I am now on day 28 of my orthognathic recovery. I saw my oral surgeon yesterday. He wants me to continue to wear my rubber bands. They are not as tight as they were when I was totally shut. I can speak against them, although it can cause some pain. I am also able to take them out to eat. I can deal with the rubber bands because I'm able to speak and eat.
Half of my chin and lip have feeling, while the other half is still totally numb. I am beginning to get concerned that I will never regain sensation. I know that it is still extremely early in the recovery, but I just don't understand why only half of my chin has regained some feeling. I am assuming the nerve on my left side was damaged more than the right. I've tried to find information on the internet about this, but all I can find is that numbness can last anywhere from weeks to several months and a small amount of patients have some permanent loss of sensation.
I don't know if it is due to the numbness or swelling, but I have somewhat of a lisp when I talk. I also cannot smile right. I am guessing and hoping that these things begin to correct themselves.
I didn't have all of these questions before, because it was such an extreme surgery. I assumed everything that I felt and saw was normal. Now that I am starting to recover and feel a little more normal, the concerns are arising.
I can't even begin to explain how ready I am for the recovery process to be over, but I am also just as excited for my orthodontic treatment to be over. I am ready to feel confident and beautiful again. I haven't felt that way in quite awhile, and I won't feel totally confident until my braces are off. I hope and pray I only have about six more months of braces.
Some of my symptoms are beginning to resolve themselves. My face has all but quit peeling. The dryness seems to have resolved now. My "post surgery acne" is beginning to clear up. This helps to boost confidence.
I still have wrinkles around my mouth. I am becoming extremely concerned about this. If any of you have experienced this post orthognathic surgery, please share your experiences as I am terrified my skin will not bounce back. I don't want to do any injectables, but I will if these wrinkles don't go away. I'm 21 years old and refuse to live with my first wrinkles yet. Especially not around my mouth!
As you can see, some of the aesthetic concerns are beginning to show themselves. I am assuming that this is normal, now that it has been a month since my surgery. Most surgeries do not require nearly this much time to recover, hence why it feels so strange to still be suffering from symptoms after all this time.
Please share your experiences! I know I promised pictures at 1 month, but I am at work right now and unable to take anything. I will post soon!!
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