Week 7 Post Op!

Hey there everyone!  I know I haven't updated in 3 weeks, it's been really crazy.  Since I was last on here, I still had the splint in and I was still at home.  Now, I am splint-free and am back at work full-time :).  I went back to the orthodontist on March 1st, and he took that hateful splint out finally.  Have you ever seen a horse with a bit and bridle in it's mouth?? Well, that's about what I felt like! LOL!!  It felt so good to be able to have my whole mouth back!  That was the good part of the visit.  The bad part was he put me in rubber bands 24/7....wearing 5 during the day and 7 at night.  Yes, that many. :(  It's just one more thing to add to the list I've been through.  Oh well, they're not the most fun or prettiest things to wear, but I'm handling it just fine.  I was VERY sore the first 2 weeks I had them, especially being that my bones are not completely healed, but now I'm getting used to them.  More of the numbness has gone away now.  The only parts left that are still very numb are my bottom lip and chin.  That's usually the last to get your feeling back and could still take a while.  I am eating better than I was...I have graduated to a grilled cheese sandwich!  I do have to pull it apart into small pieces, but I'm getting it down.  I'm just so happy I'm over the liquid stage.  I don't want to see any more soup for a long, long time!  I haven't quite got up the nerve yet to bite through anything, I don't think I'm ready for that yet, but it will come.  I have lost 17 lbs since the surgery, not trying to, just because I can't eat the things I was before.  In the past week or so, I've had a few people to ask me if I'm glad I went through it all.  My answer: YES, I'm so glad I did it and I'm so glad it's over!!  I have been through hell to get to where I am today.  It is NOT easy, there IS lots of pain, there is depression and you get mad at the world afterwards, but time moved on and I did get better.  If anyone reading this or anyone you know is considering this surgery, you have to stay positive, and just know that it will get better, even when it doesn't feel like it.  I keep reminding myself of the finished outcome.  Be strong and know that you CAN do it. :)

Here's my 7 week pictures....


The beautiful rubber bands....this is night-time wear.  Daytime is minus the 2 in the front.

Forever you are gone.

No more insecurity.

No more trying to hide you!

No more fear of being thought of as "deformed"

No longer feeling unworthy- not beautiful.

Forever it is gone.

I am so glad to be free.

To no longer have to hide behind it.

No more insecurity.

I am the same person

I have the same heart.....

Just a new sense of confidence.

I love who I am. I love where I am.

And I LOVE my smile!!!

How long have I waited to say that!! :)

4 Weeks Post-Op!!

Today marks a one month milestone for me!! :)  I am doing good still, getting out alot more and feeling half-way normal again.  The swelling is almost gone.  I still have some in the mid-face area, but it's looking so much better.  My chin is still completely numb.  From what I understand, that's normal, and it's one of the last places to get your feeling back.  The surgeon said it could take up to a year for some people.  I'm not nearly as tired as I was, but I still try not to overdo it.  I get this awful splint out in one more week!  I cannot wait and I'm counting down the days.  Things are finally looking bright, my God is so GOOD! Here's my 4 week post-op pictures..... :)))

Three Weeks Post-Op!

Hey everyone, today makes 3 weeks!  I'm doing pretty good.  I went to the orthodontist yesterday and they switched out the wire on the bottom and replaced 4 brackets that were knocked loose during surgery.  I had a little bit of movement on the bottom due to the loose brackets, so I'm having to wear rubber bands for 2 weeks til my next appt.  I will also get the splint out my next appt!  Two more weeks and I'll be eating a lot better :o).  I did finally get a pancake down yesterday.  It had to be drowned in syrup to make it soft enough to swallow without chewing, but it was sooooo good!! My swelling is still coming down, still have some around the middle of my face.  There's really no bad pain, just a weird, aggravating feeling of tightness and pressure.  I really don't have much to post today, everything's good and just taking it one day at a time and getting as much rest as I can.  I still have a lot of healing to do on the inside, but the outside is looking much better.  Here's my 3 week post-op pictures.....Love to all and hope you have a blessed week!

Bite Comparison 16 days after surgery....

Hey all, hope you are all doing well. :)  Today my pain went up a little.  I think it may be a combination of doing too much and some of the numbness going away.  I guess being numb has its advantages of hiding the pain.  I'm still just using Ibuprofen, I do not want to take anymore of the real stuff.  I'm still numb on the inside of my cheeks (closest to my nose), my nose, lips and chin.  The outer side of my cheeks are completely back with feeling. I've got lots of tingling going on still, so that's a good sign that my nerves are repairing themselves. 

Also, there are some wonderful benefits for me that came along with this surgery.  I have had major headaches for years...haven't had one since surgery.  I have had terrible neck pain for years....has not hurt one time since surgery.  I have had sinus pressure as long as I can remember....gone.  My airway in my mouth widened when they re-set my jaws....I can breathe better.  Isn't it amazing how the problem I had with my jaws caused all these other problems?? And now that they are where they are supposed to be, everything else lines up perfectly with them, making my life so much better.  All I can say is GOD is awesome!!! I give Him all the Glory!!!

Below, I've attached a before and after picture of my bite after surgery.  This will blow your mind!  It's amazing what can be done in the medical field these days.  The before picture is the first month I had braces, which was about a year ago.  The after picture was taken today.  I still have my splint in, unfortunately, and it looks like Home Depot in there, lol!!  There are brackets, wires, hooks, bands, plastic...whatever else you're thinking, it's probably in there!!  And yep, it's aggravating.  I have ulcers to prove it.  I know I'm over the worst part, and now all that's left to do is the fine-tuning.  I am proud to say that I'm glad I did it!! I really feel like it's going to be so worth it.  :o)



Before - Here it is....the horrible bite that gave me trouble and killed my self-esteem all my life.  The bite that made me think I had to have long hair at all times to hide behind. The bite that kept me from eating things everyone else could eat. Yes, I know, it's awful.  Underbite, open-bite, and cross-bite. Lucky me...

After - Look at me now!!  I LOVE it!!!  The funny looking thing attached to my top teeth is the dreaded splint.  It will come off in 2-4 more weeks.  I hate it, but I can live with that.  I LOVE my new bite!!!!  And I'm gonna be SMILING the rest of my life!!!

2 Weeks Post-Op

Hey friends, today makes 2 weeks since surgery.  I'm sorry I haven't made any posts since last week,  I had a few days last week that I just didn't feel like doing much and it seems to me like the gradual recovery is so slow that it's hard to tell from day to day.  I'm sure others see it going faster than I do. :)  I am still not able to eat some things I thought I could, so I'm sticking with things like protein shakes, soups, jello and creamed potatoes.  I have a huge splint attached to the top of my mouth that makes it so hard to eat. This has to stay in 4-6 weeks.  I'll  be so glad to get this thing out!  I weighed this morning and have lost 11 lbs.  My swelling has gone down alot since last week.  Anybody that didn't know me would probably not have known I've had surgery, but those of you that do know me would know.  I'm still quite swollen thru the middle of my face.  I only take my pain meds now at nighttime instead of taking it 4 times a day.  I still take ibuprofen 3-4 times a day and use the warm moist heat compress to help the swelling and just minor pain.  The numbness in my face is still pretty aggravating.  Often throughout the day, I'll get muscle spasms in my face and it is so awkward.  I guess it's the nerves and whatever else trying to get back in line with everything.  I have actually gotten out of the house a couple of times with my husband this past week.  It felt so good to get out.  I did good, but we didn't stay out too long because my energy level is not quite back yet.  I always have a tendancy of over-doing things, so I'm trying really hard to do better this time.  I want to thank all my family, friends and church family for the prayers, cards, flowers, calls, visits and meals for my family during this hard time for me.  It really means alot and cheered me up.  God has been awesome to me and He continues to heal and bless me each day!

Here's my 2 week post-op pictures.... 

It's Been a Week Since Surgery...

Hey friends, today makes 1 whole week since my surgery date.  It's really going by pretty fast.  My swelling is finally starting to go down a bit.  The left side of my face has seemed to be more swollen than the right side and my nose and lips still feel huge!  I'm still having to apply heat compresses to my face everyday to keep the circulation going like it should.  From right underneath my eyes to the bottom of my chin, I still can't feel a thing.  That has been the most aggravating part.  I've been taking it easy at home and resting.  I'm still not able to get a spoon in my mouth so I'm still having to eat soup or my Visalus protein shakes through a syringe.  Yes, I'm sick of soup already!  I want some real food some kind of bad!  My husband and my mom have been the best thru all this.  I finally got out of the house tonight for the first time since I came home from the hospital.  I rode to the grocery store with my husband and sat in the car while he ran in to pick up a few things.  We were gone maybe 30 minutes, but by the time I got home, I was worn out.  The doc told me I would be very tired-feeling for a while.  It did feel good to get out for a few minutes though.  Here's my post-op picture for 1 week.....hope you all are doing well! God Bless!!

Day 5 -- :(

Today has been not so good.  The first part of the day was okay, but after lunch time I started feeling the pain a whole lot more.  I'm still on my pain meds but it seems to be wearing off quicker and by the end of the day I feel like falling apart.  I think depression has started setting in too.  I haven't been out of the house since I got home Thursday and I'm normally not a homebody.  This evening after my husband and son got home from church, I lost it and don't even really know why.  I can't breathe through my nose because it is so stuffed up from surgery, and they told me I can't blow my nose for 2 weeks because of nosebleeds.  My face feels like it has been stretched as far as it will go and it burns and feels so tight.  My lips are HUGE and are chapped and burn.  I have kept them covered in Aquaphor the whole time.  That is what the doc recommended and I love that stuff.  My bruising is starting to show more and I feel like some distorted monster.  When I touch my cheeks, mouth and chin I cannot feel anything at all, so when I eat and drink I have to be extra careful or all my food will be running out of my mouth.  There is no sugar-coating for this type of surgery.  It is very brutal - but I hope and pray that it will all be worth it in the end, and look forward to the day when I can look back and say "I'm glad I did it and I'm glad it's all over." 

Here's day 5's picture...more bruising starting under the eyes.....

and this is a beginning of a smile, I'm working on this each day....