Guest guest Posted April 6, 2004 Report Share Posted April 6, 2004 I just found out that I need to have surgery - actually I was told over 5 years ago but I chickened out - just one question for all of you - was it worth it? I am very scared, not so much by having surgery but by what you go through after. Any advice, honesty, encouragment would be appreciated. Thanks!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 6, 2004 Report Share Posted April 6, 2004 I would do it all over again if I had to. It has most certainly been worth it to me. I had a very easy recovery. I had lower/genio performed on me Feb 2nd. What are you going to have done? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 6, 2004 Report Share Posted April 6, 2004 I'm 12 day post-op and so far I'm not reaping the benefits - but I can say that the past 12 days have not been awful. Except for a (expected) reaction to my antibiotics, I have not had any trouble at all. I had my upper jaw redone. I took morphine for three hours the day of surgery, not for pain, but to prevent pain. Then I said, " Forget this! " and stopped taking it. The next day I took two Tylenol, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. (The poor nurse said, " Why do you want Tylenol when you're hooked up to morphine? " She did give it to me, however.) For the next few nights I took pain meds to help me sleep, but I never had any pain. Even eating through a syringe for a week wasn't awful. Inconvenient, but not awful. It is not a nightmare. I should qualify that - if you are a basically cheerful person with a sense of humor, this is not a nightmare. I think that people can make it - like anything else in life - a nightmare through their own distructive attitude. You have to go into it with your head on straight and your attitude thoroughly adjusted. Kris > I just found out that I need to have surgery - actually I was told > over 5 years ago but I chickened out - just one question for all of > you - was it worth it? I am very scared, not so much by having > surgery but by what you go through after. Any advice, honesty, > encouragment would be appreciated. Thanks!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 7, 2004 Report Share Posted April 7, 2004 i am three weeks post-op and glad i did it. i'm still struggling through some of the frustrations... mostly not being able to eat solid foods and also having difficulty talking. i mean, i CAN talk and most people say they can understand me perfectly, but i felt a little self-conscious about it upon returning to work. the pain was not that bad and was mostly on account of congestion which caused painful sinus pressure the first week. sudafed helped that. is it worth it? i think it depends on your reasoning for having the procedure done. whatever your reason, it is perfectly valid, whether its cosmetic, functional or because you are in a lot of pain from TMJ. i did not have very bad TMJ problems and mostly just wanted a perfect bite and for my chin to not jut out so much. that is what i've got now and i'm happy. i think that if i hadn't had the surgery, then i would have continued to be bothered by my appearance. if you are like me and feel like you really want this, but are just scared, let me assure you - nothing is as bad you think its going to be. the anticipation of the surgery is FAR worse than the actual experience. i'm not going to tell you to stop being scared because i was scared out of my mind, even as i my dad was driving me to the hospital the morning of my surgery... when i woke up in the recovery room my first thought was literally - " its done " ... and i felt the hugest sense of relief. good luck to you! heather > I just found out that I need to have surgery - actually I was told > over 5 years ago but I chickened out - just one question for all of > you - was it worth it? I am very scared, not so much by having > surgery but by what you go through after. Any advice, honesty, > encouragment would be appreciated. Thanks!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 7, 2004 Report Share Posted April 7, 2004 Yes. Everybody is very scared, I think. Lord knows, I was. Scared of the braces, even more scared of the surgery. But a lot of my fear was really needless. What are you to have done? There is a recovery period. I think it's more difficult for the folks who have upper as well as lower (i had lower only) but for the most part, they make it through just fine, with little pain, lots of swelling, some bruising. The major complaint for the upper folks seems to be the congestion, but there are ways to help alleviate that, and it generally doesn't not last, at least in the severest form, more than a week or two. I did not want to do any part of this. Did not have a clue I needed it. I mean, I'd done orthodontics back in the 1950s -- so I was " fixed " -- right? Wrong-o! But now I am. Read around a bit in the back posts, visit oss2 and susan fiddlesticks' geocities site, and ask away with whatever questions arise. We're here to try to help you, from the lay perspective. And remember that your doctors and their staff are your best source of support and info, always. Best, Cammie > I just found out that I need to have surgery - actually I was told > over 5 years ago but I chickened out - just one question for all of > you - was it worth it? I am very scared, not so much by having > surgery but by what you go through after. Any advice, honesty, > encouragment would be appreciated. Thanks!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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