a panic thinking my chin is going to fall off.

Jo, on your suggestion I've tucked into (well sucked my way through) two packets of wotsits today. I had two slices of bread (without crusts) this morning. It was a case of pulling off tiny pieces and posting them into my mouth - I enjoyed it very much.

You all seem to be seeing your surgeons, after surgery, much quicker than I am. I saw mine the day after surgery, but am not seeing him again until next Thursday (3 weeks after surgery).

I've had no elastics breaking on me though, Jo you are obviously having a much better time of it than the rest of us if you are laughing enough to snap your bands - go girl!!!

Marian xx

[Kristyar0]

Marian,
I haven't got an icy cold chin. I can just imagine what you must look like grasping your chin! I'll be interested to hear what your surgeon says about it when you see him. What a strange sensation! My bottom 4 front teeth though do constantly feel very sensitive. Like I've taken a huge bite from an ice cream and left my teeth in there to see how long I can stand it. But I can't take them out. It's horrible!

[gothpenguin]

Hi All,

So I just saw my ortho and my surgeon for the two-week followup. Suprisingly, the surgeon didn't even look in my mouth just asked me if I had any questions. Apparently I'm not seeing the surgeon for a couple more months and I've got my next ortho in two weeks

I had several, his answers were mostly vague though

(Q) When can I sleep on my back (A) When the swelling goes down.
(Q) Can I be chewing food and should I be doing excercises? (A) Its OK to chew soft food; I got the feeling its just do what you're comfortable with
(Q) Should I be doing a Saltwater rinse or Mouthwash (A) both
(Q) Can I have fizzy drinks (A) Yes
(Q) Should my stiches be falling out? (A) Yes, apparently the salt-water rinse hurries this along.
(Q) Is the remnant overbite normal (A) Yes

Contrary to the answers above my surgeon is quite talkative

Have any of you lost much weight; I was fairly skinny to begin with ~ 14 stone. Since the surgery I've lost about 5lbs.

Jeff

Oh and I managed to have chinese food today (Rice seems to be my friend right now, very tasty but unfortunately not very filling )