Sara's Jaw Surgery Journey

No More Braces

2009-02-15T18:46:00.000-05:00

I'm just about five months now; have been debraced for about a month:

Braces Free!!

2009-02-14T02:34:00.002-05:00

This post has been a long time coming... I am braces free!!

About a week before my anticipated debonding date I noticed a lower bracket had popped off. I went in to get it checked out and my ortho wasn't pleased with the position of my back molars. He put me in heavy duty elastics again (top back two molars to bottom back two molars and then next two upper molars to next two lower molars). He said if I was lucky and wore the elastics 24/7 we may get to talk about debonding at my regular appointment on January 15th. I was heart broken! I wore my elastics all the time and by my next appointment everything had moved together perfectly. My bottom brackets and the back brackets on the top were removed at this appointment. I had a permanent retainer put on the bottom and the top six brackets were left on until my next appointment a week later.

At the follow-up appointment on January 22nd my ortho had my Hawley retainer ready so he popped off the six brackets I had left and put my retainer on. Originally he said I would have to wear it 24/7 for the first month and then nightly from that point on but that has since shifted to 24/7 for the first three months. I am doing the best I can! It is nice to go out now without braces or a retainer and smile with normal teeth and a normal bite. Never thought it would be that way!

I look in the mirror now and have a hard time recognizing myself. Every change has been for the better but I still haven't fully adjusted to the new me. I'm sure I probably look really vain to people who don't know me and catch me staring at myself in the mirror now, but I just can't believe the girl looking back is me. I have barely taken Ibuprofen for pain since the surgery-- I could probably count on one hand the times I have felt anything even remotely close to how I felt before. I have a mild pop on the left side now (opposite of what I felt pre-surgery!) when I open wide to yawn but that is it. I couldn't be happier with everything thus far.

Debraced pictures to come tomorrow! :)

Over the three month mark!

2009-01-08T01:24:00.003-05:00

Sorry my posts have been lagging; the holidays have been a bit of a busy time for me!

I had my three month follow-up with my surgeons just before Christmas and it was very quick. They both took a look at my bite and alignment and gave me a thumbs up. I see them again in March.

I finally tried eating nuts. I had whole peanuts for the first time since August 2007 when I had my wisdom teeth out! I tried almond Hershey kisses but got too scared of knocking a bracket off and decided to cool it. Once all the hardware is off in ONE WEEK I am planning on almonds, bagels, and red wine (just because now it won't stain all of my ligatures!). I think I am starting to get some feeling back in my upper teeth and gums. I have a weird sensation right above my front two teeth now that hasn't been there until the past few days... hopefully a good sign of feeling to come. It's not that big of a deal not being able to feel everything, it just sucks to floss when I have no idea if I am jamming the floss too far or not. Otherwise I have all of the feeling back in my face. BE PATIENT if you don't have feeling! It makes me chuckle to see people five days out freaking out about the numbness now (even though I was there too!). I was numb up through the 10 week mark and I am fine now, so no worries.

For anyone debating on the surgery, my advice is to do it. The first week after is hard but it is really uphill from there and the results are worth every little thing I went through. I used to have constant pain in my joints and jaw. I took Ibuprofen 5 days a week at least. I had restricted motion, couldn't eat certain foods, and had problems with my jaw locking. Since the surgery I have had very minimal pain in my jaw. The only problems I have run into is discomfort in opening it, but that is to be expected when I haven't pushed my muscles that far in two - three months. Also, I have noticed a huge change in my self image. Before my surgery I hated and pretty much refused to be photographed straight-on or from the bad side of my jaw. Whenever I was around new people I worried that they were judging me for how my jaw looked and I was doing whatever I could to hide it (resting my hand around it, pushing my hair over that side, etc). I catch myself now slipping into those old habits and then thinking, "Wait! I have a normal jaw now!" This picture is about three months post-op and there is no way I would have taken a picture from this angle before the surgery....

It's still a bit weird to see me looking that way, but I am slowly getting used to it. Greatly looking forward to getting the braces off now! I am hoping people may finally think I am over 18 without them.

Exciting News!!!

2008-12-04T14:37:00.003-05:00

First-- thanks so much for the congratulations everyone! :) This is truly a very exciting time for me.

I had my fourth follow-up with my orthodontist today. I heard words today that I never thought I would hear, "Your bite is textbook now!" Woohoo! Almost everything is perfect now. He shaved down a bump on the left side of one of my front teeth so the tiny gap there can fully close and slapped on a new power chain. My next follow-up is in six weeks and that is my DE-BONDING DATE! I am getting these suckers off on January 15th! I cannot believe this journey is coming to and end so soon. I got the braces on December 18th of last year so it has really been a quick and easy process for me. I definitely recommend anyone out there going back-and-forth on this surgery to just do it. It has been a great experience so far for me and I can only imagine it is going to get better.

My ortho is most likely going to put a permanent retainer on the back of my upper and lower teeth. I had braces when I was younger and my teeth shifted very quickly once I had them off. Hopefully I will not have a similar experience this time around! I will NOT have braces for a third time. No way. The ortho also gave me to go-ahead to eat foods I had been avoiding. I've been eating pretty normally for the most part but I have avoided things like chocolate covered pretzles (my favorite around this time of year). He told me there is no reason I should be holding back and to go for the pretzles. I'm excited. :)

9 Weeks Post-Op

2008-11-29T22:49:00.001-05:00

Yesterday marked 9 weeks post-op for me! About a week ago I started experiencing some pain at the spot of the break in my lower jaw. It came suddenly in shooting pains and then became a dull, annoying pain for several days. I finally got ahold of my surgeon and figured out I had just way overdone it. Yelling at a football game for four hours + pizza wasn't my best idea but it was worth it at the time ;) I took it easy for a few days and by Thanksgiving I was back in action! I ate so much food on Thursday. It seems like I can eat most anything (with the exception of nuts and hard/chewy breads) at this point. I am wondering when I will be 100% again though. The day of biting into a slice of pizza and chowing down seems so far off still!

This is the latest photo I have. Swelling is entirely gone (or if its still there, I cannot tell) and I have fairly good control of my lips and smile now! I got engaged on Wednesday night and took this picture shortly after. :)

Third Post-Op Ortho Visit

2008-11-13T16:32:00.002-05:00

Today I had another check-up with my orthodontist. I got excellent news: I only have to wear my elastics at night now!! :) He also said everything looked great and I am very close to being done. Still hoping for January to get these things off. He put power chains on the top and bottom so the little gaps between some of my teeth that sprung up post-surgery will close and I am following up shortly in three weeks so we can get this done.

While I was there he went across the hall to get one of my surgeons and ended up finding them both. They came over, took a quick look, said everything looked great, took a few photos and headed out. I officially check back in with them again December.

Eating is getting a bit easier. Today I had a crossiant sandwich from Dunkin' Donuts with sausage and cheese. Yummy yummy.

2008-11-10T01:04:00.001-05:00

This weekend of eating regular food again has been great!

Friday night I went to TGI Fridays with a group of friends. I tried mozzarella sticks at first but I think I was too ambitious. I took a big bite at first and didn't feel like I could chew the cheese down well enough to swallow. I can't really feel half of my teeth so chewing is so bizzare. Small bites made it much easier! I also had the cheeseburger sliders and french fries. Some parts of both were too chewy or crunchy so I left them alone. I think I could probably do it if I wanted but I'd rather just err on the side of caution! On the way home from a bar later that night I had a cheeseburger from McDonalds and it was VERY easy to chew. :)

Saturday night I went to my beloved Moe's for dinner. I decided not to try the burrito right now because I think the tortilla might be kind of chewy so I opted for the salad. It was delicious- rice, black beans, shredded pork, lettuce, tomato, cheese, black olives, cilantro, and topped off with queso. :D Very easy to chew.

Tonight I went for Chipotle-- I guess I had a lot of Mexican cravings to settle! I got the burrito bol with chicken. A lot of the chicken pieces seemed too tough so I pulled a lot of them out, but no problems with the rest.

I also went grocery shopping today and tried to get some easier to chew things to make for dinner. I'm so excited that I can actually cook real food now! I bought everything to make chili one night, baked ziti another, black beans w/ rice and chicken another, and then a "breakfast for dinner" night with biscuits, gravy, and hashbrowns.

I don't think food has ever excited me so much!

Six Weeks!

2008-11-07T12:36:00.002-05:00

Today is six weeks since my surgery! It's so hard to believe that the time has gone by this quickly.

I feel great! No major complaints at all. I've regained most of the feeling in my face. I have a patch on my lower lip that is still completely numb and my chin is going through that pins and needles stage right now, otherwise I can feel my cheek and nose again. My swelling has settled everywhere expect a tiny patch above my upper lip. Most of my stitches have fallen out as well.

I can kind of smile with teeth now! I still have that numb patch in my bottom lip so it looks a bit wonky, but it is coming along. There is definitely less gum showing when I smile now.

Still wearing my elastics 24/7. I have another appointment with my orthodontist next Thursday and he said he will probably switch me over to just wearing them at night then. They're not to bad though- just medium strength bands from my canines to two teeth below them.

Tonight is my first attempt at normal food again; I am SO ECSTATIC! We are going to TGI Friday's and I plan on getting those little cheeseburgers (sliders) because I figure they will be easier for me to eat now. I can't wait!

ONE MORE WEEK!

2008-10-31T01:39:00.002-04:00

One more week until normal eating. I think the anticipation and excitement is going to kill me!

I cannot wait for my cheeseburger. And burrito. And everything else I can get in, chew and swallow!

Nothing is new from this past week. I've put on 3lbs and I'm slowly working on my jaw exercises. I have a lot more movement in my lips but my range of motion seems to be stalled at two fingers.

Four Weeks Post-Op & Second Ortho Visit

2008-10-23T23:34:00.002-04:00

Friday marks four weeks since my surgery and two weeks until I get my cheeseburger! YAY.

I had my second follow-up with my ortho today. They took off all of my surgical hooks and the metal ties I had put around every bracket. I got to floss my teeth and brush with all of the wiring out, it was amazing. My gums are still numb throughout my entire mouth so it felt a bit weird to floss again though.

My orthodontist said everything looks clean and good inside my mouth. He put back on two surgical hooks so I can still continue wearing my elastics (boo!). Like before though I can take them off when I eat and clean my mouth. I have to keep wearing them until my next appointment (three weeks away) and then hopefully I will only have to wear them at night for another month. Still unsure of a de-banding date but we're crossing our fingers for January! He also clipped out some of my stitches today. A few around my upper lip/gum line area were hanging down around my teeth so those went today.

I made a quick pit stop to my surgeon's office before I went to the orthodontist (since they're just right across the hall, so convenient). I've had some nasty allergy problems these past few days and noticed some green snot draining from my nose. They gave me a prescription for Amoxicillin to clear up any potential infection I may have in my sinuses.

They have me doing jaw exercises now. I can open wide enough to just barely get two fingers in side-by-side right now. I'm supposed to open as far as I can and close for about 5 - 10 minutes three times a day. I tried tonight and 5 minutes of opening and closing just seemed so long! My mouth is very sore too from all of the stuff that went on at the orthodontist so it was tiresome to try and work out all the muscles and the joint.

My next appointment with the orthodontist is November 13th and with my surgeon is December 22nd. The next "milestone" will be the eating of normal food again on November 7th! I need to e-mail my surgeon though and clarify what is okay and what is not. She told me to take it easy and build-up but I just need to know exactly what and when I am building up to. I assume pizza can't happen right away or bagels, but what about tortilla chips and salsa from Moe's? Ohhhh I can't wait to dig into those again!

Day 25

2008-10-21T23:18:00.002-04:00

I've perfected the closed mouth smile... smiling with teeth still looks silly, although it is improving day by day. I still have a lot of swelling and stiffness in my upper lip area so smiling with teeth is hard!

Three Weeks + My Suggestions

2008-10-17T22:55:00.005-04:00

Well three weeks ago tonight I was sitting in my hospital room after my surgery that morning trying to stay awake for the presidential debates.... I got phenergan at some point toward the beginning though and promptly passed out!

Eating is going very well. I went on vacation for the past three days and I found things to eat at all of the restaurants we went too. Crab cakes and key lime pie are my new favorite soft foods! My swelling seemed to be almost entirely down except for some small patches that I could feel, but this morning I woke up to puffy cheeks again! Nothing drastic, but it was still upsetting to look in the mirror and see a bit of the swelling back again. I think most of the swelling in my left cheek is because I seem to be biting on it whenever I chew. Since I can't feel inside my mouth on that side, I didn't realize this was going on till I ran my finger along the inside of my cheek and felt how torn up it was. I'm a little discouraged by my numbness because I haven't noticed a difference in it since the surgery. I'm still numb from under my left eyelid, through the cheek and nose area, down to my entire chin and bottom lip. Some areas I can feel sharp sensations (like a fingernail), but others are completely numb (chin and bottom lip). I hope they all come back!

This photo was taken on Wednesday so it is 19 days post-op, but I look about the same now!

I can open my mouth pretty well now... whenever I'm sitting around I'm usually playing around between big smiles, kissing lips, fish lips, etc. After a while it has become easier and easier to smile and move my lips around. I still look very goofy when I smile with teeth though! Until I can get the hang of it, the little closed smile will have to do.

I've noticed since the surgery I have not had any neck pain (which I used to have so badly) and I have not had any of the wicked TMJ headaches I used to have. I'm hoping these are very positive signs of the welcome changes to come in the future!

I thought I'd end this entry with some of my soft food suggestions for anyone on the soft diet now or pre-surgery...

Pie! Key Lime pie is my favorite but I've also had lemon merengue and a peanut butter pie from TGI Friday's. Any pie that is creamy, whipped, soft, without nuts, etc is a delicious treat. I usually mash the crust down really well with my spoon and mix in with some of the pie filling and it goes down great.
Crab cakes. I didn't even think to try these until last night at my birthday dinner and wow were they amazing! The ones I ordered were deep-fried so I had to pick off some of the outer pieces out of fear of the crunching, but the inside was very soft and went down with very minimal chewing.
Biscuits. This is kind of hit or miss... the key is very crumbly, soft biscuits. Layered ones don't work and ones that get firm on the top or bottom are no good. I had biscuits with apple butter at Cracker Barrell this morning and it was quite easy to chew.
Cake. Key is moistness and frosting. I think as long as anything isn't terribly dry (like cake, biscuits, pasta, etc) it does down pretty easily.
Tuna salad. Just make sure the tuna is chopped up well!
Tilapia. My favorite is to brush with olive oil and then cover in minced garlic and black pepper.
Macaroni and Cheese. Mmmmm
Pasta Roni. It's about $1 a box at Target and they are quite filling. My favorites are Angel Hair Parmesan and Angel Hair w/ Herbs
Spaghetti made with whatever kind of sauce you want.
Oreo Cakesters. Soft and yummy for a snack or dessert.
Pancakes. I just bought a box of add-water pancake mix and I make these frequently with tons of butter and syrup.
Boston Market sweet potato casserole/mash. Amazing!
Fruity Pebbles soaked in milk (I usually let them sit for about 10 mins before I try).
Oatmeal
Eggs with cheese (I prefer egg whites with sliced cheddar cheese mixed in)

If the scale was right tonight I have put back on over 5lbs that I lost that first week! I think my wonderful eating habits (pancakes, pies, pasta) have helped, haha.

Second Post-Op Visit

2008-10-13T12:00:00.003-04:00

This morning I met with both of my surgeons. They checked out my incisions and checked on my numbness. Incisions look great they said. I am numb mostly on the left side of my face and majority of my chin and bottom lip. Should all come back they said!

I went armed with a list of questions (like I always do). Bread with no crust is okay! So peanut butter sandwiches and grilled cheeses here I come! I am so excited.

They told me to schedule my next appointment with them in 2 1/2 months! So my next follow-up with them is December 22nd. Up until then I will be just seeing my ortho. They gave me the go-ahead to resume normal eating at the 6 week mark. So beginning November 7th I can eat again! They told me to take it easy to begin with (no steaks that first night), but that as long as I'm not in pain to go ahead and eat what I like. I think the first thing I have will be a cheeseburger and fries! Then maybe Moe's. Mmmmm.

Two Weeks Post Op!

2008-10-10T23:01:00.001-04:00

Woohoo I am at the two week mark now!

2008-10-10T00:27:00.000-04:00

When my mom had half her colon removed and was not allowed anything but IV nutrients for a week and then clear liquids for the second week she spent her time in the hospital watching Food Network. I thought she was nuts for torturing herself but now I cannot tear peal myself away from the channel! I am making a long mental list of all of the foods I will eat when I can. I think I will put back on the weight lost within the first three days back in action!

First Orthodontist Visit

2008-10-09T12:52:00.002-04:00

I had my first visit with my orthodontist since the surgery today. Since I can only open my mouth so much and everything is very sore, there was not much done. My ortho went in and cleaned a bit of stuff out for me (I have been terrified of messing with the intraoral stitches in any way!) and took photos of my new bite and face.

I seem to have gotten a bit too ambitious about eating soft foods yesterday and put myself into some pain and caused some swelling. I am back to puffy cheeks again, even though they had gone down significantly. Somehow in the process of everything yesterday I snapped off both of my elastics as well. My surgeon had said this was a possibility and not to worry about it, but my orthodontist put new elastics on for me. I think I feel more comfortable with something to guide my bite right now anyway. He also sent me home with extra bags of elastics so I can change them on my own and take them off when I eat.

With the exception of the new swelling, everything else is going very well. Tomorrow marks two weeks since the surgery and I am feeling good! I have a lot of my energy back and I am enjoying doing things now.

First Post-Op Visit

2008-10-09T12:35:00.002-04:00

I had my first post-op check-up on Monday with one of my surgeons. When the nurse came into the waiting room to bring me back she said, "Oh there is no way you are a little past a week post-op! You look amazing!" Several other people said it to me on the way back to my room. I had thought my swelling was fairly normal but I guess I have been lucky in that department thus far! It was nice to hear all their kind words after I had felt so puffy and bruised the first week.

My surgeon came in and checked out everything in my mouth. All looks well and is healing very well. He was very impressed with my progress so far! He said I might even have my elastics taken off at my next appointment (woohoo!). I also got the news I have been praying and praying for: I can eat soft foods now! I had already decided prior to the appointment that I would break down crying if I had to continue the liquid diet any further, so thankfully it did not get to that point. 10 days of an all-liquid diet had really taken a toll on me emotionally and physically. I dropped 8lbs that first week and I was absolutely miserable. I can now eat mashed potatoes, very flaky fish, pancakes, overcooked pastas, mac and cheese, etc! I ran out to the grocery store immediately after and loaded up on tons of goodies.

After looking at everything I went back to x-ray to get several done. I now have four plates and 23 screws holding my upper and lower jaw together! My bite is perfectly lined up and the only thing that needs tweaking (a job for my orthodontist) is two of my back molars. They think I could be out of braces within three months! :) I did not get a copy of the x-rays at the time, but I hope I can at my next appointment. It was very neat to see my lower jaw with gigantic gaps in the bone with only screws attaching the pieces together.

I have another appointment with my other surgeon on Monday and then it should be another month before my next follow-up.

Pictures!

2008-10-09T12:23:00.003-04:00

Finally some photo updates...

About two hours post-op when I got to my hospital room:

With my orthodontist:

Chicken broth was my favorite thing while in the hospital (who would have thought chicken broth could be so delicious):

Three days post-op and miserable (very swollen and very numb on my left side):

Day six post-op (some bruising setting in now):

Profile shot at day 6 (nice puffy cheeks!):

11 days post-op (and I can eat soft foods!):

And here is a little montage I made so far... the top photo is before, the middle is 3 days post-op, the third is 6 days post-op:

On the other side

2008-10-01T21:40:00.002-04:00

Sorry I have been lagging, but until today I have not had a great deal of energy or concentration to put up with the computer.

Surgery on Friday went well. I woke up bright and early at 5 a.m. for my 6 a.m. check-in time and sat down in the waiting room crying. The neat thing about having it at such a large hospital was the fact that I went into a pre-op room with about 20 other people having surgery too. It definitely calmed my nerves to have so many other people in a somewhat similar position. After I answered some questions I got to meet my anesthesiologist who gave me a bunch of Versit. After that point I have no memory of anything-- its great! No recollection of being wheeled into the OR, the nerves or anything. God bless that drug!

I woke up in post-op with a nurse at my feet telling me it was all over and I was in recovery. I remember being in a bit of a panic because I had phlegm in the back of my throat I couldn't get rid of, so he put one of those suction devices down to pull it all up. After that I got wheeled to my room where I met back up with my parents and my boyfriend. The first night is a bit of a blur since I was on a bunch of morphine and still had the anesthesia in me... I remember my surgeons and my orthodontist stopping by to check on me and a few friends came by as well with gifts to get well :)

Saturday was a hard day for me. My boyfriend came down with food poisioning and had been home vomitting and sick the night before. I was never brought food or pain medication (despite multiple calls asking). I ended up in hysterics because I had nothing for the pain and nothing to eat/drink; I was miserable. My boyfriend ended up getting me food from the cafeteria on his own when he came later that night. My surgeon's assistant came to check on me and told me he wanted to discharge me that night because he thought I could get taken care of better at home than at the hospital. I wasn't comfortable with this because I didn't have a hold on the pain yet and didn't feel comfortable being home quite yet. That night was much, much better though and the nursing staff then took exceptional care of me. I had a shot of morphine every two hours and actually slept through the night. :)

I was sent home Sunday morning and have been slowly coming along since. My family has told me that the swelling has gone down substantially, even though I feel huge. Eating was rough for the first two days at home. The first day it was hard to keep anything down, and now absolutely nothing sounds appetizing to me so I don't feel like eating. I'm constantly drinking juice and water though to keep my fluid levels up. I've also been going on walks around my apartment complex every night.

I'll update with pictures of everything tomorrow!

2008-09-23T17:16:00.002-04:00

Three days away and I'm absolutely terrified! Never had anesthesia before, never stayed in a hospital before... its all a little overwhelming!

I had my last appointment yesterday and my surgeons will definitely be doing both jaws. They're actually going to push up my upper jaw to get rid of my gummy smile-- I didn't know that was even a possibility so I'm excited :) The assistant surgeon was about 75% sure I would not need a genioplasty as well but that they would make that decision during the surgery. If my chin looks horrific in my lower jaw's new position they will go ahead and do it, otherwise they will leave it alone and leave it up to me to decide later on whether or not I like it or don't.

I go in for surgery at 8 a.m. on Friday. Roughly 2 1/2 hours for each jaw and possibly an hour for the genioplasty. They said they expect me to stay in the hospital until Monday. I asked my surgeon if I would be awake enough for the debates on Friday night and football on Saturday and he said I might come in-and-out of the debates but I should be good to watch football :)

My last step is having my surgical hooks put on Thursday morning and then its just the big day. Ahhhh

2008-09-18T15:42:00.002-04:00

I finally have insurance approval! It took me, my dad, my dad's HR person, my mom, my boyfriend, and my surgeon's office manager calling to get them to do something. So if anyone out there is struggling with insurance: do not give up! They want you to give up. Harass them until they come through. They have agreed to cover a Le Fort 1 (upper jaw surgery) and BSSO (lower jaw surgery). If I need a genioplasty (chin augmentation) after my lower jaw has been moved, it will be something I have to pay out of pocket for. But compared to everything else the cost is small, so I don't mind at all!

I met with my surgeon and her assistant on Monday for my work-up appointment. Her assistant took four molds of my mouth with those disgusting trays and then he used this substance like silly putty to mold around my bite. He also took all new measurements and photos (since the surgery is all about moving millimeters!) for definite accuracy. I asked him so, so many questions. It's really important to feel comfortable with the people who are about to spend eight hours operating on your face! Most of my questions centered around the anesthesia (which I am absolutely terrified of) and the immediate recovery. I think my top concerns are being under general anesthesia for the first time and being able to properly clean my teeth in the first week or so after. They scheduled a meeting between me and my anesthesiologist on Monday at my last appointment, so I am thankful for that.

They are still unsure of whether or not they will operate on my upper jaw. My orthodontist asked me today at my appointment what I thought about it, and I told him I had absolutely no idea. Of course I don't like the idea of a longer surgery and my upper jaw being operated on, but if I need it to make my bite correct then I don't want to not do it. I'm leaving it up to them. I should find out on Monday what the final decision is. My ortho said he already caught a glimpse of mysurgeon and her assistants working on some models of my jaws. :)

The rest of my timeline is:
Monday, September 22nd: Last appointment with the surgeon for history & work-up
Thursday, September 25th: Surgical hooks installed (thank God my ortho moved this! I was not looking forward to having these for a week)
Friday, September 26th: Surgery!

I keep going back-and-forth between feeling so excited over this and absolutely terrified.

18 DAYS!

2008-09-08T21:38:00.002-04:00

18 days until my surgery now and still no word from insurance. This is getting ridiculous. My initial claim was filed in December of 2007. They did tell my surgeon that they gave authorization and approval for my hospital stay and in-patient care post surgery. So basically they are willing to foot my bill for after the surgery, but they haven't approved the surgery that will require the after-care. Makes complete sense! My surgeon's office is giving them two days to come back and if its not favorable they're going to become insanely more aggressive. I hope this works out!

I did get a chance to meet with my surgeon, her resident, and my orthodontist today. The upper jaw surgery is back in question now (which I am kind of excited about!). Since my nose deviates to the right they are going to attempt to ignore my nose placement and line up my jaw position with my true midline. At some point I'll get my nose straightened out and then my jaw will already be in the correct position for everything to line up. They're going to make a final decision on that jaw surgery between now and when they look over my models. Since they'd only be moving my upper jaw a millimeter or two I'm hoping not to have to do it, but if it is needed to line up my bite then so be it!

2008-06-25T22:37:00.004-04:00

So my surgery is a lot later than I had anticipated, but I have an official date: September 26th!

I met with my surgeon and her assistant on Monday. I am definitely having a Le Fort 1 and BSSO. I have an appointment 2 weeks prior to get x-rays and impressions done that the surgeons will practice operating on. The assistant said my surgery will take at least six hours and I'll be in the hospital for two days, most likely. After my wisdom teeth I swelled and bruised fairly badly, so he said that is indicative of how my recovery from this will be. Supposedly by six weeks out I will be able to finally have solid foods again and I should have 70 - 80% of the swelling down.

The assistant also took a bunch of measurements and countless pictures to send off to the insurance company. Hopefully they approve the claim. He said its better the surgery date is a bit away because it might take them that long to come around, but part of me wishes it were a loooot sooner.

2008-05-07T20:40:00.002-04:00

Well since my last update I have been given two blows:

1.) Insurance denied my claim. :( My surgeon is sending an appeal... cross your fingers!

2.) My orthodontist was not pleased with the movement of my teeth and said my bite was not ready for surgery. I'm waiting for my next appointment at the end of May to get the okay to even meet with the surgeon, then we wait at least another month for a surgery date. Minor setback in the grand scheme of things, but I was looking forward to getting this done earlier in the summer so I could move and start job hunting.

Getting close

2008-04-08T21:06:00.002-04:00

At my last orthodontist appointment I had a Panorex done as well as impressions. It looks like I will be ready for surgery by June! :) My ortho said I still have one last wire to go before he gives me the okay, and my next appointment is on May 1st. It's so crazy to me that this day is getting closer and closer...

We still have not heard back from insurance yet. I get more and more nervous about it (since I was told they deny 95% of the claims the first time around), but at this point I don't feel like I can just walk away from the situation. My dad said we will just keep appealing till it goes through. I got a chance to read the letter my surgeon sent when I had my x-rays done, and it said I was going to have: BSSO, Le Fort 1, and Genioplasty, for those in-the-know with jaw surgery lingo. My orthodontist is also going to see about incorporating a septoplasty into the whole ordeal (since the Le Fort 1 already cuts into my upper palate and is so close to the septum).

My bite is also completely off now, as if it wasn't bad enough before. My teeth only touch on the back molars on the right side now. It's very weird to eat now. Things you take for granted being able to shred/chew down/mash enough like lettuce and other veggies keep giving me problems. I think I choke on almost a daily basis. I ran into a bunch of the oral surgery residents and students who have semi-followed my case and they said my bite, "was perfect." So I guess it is all relative based on who is looking. ;)

About two months to go now....

Pain

2008-02-05T11:53:00.000-05:00

I did not think my jaw could possibly hurt more than it already does... but at my dentist appointment last Friday I found out I had two cavities that needed to be filled. The right joint in my jaw is what causes most of my pain and both cavities happened to be on the right side, all the way in the back. The drill and all of the work must have rattled the joint or something because I've had the migraine from hell ever since and have taken way more ibuprofen then I think is allowed. My jaw has hurt SO BAD my motion is restricted moreso than it already is.... I cannot wait until this whole process is over. I've forgotten what its like to not have pain in my face 24/7.

Braces

2008-01-01T20:49:00.000-05:00

About two weeks ago I had my braces put on in preparation for my jaw surgery in May. My orthodontist says it should take about six months to get my teeth into position for the surgery and then hopefully I will have the braces removed somewhere between three and six months after surgery. Luckily, I was able to get ceramic brackets put on top so I do not feel as self-conscious as I thought I would with braces at 23.

I had braces once when I was younger but I completely forgot what they were like... my teeth were so sore for the first few days (which happened to fall on Christmas when I wanted to pig out so badly). I looove bagels, chips, burritos, and everything else I'm either not supposed to eat or supposed to be careful eating. The worst part was adjusting to that. I'm also trying really hard not to stain the ceramic brackets so I drink EVERYTHING (with the exception of water) through a straw and I'm super careful about what I eat (pasta sauce and chili are no-go's unless I'm really careful).

The orthodontist went over my surgery with me at my last appointment and it definitely freaked me out. I know I will be asleep and all, but I can only imagine how much pain I am going to be in after the whole thing is over... it just sounds awful. My surgeon believes at some point when I was younger my growth plate on the right side of my jaw grew excessively and caused my mandible to become asymmetrical. Because of this my teeth do not line up at all and chewing is very difficult for me. I'm in pain most of the time from my jaw, some days are worse and some days are better. It is always interesting for me to go see my surgeon because inevitably I end up with a slew of dental students and residents inspecting my mouth because my case is "so extreme." I've gotten used to be poked and prodded at by now, but it really wrecks up your self-esteem to have large groups of people discussing what exactly is wrong with your face or to have somebody stop you in a hallway to examine your jaw.

During the surgery, the surgeon will split my mandible down the middle (from front to back) and then slide the outer portion back to line up my teeth and jaw correctly. What excess bone is in the way will be shaved down. I haven't heard a definite answer yet about my top jaw, but that might need to be broken as well... they've talked about correcting my nose as well which I am still on the fence about. Apparently my nose will appear crooked after my jaw is corrected. I still have to talk to the surgeon more before I make a decision on that one.

I plan on updating my blog more as I get closer to the actual surgery and as much as I can afterward... so keep checking back as we get closer to May :)