Monday, March 14, 2011

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!! :)

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

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..... :)))


Tuesday, February 15, 2011

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!



Thursday, February 10, 2011

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!!!


Tuesday, February 8, 2011

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.... 



Tuesday, February 1, 2011

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!!

Sunday, January 30, 2011

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....


Saturday, January 29, 2011

I DID IT AND I'M ALIVE!!

Hey my friends, I'm so sorry I haven't been on here since the night before my surgery, I'm just now feeling to where I can actually sit up and do something for a lengthy amount of time. Thanks for being patient with me. The pre-op morning went very well. I met all kinds of people that morning that would have dealings with my surgery, they were all extra-super nice and made me feel so at ease. They gave me my IV and then Dr. Farrell came in one last time before they gave me all the feel-good stuff and asked me if I had any questions whatsoever. I did have one question that made him laugh, but I was quite serious. I asked him to pleeeease do all he could to make sure I didn't come out with a double-chin. He laughed at me and promised me I wouldn't look like that :) He is the kind of doctor that will sit there and carry on conversation and act like he's known you all your life. Very laid-back and pleasant. If I had to have someone to cut the bottom-half of my face apart and put it back together, I would want it to be him.  They are by far, top-notch at everything they do. After all was said and done, and I gave my good-byes to my family...off I go to the OR.....



The next thing I know, I'm being pushed into my room with all my family walking along beside me....

Day of surgery.....4 plates and 18 screws later......






I was still feeling pretty good at this point.  No pain yet, just lots of swelling, tightness and pressure.  My main worry then was getting nauseated, but thank God, I never did get sick.  I could actually open and close my new jaws just a tiny bit by the time I was awake good.  I was soon drinking and eating with syringes in small increments and at least got a little something on my stomach.  There was alot (and still is) of medicine taking involved after surgery.  Most of them were able to go thru my IV, but there were a few I had to take orally, like my pain med. and it was Horrible!!! I've never been a good medicine-taker.  My throat was very sore due to the tube they had in me.  For the first 2 days, it was all I could do to swallow.  They also had me to start getting up and walking on the second day.  This was not so bad, I was just a little dizzy-headed from all the anesthesia and meds. 


Day 2......and let the swelling begin.... :(




Well ain't this a lovely sight??? How do you like my jaw bra?? LOL...


 



Day 3...Dr. Farrell lets me go home.....



The 2 1/2 hr ride home was rough, but we made it.  Now my main focus is rest, getting liquids and food in me, and more rest.  I still haven't been able to get a regular sized spoon in my mouth, so I'm having to use baby spoons for the time being.  I'm also having to drink out of sippy cups because there is no feeling in my mouth at all and it's better than having drink run out of your mouth onto your clothes.  It will all come back, I just have to take baby steps to get there and not get so frustrated. I have to say that I have the best family in the world.  My sister and daddy offered to pitch in at home with my boys during the school week and take care of them.  My mama and husband have been right by my side the whole time...baby spoons, sippy cups, syringes and all!  I am so blessed and grateful to have the family God chose for me. 


Day 4.....lots more swelling and bruising....






You can really see the swelling now, along with the ugly bruises.  It amazes me how much your skin will stretch.  Right now I feel like my nose and lips cannot get any bigger and may split any second.  It's awful.  All day today, I've been thinking, 'What have I done to myself? Why did I do this?'  I keep reassuring myself that it will get better. The two bandages on the bottom two pictures are the only places he had to go in from the outside.  The incisions are tiny and should not be noticable after everything has healed. These are the only two places he had to cut from the outside to get screws in.  The rest he was able to do from the inside. 


Here's the comparsion of my bite, the day before surgery and the day after surgery...Amazing!! I can't believe my x-rays are finally "Normal"!

Monday, January 24, 2011

The Night Before...

Hey all! Today was a very long day.  I spent the day with the surgeon going over every single detail that is involved.  They took more impressions and x-rays and did some other things that I had no clue what they were doing.  Also went to the hospital to have blood drawn and all that fun stuff.  I am very pleased with the surgeon and his staff.  The hospital staff is awesome too.  He told me exactly what he would do during the procedure and what to expect each day after surgery.  I knew that he was going to have to break both jaws, but I just learned today that he is also going to widen the roof of my mouth.  To do that, he will have to go in above the roof and cut the bone under my nasal cavity. Ouch! It's going to be a brutal surgery, but I am at peace about the whole thing.  Recovery is not going to be a breeze, but he did say that after the 1st week, I would be able to tell the improvement of each day.  My head is going to look like a pumpkin and I'll have to re-train the muscles in my face and mouth to open and close and work with my new bite. I have to be there at 5:30 am and surgery will be around 7:30 am.  Please keep me in your prayers as I face this giant in my life.  I know it will be worth it.  Love you all and thanks for the support!

Saturday, January 22, 2011

2 More Days To Go!

This time is coming up so fast! I still can't believe what has seemed to take forever is finally here.  I have been thinking over and over all day of things that need to be taken care of before I leave, and trying my best not to forget anything.  I really hate leaving my boys but I know they'll be fine, we are blessed with wonderful family. Our boys have been so sweet about this, but I don't make a big deal out of it because I don't want them to worry about me. I'll be having the surgery at Carolinas Medical Center University in Charlotte, NC.  My surgeon is Dr. Brian Farrell of University Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery.  I know I'm in good hands and from what I hear, they are the BEST of the best!  If I'm having both of my jaws sawed off and put back together, I definitely want the BEST, lol. :)  I am so thankful I will have both my Husband AND my Mama there with me.  I don't care how old I am, there's nothing like your Mother! :)


Here is an animation that might help you see what I'm having done...pay close attention to the part where they put the braces on and how it straightens the teeth and makes the bite worse in order to prepare the surgeon for correct measurements....




Here's a couple of pictures before braces....






And here's a couple of me as a child...I never really had an underbite until my teenage years....



Thanks for taking the time to keep up with me while I go through this huge stepping stone in my life. I really appreciate all the support and prayers!  I'll be back on here soon... :o)  God Bless!!

Thursday, January 20, 2011

5 Days Until Surgery

That is all that is left until the surgery. Years of knowing what was at the end of the road and it is finally here. I don’t personally know anyone who has been through this and it's been hard not knowing what to expect.  I do know that God will get me through this and I have wonderful family and friends praying for me.  That helps me more than anything. 

It has been quite awkward for me to be in braces at 38, especially being a surgical patient. My orthodontist explained to me that he had to make my bite worse before it could get better in order for the surgeon to correct it properly. This has been the hardest part both for my self-esteem and physically.  It's much harder to eat now.  I had braces as a teenager from ages 12-14.  My teeth and bite were beautiful and we thought that would be the end of it.  At about age 15, I hit a growth spurt and my lower jaw grew back to its normal state which was an underbite.  It actually ended up being worse than it was before.  My orthodontist tried to put me back in braces, but being a teenager, I wouldn't have it. He also mentioned surgery to correct it and it terrified me.  I didn't want to go through all that.  I look back now and wish I hadn't been so stubborn. Now I'm having to go through this as a mother of a teenager and a 6 year old myself.  We live and we learn....:)


The exact procedure should take around three to five hours.  My upper jaw is going to be pulled forward and my lower jaw will go back.  The total recovery time for everything will be around 9 months and my biggest fear is permanent numbness in my lower face which does happen about 10% of the time.
I'm really trying to be excited about next Tuesday. I know that I'll finally have a normal smile, eat foods that you need to use your front teeth to bite, and most importantly sound and look normal when I talk. I will continue to update with posts and pictures.


I've never tried to let my jaw define me, but I've always been bothered by it.  It is a major self-esteem problem for me. I've always been quiet and shy and I feel like it's because people will notice it more the more I talk.  I feel like when I talk people automatically are drawn to stare at my teeth. It's a terrible feeling.  I absolutely cannot wait until all this is over. Five more days of real food, then good-bye to the old me and on to the road of recovery.