jaw surgery.. icky

[bellanotte10]

so within the next few months (not sure exactly. super surgeon's scheduling it without me) I'm getting surgery on my jaw.

I have osteoarthritis in my jaw, and my jaw is so pushed back I have no chin for the most part, so what they're going to do is pull both my upper and lower jaws foreward and give me a new chin. Yay! They're also going to fix my deviated septum and do some funky things with my nose bones so I can actually breathe through my nose.

This all sounds well and good right?

no.

I am TERRIFIED. each day i talk to my surgeon or go to my orthodonist i get more and more scared. I know its for the best, and it will help fix and stabilize my jaw, but i'm afraid i'll look super different. like i'll have a profile and things i've never had. Sooo now i'm super freaked out and getting more and more depressed the closer we come to surgery. Not even watching tangled curled up in my rapunzel fleecy helps! (it normally cures all)

anyone else had this surgery or any tips?

 

[alleymaxx]

Hi - I did not have exactly the same surgery. I had surgery on my upper & lower jaws a year ago to correct my bite. The procedure to my upper jaw was called Le Fort I. Essentially my surgeon rotated my upper jaw downward. The procedure to my lower jaw was called BSSO (Bimaxillary Sagittal Split Osteotomy – I think?). This procedure sounds a little similar to what you may be having done. My surgeon cut my lower jaw on each side & extended it, pushed it forward.

Believe it or not my surgery was overnight and I was home the next day. My jaw did not have to be wired shut & it is my understanding that as long as you follow the rules and do not try and chew they will not wire your jaws shut. I was not allowed to lie down flat. I had to sleep elevated. This is not a big deal unless you like to sleep on your stomach or side. Recovery was not bad considering. Had a little trouble with my sinuses but for the most part relatively simple surgery considering. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

 

[bellanotte10]

Hi - I did not have exactly the same surgery. I had surgery on my upper & lower jaws a year ago to correct my bite. The procedure to my upper jaw was called Le Fort I. Essentially my surgeon rotated my upper jaw downward. The procedure to my lower jaw was called BSSO (Bimaxillary Sagittal Split Osteotomy – I think?). This procedure sounds a little similar to what you may be having done. My surgeon cut my lower jaw on each side & extended it, pushed it forward.

Believe it or not my surgery was overnight and I was home the next day. My jaw did not have to be wired shut & it is my understanding that as long as you follow the rules and do not try and chew they will not wire your jaws shut. I was not allowed to lie down flat. I had to sleep elevated. This is not a big deal unless you like to sleep on your stomach or side. Recovery was not bad considering. Had a little trouble with my sinuses but for the most part relatively simple surgery considering. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

hey! yeah thats almost exactly what i'm getting! I don't describe it very good when i tell other people, probs too much jargon. thanks for letting me know! and sad face about not being able to sleep on my side. I can't sleep any other way. if i find my paperwork again i can tell you better haha i "lost" it. I was so upset about how i would look different i hid it on myself.

 

[debrapagliasotti]

I had jaw surgery aboubt 15 years ago. I had a severe overbite and my upper jaw had to be broken and reset. I did not have my jaw wired shut, but I did had something along the roof of my mouth to keep my palate from collapsing. At the same time they also removed some of the cartilage from my nose so I could breathe after the surgery as well as a chin implant. I was in the hospital for 2 nights I think...cant remember for sure, that was so long ago. The hardest part was eating nothing but babyfood and creamy soups made w/ milk and drinking lots of ensure for about a month. The swelling really started minimizing after a couple weeks, then completely went away probably a month after that...so 2 months. Good luck w/ your surgery.

 

[Schmeck]

Oh my goodness, I would love to have this surgery! I also have a (moderate) deviated septum, and my lower jaw is receding. My symptoms are not bad enough yet to warrant surgery, but I may try for elective once my girls are out of college and I can save up some money for it. I would love a nose that I could breathe through more easily (really helps get better sleep) and a prettier, younger looking profile!

Have your doctor come up with a before and after profile - and see if you can get changes made that you would like.

 

[bellanotte10]

Oh my goodness, I would love to have this surgery! I also have a (moderate) deviated septum, and my lower jaw is receding. My symptoms are not bad enough yet to warrant surgery, but I may try for elective once my girls are out of college and I can save up some money for it. I would love a nose that I could breathe through more easily (really helps get better sleep) and a prettier, younger looking profile!

Have your doctor come up with a before and after profile - and see if you can get changes made that you would like.

I have a before and after one, unfortunately its just the profile, I couldn't get a front view for some reason. and I know i'm so excited with the prospect of finally being able to breathe!

also yay Northeast MA!

 

[bellanotte10]

so i finally had my surgery almost 2 weeks ago. let me tell you it has NOT been all rainbows and sunshine.

i got an UTI from the catheter and an infection in the chin implant. I had to get fluids at the doctor because i was severely dehydrated and had to go to the emergency room on friday for the infections and once again had to get fluids. Don't get me started on the reaction to the meds at the hospital that made me itch until i bled. :/

this has not been a pleasant experience at all and i'm really regretting doing it at all. My face is so swollen and i can't tell what i look like other than i look different, and i'm not sure if i like it. i'm hoping once its all gone, all the swelling, i'll look fine, but with everything that can go wrong that is going wrong i'm not even sure anymore.

just hoping its all worth it in the end because from where i am now, it hasn't been at all.

i don't want to discourage anyone. i'm just posting an update to let you know how it went. i'm hoping that by january i'll be myself, but right now i'm wishing it was february of next year and i was en route to my happy place (disney duh haha)

 

[mommasita]

to you.

I hope everyday brings a little more relief

 

[SDS33]

I have been in your shoes. I'm so sorry for what you are going through.
In July 2008 I had to have both jaws broken and re-aligned. I have had the worst dental history. Somehow, my jaws had went out of socket and my top teeth did not come together and meet with my bottom teeth. I had to have braces put on for the 3rd time in my life so they could wire me shut after the surgery. After the surgery was over the doctor told me that he went ahead and took some pollups out of my nose(didn't know this was going to happen)
He told me that I had some of the worse pollups he had ever seen. I wasn't wired shut until after I woke up, (not sure why) but boy did I feel miserable!
As soon as I tried to get up for the first I started throwing up blood. Sorry that is so graphic! I was having nose bleeds and they had me on 4 or 5 differnet medications which made me so so sick to my stomach. And after thry wired me shut, they actually wanted me to swallow a small pill everyday for one of my medications! I thought "Are you crazy?"

Hang in there, it will eventually get better.

 

[bellanotte10]

I have been in your shoes. I'm so sorry for what you are going through.
In July 2008 I had to have both jaws broken and re-aligned. I have had the worst dental history. Somehow, my jaws had went out of socket and my top teeth did not come together and meet with my bottom teeth. I had to have braces put on for the 3rd time in my life so they could wire me shut after the surgery. After the surgery was over the doctor told me that he went ahead and took some pollups out of my nose(didn't know this was going to happen)
He told me that I had some of the worse pollups he had ever seen. I wasn't wired shut until after I woke up, (not sure why) but boy did I feel miserable!
As soon as I tried to get up for the first I started throwing up blood. Sorry that is so graphic! I was having nose bleeds and they had me on 4 or 5 differnet medications which made me so so sick to my stomach. And after thry wired me shut, they actually wanted me to swallow a small pill everyday for one of my medications! I thought "Are you crazy?"

Hang in there, it will eventually get better.

i wish they had given me my meds in pill form! haha i was constantly gagging on my liquid sudafed and roxicet! theres a nice pink stain on my fleecy blanket from where i threw up the roxicet last week.

but thank you for telling me your story. makes me feel like i'm not the only one who went through hell. I only see positive stuff on other sites and i'm like I CAN"T be the only person who is going through this stuff!

another update! i'm feeling better... not 100% but better. i started work again and it was nice to get out of the house (i'm a dog walker). I tried going to the mall for christmas shopping, and went to Forever 21 (my fave store, I've spent hours in there) and couldn't even stand it for 10 minutes and had to go home. I'm proud i even tried to brave the mall. wasn't smart at all, but i did it!

also i've lost 12 pounds. I weighed about 140 before and now i'm at about 128. i'm happy about this, but its not healthy at all that i lost it... also i'm less swollen, but i still can't close my mouth and talk properly....hoping that goes away soon