the countdown has started over..day 3

Today is day 3 following my second jaw surgery. Tomorrow will mark 10 weeks following my first. I am recovering very slowly from this second surgery. As I may have mentioned before, pain is worse because there is no numbness. My swelling doesn't really seem to be improving. I will say, my lips are not chapped like last time because they didn't swell this time around. They are split however, from where I'm guessing the surgeon had to pull them to get to the back of my mouth. 

I had 23 screws and 4 plates. I believe the surgeon removed 7 screws and 2 plates. I still have 2 plates and 8 screws in my chin, and 2 plates and 7 screws on the right side. I'm getting all of this information from my x-ray. I felt the need to count hardware. :)

My orthodontist wanted me to put my rubber bands back in as soon as I was able, and so I attempted this last night. I'm not going to lie, I wanted to come up with excuses and take them out. For some reason, I'm afraid the clenching of my jaw will create another lump. I have no science or facts behind this, but I just came up with it in my head. I've been good though, and have worn them since last night. It's been about 14 hours now. :)

Tomorrow I return to work, and I will admit that I am not ready. Not only do I still rely heavily on my pain medicine around the clock (about every 3 hours), but my face is grotesquely swollen on one side and looks very strange. I'm going to be more embarrassed this time than last. I also know how exhausted I will be because of how I felt last time. It's too early. Please, if you are planning this surgery, rack up enough vacation/sick time to be out for AT LEAST 2 weeks. I can not stress this enough. I needed 2 weeks with the first surgery, and I can't help but wonder if I hadn't pushed myself so much perhaps my body could have more effectively fought off infection. With this second surgery, I need at least a week. I don't feel that I am in a position to take off that much time, but if I was I would. It also doesn't hurt to inform your boss that there's a chance you will have to undergo a second surgery. Even if the chance is slim, if they are prepared you reap the rewards because you can take off more time. 

I cannot even begin to explain how badly I want this all to be over with. This is just a bump in the road, but I am ready to wave goodbye to this chapter of my life. 

Please post comments, I still have 0! Feel free to share experiences or ask questions. That is what this blog is here for. :)

day 1 following my 2nd jaw surgery

So I underwent my second jaw surgery yesterday. I have to admit, this surgery was a good bit more painful than the first. I believe this is largely because there was no nerve damage, and so I could feel everything that I couldn't feel before.

My surgeon said that he didn't find much infection, but he did find a loose screw. He removed all of the plates and screws on my left side, but left the others in. We're not sure what was causing the severe swelling, although we are hopefully it will now go back down to normal. My orthodontist believes the swelling was due to the loose screw and the hardware on that side.

My face is so incredibly swollen right now, but only on one side. It looks grotesque. It feels softer than it was before though, so I am hopeful the lump is gone although it is hard to tell at this point.

I plan to take Monday off of work. My surgeon informed me that that would be the hardest day. I will probably go back Tuesday, although it's not going to be easy. It will also be embarassing because my face looks so strange right now.

The symptoms I'm experiencing are somewhat different this time. I have the same swelling that I had before, but I have more pain where the incisions are. He cut right through the old scar tissue, and now that I am not numb on the inside, I can feel it and it's very bothersome. I didn't experience any new numbness, and the residual numbness is continuing to improve. I can open my jaw wider than I could on the first day following my first surgery, although my mobility is much more limited than it was before surgery yesterday. I am restricted to a soft food diet for the first 48 hours, and then no meat or anything tough and crunchy for the first week. After that I can return to a normal diet. As you can probably imagine, I've taken quite a few steps back. I am hoping and praying that this time will be the final time. My biggest concern is my lump that I had. I want it to be gone for good, as I was very self conscious about it. Of course, not many people go into orthognathic surgery for purely cosmetic reasons, but it is a big perk and a huge plus. To face losing the cosmetic benefits because of a lump or abnormal swelling can be very discouraging. This second surgery has given me the opportunity to create more normalcy to my orthognathic recovery.

tomorrow is the day

Well, in about 18 hours I will be undergoing my second jaw surgery. I am much more anxious and nervous this time than I was the first time. I guess it is because I know what to expect going in. Last time, I didn't want to know and so I didn't ask many questions. Now, whether I asked questions or not, I know a lot of what I will feel like and endure when I wake up.

I have to go into work tomorrow until my surgery, and I just wish I could sleep through the rest of the day. I know that it's going to crawl and drag on. I truly hope the day passes quickly. I can't eat or drink anything past 3 am, and I will be up at 6:15 am. This is going to be really tough.

As of today, the feeling is returning in the second half of my chin! This is huge news, because I was beginning to think it wasn't coming back. But it's also bittersweet, because I fear that I will go numb again after tomorrow. I may not, but this is something I don't know the answer to. I'm scared that after al this time (almost 10 weeks), I will lose feeling and have to start the nerve healing process over again. I'm scared that it won't come back the second time around.

If I could only calm the nerves and the thoughts racing through my head, tonight and tomorrow would be easier. Unfortunately, I can't turn it off. This post is jumping all over the place just like my head.

I will post updates once I am feeling better or up to it. Post your comments please!

here goes nothing - a second jaw surgery

Well today I noticed that the swelling had begun to spread to my cheek. I am taking the antibiotics, but I called my oral surgeon to make sure that was normal for the swelling to increase. He decided to go ahead with the second surgery. So, in about 3 days, I am undergoing my second jaw surgery in the last 3 months. He is going to drain the infection and remove the hardware. He'll hopefully cut out any excess bone growth if there is any and smooth out the bump once and for all. 

I continue to second guess myself. I wanted to have the surgery now because I want to get it over with rather than to wait until May (which was my plan before the infection)...so I saw this as an opportunity to get it out of the way. A co-worker also noticed that the swelling was moving into my cheek, so I don't know why I continue to question whether I overreacted. If she can see it after only 24 hours, then surely I am not seeing things. 

He wants me to continue my antibiotics until surgery. I am guessing that he wants as much of the infection to go away as possible. I don't think he anticipates that the infection will improve 100%, and if it does, I think he expects it to return (as do I). 

I am totally concerned and terrified of relapse from removing hardware this early on. The surgeon says that it will make no difference because the bones are fused together (you can see it on the x-ray), but my personality is to worry constantly and so I am. I spoke with my orthodontist though, and he reassured me that I will be wearing my elastics for quite awhile as he originally planned, and they will help to keep everything in place if there is any residual healing to be done. I hope that there won't be any abnormal bone growth after the second surgery. I don't want to have a third, but I want my face to be even after all of this effort and pain. 

UGH...I truly wish I could stop stressing about this. I intend to ask all of my questions before the surgery so as to make me feel better. 

Feel free to share your experiences. :)

                                      Sunday                               Tuesday

               At first glance, it almost appears like my "lump" was larger on Sunday, although if you look close enough my cheek surrounding it is actually puffier today than it was a few days ago, hence the additional swelling. 

an update on complications

I saw my oral surgeon this morning, and the news that I received was not great. He performed an x-ray, and this lump is not extra bone. It's infection, and a bad one at that. He's concerned that my very back molar is decaying at the root, which could be one potential cause. He thinks the screws could possibly be causing infection as well. He put me on a strong antibiotic, but he isn't hopeful that it will work. He said that even if it does go away, it will probably come back. He's anticipating that I will have have another surgery soon. He's going to have to drain the infection and remove the screws. Have any of you had plates and screws removed this early in the process? He says that my bone is mostly fused together and removing the screws at this point will not impact my bite. However, I'm only 9 weeks post op. I don't want to relapse, because I never want to have to undergo anything like this again. Let me know what your experiences were and if any of you had them out this early. "Sigh" ... I expected to be over the hump at this point. I feel as if it's just beginning. 

approaching week 9...some new complications

I will be through my ninth week of orthognathic surgery recovery on Tuesday. My recovery has taken an unexpected turn. The past several days have been filled with worry and anxiety, as my jaw bone bump has begun to swell and grow. It is growing more tender and painful by the day. It is uncomfortable and somewhat painful to put on makeup and touch that side of my jaw. It is also painful to lay on that side.

I have yet to call my surgeons office because I assume there is nothing to be done over the holiday. I plan to go see him tomorrow. Even if he suggests it is normal and nothing to worry about, I'd still like to go in and have an x-ray. I fear that there will be something wrong and I will have to undergo another surgery. I will feel better knowing everything is still intact.

 This bump I have has made me increasingly self conscious. I cannot wait until it is gone...I fully intend to have the plates and skrewes removed from my jaw within the next few months.

Day 42 - a huge milestone!

Today is day 42 (or 6 weeks) post op for me! This is a huge milestone, as my orthognathic surgeon has released me into my orthodontists care. He has also given me permission to begin chewing again. Mind you, soft foods only for another week and a half, but it's a start!

I attempted to chew some pasta tonight, and I quickly discovered that I am going to have to retrain myself to do this simple task. Not only do I not know how to chew in my new bite position, but my muscles are sore now after eating one plate full of pasta.

It's only been six weeks, but I can't help but wish that my transformation was complete. My smile is a little bit odd and will need some training of it's own. I also have a "bone bump" on the left side of my face that may or may not smooth out over the next 6 months. If it doesn't, I plan to have my surgeon shave it down. I appear more swollen on that side and I don't like it. I am so ready to feel normal and pretty again! This will come in due time, but I am not a patient person by any means.

I am still numb on my left side. The feeling has returned in my right and it is split right down the middle. My surgeon has advised me that if the feeling is not back in 6 months to a year, it's not coming back. I would do the surgery over again even if I had known before I wouldn't regain feeling. The only real inconvenience with the numbness is the difficulty putting on chapstick and missing crumbs on my chin when eating.

I no longer have the elastics my oral surgeon equipped me with, although I do have some from my orthdontist. Strangely enough, from a comfort stance, I prefer to wear rubber bands. I feel odd without them in my mouth. The "good" news is I get to wear these for another 6 weeks or so.

As promised, I have another picture for you. I think there is quite a difference here than in my original picture. I HOPE there is.

 

 I promise I'm not as angry as I look in these pictures. But as you can see, there's a good bone bump on that right side. I HATE this and truly hope it will go away as soon as possible. UGH. Looking at these pictures is discouraging.