April 18 Surgery Buddies...

[N2Deep]

I feel that struggle as well. I go back to work on Monday. I'm mostly just anxious about my coworkers getting used to my new face though. I'm barely used to it myself. Now to figure out how to continue my liquid diet under the time constraints and additional stress of working life.

[PierreDeFermat]

Maybe blend some soups and pack an Ensure/Boost the night before?

I've been trying some of the cheap canned soup from the grocery store and some of them are pretty good, might be worth a shot...

[N2Deep]

Oh I'm a pro at the blending game at this point. I actually weigh more now than I did before surgery, and I'm a skinny guy who can't normally gain weight so that's saying a lot!

I got this super high calorie protein mix called "naked mass" and blend in nuts, hemp hearts, ice cream, fruit etc... for a really tasty, high calorie, high protein shake. I'm pretty sure my metabolism would just laugh at a can of Ensure at this point.

When I blend soups I add quinoa, more hemp hearts, nuts sometimes, extra meat, eggs - depending on the soup of course. I had some lobster bisque by itself the other day because it was almost 500 calories anyway . My most recent experiment was homemade Gouda Mac n cheese with pork BBQ. Almost discovered the limits of a Blendtec on that one

My main issue is I'm a stress eater and get extremely hungry at work. So I have to figure out how much to bring with me so I don't die on the vine.

[MoJo2685]

I worry less about eating enough at work and more about how I will look eating at work. My lower lip and chin are completely numb still. And while I have gotten much better I will think I've wiped everything off then look in a mirror an hour later and realize I'm a mess.
Getting used to the new face shape is going to be interesting as well. I still have a lot of swelling from my rhinoplasty so my nose will still be noticably changing over the next few weeks. And because of my new bite my face is much more square. I feel like I'm going to spend at least a week just explaining what happened on repeat.

[PierreDeFermat]

Maybe a small pocket mirror to help eat at lunch time? Worst case scenario you can put your phone's camera in selfie mode and see if any food is left on your face.

Wet wipes might also help.

[runrabbitrun]

Whew, finally out of the hospital!

Went in for surgery Wednesday morning, and finally left yesterday afternoon. I cannot believe the initial plan was to only have me in the intensive care unit for a day before releasing me - NO way would I be ready that soon.

My surgeon said everything went great, zero complications. The issues were really with my initial days of recovery and the fact that I couldn't get any liquids down at all. This was first due to the fact that everything was so numb and swollen, and because I got banded the day after surgery by an assistant who used elastics that were entirely too tight for me and caused a great deal of pain. Once my surgeon swapped those out, I was able to finally get down some liquid and was cleared to leave. I've been doing great since then - walked over 4 miles today and am getting down plenty of yogurt, soup, and protein powder.

The good stuff so far:

• I woke up this morning and started crying. This is a huge deal because I'm not an emotional person whatsoever. My mom asked if I was in pain and I told her, "No, I just can't believe how amazing I feel after having a brutal 6 hour surgery." So, it's already pretty clear that my sleep apnea is resolved!! I'm still taking a 1/4 of my regular adderall dose because the pain meds make me very tired, but I'm hoping to cut it out entirely once I finish the oxy.

• My Raynaud's seems to be gone.

• I have no idea if this could be related, but I have MISERABLE seasonal allergies and my eyes have been perpetually bloodshot for the past 3 months. They are almost scary white now, and I haven't taken a single allergy pill or used any allergy eye drops since the day before surgery. I almost wonder if that was caused by lack of oxygen? It's a seriously weird (and awesome) side-effect that I hope is permanent.

Things that are still a challenge/outcome unknown:

• I'm still numb in most places, but have felt the random tingles and pangs pretty much everywhere. I think if there's a risk of permanent numbness anywhere, it's on my chin and lower lip. This has definitely made eating a huge challenge, but I seem to be getting better at adjusting every day.

• My lower cheeks and upper lip are still very swollen, so aesthetic changes are still very unclear. But, I think for the most part, they'll all be positive. I wasn't expecting such a change to my nose (no work done here, but doc warned me that movement of the ANS may cause changes), but it's kind of adorable now, so I'm cool with that. There was little to no (at least, from what I can tell at this point) change to my philtrum and lips which is another positive.

• Wasn't expecting the pain/tenderness in my lymph nodes/neck and inside my ears. Not really sure what the ear pain is all about.

• My lips are nasty as hell. They're getting better now that I'm out of the hospital, but I think my lack of fluid intake really dried them out. I've been sloughing off sheets of dried skin from the corners of my mouth for days. Hoping that'll be resolved in the next day or two.

• Lots of nasal congestion and blood clots coming out of my nose - not a big deal, but looking forward to that being a non-issue, especially since it makes it more difficult to retrain myself to nose-breathe.

[PierreDeFermat]

Hey Rabbit, glad you made it to the other side!

I was also in the hospital for 5.5 days so I know the struggle. My surgery included a lot of soft tissue work in my throat which means lots of selling and a temporary worsening of OSA (which you don't seem to have).

Pain in the ears is due to swelling/pressure and should resolve in the first week.

Congestion will be a problem the first two weeks, did your doctor give you nasal spray or recommended q-tips dipped in hydrogen peroxide?

It will take a month for the swelling to subside by 50-80%, and possibly even longer before you start to regain sensation in certain parts of the face.

[runrabbitrun]

Thanks, PdF! I actually thought of you while I was in the hospital - definitely something along the lines of "Holy sh*t, how could you get this and UPPP?! I can't imagine the pain you had to (and are probably still) go through. While most of my nurses were incredible, I did have one for 1/2 day who was off their game w/ med timing and you're right - letting them lapse was miserable.

Hoping your throat swelling goes down soon and your OSA is gone for good!! My o2 sats were back to 100% the night I had surgery, which is pretty amazing. That said, I didn't feel the full effect or notice a difference until this morning, so I expect you'll take a bit more time, too.

Good to know about the ears, thanks for the heads up! I do have two different nasal sprays which have helped a little, but mostly with keeping the tissues from drying out rather than congestion. I've used a little bit of the spray on a q-tip which has definitely helped loosen up some of the blood clots.

My first follow up with my doc is on Thursday. I know he'll be adjusting my bands but not sure what else we'll go over or what to expect.

[MoJo2685]

Wow I can't imagine having to spend that long in the hospital. I was happy about being there the first night. And have the suction thing attached to my bed for all the blood/drool was amazing. But after 12 hours I was so ready for it to be time to go home. There were 4 people in my recovery room and it was never quiet. Glad to hear you are feeling better. I think getting home and just being able to sit outside was amazing and restoring.

Weird question. Has anyone been told how long after surgery the ortho will remove the teeth cages? (My name for the surgical hooks) I thought I hated just flossing with braces. This is a whole new level of awful. I have a waterpik but I feel like floss just does more for the gums.

I go to my 4 week appointment with the surgeon tomorrow and she will be clearing me to return to work Wednesday. Not gonna lie after a month off I'm so ready to go back. I need some structure back to make me stop online shopping. Lol

[PierreDeFermat]

Ahh the suction wand, I miss that old friend!

Arch bars are typically kept on for 4-6 weeks, not sure about hooks added to braces but I assume it's about the same.

[runrabbitrun]

Not gonna lie after a month off I'm so ready to go back. I need some structure back to make me stop online shopping. Lol

Hahaha dude. I totally hear you (I say this with 3 browser tabs open to amazon, jcrew, and allmodern...). Between all the random surgery purchases and the boredom shopping, this surgery is going to hit my wallet more than I thought! Luckily, my out of pocket max is $2,500, so I won't have a heart attack when I see the hospital bill.

My last few hours in the intensive care unit were as you described - very hectic with four people crammed into a small space and I couldn't wait to get out of there. I somehow got transferred to a cancer ward for the rest of my recovery, which I think was much quieter - with more attentive staff - than where I might have ended up otherwise. So, I felt less rushed to get out until the day that I was truly ready to leave.

Regarding the hooks: Sounds like these are similar to arch bars (I don't have braces so I expect they're a bit different), but my surgeon said that those will come off after 4-6 weeks. If you don't have them already, I highly recommend these little interdental brushes:https://www.amazon.com/DenTek-Professio ... al+brushes. I have the cheap Rite Aid version and they're the only thing making my mouth feel clean at the moment.

[MoJo2685]

Not gonna lie after a month off I'm so ready to go back. I need some structure back to make me stop online shopping. Lol

Hahaha dude. I totally hear you (I say this with 3 browser tabs open to amazon, jcrew, and allmodern...). Between all the random surgery purchases and the boredom shopping, this surgery is going to hit my wallet more than I thought! Luckily, my out of pocket max is $2,500, so I won't have a heart attack when I see the hospital bill.

My last few hours in the intensive care unit were as you described - very hectic with four people crammed into a small space and I couldn't wait to get out of there. I somehow got transferred to a cancer ward for the rest of my recovery, which I think was much quieter - with more attentive staff - than where I might have ended up otherwise. So, I felt less rushed to get out until the day that I was truly ready to leave.

Regarding the hooks: Sounds like these are similar to arch bars (I don't have braces so I expect they're a bit different), but my surgeon said that those will come off after 4-6 weeks. If you don't have them already, I highly recommend these little interdental brushes:https://www.amazon.com/DenTek-Professio ... al+brushes. I have the cheap Rite Aid version and they're the only thing making my mouth feel clean at the moment.

What a strange place for an oral surgery patient to end up. But hey, quiet is a commodity in hospitals, even if you have to go to the cancer ward to get it.

I had my 4 week appointment today. I was cleared to return to work Wednesday. My surgeon is very happy with how my scars are healing inside. I guess webbing is somewhat common and I don't have any of that. Last week we were talking about how my jaw was holding onto swelling more than normal. This week she says it's gone down so much and that its getting to where she wants it. My nose is still hard and to her and I appears swollen, but to the point that nobody else would notice. I go back in 2 weeks for the most glorious day.... The "hey you can chew now" day. I can wait. There is only so much sweet potato one person can handle. And once that happens I can go back to ortho for them to remove the hooks. She also said based on how well my bite is holding, I shouldn't be in braces very much longer at all. My hope of all Hope's is before October. Just so I can say the whole process took less than 2 years. Fingers crossed.

[MoJo2685]

Oh one other topic we covered today was the numbness and feeling returning to my chin. So my biggest annoyance is when it itches, but I can't tell if scratching is doing anything. She says that is 100% normal and everyone gets that. So if you haven't experienced it yet, that's a thing you can look forward to. Lol And also there will be random feelings of almost electric shock as the nerves start healing themselves. Sounds fun right?

[PierreDeFermat]

Great Mojo, you're almost there!

I too am at the "phantom inch" stage where my nose feels itchy but scratching doesn't help at all. I think this partially due to the fact that I'm regaining more and more sensation in that area every day (sometimes it tingles, sometimes it feels like electricity) and partially because of my long nose hairs.

The biggest challenge for me lately has been trying to stifle my yawns.

[MoJo2685]

Great Mojo, you're almost there!

I too am at the "phantom inch" stage where my nose feels itchy but scratching doesn't help at all. I think this partially due to the fact that I'm regaining more and more sensation in that area every day (sometimes it tingles, sometimes it feels like electricity) and partially because of my long nose hairs.

The biggest challenge for me lately has been trying to stifle my yawns.

Benefits of not being wired or banded shut at all. I only had the yawning problem for about a week. After that I was allowed to start stretching and working on regaining movement.