Phone Call from my surgeon 4 days before surgery .

[grin61]

Hi everyone;

I received a phone call early this evening from my surgeon. I was booked to have BSSO proceedure to correct and advance my lower jaw. The surgeon had performed a practice run if you will on my impressions that were made last friday at the pre op appointment.He said that I will need upper jaw surgery as well as he feels that I will need my upper jaw expanded. Having lower jaw surgery alone in my case will result in great disappointment for me he feels.My orthodontist earlier on in my treatment had said lower jaw surgery only and that he felt he could correct my mid line through orthodontics. The surgeon feels that I may risk resorption from prolonged movement with the braces adjustments. I was very shocked with this news tonight and upset ++ . I had myself educated and psyched to the BSSO surgery itself . Now Double jaw surgery . I`m concerned , worried , nervous..... and anything else you want to throw in there ! I asked the surgeon if my recovery timeline may be longer than the 4 to 6 week window he had described for the lower jaw surgery ? He said it would be the same. I`m going to turn 54 in November, so I am hoping I will get through this in a reasonable amount of time. Just felt I needed to vent through this message board tonight to others who can relate.

Looking forward to hearing from those who may of had a simular experience.

[snapdresser]

I didn't have an experience like this, but I did want to wish you luck! If you want more info on the new treatment plan and why it's necessary, they should be willing to meet with you and discuss it. Maybe even draw up some diagrams to explain what they mean? You still have 4 days of building nervousness, just wait until the day before surgery! GOOD LUCK!!! I'm sure you'll do great!!!

[sirwired]

This is exactly why surgeons do the "model surgery" as part of your pre-op work. Some surgeons take pains to emphasize that the plan isn't fixed until model surgery (and this indeed doesn't happen until shortly before The Big Day); sounds like yours did not. I know that even though upper-only was the plan (which eventually happened), he took care to get both upper and lower cleared with insurance. In my case, my ortho really wanted double-jaw because he wanted to center my midlines (and the surgeon offered it as an option.) But the surgeon emphasized that my functional result would be identical either way; the only difference with doing the lower would be aesthetic. (My lower jaw is comically canted on x-rays, but my goatee completely hides it.) I went with upper-only and accepted my off-center midline. I've ruined my chances of landing a job as a model for an ortho brochure, but it had the functional improvements I wanted.

While I did not have double-jaw myself, everything I've seen here indicates that lower is always more difficult than upper (because of the heavy banding), so getting the upper done too does not add that much more recovery burden. I think the biggest side-effect you'll notice is that most LeFort patients suffer some nosebleeding. And, of course, the surgery will take longer.

[jawa]

Any updates? Did you choose to have double jaw surgery?