Hey K,
Good for you! Man you are a trooper back at work after only 7 days, that is impressive! I still can't get over how fast you are expanding, I'm only doing twice a day one turn and sometimes it feels like my head will explode! LOL...thank goodness tomorrow morning is my last turn! It has taken me 18 days to reach 8 1/4 mm I can't imagine 10 in 10 days! One thing that is pretty weird and that you will probably find too is that I can't get over how much space I have in my mouth now. It is so weird, and my smile looks enormous! Definitely a big change!
As for the braces, hmmm....originally we had planned to do the SARPE, wait about 3-4 months for healing and then put on the braces. I asked if it would be possible for me to have all my pain at one time and he agreed so we ended up putting my braces on before my SARPE. They took out the archwire for the surgery, and then replaced it when I went in for my first expansion key 3 days later. I have been lucky as my gap is only 3mm and actually seems to be getting smaller each day now. I"m hoping it closes very fast! I would ask your ortho the next time you go in. Mine had said that they don't want to start moving things around too much for at least 4 months so that the palate has time to heal and the bones fuse properly. I do know that some dentists start to close the gap after about 4 weeks though. Again I think it is really individual with each dentist though.
Brandy
SARPE Surgery
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Brandyleigh35
- Posts: 1018
- Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2006 4:25 pm
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Brandy: Wow... all I can say is that I wish had your experience! haha. But now I can't complain, I think the worst of it is behind me. About the diet... I had to have liquid because I couldn't chew; it hurt to move my jaw. As well my mouth wouldn't open very far, but now I'm slowly trying to stretch it back to normal. Oh and I started to read your blog! Makes me want to start one haha!
Kate: Thanks
I have been trying to keep up with everyone's experiences and thinking about the positive.. I've regretted it at times but from what I gather that's normal. Just hoping it works out for the best in the end.
Kate: Thanks
I have been trying to keep up with everyone's experiences and thinking about the positive.. I've regretted it at times but from what I gather that's normal. Just hoping it works out for the best in the end.Brandy: Oops, I forgot to mention what jaw surgery I am getting! My surgeon sent me a letter outlining everything and this is what he said: "I would recommend you undergo the surgical impaction of the upper jaw combined with the surgical setback and rotation of the lower jaw to correct for symmetry."
eeeek.
i just realized that i just sneezed and was told absolutely not to sneeze after surgery. eeeek. he never really explained to me why i couldn't sneeze, i suspect it is because of the pressure that would cause problems. i sneezed with my mouth open so maybe this won't be a problem. my nose isn't bleeding or hurting or anything. yikes. i hope this is okay. anyone have this experience? 
hope those of you who are recent post-op individuals are doing well. i decided to give myself a break the rest of the week, since i am expanding so much and it is a lot of pressure, so have decided to work from home. i am starting to get concerned about gaining weight while i am just sitting at home eating a million calories of liquid food while i am healing. i hear so many people losing weight while they are going through this process, but i can't actually imagine it possible, since i am not doing my 90 minute work-outs, walking anywhere, or actually doing much of anything and earing so much. oh well, guess right now, i shouldn't worry about this.
so much to think about while you are going through this, no?
hope those of you who are recent post-op individuals are doing well. i decided to give myself a break the rest of the week, since i am expanding so much and it is a lot of pressure, so have decided to work from home. i am starting to get concerned about gaining weight while i am just sitting at home eating a million calories of liquid food while i am healing. i hear so many people losing weight while they are going through this process, but i can't actually imagine it possible, since i am not doing my 90 minute work-outs, walking anywhere, or actually doing much of anything and earing so much. oh well, guess right now, i shouldn't worry about this.
so much to think about while you are going through this, no?
Hi ALL!
Hi everyone!
Wow, it feels like forever since I've been on here.
Brandy,
I know you said the wax was squishing between your teeth. It might be too hot, but when I squish the wax between my front teeth I put my finger from my opposite hand in the space between my teeth to make the wax stiffer. It might be easier for me because I don't have a wire between my two front teeth yet. I haven't posted my pictures yet because I've been so busy at work, and thats when I usually do things I promise I'll get to it soon tho... hopefully by next week. My space has gone from 12mm to about 6mm. It still looks big, but I take comfort knowing it has gotten smaller.
10101,
I went back to eating soft foods the day after surgery. I couldn't handle the whole liquid diet, so I ate a lot of mashed potatos... yogurt and stuff that I didn't have to chew. I also understand that you might regret this at first. I know I did! I wished for a little while that I hadn't done it, and I could go back... but now its been about 6 1/2 weeks from surgery and 4wks since I stopped turning the key. My face looks fuller (in a good way) and I've learned to laugh at the gap. Everyone that I've read about has been SOOO glad they did this, so I know I will too and so will you.
At first, you might not like the new shape of your face... but it really does keep changing everyday and it gets a lot better! I've seen a lot of before and after pictures... ALL the pictures looked WAAAAY better after! That gives me a lot of hope as well.
Kballing,
I completely understand wanting to get things going!! I got my braces on before my SARPE surgery. I have only had adjustments on the bottom teeth so far. I get the wire on my upper teeth on April 21 (10 wks after surgery and 8wks after ending expansion). Trust me it sucks, but my ortho told me that if they move my teeth before the bone has healed, I stand the chance of losing my front teeth. He told me that most people's spaces close before the wire is even placed on the upper teeth. Brandy had a different experience, so maybe you'll get lucky and get a wire. This is a rough road, but it really will be worth it.
Good luck to everyone! It's nice to see other people going through the same thing! It makes me feel like I'm not the only one... and its nice to see so much courage to actually do this! We all rock!!!
~Mia
Wow, it feels like forever since I've been on here.
Brandy,
I know you said the wax was squishing between your teeth. It might be too hot, but when I squish the wax between my front teeth I put my finger from my opposite hand in the space between my teeth to make the wax stiffer. It might be easier for me because I don't have a wire between my two front teeth yet. I haven't posted my pictures yet because I've been so busy at work, and thats when I usually do things
I promise I'll get to it soon tho... hopefully by next week. My space has gone from 12mm to about 6mm. It still looks big, but I take comfort knowing it has gotten smaller.10101,
I went back to eating soft foods the day after surgery. I couldn't handle the whole liquid diet, so I ate a lot of mashed potatos... yogurt and stuff that I didn't have to chew. I also understand that you might regret this at first. I know I did! I wished for a little while that I hadn't done it, and I could go back... but now its been about 6 1/2 weeks from surgery and 4wks since I stopped turning the key. My face looks fuller (in a good way) and I've learned to laugh at the gap. Everyone that I've read about has been SOOO glad they did this, so I know I will too and so will you.
At first, you might not like the new shape of your face... but it really does keep changing everyday and it gets a lot better! I've seen a lot of before and after pictures... ALL the pictures looked WAAAAY better after! That gives me a lot of hope as well.
Kballing,
I completely understand wanting to get things going!! I got my braces on before my SARPE surgery. I have only had adjustments on the bottom teeth so far. I get the wire on my upper teeth on April 21 (10 wks after surgery and 8wks after ending expansion). Trust me it sucks, but my ortho told me that if they move my teeth before the bone has healed, I stand the chance of losing my front teeth. He told me that most people's spaces close before the wire is even placed on the upper teeth. Brandy had a different experience, so maybe you'll get lucky and get a wire. This is a rough road, but it really will be worth it.
Good luck to everyone! It's nice to see other people going through the same thing! It makes me feel like I'm not the only one... and its nice to see so much courage to actually do this! We all rock!!!
~Mia
Kballing,
Yea, sneezing is weird for a while and it was VERY smart of you to do it through you mouth. Did your surgeon go in through your nose to fracture your palate? Mine did, and I still feel a little weird in my sinus area.
You will lose weight and I would think you could go back to exercising like a week if its not too vigerous. I started to do some cycling afterword because I was told not to lift weights for a while. It's a nice change tho. I'm VERY surprised that you turn 4X's a day! I did it twice a day and I had a lot of pressure with just that. Your head must be killing you.
Also, Dannon light and fit makes a killer smoothie and Atkins Chocolate drinks taste like Yoohoo
Hope this helps!
Yea, sneezing is weird for a while and it was VERY smart of you to do it through you mouth. Did your surgeon go in through your nose to fracture your palate? Mine did, and I still feel a little weird in my sinus area.
You will lose weight and I would think you could go back to exercising like a week if its not too vigerous. I started to do some cycling afterword because I was told not to lift weights for a while. It's a nice change tho. I'm VERY surprised that you turn 4X's a day! I did it twice a day and I had a lot of pressure with just that. Your head must be killing you.
Also, Dannon light and fit makes a killer smoothie and Atkins Chocolate drinks taste like Yoohoo
Hope this helps!
yeah, the cranking of this key 4X /day is really becoming a bit overwhelming. i have a lot of pain in my right ear now. fortunately, the key will be a distant memory after sunday. seems like no one else has done so many turns a day, but since i am seeing the chief of surgery at a teaching hospital, i have to have faith that they know what they are doing (fingers crossed). it definitely gets this over more quickly, which makes me so happy. i have been making some yummy smoothies with peanut butter, bananas, and yogurt, but wow, I eat a lot of them. 
i left a message with my od to see if they would actually be putting the braces on on april 11 so i would be prepared if they weren't actually going to do it and not be disappointed, but she hasn't called me back.
in any case, hope you all are doing well and recovery continues to go well.
-growing gap girl (6mm today)
i left a message with my od to see if they would actually be putting the braces on on april 11 so i would be prepared if they weren't actually going to do it and not be disappointed, but she hasn't called me back.
in any case, hope you all are doing well and recovery continues to go well.
-growing gap girl (6mm today)
Well Brandy,
I FINALLY made the blog. How do I put the link on my name how you have it? Anyways, here is my link! Enjoy the pictures, lol.
http://mia22-sarpe.blogspot.com/
I FINALLY made the blog. How do I put the link on my name how you have it? Anyways, here is my link! Enjoy the pictures, lol.
http://mia22-sarpe.blogspot.com/
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Brandyleigh35
- Posts: 1018
- Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2006 4:25 pm
- Location: Alaska
- Contact:
OMG! Mia, you poor thing, and here I was having a hard time filling up my little 3mm gap!
From reading your blog it definetely sounds like your procedure was handled very dfferently than mine! WOW! You have been making good progress though, and have been very patient!
Good job getting the blog set up. To add your blog addy to your signature just go in under your profile and where it says signature and paste your blog address. Then do a preview and make sure its showing up.
Brandy
From reading your blog it definetely sounds like your procedure was handled very dfferently than mine! WOW! You have been making good progress though, and have been very patient!
Good job getting the blog set up. To add your blog addy to your signature just go in under your profile and where it says signature and paste your blog address. Then do a preview and make sure its showing up.
Brandy
mia: That liquid stuff is killer after awhile...! Anyway my swelling is so slowly getting better.. feeling of regret also slowly getting better! I'm really curious to see how my face is going to change. I have a thin, oval face with not very prominent cheekbones so I hope this will make a good change!
I went to the surgeon for my first turns today. I was also having this wierd feeling in the left side at the back of the roof of my mouth and maybe even back of my throat in that same area. It felt like something was constantly there, especially swallowing, and it just developed two days ago. He felt around and said it was normal, that the area I'm complaining about felt slightly bigger compared to the left side but was normal. As the day progrressed I seemed to be feeling it less and less, so I hope that either a) it's going away or b) I'm getting used to it.
Anyway the turning wasn't a big deal, just like everyone says! The first turn was a quick little sharp pain and the second was barely even noticeable. I'm not really to eager to do it myself though -_-
I went to the surgeon for my first turns today. I was also having this wierd feeling in the left side at the back of the roof of my mouth and maybe even back of my throat in that same area. It felt like something was constantly there, especially swallowing, and it just developed two days ago. He felt around and said it was normal, that the area I'm complaining about felt slightly bigger compared to the left side but was normal. As the day progrressed I seemed to be feeling it less and less, so I hope that either a) it's going away or b) I'm getting used to it.
Anyway the turning wasn't a big deal, just like everyone says! The first turn was a quick little sharp pain and the second was barely even noticeable. I'm not really to eager to do it myself though -_-
10101- Good for you! Congratulations on starting the key turning process with no problems. How many turns are you doing?
I am so excited to be nearing the end of this 10 day proces. I am officially at 7mm now and have 3 mm to go.
ALL - I can't remember how long people said it was before the gap started to close after the turning. Now that I see how big my gap is, I am wondering how I can deal with this and how long it will be there. From what I understand from everyone, my OD will only be putting on the bottom braces on april 11 (she still hasn't called me back, but i meet with her on tuesday to get the expansion stabilized).
i tried some soft foods today, only cantaloupe and wow, it made the roof od my mouth so so sore. i am happy to stay on the liquidy types of things for now to prevent that pain again. the campbells cups of soup are awesome and yogurt with peanut butter and bananas is too good to pass up. i could live on that.
hope everyone is doing well. any thoughts on the gap filling in would be appreciated.
have a great night
I am so excited to be nearing the end of this 10 day proces. I am officially at 7mm now and have 3 mm to go.
ALL - I can't remember how long people said it was before the gap started to close after the turning. Now that I see how big my gap is, I am wondering how I can deal with this and how long it will be there. From what I understand from everyone, my OD will only be putting on the bottom braces on april 11 (she still hasn't called me back, but i meet with her on tuesday to get the expansion stabilized).
i tried some soft foods today, only cantaloupe and wow, it made the roof od my mouth so so sore. i am happy to stay on the liquidy types of things for now to prevent that pain again. the campbells cups of soup are awesome and yogurt with peanut butter and bananas is too good to pass up. i could live on that.
hope everyone is doing well. any thoughts on the gap filling in would be appreciated.
have a great night
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Brandyleigh35
- Posts: 1018
- Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2006 4:25 pm
- Location: Alaska
- Contact:
Kballing,
The gap usually (from what I hear) starts to close up pretty quick after expansion stops. Usually within about 4 weeks it is much better. Mine has closed a lot already in only a few days since stopping expansion. I'm sure it varies from person to person, but mine has been pretty fast.
Brandy
The gap usually (from what I hear) starts to close up pretty quick after expansion stops. Usually within about 4 weeks it is much better. Mine has closed a lot already in only a few days since stopping expansion. I'm sure it varies from person to person, but mine has been pretty fast.
Brandy
kballing: I'm not sure how many I'm doing, no one has seemed to give me an amount... I see my ortho in a few days, and until then I'm supposed to do 2 turns a day so I guess I'll just have to take it from there.
What was/is the numbness like for everyone and how long until you had feeling back? It's a bit strange for me because the left side of my face is feeling pretty good, but my right side feels soo much more numb (especially in my cheek area close to my nose). I do think I can slowly feel minor improvements everyday though. Guess I'll just have to wait it out!
I'm not sure how many I'm doing, no one has seemed to give me an amount... I see my ortho in a few days, and until then I'm supposed to do 2 turns a day so I guess I'll just have to take it from there. What was/is the numbness like for everyone and how long until you had feeling back? It's a bit strange for me because the left side of my face is feeling pretty good, but my right side feels soo much more numb (especially in my cheek area close to my nose). I do think I can slowly feel minor improvements everyday though. Guess I'll just have to wait it out!
10101 - i didn't have any numbness, my surgeon mentioned before sugery that he was going to take every precaution to prevent any numbness (i have no idea what these precautions were). i hope he can manage that for the orthognathic surgery. i hear that people slowly recover feeling over a few months.
how is the key turning going for you?
i just can't wait until tomorrow when i can stop the turning process. i have had such a headache lately. only one more day.
has anyone else felt pain in their lower teeth? i have one molar on the bottm that jus throbs, and i can't figure out whether or not it has a cavity or something or if it just got irritated by all of this. ??????
hope everyone is doing well.
how is the key turning going for you?
i just can't wait until tomorrow when i can stop the turning process. i have had such a headache lately. only one more day.
has anyone else felt pain in their lower teeth? i have one molar on the bottm that jus throbs, and i can't figure out whether or not it has a cavity or something or if it just got irritated by all of this. ??????
hope everyone is doing well.