January - March 2017 Surgery Buddies

[Collie]

I am so so swollen today. The pain is mostly manageable but man do i look freaky. I hope this is the peak of it!

[ZiziOConnor]

I haven't posted for a while but thought I'd join this thread.

Pictures here: https://www.instagram.com/jawsurgery.dani/

Surgery was Jan 17 and I am 3 weeks post-op. I had double jaw surgery (2-piece lefort + BSSO; no genioplasty) for open bite, class II, and crossbite. Surgery was 3.5 hours. A splint is wired into my upper braces and I have to wear it for 6 weeks.

I was very very weak after from the anesthesia for about 5 days post-op. I couldn't prop myself up on the bed, take a deep breath, or make a decision about what juice I wanted. For two weeks after I was tired from blood loss. Ever afternoon I took a 2-hour nap.

For the first two weeks I was very tightly banded shut. It was distressing and claustrophobic. I meditated as much as possible to stay calm but had a few panic attacks along the way. Each session of eat-meds-clean took 1.5 hours, and I did that 4x a day. It was exhausting! I lost 10% of my body weight.

Last week I switched to loose elastics and it's been much easier. My weight has plateaued.

My healing is going well. Stitches are closing, no infection. Swelling is way down, although I have some lingering edema around my mouth and under my chin.

I got thrush at Day 12 and I'm still fighting it. It's down but not gone. Keeping your mouth clean (bacteria-free) creates a perfect environment for the thrush fungus to flourish. It's pretty gross.

Now I am focusing on increasing my range of motion. I can only open my mouth 1-finger width and have to get that up to 3 fingers in the next 3 weeks!

If you have any questions about the first 3 weeks post-op please ask!

[snapdresser]

Pictures here: https://www.instagram.com/jawsurgery.dani/

Well you look great! I'm sure you're very happy with your aesthetic results How's your bite and lip incompetence now?

[ZiziOConnor]

Pictures here: https://www.instagram.com/jawsurgery.dani/

Well you look great! I'm sure you're very happy with your aesthetic results How's your bite and lip incompetence now?

Thank you!

It's too early to tell about bite, unfortunately. I bite *perfectly* but that's because I have a splint in my mouth. It has groves on both sides that exactly match my teeth, so of course my bite feels perfect. I'll be able to judge in 3 weeks when I get my splint out.

Lip incompetence is completely gone. When I bite down, my lips seal without any effort. It's great!

[aep4pDC]

Hey All! I'm 4 days post-op and still struggling with "eating" because everything seems too thick and to just get trapped in my mouth. Water goes down easy but the soups and smoothies not so much. I almost feel like when I eat, the liquids fill up my sinuses and clog me up so it feels uncomfortable and like I need to stand up when I eat to get everything to drain. Anyone else feel like this? Or am I just being weird? Haha

[ZiziOConnor]

Hey All! I'm 4 days post-op and still struggling with "eating" because everything seems too thick and to just get trapped in my mouth. Water goes down easy but the soups and smoothies not so much. I almost feel like when I eat, the liquids fill up my sinuses and clog me up so it feels uncomfortable and like I need to stand up when I eat to get everything to drain. Anyone else feel like this? Or am I just being weird? Haha

Yup I know that feeling. You need to water your food down more. In a few days you'll be able to eat better, but for now add more water. On Day 4 I was eating broth, Gatorade, and tea. Only liquidy liquids. Good luck and hang in there!

[daycard]

Another one here! Having my SARPE this coming Wednesday Feb 15th. Installed the expander last Thursday and I'm already used to swallowing. Speaking is kind of lame, also because English is my third language. Hoping that everything goes well!

[bighoss]

Had double jaw surgery on February 7th to correct underbite. Upper moved forward 12mm and lower moved back 7mm. Tongue muscle in chin also moved forward 3mm to enhance airway.

[ZiziOConnor]

Another one here! Having my SARPE this coming Wednesday Feb 15th. Installed the expander last Thursday and I'm already used to swallowing. Speaking is kind of lame, also because English is my third language. Hoping that everything goes well!

Good luck tomorrow!

Had double jaw surgery on February 7th to correct underbite. Upper moved forward 12mm and lower moved back 7mm. Tongue muscle in chin also moved forward 3mm to enhance airway.

That is a HUGE amount of movement! How are you doing? Any photos to share?

[Elizabethrose1279]

I had double jaw surgery on January 17th (4 weeks postop today)! I just found this board and am glad I did!

I had an overbite that was greatly reduced by Invisalign for the past year leading up to surgery. My upper jaw was impacted by 3 mm and advanced as well by 3 mm and my lower jaw was moved forward by 5 1/2 mm. I still feel like there is an overbite present but hopefully Invisalign will fix this once they rescan me although I will now need rubberbands to do this.
I've been pretty happy with the results. I am breathing more through my nose now! I'm 37 so my swelling has taken a long time to go down. My dr said I'm still 25% swollen at 4 weeks. I've been eating clean, drinking lots of water, and supplementing with bromalein and turmeric to help with swelling. I'm anxious to be able to move my mouth normally again. My dr said no chewing for another 3-5 weeks. I am lightly banded until then to but can remove bands to eat. My dr also said I can start working out again although my energy still hasn't been 100% yet. I have been going on walks though to try and stay active.

[ALP]

Fantastic!

[daycard]

My SARPE went very well! It lasted for two hours and recovery was very fast. By hour 5 I was already home. I have little to no pain and feel great, let's see how I am for the next few days no chewing for 2-3 weeks

[Ridingboots]

Hi all

I am also due to have double Jaw surgery on 23 Feb. I am having the following

Top jaw moving it up by 6mm and in by 2mm. Lower jaw 7 mm out and sliding genioplasty 6 mm but might be less. Plus 4 wisdom teeth out. Sound like some big moves to me but I knew my jaw was out by fair bit.

He thinks surgery will be about 2.5 hour and am first up next Thursday. I will be in hospital for 3 nights, banded shut for week and then after that he will show me how to remove bands for eating.

Will be seeing him weekly for few weeks after Surgery which is good to know.

Very quick appointment but hopefully I have done my research and have very successful surgery and recovery.

I am prepared as I will ever be but don't think my partner realises how big this will be.

[Lisevaali]

Hi, I'm having my surgery on 2nd march, only two more weeks! I'm really exited as at 33 it's been a long time coming! I've been in braces for 4 years now.
I'm having my top jaw moved up about 5 mm and also back about 2-3 mm and centerline rotation of 2mm to the right. I'll also be having a bone graft on my top right jaw in readiness for dental implants later.
I have a overbite, but for me the worst is the gummy smile, I can't wait to say goodbye to it!
We have 5 daughters also, so hubby has taken 2 weeks off work, we are trying to prepare them as my biggest fear now is frightening them when I come home from hospital!

[bighoss]

[quote="ZiziOConnor"]
That is a HUGE amount of movement! How are you doing? Any photos to share?[/quote]

Yes, spectacular amount of movement! During planning my surgeon even noted this is some of the greatest lateral movement he has performed. That is a little nerve wrecking but it was a success.

As I write this I am 9 days post-op. I feel healthy and have energy but my swelling is still significant. In fact, my swelling was so bad during the first 72 hours that my incisions on the lower gums opened up!

Zizi, your recovery and results on instagram look great and I wish you the best.