Guest guest Posted April 8, 2004 Report Share Posted April 8, 2004 its only been one day but i really wish i hadnt have gone through with this surgery. my face just keeps getting more and more swollen and bruising is starting to occur. did any one else feel like this? does it get better soon? is there any good things to do to make the swelling go down? and also does anyone have any good recipes that i could try. does it get easier to talk at all once the swelling goes down? kirsten 12 days till the wires come off.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 8, 2004 Report Share Posted April 8, 2004 Oh, Kirsten, Hang in there! I COMPLETELY know what you're going through! I am 13 days post-op and the first 3 days were definitely the worst. Although I only had upper jaw surgery, the swelling was horrendous. At one point I thought my face would swell up so big that it would pull the stitches out! It didn't. But just keep in mind that once the swelling starts to go down, it goes down really QUICKLY. Each day was better than the next and honestly, by day 4 I really felt a lot like myself again. I know that wearing ice packs helped me a great deal. It also dulled the pain from the swelling. I think it also helped lessen the bruising. In terms of food, I juiced a lot in the beginning. My favorite was Fuji apple/tangerine/carrot juice. I also made a lot of smoothies - again, my favorite was orange juice/vanilla yogurt/blueberries/raspberries, which I strained to really liquefy. Chocolate Ensure and creamy soups also kept me full. Hang in there - just get through the first couple days and you'll be home free! Good luck - you're definitely not alone! Meredith > its only been one day but i really wish i hadnt have gone through > with this surgery. my face just keeps getting more and more swollen > and bruising is starting to occur. did any one else feel like this? > does it get better soon? is there any good things to do to make the > swelling go down? and also does anyone have any good recipes that i > could try. does it get easier to talk at all once the swelling goes > down? > kirsten > 12 days till the wires come off.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 9, 2004 Report Share Posted April 9, 2004 It will get better. It will get better. It will get better. Day 1 sucked, Day 2 felt OK, and then the swelling got worse on Days 3 and 4. About Day 5, the swelling started going down. I'm 11 days post op now and still fairly swollen but not bad at all. Just keep telling yourself that it's only a few more days until everything starts to improve. I can look in the mirror now and really see what this is going to look like when it's all done--wholeheartedly glad I had the surgery (upper/lower). I had no appetite at first, but was able to eat chocolate ice cream and peanut butter with vanilla yogurt (blended), vanilla boost with vanilla ice cream, vanilla boost with strawberry juice/nectar. I found that while I hated the laborious process of eating, I felt better the more I ate. Ice packs helped with the swelling but you really just kind of have to wait until it goes down. Be sure and drink lots of water too. I kept forgetting water since I was drinking all my food too, but got really dehydrated one night and ended up with congestion that would not budge even with decongestants and hot showers. I know it's hard to believe, but in about a week you're going to start to feel like yourself again. I went to the grocery store and planted some flowers today (and nobody even stared at me!). AT this point, you still have lots of the anesthesia drugs and stuff in your system and that tends to make you feel even worse. Just hang in there for a few more days and you'll be on the upswing. --Amy > its only been one day but i really wish i hadnt have gone through > with this surgery. my face just keeps getting more and more swollen > and bruising is starting to occur. did any one else feel like this? > does it get better soon? is there any good things to do to make the > swelling go down? and also does anyone have any good recipes that i > could try. does it get easier to talk at all once the swelling goes > down? > kirsten > 12 days till the wires come off.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 9, 2004 Report Share Posted April 9, 2004 You are not the first to feel that way, and generally the feeling goes away as things get better. I didn't have that much swelling, but I believe conventional wisdom is that it peaks sometime between day 3 and day 5, post op. Meantime, yes. My surgeon told me to use ice for the first 48 hours, then switch to heat. (Some surgeons have different ideas about this, so ask someone to call the office and ask, if you don't already know the answer.) Some people have had good experiences with Arnica, obtainable at Health Food stores, relative to the swelling. A humidifier will help with the breathing. Warm steamy showers, or soaky baths, will also make you feel better -- but be sure there's someone else nearby, in case you get woozy in the shower or tub. And several people have tried Manual Lymph Drainage massage, which also has been helpful to some, and not particularly so to others. If you're gonna go that route, you can find someone who's well trained by looking up " Vodder School " on the internet. It mainly gets easier to talk when you get free of the wires and/or s splint. But many people do accommodate to the wires and learn how to make themselves understood. I could be understood around the splint, but I had the definite sound of Thylvethter the Cat. It will get better, I promise. Remember, you've had a lot of work on your bones and tissues, and this is a time to be kind to them, and to yourself, and take it easy and devote yourself to the job of healing. Cammie > its only been one day but i really wish i hadnt have gone through > with this surgery. my face just keeps getting more and more swollen > and bruising is starting to occur. did any one else feel like this? > does it get better soon? is there any good things to do to make the > swelling go down? and also does anyone have any good recipes that i > could try. does it get easier to talk at all once the swelling goes > down? > kirsten > 12 days till the wires come off.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 9, 2004 Report Share Posted April 9, 2004 You are not the first to feel that way, and generally the feeling goes away as things get better. I didn't have that much swelling, but I believe conventional wisdom is that it peaks sometime between day 3 and day 5, post op. Meantime, yes. My surgeon told me to use ice for the first 48 hours, then switch to heat. (Some surgeons have different ideas about this, so ask someone to call the office and ask, if you don't already know the answer.) Some people have had good experiences with Arnica, obtainable at Health Food stores, relative to the swelling. A humidifier will help with the breathing. Warm steamy showers, or soaky baths, will also make you feel better -- but be sure there's someone else nearby, in case you get woozy in the shower or tub. And several people have tried Manual Lymph Drainage massage, which also has been helpful to some, and not particularly so to others. If you're gonna go that route, you can find someone who's well trained by looking up " Vodder School " on the internet. It mainly gets easier to talk when you get free of the wires and/or s splint. But many people do accommodate to the wires and learn how to make themselves understood. I could be understood around the splint, but I had the definite sound of Thylvethter the Cat. It will get better, I promise. Remember, you've had a lot of work on your bones and tissues, and this is a time to be kind to them, and to yourself, and take it easy and devote yourself to the job of healing. Cammie > its only been one day but i really wish i hadnt have gone through > with this surgery. my face just keeps getting more and more swollen > and bruising is starting to occur. did any one else feel like this? > does it get better soon? is there any good things to do to make the > swelling go down? and also does anyone have any good recipes that i > could try. does it get easier to talk at all once the swelling goes > down? > kirsten > 12 days till the wires come off.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 10, 2004 Report Share Posted April 10, 2004 Hey Cammie, My surgeon said the same thing about the heat as well. It works great. I didn't really listen to him at first about the heat. I bought a hot/cold compress and it worked great! Just remember to use a towel over it otherwise you might get a burn or frostbite depending on how you use it everyone! > > its only been one day but i really wish i hadnt have gone through > > with this surgery. my face just keeps getting more and more swollen > > and bruising is starting to occur. did any one else feel like this? > > does it get better soon? is there any good things to do to make the > > swelling go down? and also does anyone have any good recipes that i > > could try. does it get easier to talk at all once the swelling goes > > down? > > kirsten > > 12 days till the wires come off.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.