11 Weeks Post Double Jaw Surgery & Sliding Genioplasty

Greetings, earthlings.

Thursday marked 11 weeks since my surgery. Wowzers!

My apologies for my lack of posts. I am not planning to do weekly posts anymore since things go slowly now.

Things with my face and teeth have been going well. I'll keep up with my organized benchmarks except for those that are no longer factors.

Pain: Generally none. Chewing and running can make my jaw muscles sore but it's not bad.

The main thing that bugs me is what I believe is a plate and screw under my skin next to my nose. The thing is, if it is a plate, it's higher than what it looks like in the x-ray. I also don't feel the same thing on the right side of my nose. I don't know what else it could be besides a screw. It aches sometimes if I wear sunglasses too long, and the whole area tingles often. Either way, it's strange.

Also, I can feel where the new bone growth is along my chin because it aches sometimes, too. Overall, these things are very minor.

Swelling: Same as usual, just slowly going down. I can see I'm still swollen when I look at myself.

Numbness: I'm happy to say it's steadily improving. There's only a small spot left on my chin that is still numb, my lower lip feels completely normal, the back half of palate has come back a bit, and the other day I noticed the right side of my upper gums is tingly to touch.

Muscle movement: My chin feels pretty tight and I still feel like my smile looks terrible. I can open my jaw slightly more than 2 fingers at this point which isn't great, but not terrible. My mouth is pulled shut all the time via elastics so I can't work on opening my mouth too much.

Eating/drinking: I can eat most things now, as long as they're not hard, crunchy, or chewy. Biting into stuff has gotten easier, too. I had pulled pork on a bun last week and I ate it like a real live, normal adult! It's the little things that make a jaw surgery patient happy, trust me.

Weight loss: I'm about 3lbs down from where I started. I'm a higher weight than I normally am so obviously surgery didn't do me any favours. If you're preparing for surgery, be prepared for everrrrryooooneeeeeeee to comment on your weight for awhile. It's very annoying.

I'm back to running now but taking it easy as I slowly progress back up to where I was. Running after being off for so long is soul-crushing and requires a lot of patience.

Braces: I read on ArchWired that everyone with braces hits a point where they're just done with braces. I'm there, that's me. I'm in my last months of braces but still have a ways to go. I don't mind wearing my elastics and I am extremely diligent with them, but I just want all of this to be over soon. I'm sick of the TPA wire, I'm sick of my cheeks being cut up, I'm sick of having chunks of food hiding in my mouth all the time. I was estimated to get them off sometime between December and next June.

Well, that's about it. I will probably post again around September 11th, which will be 3 months since surgery.

Photos:


Sorry about the crappy image quality; the light isn't the greatest in my apartment




My nose looks so different now!


I got sick of having long hair.


This was taken today and the one above was the other day. You can see I look more swollen today.

7 Weeks Post-op Double Jaw Surgery & Sliding Genioplasty

Hey there!

I am making this post because I didn't get a chance to do a 6 week update last Thursday. In my defence, I was out of the house all day Tuesday and Wednesday and then on Thursday, my grandmother passed away and go figure, I didn't really feel like posting or taking selfies. But just for the record, if I did take a selfie, it would have looked like this:


                                       source: Hyperbole and a Half

My grandma passed away in her sleep; she was 92. She wasn't sick, just old, and her body decided she had lived long enough. I personally think it's pretty much the best death you can ask for and in that way, it's hard to be sad. I think I am more sad that I was a lousy granddaughter. I never visited her, and I only rarely called or sent cards. It was always something I would get to later. There was always something else, some other way to spend a weekend that wasn't driving out to Toronto to see her. I figured my procrastination would bite me in the ass like this and there is nothing I can do about it now. That's where my thoughts have been the past week; not so much on my jaw.

---------------

Appointments:

But anyway. Last Tuesday morning I saw my surgeon for my 6 week appointment. He said I didn't need to keep wearing the elastics holding my midline straight. He said everything else looked great and since I appear to be progressing normally, my next appointment is currently scheduled for May 2016!

On my drive home from London, I noticed my midline already seemed to have relapsed but I more or less forgot about it as I was spending the day with friends. By the time I had my appointment with my orthodontist in the afternoon, I forgot about the midline issues and begged my ortho to take my surgical hooks off, which he did. He gave me a heavy gauge elastic to pull my left molars together and it has already made a difference. The next day my midline was still off but because of me being out of town and the ortho's office being closed for a week, I didn't get in again until yesterday. I was dreading the thought of getting any surgical hooks put back on because they're awful. Fortunately, he slapped an elastic on me which you will see below, and I am happy enough with that. It's already doing its job. It did seem crazy to me that after only 6 weeks, 29 years of muscle memory would just be magically fixed. I go back to see my ortho in 3 weeks and I kind of doubt that by then it'll be fixed.

Benchmarks:

Energy: Normal.

Sleep: 30 days after surgery, I removed the wedge and started sleeping normally again. It was uncomfortable at first but I've adjusted now. I'm back to work now so I get varying amounts of sleep!

Pain: None really, except that I ate some chewy brownies two days ago (and then one day ago and then today...) and my right side has been aching ever since. I've been taking 400mg of Ibuprofen twice daily to fight inflammation. Also, sometimes where one of the plates is on my lower jaw hurts like @^*# but goes away quickly enough.

Swelling: Going down slowly still.

Numbness: About half of my chin came back! The numb area was about as wide as four of my fingers. A finger-width of feeling came back on either side, leaving a spot about two finger-widths that is still numb. Nostrils are now 100% back. Palate and upper gums still totally gone. Lower left lip is improving, but still isn't back to normal. I haven't really had much tingling at all.

Muscle movement: I sound normal when I talk now, which is nice. Using a straw, smiling, and opening my mouth are still difficult.

Eating/drinking: I'm officially allowed to eat soft foods. I've had mac and cheese, brownies, White Castle (!!!), scrambled eggs, home fries...you guys, solid food is amazing. I mainly eat canned beans, homemade potato soup, and Spaghetti-Os. Still drinking an Ensure every morning for the nutrients since I've been otherwise living off sweet, sweet carbs. 

Weight loss: I've gained 5lbs back, so I am now at 7lbs lost total, which is what I had put on in anticipation of the surgery. Meaning I am back to usual weight, and now trying to be careful since I've been eating like crap!

Other: Skin is improving, and it's become much easier to wash my face.

Photos:

Resting face this week (7 weeks) vs 4 weeks post-op...swelling has noticeably gone down!

Profile

Pre-surgery profile

Toothy grin this week (7 weeks) vs 4 weeks post-op

Toothy grin pre-surgery (note how far down my upper teeth were compared to now, as well as compare the relationship between my front teeth and my nose...much straighter now)

Closed lip smile this week (7 weeks) vs 4 weeks post-op

Closed lip smile pre-surgery

Frown this week (7 weeks) vs 4 weeks post-op

Not-so-subtle elastic.

From the archives: embarrassing photos of my teeth long before I started treatment...

August 2013: the day before I started my weight loss efforts (I've maintained a 25lb weight loss!)

Obviously alcohol played a factor in this awful photo. But you can see the extent of my class 2 malocclusion here.

Video from last week:

One Month (4 Weeks) Post-op Double Jaw Surgery & Sliding Genioplasty

Hello party people!

Yesterday I hit 4 weeks post-op and tomorrow marks one month since the surgery. I say this everywhere to anyone who will listen but holy crap has the time ever flown by! Not being at work is like living in a time warp. That said, it has felt like it's perpetually Saturday or Sunday and I've had a hard time keeping track of what day it actually is.

But anyway!

I mention this in my video below but this past week, the main thing bothering me are the brackets and surgical hooks digging into the inside of my lip. It ends up giving me a feeling like the inside my lip is raw, which as you can imagine is pretty unpleasant.

Let's just do the benchmarks so I don't end up repeating myself:

Energy: Consistently good as long as I get a good night's sleep.

Sleep: 8-9 hours, sleeping well. Still on my wedge, not sure when I'll transition back to horizontal. I lied down normally for 2.5 hours a week ago and when I woke up, I was noticeably more swollen and I had a new numb spot on my cheek that was previously fine (and it took a few days to go away).

Pain: Not much pain anymore, except when my jaw randomly spasms and the joint aches afterwards. Also, every now and then, the left side of my chin is like, "Whoa nelly, I'm broken here! I don't know if you noticed Jaime, but holy crap, I am not attached to the rest of your skull!" My chin was reattached via 2 screws at the bottom/centre of my chin, and so I guess the rest of the bone is trying to heal.

Also, instead of the usual tingling that most people get when nerves are regenerating, I've been blessed with stinging...a lot of stinging. Non-stop stinging.

Swelling: It's been up and down all week. I think I look more swollen today compared to last week, actually.

Numbness: My lower eyelids are back but everything else is the same.

Muscle movement: It improves a little bit each week. My mouth moves when I talk now so it's less embarrassing to go out into public.

Eating/drinking: Same as last week. I tried some soft pastas this past week (despite doctor's orders). Canned ravioli was easy to eat, Spaghetti-Os were okay, and mac and cheese was difficult but doable. I also tried mozzarella sticks but it was too difficult. I'm technically not supposed to try chewing until week 6 so I doubt I will keep trying pasta.

Weight loss: still 11lbs.

Other: My skin has been super oily and I've been breaking out around my nose and on my chin like crazy. Using witch hazel and washing my face wasn't working so I've gone back to rubbing alcohol a few times a day. The pimples are finally going away, phew.

Photos:


Swelling this week vs. last week (I think I looked better last week)


Right and left sides of my face this week


Smile this week vs last week...coming along but still awful looking.


Closed lip smile this week vs last week...pretty much the same.


Trying as hard as I can to frown


The bruise is pretty much gone.


From the archives:

A good photo of my smile pre-treatment (2011).


My smile in 2013, before any treatment! (The metal you can see is my RPE.)


Just for fun, me one month post-op from SARPE.

Video:

3 Weeks Post-Op Double Jaw Surgery + Sliding Genioplasty

Time sure does fly when you're not at work!

The past week went by very fast. I'm still keeping up with trying to get out of the house once a day.

On Monday I went back to London to see my surgeon. He said everything looks good, and gave me permission to start using straws and blowing my nose again. Yay! I have been very lucky with sinus stuff after both this surgery and SARPE. Both surgeries cause your sinuses to be filled with blood, causing nosebleeds and sinus pain. After both surgeries, it is normal/expected to get nosebleeds for a week or two. I never had a nosebleed with either surgery, and my congestion went away after about 9 days this time (I didn't have as good of decongestant meds last time).

The only crappy part about the appointment was that he loaded me up with elastics. Now my mouth is clamped shut, which hurts my teeth and causes headaches.

So far, it seems like I've been pretty fortunate with a lot of parts about this surgery. Not a lot of pain, not a lot of swelling, very little bruising, no nosebleeds, congestion is long gone.


Anyhoo, the benchmarks!

Energy: Consistent, pretty much back to normal.

Sleep: Consistently 9 hours a night, mostly sleeping well. Can't remember the last time I napped. Still sleeping upright on my wedge pillow. So glad I bought that thing! MVP of this surgery, without a doubt.

Pain: My teeth have been bugging me now that I have the elastics, along with some palate soreness and headaches. I'm still taking a few Ibuprofen a day but more for the anti-inflammatory benefits rather than pain management.

Swelling: It's gone down quite a bit this past week, yay. My cheeks still feel puffy but I look pretty much normal to the untrained eye.

Numbness: No change from last week.

Muscle movement: It's getting a little easier to smile (see below). I can also hold my lips closed now, which makes a big difference in eating, drinking, showering, talking, etc. If you watch my video, you can see that one side of my mouth moves more than the other side. Prior to surgery, that side was also stronger, so I'm not surprised it's still stronger.

Eating/drinking: Haven't used my syringe in a while. I'm able to eat things with a spoon. Drinking out of cups and cans is no problem. Using a straw is a little tricky. Eating 3-4 times a day.

Weight loss: 11lbs.

Side note: The recipes in Dinner Through a Straw are great. If you don't receive it from your surgeon or orthodontist, it's worth picking up if you're not much of a cook and therefore have no ideas about what foods to blend.

Photos:

 
Resting face this week vs last week.


Trying my hardest to smile...no bueno.


Closed lip smile...yikes.


All that remains of the bruise.


This week vs last week


Swelling is noticeably down this week


Pre-surgery vs post-surgery. Wow, who is that on the left?!

2 Weeks Post-Op Double Jaw Surgery + Sliding Genioplasty

Wow, 2 weeks already! The first week felt like a lifetime, and the second week flew by.

I kept pretty busy over the last week. I've been trying to get out and do one normal person thing per day. This week I visited my mom, hung out with my sister, and saw some friends.

Today is the first day I woke up without any pain at all. The pain in my right TMJ is gone (woo hoo). I went all the way until about 5 or 6pm without taking anything. I went out to a store with my dad and the drive plus talking was enough to bring on some pain.

Nothing has really changed since the last time I wrote. From now on, I will likely only update once a week unless there's something else worth writing about.

There is now nowhere on my face that is 100% numb. My chin is probably 95% numb; I can slightly detect pressure on it, but it's very uncomfortable. It also throbs about 22 hours a day. My lower eyelids are about 90% numb; slightly more feeling than my chin but not much. My palate and gums are still numb as well, which is very odd when I drink something too hot. It burns my tongue and select areas at the back of my mouth, but that's it.

Still eating 3-4 times a day. I want to focus on eating slightly healthier things this week. I discovered how easy it is to make drinks out of donuts, brownies, and cinnamon buns. Not a good path to stay on. In total I've lost 7lbs, which is what I put on over the last 2 months knowing I'd be without my favourites for awhile.

One positive side of this surgery is that the skin on my face looks amazing. My nose has been very oily but my cheeks and forehead are clear and so much healthier looking than normal. My usual skincare regimen involves washing my face twice daily, using lotion after washing, and wearing makeup. Since surgery, I wash every other day (maybe once per day max) and use witch hazel 1-3 times. No makeup (except eye makeup) and no lotions.

Anyhoo, here are some photos and a video!


Pre-surgery left; today right. Wow, my nose is much wider, although I'm confident some of that will shrink when the swelling goes down a bit.


Greasy! The side is also more swollen.


Jawline is coming back on this side!


Pre-surgery vs last night. I still can't get over how good I look from the side now...and this is my more swollen side. Honestly, it makes me giddy when I see how different I look! It's already a big boost to my confidence.

Unexpectedly Jaime Crappy

Since getting my surgery, there have been a few crappy things I didn't really anticipate.

1. Having nothing to do and all the time in the world. I took 6 weeks off work. Here I am on my 9th day off and I have no idea what to do with myself. I'm normally a restless person. On Saturday mornings, I wake up and get right to work doing errands. I don't like sitting around doing nothing, so that part of my healing has been unexpectedly annoying.

2. Having the time and energy to leave the house but being too embarrassed to talk to strangers. My lips still don't really move when I talk, so the letters M, P, B, F, and V are a struggle. Anthony insists I sound fine and have nothing to be embarrassed about, but it's easier said than done.

3. Being unable to smile or laugh. I can chuckle, but if something gets me right in the funny bone, it's excruciating. I have to avoid anything too funny. I started watching Grace and Frankie on Netflix but had to shut it off since last week because the episode I was on was too hilarious.

4. Being worried all the time that something isn't right with my teeth. This is a common one for people with braces and/or who had jaw surgery. I generally trust my orthodontist and surgeon, especially since both have been working (and working together) for a long time. But I'm no stranger to the idea that there are risks and complications, and it's entirely possible something could go wrong. And when #1 above applies, it gives one a lot of time to think and obsess.

5. Seeing or reading about other people who can smile, eat, or talk better than I can at the same point I am post-op. I watch YouTube videos of other jaw surgery patients and some of them can talk so much clearer than I can right now. Or they're talking about already eating soft food. Or they can close their lips completely. While the rest of us are on liquid diets for 6 weeks and having to repeat everything we say, they're already so much more back to normal. I guess it's good I took a ton of time off work...

6. Waking up every few hours to squirt water into my desert mouth. Since my lips don't close yet, my mouth gets dried out while I sleep. Since I came back to Sarnia, my sleep has been much lighter, causing me to wake up every hour or so (usually only for a few minutes). I squirt some water in my mouth and go back to sleep. In the morning, I'm surprised to see how much water I actually drank overnight! Last night I probably woke up a good 6 or 7 times.


In other news, I got a phone call from my ortho's office today. My ortho and surgeon were conversing and apparently decided I need more hooks and elastics. Thus far, I'd only had 2 elastics which is very uncommon compared to every blogger and fellow jaw surgery patient I'd read or talked to. Most people have several elastics holding their jaw closed, while I've been here all willy-nilly and loving it.

I was in the orthodontist chair for nearly an hour getting poked and prodded in all the tender places. Just having someone rest a finger on my chin is very painful. It's 6 hours later and my face is still unhappy with me. The whole thing put me in a funk tonight.

I am definitely having a "this sucks" day. Hopefully I don't get any surprise phone calls tomorrow!