So this is what I looked like on Holloween (Day 6). I didn't need a mask to scare anyone. Right around this time I was beginning to accept that it would take much longer to heal than I had expected (since I did no research beforehand). In particular, I realized that I could not wish away the burning feeling of my lower lip, that I would have to get used to it and that it could take weeks or months to go away. I hate the numbness in my chin!
My mouth started to wake up and everything hurt, my teeth, the insides of my cheeks which are pretty chewed up, and my gums where the appliance in my lower mouth is pushing against the gums and under my tongue. I had panick attacks several nights in a row, probably rebound effect from the benzodiazepines they gave me to calm me down before the surgery leaving my system. For the panic attacks I drank calm tea with raw organic honey, very calming. For pain I have been taking tylenol since the 1 darvocet I took made me feel sick. Even in the hospital after the surgery I opted not to use the pain pump as I am very sensitive to those types of medications.
3 comments:
Hey Mary,
Quite a bit of bruising you have there, although from my research that is not all that uncommon. I think people either bruise easily or they don't. I half expect that I will look very much the same as you, with my SARPE results as a comparison.
I'm sorry you didn't get to do any research before hand, in some ways that could be better, but truthfully I think its always better to be informed and at least have an idea of what to really expect. I think 10-14 days is pretty average for recovery, that is regarding the reduction in swelling, bruising, etc. As far as the total, back to normal recovery though, you are correct that it could be up to a year. I 'm sorry you lower lip is burning...I had that in my upper gums for several months. I pretty much lived on Advil as it would really wear on me after awhile. The good news though is that that is a good indication of nerve regeneration and you will most likely get full feeling back in that area. It took 7.5 months for me to get total feeling back from my upper palate expansion, so I'm figuring on about the same for my lower advancement. Did your doctor talk with you about the chance of permanent numbness from this surgery? There is about a 20% chance of that, very few people actually have it though, mostly they have patchy areas of numbness. You will know a lot more in a few months I"m sure.
Your picture farther down (day 9 or 10?) looks pretty good. I guess my question is, are you happy you had the procedure done, or are you regretting your decision at this point?
Brandy
Hi Brandy, thanks for your note. Yes, I had a lot of bruising and it all moved downward. To answer your question, No, I don't regret doing the surgery. I had a lot of time to think about it and I decided that I like the wholistic approach to having my teeth replaced fromt he buttom up. In other words, I am going to be spending quite a bit of money, so I might as well make the bite right. Plus which I think I definitely look better, even though I don't know yet how I will look when the swelling goes down. I'm curious about the cost of your bone grafts (sorry if that is too nosey) and I'm aslo curious about your sleep apnea issues.
Hey Mary,
Honestly I don't have any idea what the bone graft is going to cost. It was something we decided we were going to do after we had already come up woth the pre-Auth for the insurance. I did not want a bridge, so The only other option was an implant. My oral surgeon said that it would be easiest to do the boned graft and lower jaw advancement all at one time so that he could just use the extra bone from the advancement right then and there. My insurance will cover 50% of an implant and my husbands pays about 50% also, so hopefully I will get out of it for a decent price. It is a lower molar I need implanted though and they cost more...I think something like $2500.00 for the implant and then I think I was told like $1700.00 for the graft. Close to like 5,000 total! OUCH!
As for the sleep apnea, I was diagnosed about 1.5 years ago. I started waking with headaches every morning and I was super tired all the time. I could barely remember my name and I seriously thought I was getting Alzheimers or losing my mind. Being that I was only 41 that was pretty scary. Anyway, I went to a ear,nose, and throat doctor and he recommended that I have a sleep study done. They diagnosed me with upper airway resistance sleep apnea, because I was waking 25-30 times an hour. Originally I had a dental sleep appliance made for me as I refused to use a breathing machine. The appliance worked great, and I started sleeping well again. The doctor who made the appliance and my ENT doctor both said my apnea was probably due to my overbite, and that at night my lower jaw would relax and recede, which would block my breathing passages. I asked if it was something that could be corrected and they said that oral surgery (albeit relatively new for this problem) had a 100% success rate. I did not want to use an appliance for the rest of my life, plus because it would pull my jaw forward at night and hold it there, it was making my bite all out of whack and my jaw was starting to ache.
I had a consult with the ortho, and another one with an oral surgeon and they explained what needed to be done for me. My upper palate was very small so in order to get things surgery ready I had to have a procedure called SARPE. They fractured my upper palate, and then I wore an expansion appliance that had to be keyed twice a day for 17 days. WE gained 9mm of space and then my arches were rounded out with the braces. Now, short of some minor tweeking all that is needed is my lower jaw advancement. This will correct my apnea by holding my jaw in place at night, will align my teeth in their correct position, and given the extra room we have made with the palate expansion, should virtually eliminate my sleep issues.
This is probably way more info then you wanted, but hey...you asked! LOL..
I'm glad you are happy with the surgery, most of the people I have chatted with feel the same as you. I have to say also that I have never seen a person have lower jaw advancement not come out of it looking better. You already look very young for your age and I think it makes your face look more symmetrical and attractive.
Brandy
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