June/July 2015 Surgery Buddies

[gruntled]

Nozzel, I know what you mean. I know my face is still "settling" but I hate the way it looks now. I can't say I was massively confident in my looks before but now I cringe when I look in the mirror. Just hoping desperately that it will settle back to how it was before.

I was also supposed to get my weird extra tooth removed at the same time but they didn't do it. I think they forgot! Not looking forward to paying for that

And Jaime, I'm actually just south of London in England. I'd love to go to NYC one day though!

[Liz192]

When you lay flat does it make your face uncomfortable when you wake up or just puffy? I've started looking for supplies for my recovery. Did y'all find most of the things online like the wedge pillow and ice pack holder for your jaw? I have plenty of time to order online but just thought I would ask before I drove all around town looking. Haha.

Jamie- I loved your video. You are talking very well even with your mouth full of elastics. Your swelling has gone down a lot. I've never had poutine either but being in the south I'm sure I can find it. Haha

Any 4th of July plans?

[gruntled]

When you lay flat does it make your face uncomfortable when you wake up or just puffy? I've started looking for supplies for my recovery. Did y'all find most of the things online like the wedge pillow and ice pack holder for your jaw? I have plenty of time to order online but just thought I would ask before I drove all around town looking. Haha.

Jamie- I loved your video. You are talking very well even with your mouth full of elastics. Your swelling has gone down a lot. I've never had poutine either but being in the south I'm sure I can find it. Haha

Any 4th of July plans?

It makes a huge difference to puffiness. I found also that it was more comfortable to sleep at an angle because of congestion issues. This is gross - but if I laid flat all the mucus would collect just between my nose and throat and I'd wake up in a panic, not being able to breathe. Also sleeping at an angle helped stop me turning over onto my side, because I'm a side sleeper. The times I did wake up on my side, it was total agony because my jaw had been pushed to one side or the other a little bit.

I didn't have an ice pack holder but I imagine it would have been very useful! Probably best to get it on amazon.



A question for the more seasoned surgery-ers...when did you guys "graduate" back to a normal toothbrush from a baby one? I usually use an electric one but can't imagine that'd be a good idea at the moment. Plus I can only just fit a baby toothbrush into my mouth with a bit of maneuvering. I just feel as though the baby toothbrush isn't cleaning my teeth at all! My gums are starting to bleed when I use my TePe which is quite alarming. I've only just started being brave enough to attempt the TePe at all!

[Incognito88]

Hey, just wondering how long you guys are planning to take off work?

[jaime]

I took 6 weeks off! It was probably overkill. I felt ready to go back this past week (week 3) but who knows if I would have been tired. I think 2 minimum is absolutely necessary; more than that is just bonus. I've been fortunate that sleep has come easy to me throughout this, so your mileage may vary with that and impact when you'd want to go back to work.

Gruntled, I'm still using my baby toothbrush. My regular toothbrush is electric and I haven't felt ready for the vibration yet.

I just ate my first non-liquid or mush meal! A small cup of Mac and cheese. My surgeon told me to wait for 6 weeks but I'm at a restaurant (that doesn't serve milkshakes or smoothies) and starving. It actually wasn't bad at all!

[Liz192]

Awesome Jamie! I bet that mac and cheese never tasted so good. Haha how have y'all handled restaurant eating?

[deathorglory]

It has cheese curds on it??!! Ughhhh suddenly I'm nauseous... Hahaha I appreciate you looking up places to go that have it. Actually, the first place they mention, Dinosaur BBQ is just a few miles from me. Maybe next time if I'm feeling REALLY adventurous...

When I sleep flat my cheeks feel really swollen in the morning, like you said. It's kinda painful but has a full, kinda stiff feeling to it, like it's harder to move. I haven't noticed reduced sensation, but maybe that too? Unfortunately, it's really hard to tell if it's because I was sleeping flat or because I hadn't taken my Motrin since the night before. I'd say give it a go for one night! My face always seems back to "normal" by the afternoon regardless of how I sleep, so it's probly no big deal.

Some places don't use the cheese curds and instead just use regular, diced up tiny bits of cheese. It's delicious and would be great with the BBQ from Dinosaur! I was on my way there when I fainted on the subway once. ...Damn non air conditioned subway cars!

[deathorglory]

Gruntled, I don't think I started using my regular toothbrush until well after the 1 month mark. I waited until my stitches for my bottom lip fully reabsorbed, and THEN I switched back to the full size. I tried it earlier than that and somehow managed to stab myself with said toothbrush right in a stitch and it didn't feel too good, so I went back to using the smaller one which, I felt, fit into my mouth a little easier with the reduced opening ability.

Liz - I only had a BSSO and took 4 weeks off work. I was definitely fully recovered by then and looked normal enough to resume working without scaring people.

[Liz192]

I am having the BSSO and sliding genio only. I'm glad to know you recovered quickly. I go back to work at the beginning of week 3. Luckily I work in a dental office so they all understand my situation. I fly home to Washington state beginning of week 4 so hopefully I will be semi recognizable by then. Haha

[Nozzelnut]

I've used my Sonic clean brush a couple times; no pain as long as I take it slow. Worked pretty well.

Congrats on a real meal Jaime! Satisfying wasn't it? Way better than a smoothie......

I'm getting a bit concerned about one half of my chin not having any sensation return yet. The other half is having tingling and stuff...

[snapdresser]

Gruntled - I think you're going to be surprised by how good you look when the swelling's finished And be sure to notice the differences from all angles! My profile is one area I really saw a nice change in. That sucks they didn't remove that extra tooth. Maybe it turned out it was going to be more difficult than expected? Or yeah, they could have forgotten. Did you ask your surgeon?

Liz192 - I second what gruntled said about laying flat. I got my wedge pillow at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. It was a little tricky to find tho; I had to ask an employee, but my mom assured me they had them. The ice pack holder I got online but in all fairness, I didn't use it a ton. I went to Coney Island for the 4th of July! Restaurant eating sucks. I bring along an Ensure or two and sip that while everyone else has delicious REAL food. We can still THIS IS SPAM REPORT TO ADMIN THIS IS SPAM REPORT TO ADMIN THIS IS SPAM REPORT TO ADMIN THIS IS SPAM REPORT TO ADMIN with eachother, but the Ensure goes fast and when it's done I just want to leave, not sit there while everyone finishes up. Your time off should be fine. KaylaChristine only took 2 weeks off and it sounds like she's done fine with it.

Gruntled - I don't think I qualify as a "seasoned" surgery-er but for what it's worth I'm almost 4 weeks post-op and I still use the baby toothbrush. I did get in between my molars with it the other day. The feeling between my teeth was just too gross and disturbing. It didn't feel good on my TMJ. At 3 weeks post-op my surgeon said I could start using my waterpik, and that's been really good on the front of my teeth, at least. I don't have a good solution for the backs of the teeth. What's a TePe?

Incognito88 - I put in for 4.5 weeks of leave, but I'm planning on returning to work on Thursday, which will be 4 weeks post-op. The swelling's been down enough to seem "normal" for a week or two, but the elastics make talking difficult. Regardless, 2 weeks is enough time. Just try not to overdo it and get tired and crash your car commuting

Jaime - That Mac and cheese sounds awesome! I've kinda bit the tip of my tongue a couple times to see how it would feel in my teeth/jaws and it didn't feel good. Very sore to bear down on even the tiniest bit.

Deathorglory - Haha small world. I like John Brown's Smokehouse better than Dinosaur BBQ tho. But Dinosaur's beans are pretty dang good. That's nuts that you passed out on the subway. Most of them are air conditioned I think, but I think some certain lines aren't. Maybe the C train and some others?

Nozzelnut - Has your surgeon poked that side of your chin with something pokey yet? Mine did in recovery right after they woke me up, again the next day, and again at my 3-week post-op. Totally numb on the left side of my chin all 3 times, so I suspect it won't come back. From what I've read, that's totally normal even when the nerve isn't severed (which my surgeon told me it's not, that their handling of the nerve went perfectly) and even in cases where the feeling doesn't totally return, that numb spot gets smaller and smaller over time until it's virtually unnoticeable. So far it's very noticeable for me only when shaving. I wonder if I'm being gentle enough. My numb spot is maybe 3/4"-1" wide on the left side of the tip of my chin and extends up to just below my lip. You?

[KaylaChristine]

Woo! Three weeks post-op. Halfway there to getting unwired!!! I keep catching myself trying to lick my lips…but my poor tongue is trapped lol. Swelling has went down more. I had a pretty busy weekend so I didn’t find the time to get my blog caught up (I’m also super, super lazy lol) but I plan on doing that tonight. I thought about making another video….but I’m a little hard to understand at times. I’ve finally gotten over my soup issue. I bought a mesh strainer so now my soups are pretty thin. It’s just a pain to prepare it. Grabbing an Ensure shake is much more convenient. And some of the feeling is coming back on my cheeks & lips. It’s such weird sensation.

I second almond milk! I’m actually drinking some right now. I’m drinking the vanilla kind with a hint of honey. Kind of reminds me of almond milk that has had honey nut cheerios soaking in it lol.

Jaime – You guys sure make those elastics sound like fun! Not lol. I wonder if I’ll have them after I’m unwired. I’ll have to ask my surgeon when I see him next. Oh and I’m having skin issues as well. My face is so oily in places and my cheeks are super dry.

Snap – Lol I used 10 ml syringes to drink for the first 5 days. They were all I could fit into my mouth and it took me forever to get it down. Oh okay! Thanks for asking her. I didn't ask mine lol. I also read on some medical site that surgeons might choose the procedure also based on face shape. IVRO for V shaped jaws and BSSO for U shaped ones. I think that’s what it said. Ugh, yeah breathing was a complete nightmare.

Gruntled – That sucks about the wait! All of my pre-surgery appointments with my surgeon had a really long wait but I’ve been getting in almost immediately since the surgery. I’m also craving solid food. And soft food. Just food. This liquid diet is driving me nuts. I switched to a regular toothbrush at about two weeks post-op.

Nozzelnut- I’m in a bit of a rut too, but it’s getting better. I’m feeling more okay with my face as swelling is going down. Stay positive though – you’re still a ways away from seeing the final result.

Snap/Jaime – Sleeping flat also causes me more discomfort and swelling to increase.

Incognito88 – I took off 2 weeks and worked half days my 1st week back. Definitely take off two weeks, three if you can. I’m just now 3 weeks post-op and I’m feeling pretty decent.

Also, I've been noticing that my upper gums are really pale. Does anyone else have pale gums? Should I be concerned? Last saw surgeon on Friday & he didn't mention anything. I don't see him again until the 22nd.

[snapdresser]

KaylaChristine - Hey, good on you for getting caught up on this thread I mentioned a while back that a little triangle of gum between two of my lower teeth was kind of caught between the wire from the archbars, turned white, and fell off. It was white from the first time I noticed it post-op, though. My gums as a whole are a little paler than usual, especially close to the teeth, but they're pink. I think as long as they're pink and not white or grey or purple you should be fine. Still, no harm in asking your doc when you see them again.

[gruntled]

Good to know that most people were still at baby toothbrush stage at this point (2.5 weeks post op)! It's comforting to know that I'm not just a total wonderful


@KaylaChristine Yes. Food. Any food! All food! I had a bit of very soft boiled veg today. It was amazing. Just solid enough for me to feel like a big girl again, haha. I keep doing the lip licking thing as well!

@snapdresser I'm not so sure! I feel as though I have had a nose job and not in a good way. It looks piggy! Hopefully some of it is just swelling and it'll shrink down a bit soon. I'm actually not seeing my surgeon again! He saw me on Friday, took one look, said "excellent" and told me not to come back! I'm just seeing my regular ortho now, which is actually still at the same hospital. A TePe is a brand of interdental brush here.

@deathorglory/nozzelnut/jaime Thanks for letting me know re: baby toothbrush. I think I may graduate to a Sensodyne manual brush as they're just a tad bigger, and then eventually go back to my electric.

[jaime]

Hope everyone had a great weekend!!

I ate semi-solid food again today. Chef Boyardee canned ravioli. It was even easier to chew than the mac and cheese. It practically falls apart on the fork...so I recommend that to anyone who feels ready!

I had a nice weekend except that I was with my in-laws and some of their friends on Saturday and the main thing people wanted to talk to me about was how I couldn't eat solid food. "Oh that sucks! What are you craving the most? What are you going to eat when you can?" I kept saying, "Look, I just try not to think about it. It's easier if I don't," but no one would take a hint. Oi vey, I was getting so annoyed. I ate butternut squash bisque while everyone else had BBQ and they kept saying sarcastically, "Oh wow, soup. That looks so good." Like holy cow...they're supportive of me having the surgery, but so ignorant to how annoying that is.