6 weeks

I scheduled my 6 week appointment for exactly 6 weeks after surgery, not wanting to waste a day! During my last appointment, they said I would need local anesthesia for the splint removal. I'm not sure why, but they never mentioned it and didn't give me any, which was fine. I don't really like those huge needles!
The splint removal started out easily enough. The OS just clipped each of the many wires holding the splint in. Pulling them out was more difficult and much more painful. They were really in there, so he was really pulling. And pulling my lip up and back, which was fine in a few spots but really hurt in some sensitive spots. (yup, the feeling is coming back1) A few wires were really tough, and the pliers slipped and slammed into my lips or gums. There were a few whimpers of pain involved, and I am not that type. Unfortunately, he couldn't do it any slower, because my opening was getting smaller and smaller as my mouth got tired. After a few minutes, they were done and I got to brush my teeth, thank goodness. Underneath the splint the teeth were really fuzzy and the gums were swollen. They felt like the skin after you take off a band-aid. Icky.
He took a look and, unfortunately, had fairly mediocre news. I had a 3 piece Lefort, so the bone attached to my front 6 teeth is one piece, and the back teeth on either side ae pieces two and three. The front section is not healing to the back ones as quickly as it should be. When he pressed on one tooth, I felt the whole section move just a little. So I have to be very careful with those teeth. No biting anything with them. He asked if I could remember that and I laughed. I've never been able to use those teeth for anything, so there's no reason why I would try now!
I've also had some relapse, but nothing to worry too much about yet. It can probably be corrected by the orthodontist. I'm glad he told me, but that is definitely not something I can put off worrying about! I do not want to do this again!
He confirmed that I was not to eat anything harder than pasta until my next appointment in February, and I was on my way.
I have to say, there are some things that really disappointed me. My bite is awful right now. I can only touch the very back molars on the left side. Before surgery, I could at least touch two molars on each side! I guess it has to get worse before it gets better. My orthodontist can't see me until January 5, which is too bad. I want to get started as soon as possible! Also, I still can't close my lips or talk very well, and I'm still drooling. He said that that will get better, I just have to get the muscles re-acclimated. I would like them to re-acclimate, like, last week. I'm supposed to go back to work Monday, and I can't work while drooling or not talking.
We went to Noodles & Company for dinner and brought it home. I got my favorite, pesto cavatappi, with sauteed tofu. I cut everything up really small and stuck it in the back where those two teeth meet. It took me an hour to eat a third of my small order, but it was delecious and felt really good to be eating like an adult again. A very slow, messy adult, but an adult nonetheless.
As for everything else:
Pain: Very manageable. It's bad in the morning, but a few advil takes care of it.
Feeling: My mouth is getting feeling back, and it's pretty uncomfortable. It feels like it did when I first got braces- all my teeth are really sensitive. I'm very aware of them all the time. My top lip is most of the way back, my bottom lip is still getting creepy crawly feelings but nothink when I touch it. My chin still has nothing except for the occasional phantom itch or shock of pain.
Swelling: Still swollen, but not terribly. Once I can close my lips I think I'll look fairly normal. Please, please let that be soon!!
Drinking: Without the splint, I can drink, but I'm not that great at it! I lose some off my lip fairly frequently. So much for taking a Starbucks break during my Christmas shopping tomorrow.
Well, Merry Christmas everyone! I hope that you're all doing well, wherever you are in the process and have a great holiday!

The other day a college friend came and picked me up for a walk around the mall. At one point, I saw a childhood friend, one of those that you don't necesarily keep up with, but always run up and hug when you see them. I looked at her, she looked at me, smiled, and looked away. It was a bit uncomfortable- did I want to go "introduce" myself? I decided against it, considering that I'm still not looking so hot and still not being understood by people outside my immediate family and close friends. But it was an odd feeling, not being recognized by someone I've known for years!
In other news... two and a half days until I can talk, (sort of) eat, and (hopefully) drink from something other than a syringe! I can't wait. I hope all of you with recent surgeries are doing well, and if you're in my area, enjoying the snow!

5 weeks

Finally I can show you results! So here I am... come on lips, close already! Looking like a monkey is only cool for so long! My nose is definitely looking wider, but I can breathe so much better that I really don't care! And... I have a chin! I'm just so amazed looking at profile pictures. I'm so much more comfortable with the way I look! I had a rule when I was driving people- whoever rides shotgun is not allowed to look at me. I hated people seeing my profile, so I would wind up driving with one eye on the road so I could turn towards them while they were talking to me! Now that rule doesn't need to apply, which makes me so happy.

So, at week 5:

Pain: is the worst in the morning. I have a lot of pain right where the cuts to the bone were made. Also some in the joints. It edges towards bad at night, but it's definitely worse in the mornings.

Feeling: I have most of the feeling back everywhere but my mouth, my bottom lip, and just below my lip. I'm starting to get feeling back in my mouth. It feels like my teeth are really sensitive. I'll probably be glad to have anesthetic to get the splint out next week!

Food: Ick.

Drinking: I have switched into overdrive on Operation Learn to Drink Like a Normal Person (not from a syringe.) I am trying like crazy to drink from a cup, but since I can't close my lips, I typically dump half of the water in my lap and choke on the other half. I'm starting to get a little nervous that I might be drinking from a syringe for the rest of my life. Can't you just picture me at the office Christmas party, sipping my martini through a syringe? I can. Also, I can picture a ton of weird looks coming my way. Not pretty. COME BACK, LIPS!! Anyone used to watch Veggie Tales remember the I Love My Lips song?

Etc: I can finally laugh again! My brothers are very, very funny, and for the last few weeks I've been doing this "Haha,ow,hahaha,oww,hahahaowwwww" It hasn't taken much to make me laugh until I cry!

Oh, and since my mom has been dragging me out a lot more, a lot more people have been trying to talk to me. Since I can't really talk, she usually jumps in with "she had surgery on her mouth." which naturally prompts, "Oh, yeah, I had my wisdom teeth out years ago. Let me tell you..." Meanwhile I'm all set to mumble, "Yeah, I had mine out years ago too, and let me tell YOU, that sucked a lot less than this!" Of course, it would sound more like "eeh, iha ine owears gotoo" and nobody knows what that means. But anyway, it reminded me of this clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruBUSZ2ctyw

Don't worry, fellow ortho patients. We will ALWAYS be able to beat a 4 wisdom tooth story.

In a perfect world...

...eating would be an optional activity. After 5 weeks, there is absolutely no joy in eating soup, smoothies, or other assorted forms of mush. I prefer going hungry to choosing between 4 different kinds of mush. Unfortunately (realistically, probably fortunately) I have a mother who isn't a fan of my plan not to eat until next week, when I am allowed some things which are not mush. So the mush continues, at least when she's around.
Although, let's get real. In a perfect world I would have perfect teeth without all of this. Also, I'd probably be married to Jake Gyllenhaal.

4 week follow-up

Still can't put up after pics, ugh! But I can put up some good before ones. There's one before braces, one horribly close up, one horrible profile, and one sideways picture that I can't figure out how to change or remove.

Not much to report from this visit. Things are going well, still no rubber bands needed (YAY!!!!) and I've been doing a great job keeping everything clean, which was really good to hear. And I have an appointment to get rid of the dreaded splint! It's going to be a long one, because it's going to require local anesthesia. I'm not sure why, did anyone else need that? From reading other people's blogs, I thought it was pretty easy and painless! Unfortunately, I only found this out on my way out, so I couldn't ask about it.

He wants me to schedule an appointment with the new orthodontist at the practice I go to as soon after that as possible. He says I still have quite a while left in braces :(

And the first 8 weeks after the splint comes out I'm limited to food no harder than french fries. I'm pretty sure I'll put back on all the weight I'd lost immediately, because most of the things I can think of softer than french fries are not particularly healthy!

Oh, and I applied for a local job in a special ed program today... praying that I get that and don't have to go back to my old job and commute! I'm dying to get back into swimming, and I just won't have time between work, commuting, and school.

I hope everyone is doing well!

Day 28

Four weeks today!! Amazing to think that four weeks ago I was still in the middle of being operated on! I'm so glad to have made it to this point!
I just got a really sweet package with, most importantly, chocolate chip cookies from a teacher I worked with last year, with the note, "for when you're better." Does she know me, or what?
Last week was a tough time. I knew I wouldn't be eating for six weeks, but I really thought I'd be able to get back into my life, sans eating, after just a few. I wasn't anticipating that I would still be stuck at home at this point. I was getting really down, so on Friday my mom dragged me out to errands with her, which included Joann fabrics.
There I was, browsing the Christmas goods, when I notice a little boy staring at me. Now, I try to avoid mirrors these days, so I hadn't checked out my smile at all. I'd been compulsively checking people's pictures and seen that, for the most part, they can smile pretty well after a week or two. And I've smiled (or so I thought) in the past few weeks and felt like it was somewhat of a decent smile. So I smiled at him.
He burst into tears.
So, naturally, I ran off, got the keys, went, sat in the car and looked to see what was so terrifying. I can't smile. It looks more like a grimace that probably says to a four year old, "Yeah, I totally AM about to eat you!" which kind of freaks me out. Everyone else that I've seen looks really good at this point! Why am I still making small children cry??
Well, other than being a menace to society, things are going okay. I've found that blended up spaghetti with lots of sauce, mashed potatoes, smoothies, and blended up hot and sour soup can totally make a complete diet. Oh, and peanut butter. Which almost feels like my mouth is working, because I used to eat peanut butter off a spoon before all this!
I had been numb up to my eyes, now I have almost full feeling back down to my mouth. My mouth is starting to have some feeling, but my chin is still completely numb. My speech is still pretty impossible to understand. And I'm still hoping to get some pictures up- they go onto my computer and just disappear! So I'm hoping that those that are still saved on my camera can go up sometime soon.
Tomorrow I have my 4 week appointment, I'll let you know how that goes!

Day 21

Like I said in the last post, my swelling doesn't seem to be going down much right now. In fact, I woke up this morning and it was worse. Ugh! And that made my talking and drooling worse again too. Can we just skip straight to the part of this where it's all OVER??
But, on the plus side, today was the three week anniversary of surgery, which means I'm halfway to being rid of the splint! Of course, that also means I have three more weeks with it. My opinion on that being a long/short time varies greatly with my mood.
Basically, I'm bored out of my mind. I did get out on Friday to drive around and see Christmas lights with my wonderful best friend. I'd be okay with people seeing my swollen and yucky looking, but I'm not up for walking around drooling in public. I love Christmas, and usually go to every Christmas tree and exhibit in DC, so I'm bummed that I won't be able to do that this year. And man, what I wouldn't do for a piece of pizza and a chocolate chip cookie!
I'm surviving... but I miss real life and can't wait to have it back!

Day 16- Happy Thanksgiving!

A very happy Thanksgiving to everyone! So far today I've enjoyed the non-eating Thanksgiving traditions very much, and am very grateful that my family has headed to my grandparent's house without me. I would love to be there too, but smelling Grandma's delecious Thanksgiving dinner would NOT be cool! I will be trying some mashed potatoes and gravy later, and blending up some stuffing with gravy, and have some pumpkin ice cream for dessert!
I had my second post-op appointment yesterday, and the news was GOOD. My bite is perfect, so he asked if I wanted the rubber bands back on. I said no, and he said okay. I said "It was that easy?" He said "I have no idea what you just said, but no, you don't really need the bands right now." YAY! I also asked for confirmation on the splint removal date. If there is even the slightest chance that I'll have to have it on for Christmas, I need to begin preparing myself mentally now. He said that everything is healing well, so we're set for December 22. It'll be a very merry Christmas! I won't even want gifts, just give me food!
Still just as swollen... that has definitely stopped going down for the time being. My chin is still tingling pretty much constantly, although every few hours it stops for about 30 seconds, and that feels great. Except that I get used to the tingling and only remember it after it's stopped for a bit! I'm still drooling like crazy, especially when eating... please tell me that stops soon! All I want to do is be able to eat a meal without feeling like a toddler! It would be really nice to be able to go out and get ice cream... but I'm thinking the messy eating might have more to do with the splint than my mouth, which makes me think I still have another month of only eating in private :( Does anybody know? Anyone manage to become a skilled eater despite a splint?
I hope you all are doing well! Everyone that's able better eat some cranberry sauce for me :) Everyone that isn't I hope you're at least drinking something delecious!

Day 13

Still having trouble with the camera (DARN! I'm missing the most unphotogenic time of my life!) but here's the Halloween costume! Let's hope I can't wear it again next year!


Okay, questions- 1. How do you keep the inside of the splint clean? There's a little gap in the back of mine and I feel like it's letting in all sorts of food goo that I haven't yet figured out how to get back out. I don't like the idea of all those sorts of food being held tight against my teeth, blending to create who knows what kind of cavity-causing disaster.


2. How long does the drooling last? It's getting really old. I'm pretty much about to choose boredom over vanity and venture out into public, but I don't think I can do it while drooling like a St. Bernard.





And now, stories.


This weekend, a rubber band broke on each side. When my mom called the surgeon, he said it was no problem, he would put them back on Wednesday. I don't want them back! I've been able to open my mouth enough to use a SPOON! It's been wonderful! I'm hoping that he'll cut back the number of bands. Right now I think I have 6 on each side. It feels a little excessive. And I will have much to be thankful for if I can eat mashed potatoes on Thursday out of a spoon instead of a syringe! Maybe tears will convince him...


Speaking of tears, the innapropriate crying that I've read about is definitely in full swing. I cried when the rubber bands broke. I cried when he said he would put them back on. I cried when I couldn't find anything I wanted for lunch. I cried like 5 times watching Prince Caspian, which is not a particularly sad movie (I don't think I'll watch Titanic anytime soon...) It's a little over the top.


I had the BEST dinner last night. Zattaran's black beans and rice, blended with salsa instead of water. SO much flavor. I was so excited about it- until I saw what was on everyone else's plate. Grilled tuna steak and asparagus with sourdough bread. Last year I had a student who, when upset, would yell in one long scream, as if they weren't even seperate words, "ITSNOTFAIRITSNOTFAIRWAAAAAH!" That was what I felt like doing. Instead, I stomped off to my lonely recliner and slurped away.

Oh, and I'm working at a doctor's office right now. I took 6 weeks off, unpaid, for this. This afternoon, I got a message from the office manager that said something along the lines of "I know you have 6 weeks off, but the doctors want you to come back tomorrow. They say that you said 2 weeks was all you would need. They don't understand why it takes so long to recover from getting your wisdom teeth out. Ha."

I responded, "Tell them they're welcome to fire me." I really like my co-workers, but am not such a big fan of the job. It's very difficult working with people who, after repeated discussions of how long I will need and why, still haven't gotten it.

Day 10 and First Post-Op Appointment

Ugh. I have been SO bad about updating, I know. And unfortunately, all of my pictures have disappeared off my computer. Now, this isn't bad news for me (it's not like I really cherish this time in my life) but I know that was something that I really liked seeing with other people's stories.
The last few days have been better. I've had a little more energy and was even able to finish up a paper yesterday. The pain isn't bad unless I oversleep in the morning and miss my morning medications. I'm still not much closer to being able to close my lips, but at least they've gone down enough that I can see teeth through them! I've been doing pretty well keeping up with liquids, but horribly keeping up with calories. I'm sick of eating stuff thinned down so much that it'll fit in a syringe, but I can't eat from a spoon yet. To get it thin enough, you have to add so much water, milk, or broth that the flavor is so dull. I really, really miss flavor.
I was really, really hoping that my diet would change after my appointment today. It would have been ideal if he had said, "You're healing so well, let's take the splint out 5 weeks early! Go have a sandwich!" Needless to say, he didn't say that. I'd been hoping at least that he would loosen the bands so that I could fit a spoon in, but with the 3 pieces on top, the chance of relapse is so high he definitely can't do that yet. That was a disappointment. I know I still wouldn't be able to chew, but if I could use a spoon I could at least have ice cream instead of milkshakes with a tiny bit of ice cream vs. milk. Or anything else I blend up, blended a little less.
Despite the chance of relapse, he said that so far, the bite looks perfect. The only problem was that a few stitches on the bottom were pulling out, so I have to be really meticulous about cleaning my teeth or those will get infected. I've been super-anal about that so far, so that should be no problem, but it does make me nervous!
Life is getting pretty boring, though. And watching TV around Thanksgiving while on a liquid diet? No good. But in general, I think I've been pretty blessed so far and I hope it keeps up.

Day 7

Well, some things are getting better, some are about the same. My nose is so much clearer, which is really nice. I'm hoping I don't have to take Sudafed crushed up at all anymore, because it's disgusting crushed up and really hard to swallow because it's so small. At the same time, it's better than not being able to breathe!
The swelling seems to have stabilized. It's gone down a lot since the hospital, but now it's not going down any more.
I know I need to be eating more, but nothing sounds appetizing. Three or four times today I went up to the kitchen to grab some soup or a smoothie. But one glance at the basket of KitKats on the counter and anything I could eat suddenly seemed totally repulsive. I think the main problem is not having options. I really like food, and I like thinking occasionally during the day about what I'll eat next. Usually it's cereal. I know, it wasn't made for dinner, but it's so good! There's no fun in eating when my choices are so restricted. I think I'll ask for some little ice cream cups, like the ones Edy's makes that are a single serving in all different flavors. Then I can look forward to picking out a milkshake flavor that evening. I hope that helps, because right now every little thing exhausts me. I usually have SO much energy, so that's a big change for me. I used to be able to commute 3 hours a day, work a draining job for 9 hours, and go to school full-time online. Now all I do is schoolwork, and that's all I could possibly do in the day. It's frustrating.
I'm adding in job-hunting tomorrow, though. The commute was bad at my peak, I don't want to do it now. Plus the doctors I work for are not very understanding and will not accept that I don't have the same kind of energy. If I could find something in special education, where I really want to be, now, that would be so ideal.
I hope that everything is going well with everyone! Pictures will come soon.

Day 6

First of all, I wanted to list out the things that have been helpful to have.
At the hospital-
*LOTS of really nice, soft tissues. I didn't bring any, and went through 5 boxes of gauze, at least, before anyone could bring me any. After that, I still went through 3 big boxes of tissues. I hope that my nosebleeds were a little out of control, because I haven't heard of other people having quite that issue. Still, it never hurts- all that does hurt is having to use hospital tissues! Very rough.
*Button-up PJ's- Because when you finally get your ticket out of there, of course you don't want to be pulling a shirt on over your face
At home-
*It's a little pricey, but I would really recomend a VitaMix blender. I got it from my parents for a combination birthday/Christmas present. It is amazing. You can make anything in it. Of course, you probably aren't interested in salsa or peanut butter (but you will be!) but you can just toss in some veggies and make raw vegetable soup that is wonderful and good for you. It makes incredible smoothies, too. I know I was told no smoothies with berries because the seeds will get stuck in the splint, but this blender actually gets rid of all those as well. Pretty much everything I've eaten since surgery has been made from this thing.
*Okay, it sounds weird, but cloth diapers work really well for keeping you from drooling all over yourself. I have one tucked into my shirt all the time, and hold one underneath my mouth when I'm trying to drink something. It's weird, yes, but much better than sitting in your own spit!

Well, on to day 6. Things are going better. I was absolutely unable to take any liquid/ground up meds last night. My surgeon had told me that I was not only allowed, but encouraged to stretch my jaw as far as it will go within the rubber bands. It's just far enough to squeeze a skinny Advil tablet in there. It's really tough to swallow, but a lot better than what I had been taking. So I'm taking a lot of Advil every 6 hours, and it pretty much takes care of the pain.
The swelling is about the same since yesterday, and the bruising is starting to really come in, coming upwards from my chest, which is the opposite of what I thought would happen. My lips have almost completely peeled, and the places they split in the hospital are pretty much healed. They're still huge and not even close to closing- I really hope I can do that again before the splint comes out in 6 weeks! All in all, I feel like I'm looking a lot less terrifying, but I've still got a ways to go before I want to go out in public!
The hunger is not bad yet, maybe because I'm pretty sure I'm required to drink twice as much water as I normally do and that's keeping me full. Whatever, it works for me, because drinking is so messy and it's much worse when it's something other than water.
Hope everyone is doing well!

Days 1-5

Do you count surgery as day 1, or is it day 0? Whatever, I had surgery early in the morning, so I think I get to count it as a day.
Surgery went off without a hitch, starting right on time at 8. We were there at the time we were told to be, 6:30, and the check-in wasn't even open yet! Too bad I wasn't allowed to eat- one last bagel from their cafe would have been so good!
Once we got in there, they got me all dressed and in a bed. The surgeon and anesthesiologist came by, and they put in my IV (gross!) They put something in there to relax me and I don't remember anything after that at all (I guess it really worked) I'd be interested to know how much longer I was in there, because that was a good 20 minutes before surgery was supposed to start. I'm also interested in hearing what I was doing during that time!
The next thing I knew, I was in the recovery room. I was pretty disoriented, but didn't care enough to be concerned. I don't really remember anything about that place, except that there was someone moaning a few beds over and that was pretty annoying. They moved me up to the ICU for the night, I'm not really sure why. They said it was standard if you're as swollen around the face as I was. I was doing fine with breathing until around midnight, when I woke up and my nose was gushing blood. That was pretty continuous until around 5 in the morning, and since then it's been really on and off. It's still leaking a little bet, but it doesn't gush as much.
Day 2 they moved me down to a regular floor, which was much nicer. The point of the ICU is that you get a lot more attention, but I think they were short a person. I was only checked on when I called for someone, and then I didn't get any medication for about 45 minutes, when I rang for it a few more times.
My room was really nice- it had a couch and its own bathroom, as well as a lovely view out the window of a brick wall. I'm not sure what the point of the window was.
By that night I was really stuffy from the constant nosebleeds and in a lot of pain. It turned out that the doctor in the ICU had decided not to give me my main pain medication because I have reddish hair and redheads are prone to bleeding while on this medication. So I had been taking the supplemental meds as my main meds, and nothing as a supplement. When they called my surgeon to check on that, it was a very quick conversation and I got my main meds at 6. After that the pain was much better.
The pain was better, but that night I did have a bad anxiety attack- my nose was so stuffy and my face was so swollen, I felt like I couldn't breathe. I had read about that happening, so I knew to expect it, but it's really hard to comfort yourself by saying "I knew this would happen, and nobody's died from it so far" when all you can think about is that you can't breathe.
By Friday, my fourth day in the hospital, I was going nuts! I was told I would be released by 4, and started counting the minutes around 2. That made it even harder that I didn't get released until 6!
Things have been going okay at home. My biggest problem is that it's really hard to take the pain meds. I can't take the liquid Percocet at all. I've always been totally disgusted by liquid meds. I have to hold my breath while pouring them for anyone else to keep from gagging. The first couple doses were hard, but last night I actually threw up (for the first time since surgery!)while trying to take the dose. This morning I tried again, and started gagging as soon as I looked at it (not a pleasant experience when your jaw is broken in multiple places!) They gave me huge Motrin pills as well, which my mom has been grinding up and dissolving in gingerale. But it's so big- usually about 40 mL, and it tastes like soda with chalk in it. I almost got sick the last time I took it, so I'm afraid that one isn't going to last much longer either. The pain is getting pretty bad, which makes it much harder to try to keep taking liquids like I'm supposed to. It's already 5, and I've had less than half of what I'm supposed to throughout the day. Did anyone else have the same experience or have any ideas to try? I almost want to be back in the hospital, getting nice shots of morphine in my IV rather than this horrible stuff, but I don't think that's an option.
I'm glad that the worst is over with, and praying that I never, ever have to do this again.

Here we go...

12 hours from now, barring any unforseen problems, I'll be in surgery. Eek! It definitely came up quickly. I think I'm as ready as I'll ever be- most things are purchased, and what isn't my mom is going to get while I'm in the hospital. Most of the time, living at home post-college is kind of lame, but this is one time it's most definitely NOT! I won't list out what all I've bought right now, but I will make a list of what's been helpful post-op!

The final list of what will be happening tomorrow is as follows: a septoplasty, to make room for the movements made in the 3 piece Lefort 1, and a sagital split osteotomy and genioplasty on the bottom.

I am rather upset about one thing. When my friend had knee surgery this summer, we totally sent her in there geared up to meet a hot young doctor. As Kelly said, that probably won't be happening in this case!

Short term, I'm most nervous about breathing issues. I've read about people having some tough times with that, and that freaks me out. Long term, I wonder how hard it's going to be adjusting to the new look. Sure, I don't like my current profile too much, but it is me. After all these big changes, I wonder how I'll feel about it.

As for last meals... I have basically used surgery as an excuse to eat whatever I want for the last week. Last Friday a friend held an early Thanksgiving dinner for me, and since then I've pretty much been full all the time. I went out for Mongolian BBQ tonight (delecious stir-fry!) and am wrapping up my weekend of gluttony with an extremely crunchy chocolate chip cookie. And I just ate the last bite, so no more real food for 6 weeks :(



I'll leave you with a Halloween picture... who am I? Hint: I made good use of the braces


Well, the "Add Picture" option is not so much working, and I have to be at the hospital bright and early, so I guess you all will just have to wait for Halloween :)

This takes skill...

Here’s a pretty recent picture so you can see the glamorous, hook studded smile I’m sporting. They aren’t too noticeable in most pictures (but in some lighting, the flash ricochets off them enough that I’m worried about the photographer’s eyes) In person, they look pretty funny. I’ll post a close up picture sometime, but now on to the story.
Yesterday, for the second time in as many months, I broke the same bracket on the top right side. Was I chewing gum, or hard candy, or any of the things they suspected at the orthodontist? Nope, just talking. One minute I’m having a carefree conversation, the next I’m chomping on free floating wire, hooks, and bracket grit. Apparently the ICE brackets have much less give, and I keep catching my lip on the surgical hook next to that bracket. All of that has been weakening the bracket to the point that it just pretty much explodes!
It was an interesting trip to get it fixed today, because I didn’t see my normal ortho or her staff. A new ortho was there (like, brand new) who I had met briefly before but who hadn’t seen any of my records. A lot of confusion ensued, as it does anytime I see someone new for my mouth, be it there or at the dentist. I’m sure you all can relate! Take this conversation:
“Bite together… bite together please… could you bite together? Meredith?”
“Umm… I am.”
“You are? Oh, wow, you are. We’re going to fix that, right?”
Then the assistant, who didn’t believe the wires were segmented and was sure I had cut it for some reason, really wanted to unband and redo the whole top with one wire. Thus I learned to PAY ATTENTION when someone is working on your mouth! They probably haven’t dealt with mouths as complicated before! Fortunately, I whipped out all my orthodontic knowledge to explain the reasoning behind the three separate wires, and she put it back the way it was.
In the end, it all got straightened out. Everyone was very nice, but it’s such a hassle for everyone involved that I try to avoid seeing other orthodontists as much as possible. I got a steel bracket to replace the one that’s been falling apart and was sent home, hopefully for the last time before surgery. (Even though it's still 2 months off, getting started on my 'lasts' is kind of exciting!)

Phew!

I'm in a much better mood today, so I'll try to explain myself a little more clearly! I have to say I'm sooooo grateful for the support of other people going through the same things! Rita and Anya, thanks so much for your comments.
In general, I'm pretty okay with the whole process. But on days when I'm already frustrated, it's a very easy thing to fixate on! I do believe wholeheartedly that it's going to be worth it, but I can't wait for it to be done. And I've been very blessed to be able to find ways around things. Although I lost the classroom job, my job in the doctor's office is going great and letting me have lunch almost every day with my college roomate, who got me the job. Definite blessing. And since I had to defer my admission to a special ed Master's degree program once they moved my surgery to August (should have been tomorrow, actually!) I've discovered that an online program would be more affordable, as reputable as I need it to be, and much easier to do with my schedule. Like anything else, you just have to keep an eye out for the good. I totally believe in the whole when God closes a door, he opens a window thing... some days I just don't feel like looking for the window, you know?
The surgical hooks aren't even that bad- they rubbed a lot the first week. Now there's just a few on the bottom that hurt a few days each week, probably because of how tightly I pull my lip in to close my mouth. I mainly just hate how they look! I'll put up a few pictures soon, so you all can see how funny-looking they are. But they have their advantages- now I plan to dress up as Darla from Finding Nemo for Halloween- the little girl with even more mouth gear than me!

update

Warning- this may not be a pretty post. Braces and I are not getting along right now.
Well, the way the job/surgery battle played out wasn't good. I asked for assurance from the principal that I had the job before changing surgery. He said I unofficially had the job, we just needed a contract and it would be official. So I got on the phone and changed surgery to November 10. I called to let him know, and his first words were, "About that job..."
I didn't get the job. And other appointments had already been scheduled during my surgery time (they go like hotcakes, apparently) so I also lost the surgery date.
Fortunately, I've since gotten another job working as a receptionist at a doctor's office. It's not something I want to do long-term, but they say they'll be okay with me taking a few weeks off so I'm okay with answering phones and working on insurance (I certainly have experience with that part!)
I'm just SO sick of the waiting. I want the surgery done, I want the braces off. At this point, I would settle for just losing the surgical hooks (the orthodontist was going to charge me to get rid of those, so I'll have them for 7, count 'em, 7 months before I even have surgery) But I'm just so tired of the whole process I could scream. I know that when it's over it'll feel like such a short time, but right now it feels like I'm going to look like this for the rest of my life.

Decisions, decisions!

I had my first official pre-op workup Wednesday, during which no wrenches were thrown! The removal sites are healing up well and they're still working towards an August 26 date. Very exciting.
So now that things are moving along so well... an entirely different type of wrench. I don't know if I've mentioned that I've had a lot of trouble getting a job in the past year (it seems my parents were right- a degree in psychology and Spanish doesn't qualify you for much!) A teacher who I worked for long-term last year is starting a academic life skills program at a new school and wants me to come be her assistant. This would be full time, for as long as I want it. Plus it's exactly the kind of program I want to teach in and the teacher is GREAT, I would learn SO much. And they were willing to work with me about surgery. So long as I had surgery over Thanksgiving.
Uh-oh.
So now the question is, do I apply for the job and put off surgery? There is a chance that if I did that, I wouldn't get the job and would have put myself and the entire office staff through a lot of hassle for nothing. But I need, need, need a real job.
Oh, jaw surgery... why do you have to mess with so much more than just my mouth?

a few odds and ends

It looks like I've neglected to mention exactly what I'm going to be having done! That would be a 3 piece Lefort 1 and a genioplasty. And, from talking to a nurse at the surgeon's office today, I learned I'm also scheduled for a septoplasty (you learn something new every day, right?)
My immediate reaction was "What IS that?" so naturally, I went straight to Wikipedia. A septoplasty fixes a deviated septum. I didn't know I had one, but when I started researching, I remember him telling me that my nose was off-center and he might fix that. I probably missed anything he said about it after that, because I was too busy thinking "wait, is my nose really off center?" (I've asked numerous people that, and about a quarter of them say 'yeah, i think it is' so I believe him now) Plus I do get headaches and bloody noses and mouthbreathe a lot, so I think it would be a helpful surgery.
I really need to talk more to him about it next week, though, because it sounds like a septoplasty is really hard on you breathing-wise. Like, your nose is splinted and packed, so you have to breathe through your mouth. Which could be hard, when your mouth is also splinted and packed.
Could I get some advice from those of you who've been through it? I know it sounds like breathing has been really hard for just about everyone. Would it have made a difference to have your nose completely blocked off, or was your nose so badly blocked from the tubes anyway that it wouldn't really make a difference? I'd just like to know how much I need to worry about this before I go in next week :) Thanks, everyone!

I have a date!

...the surgical kind, not the dinner and a movie kind. August 26, at 8 am. A little less than 2 months away! I've learned by now not to get too excited just yet. But I feel like this time, it really is going to happen.

Getting closer to a date!

Eek. All this cooperation between surgeon and orthodontist gets complicated, doesn't it? But I think we have it all straightened out now, for the moment. The surgeon has approved going ahead with surgery and removing a slice of bone where the bicuspids were. We have to wait 6 weeks for those to heal before they can take molds, then two weeks after that for them to heal enough for surgery. But this means we're looking at the end of August, which is much closer than December! So it's good news!

Sooooo confused!

I had an orthodontist appointment today to start working on closing the gap left when they pulled teeth before surgery. And it was full of surprises. The first surprise came when I learned I would not be seeing my orthodontist, but her partner, who I will apparently be seeing from now on. I didn't ask why this was... maybe I'm just that annoying as a patient??
He came in to take a look before any of the wires came off. And the next surprise was, after looking around for a minute, he pronounced me ready for surgery! I said no, the oral surgeon said the gap would need to be closed orthodontically partway before surgery, so it won't be until December. Apparently when the surgeon and the *new* orthodontist talked yesterday, he said he would just take some bone out during surgery to close the gap. So I walked out of there with surgical wires and hooks still on, waiting for a call today or tomorrow after he checks in with the surgeon.
Of course, the possibility of going ahead with surgery is very good news. The sooner I get into surgery, the sooner I get out and get rid of the braces. But I am a serious planner, and this throws a SERIOUS monkey wrench into my plans! I really don't know what news I want to hear when the phone rings!

Goodbye Bicuspids!

Well, today was the day for me to lose my top first bicuspids, and I have to say, it wasn't nearly as bad as I expected. My surgeon took a few minutes, first, to show me exactly why he needed to do this. I wish I had a copy of the X-ray to post, but basically, the roots of my canines and bicuspids are very, very close together. During surgery, one of the cuts is going to go between the canines and first bicuspid, so there was a high probability of damaging both teeth if some space wasn't made. When he pointed that out, I couldn't imagine how the surgeons I'd had previously were planning to do it, there was absolutely NO room! Normally, they'd use the braces to make more space, but there just isn't any in my mouth. So that was the reasoning behind this whole ordeal.
I hadn't researched this at all because the idea of having teeth yanked out of my mouth was just so gross to me I couldn't even think about it! But it wasn't all that bad. The Novocaine was probably the worst part. Then he clipped the wires and scraped the bracket off. He poked around the tooth for a minute or so, and when he started pulling I couldn't even tell. There was pressure, but not so intense that I couldn't pretend he was still just poking around. I was afraid there would be terrible sounds, like the roots cracking or popping out, but again, not bad. It was over in just a few minutes, and a lot less traumatizing than I'd been afraid of!
The pain really hasn't been bad either. They prescribed tylenol with codeine which has probably helped! The bleeding did last a lot longer than I expected. And was more intense than I expected. My friend texted me about 2 hours afterwards to ask how I looked. I checked the mirror for the first time and texted back "Like Edward freaking Cullen after dinner!" (He's the vampire in the Twilight series, extremely popular with the middle school ladies I teach. Okay, okay, I've read them too.) Until about 9 I was still getting up every 10 minutes or so to spit out a mouthful of bloody saliva (sorry, gross, I know). Of course, spit is a relative term... we're talking more like drool. Anyways, I had a smoothie for dinner once that tapered off, because really, who wants a blood flavored smoothie?
So that's the story. I'm a little nervous about going to sleep, because I remember after having my wisdom teeth out, waking up in the morning was the worst. Fortunately, I told the kids I'll be working with tomorrow that I might look like a chipmunk and talk like, well, someone that just had a few teeth pulled out of their mouth. And that they'd better work hard to understand me. I'll be trying their patience, for once, instead of the other way around!

Waterpik inventor for president?

#1 piece of advice I've taken from blogs so far: get a Waterpik. I had never heard of them before I started reading, and I went out and bought one a few days ago. It. Is. Amazing. They should give you one free with every set of braces (they cost enough to cover the price of the waterpik, for sure...) Seriously. Best investment you'll make in this whole process. (well, besides the process itself, I guess) And they have them at Bed Bath and Beyond, where you can use one of those million or so 20% off coupons they send out every week. Then not only do you have the most helpful braces-related gadget ever, you also have a good deal. :)

The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

The Good- Finally actually got my surgeon on the phone yesterday!
The Bad- Less than excited about what he had to say. He says there's no way he'd reccomend this surgery with as crowded as my upper jaw is (which makes me wonder why two surgeons hadn't said anything about this...) Soooo he wants to pull a few teeth, get the rest of them all lined up again, and then start thinking about surgery. This would put off surgery at least another six months. I REALLY appreciated that he at least said, "I know this isn't what you want to hear, since you've already had your braces on for over a year." Whoah... this guy a) remembers my story and b) cares! Anyway, I was SO frustrated at first, but at least it's a medical setback and not insurance again. I'm hoping for Christmas so I don't have to take time off classes, and the good news is that I'm now back on for my summer job. Unfortunately, it means another year of substitute teaching...
The Ugly- That would be me. Yesterday, while working with a kid in a special education class I work in a lot, one of them looked intently at me and said, "Are you wearing braces because they make you look good? Because I don't think they're working."
Yes, folks, even a 12 year old with autism knows that braces at 23 are not a great fashion statement. I'm not even gonna lie, I almost died laughing.

A Very Long Introduction

Hey there everyone! I came across this great ortho-blogging thing last week while googling “orthognathic surgery nerve damage,” which, of course, is a VERY popular topic. Anyway, since then, I’ve been reading through tons of people’s blogs and just really enjoying getting some REAL stories. It means so much more to read about people surviving this whole process than just hearing that they really do! I wasn’t sure about blogging myself, but I’ve had a very frustrating time with this whole thing, and there are only so many times that you can complain about insurance with people with naturally perfect mouths and still expect to have friends. So here we go!
My first orthodontic adventure was when I was a kid, when I had the expander, braces, retainer sequence. Most people tend to stop there, but I’ve always liked to be an overachiever. So, despite religiously wearing my retainer, by the time I was a freshman in high school, my teeth were once again crooked. So we went to a new orthodontist (we’d moved) who realized that my jaws were all sorts of messed up. She put braces on again, but warned us that I would need surgery by the time I was in my 20’s to correct that.
Fast forward a couple years and here we are. I got my braces on in January of 2008, at age 21, a year and a half ago. From that point on, not a whole lot has gone smoothly! My orthodontist is wonderful. She had me ready for surgery in August of last year. If only she could do the actual surgery! With the surgeon, it’s been not much but problems. With my first surgeon, I tried to schedule a consultation for about 6 months before they actually gave me one. This was because they said insurance had to approve the surgery before he would consult. Yet every day when I called to see if they had started on insurance, they said they would get right on that. They lost my records multiple times. It was just a mess, all the time. Finally, though, I got a consultation. (This was in January of this year, I’d had braces for a year and been deemed ‘ready for surgery’ by my orthodontist for 6 months) The surgeon came in 50 minutes late, spent 5 minutes with me, literally yelled at me for not opening my mouth exactly as he wanted it, and said that my teeth weren’t ready and wouldn’t be for at least 6 more months. I left the office crying (I can be a little overly sensitive!) super depressed, and really not wanting to see this man ever again, much less have him tooling around in my mouth while I was unconscious!
Since the first surgeon had recently dropped my parent’s insurance, we would be going out of network with him anyway. So we decided to go to another out of network surgeon, and he was wonderful. He spent so much time with me, answered all my questions, and gave me a date within a week. The office staff knew me by name and was SO on top of things. Surgery was supposed to be May 28. I got the surgical hooks on and everything. But on May 18, we got a letter from the insurance company saying that since we were going out of network, they would only pay $3000. We would owe $17,000, plus hospital fees. It seemed the first surgeon hadn’t dropped our insurance after all, so we would have to go back to him. After considering every other option and deciding that winning the lottery wasn’t a feasible plan, I went back to the first surgeon.
But there was good news! He had decided that my surgery wasn’t “financially worth his time” so he pawned me off on someone else that has much better bedside manner! This guy seems great. Unfortunately, I’m dealing with the same generally friendly but overworked office. So it’s been 2 weeks since my appointment, and I’ve started calling them every day, only to hear, every day, “Let me check into it and call you back later.” Needless to say, I never get a call back.
It’s been hard, too, because I’ve put my life on hold this past year waiting for this. I graduated from college last year, and, besides 2 unforgettable months working in Honduras, have been substitute teaching, knowing I needed a job that I could take off from. For a special ed teacher (I was hoping to get a job teaching while working on my certification) that just won’t work. That hasn’t worked out, so I’m going back to school full time next year while working whatever job I can find, and would prefer not to go back looking like I’ve been beaten! So I know this needs to happen by early July, at the latest, but how can I hurry it along more than by calling daily? Not having surgery in May has already forced me to cancel my summer job, which was how I was going to buy gas to get to school, haha… I know I’ll be happy when it’s over. It’ll be so nice not to get headaches, to be able to eat pizza and sandwiches without tearing them into small bites, and, not gonna lie, to have a profile I don’t mind seeing in pictures! The road is seeming so long and hard, but I already feel better sharing, regardless of whether anyone ever reads this.
Thanks so much for sharing your experiences! I’ve learned so much that the surgeons don’t tell you already! Nothing like hearing the real story, without all the sugarcoating!