Guest guest Posted June 10, 2004 Report Share Posted June 10, 2004 Hi. My name is Nicki and I am having surgery to move my upper jaw up and hopefully my lower jaw will swing foward enough so that it does not require additional sugery. There is a slight chance that I will need to have my pallate widened too. I was suppose to have surgery a year ago but it was postponed. I have not thought about it much over the last year because it always seemed so far away but here it is and I am obsessing now. I have 3 kids, 10, 6 and 2 (will turn 3 on the day of sugery). I just ordered my zip-n-squeeze bag. I will tell you what I am afraid of most and you might think that I should be afraid of other things but I have had 2 previous sugeries (not related to my jaw) and I have given birth 3 times, two of which were natural so the pain is not scaring me. I am afraid of the catheter. Does everyone get one? I am afraid of the breathing problems everyone keeps talking about. I get very nauseated with pain meds, can they give me something for that? I have heard that they give you morphine and that it causes constipation. I'm sorry to be rambling on but it feels good to talk to people that have just gone through it or soon will. I was getting my hooks on the other day and the lady next to me heard us talking about my surgery and she just said " good luck " in this very NONsupportive way (she was 2 1/2 weeks post op). AHHH!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 10, 2004 Report Share Posted June 10, 2004 Not everyone gets a catheter. But you might want to re-think your positionon this. The fluids and steroids they give you make you have " to go like a racehorse, " in the words of my surgeon. It was sooo nice not to have to get up every few minutes and find a bathroom! And I was totally unaware of the catheter (maybe thanks to that looovey morphine) until my (male) nurse said he was gonna take it out. That gave me a bit of pause, but he was completely graceful and dignified in doing it, and maintained my grace and dignity, as well. And yes, they can give you things for the nausea. Gravol, I think, is one. My surgeon also prescribed phenergan suppositories for me, although I never needed them. Just be sure that both your surgeon and your anesthesiologist know BEFORE the surgery that you've had this problem. I think that most pain meds can cause constipation, but some prune juice can resolve that problem, as can PeriColace. And I think that woman should be spanked! (She sounds like the type who pats a pregnant woman on the belly and starts in with horror stories about terrible labor experiences.) No trip to the hospital, except maybe one for a baby (I'll defer to your superior knowledge on that score!) is fun, but I didn't have a bad time of it. (I did only have lower jaw work, though, and so was spared the congestion problems you may encounter. Drink lots of fluids, have a vaporizer, and take some steamy showers or baths, if you do.) The only thing I can imagine in her defense is that perhaps she was still in the early stages of recovery. It is not at all unusual for patients in the first week or so to regret having had surgery and to think they will be miserable. For a very few, the miseries do persist. But most begin to feel much better within the first week, and change their minds completely once the healing has happened. Cammie orthognathicsurgerysupport , " spongebob94521 " wrote: > Hi. My name is Nicki and I am having surgery to move my upper jaw > up and hopefully my lower jaw will swing foward enough so that it > does not require additional sugery. There is a slight chance that I > will need to have my pallate widened too. I was suppose to have > surgery a year ago but it was postponed. I have not thought about > it much over the last year because it always seemed so far away but > here it is and I am obsessing now. I have 3 kids, 10, 6 and 2 (will > turn 3 on the day of sugery). I just ordered my zip-n-squeeze bag. > I will tell you what I am afraid of most and you might think that I > should be afraid of other things but I have had 2 previous sugeries > (not related to my jaw) and I have given birth 3 times, two of which > were natural so the pain is not scaring me. I am afraid of the > catheter. Does everyone get one? I am afraid of the breathing > problems everyone keeps talking about. I get very nauseated with > pain meds, can they give me something for that? I have heard that > they give you morphine and that it causes constipation. I'm sorry > to be rambling on but it feels good to talk to people that have just > gone through it or soon will. I was getting my hooks on the other > day and the lady next to me heard us talking about my surgery and > she just said " good luck " in this very NONsupportive way (she was 2 > 1/2 weeks post op). AHHH!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 10, 2004 Report Share Posted June 10, 2004 Nicki, I had surgery similar to yours about a month ago without the palette splitting part. I did have a catheter. It was removed while I was awake, but before I got to a room. It was not fun to have removed but not painful either. That was Ilater on. Whenever I peed it burned and felt like there was swelling. I don't know if this is something that happens to everyone or if the latex bothered me,but it went away after a couple days. I was worried at first, but after several trips to the bathroom,( and I made a dozen or more trips to the bathroom the day and night afte surgery) I just started accepting it as normal. I was absolutely sure surgery was going to make me nauseous. Everyone told me it would. Also I had a different surgery years ago and I was very very nauseous then. I did not wake up nauseous from anesthesia. After a while I started to get nauseous because they didn't allow me any water for hours and hours. Said they didn't want me to get nauseous. See the catch 22 there? I wasn't nauseous at all in the beginning, but as the hours passed I got thirstier and slowly more nauseous. When I finally did get water (several hours later) I was nauseous for about half an hour. I made several deep and large burps as the water percolated down through my esophagus and stomach and intestines. All this gas was trapped with no where to escape. That was what was making me nauseous. After my insides were once again thoroughly wet--no more nausea and no more burps! And YES, they have medicine that is supposed to keep you from being nauseous. If you have nausea ask. Just get someone's attention and ask innocently, " Isnt there something that can keep me from throwing up so much? " I did experience anti-nausea medicine, and it worked for me like magic. (I had to have it a few times one night. The anti-nausea stuff only seems to last a couple hours. But it wasnt for this surgeyr though.) So even if you get terribly nauseous, theres hope. If you cant get help for it on your own, try to get a family member or friend to complain on your behalf. To convince them its a problem for you and not just a minor side effect to be expected. I'd bet the nausea from my first surgery was due to the codeine they made me take. And I never got nauseous from pain medication--I never took any. Never even wanted to. Acutally, that's not quite true. Three or four days after surgery I took one curshed pill of soemthign or other (It was a prescription, but not codeine. That stuff guarantees me a violent pukefest among other unpleasant things and I refuse to take it. I mean, with all the medical options (pills patches and liquids) in the world today, why do doctors insist on codeine? But that's another topic.) Anyway I took it because the musches ofmy jaw were tired and right and I was afraid they would stratrt hurtin and cramping up. I took the pill and they never did. Happily my recovery from this surgery was not painful at all. It never even approached the pain of a sprained ankle. Honest to God, I never even contemplated taking a tylenol. Maybe it will be the same for you. > Hi. My name is Nicki and I am having surgery to move my upper jaw > up and hopefully my lower jaw will swing foward enough so that it > does not require additional sugery. There is a slight chance that I > will need to have my pallate widened too. I was suppose to have > surgery a year ago but it was postponed. I have not thought about > it much over the last year because it always seemed so far away but > here it is and I am obsessing now. I have 3 kids, 10, 6 and 2 (will > turn 3 on the day of sugery). I just ordered my zip-n-squeeze bag. > I will tell you what I am afraid of most and you might think that I > should be afraid of other things but I have had 2 previous sugeries > (not related to my jaw) and I have given birth 3 times, two of which > were natural so the pain is not scaring me. I am afraid of the > catheter. Does everyone get one? I am afraid of the breathing > problems everyone keeps talking about. I get very nauseated with > pain meds, can they give me something for that? I have heard that > they give you morphine and that it causes constipation. I'm sorry > to be rambling on but it feels good to talk to people that have Nicki, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 10, 2004 Report Share Posted June 10, 2004 > It is not at all unusual for > patients in the first week or so to regret having had surgery and to > think they will be miserable. For a very few, the miseries do > persist. But most begin to feel much better within the first week, > and change their minds completely once the healing has happened. > > Cammie > My surgeon mentionned two stages at which things are going to be tough: Stage 1 : 48 hours after the surgery, there's a small depression because of the meds I was given (shots to reduce the swelling and some others I can't remember) Stage 2 : For people on a special diet for more than two weeks (be it liquid or semi solid), the mind kinds of start acting depressive after two weeks. For stage 1, there's nothing really to do, unless it persist, and then you'll be put on anti-depressive pills. My depression lasted an evening. The following morning, I was up and ready to face the world again. Stage 2: I've already collected a few recipes for smoothies and alikes that I'll use only at week #2 mark. Also, in my case, since I will be permitted to eat soft food at this mark, it becomes less of a problem. First meal is already planned.. KRAFT DINNER !!!!!!! I know, it's not actually food for some people, but heck, I like the taste! Once you know these steps, it's easier to prevent them. Avoid " over food " reunions and gatherings with friends and family, and avoid being exposed to restaurant / groceries / food advertisements, amongst other things. Always carry something you can eat, when going out. V8 vegetables juice boxes makes it ideal for that matter. They're low in fat, high in vitamins, what your body would require in times like these (and other things, like proteins, I know) Ray Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 10, 2004 Report Share Posted June 10, 2004 One question, Ray... All good advice, I think, but if you're gonna watch any TV, how in the world do you avoid food ads? It seemed to me they peddled an incredible number of hamburgers, steaks, french frieds etc., the whole time I couldn't manage any of 'em! I'd never noticed before... We do have the old movie channel, that runs 'em without ads, and of course just now there's nearly endless coverage here of events happening in Washington, D. C., but I really couldn't believe the number of food ads I'd been avoiding. Oh well, at least i was able to enjoy the yogurt ones! Cammie > > It is not at all unusual for > > patients in the first week or so to regret having had surgery and to > > think they will be miserable. For a very few, the miseries do > > persist. But most begin to feel much better within the first week, > > and change their minds completely once the healing has happened. > > > > Cammie > > > > My surgeon mentionned two stages at which things are going to be tough: > > Stage 1 : 48 hours after the surgery, there's a small depression because of the > meds I was given (shots to reduce the swelling and some others I can't > remember) > Stage 2 : For people on a special diet for more than two weeks (be it liquid or > semi solid), the mind kinds of start acting depressive after two weeks. > > For stage 1, there's nothing really to do, unless it persist, and then you'll > be put on anti-depressive pills. My depression lasted an evening. The following > morning, I was up and ready to face the world again. > > Stage 2: I've already collected a few recipes for smoothies and alikes that I'll > use only at week #2 mark. Also, in my case, since I will be permitted to eat > soft food at this mark, it becomes less of a problem. First meal is already planned.. > KRAFT DINNER !!!!!!! I know, it's not actually food for some people, but heck, I > like the taste! > > Once you know these steps, it's easier to prevent them. Avoid " over food " > reunions and gatherings with friends and family, and avoid being exposed > to restaurant / groceries / food advertisements, amongst other things. Always > carry something you can eat, when going out. V8 vegetables juice boxes makes it > ideal for that matter. They're low in fat, high in vitamins, what your body would > require in times like these (and other things, like proteins, I know) > > Ray Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 10, 2004 Report Share Posted June 10, 2004 > One question, Ray... All good advice, I think, but if you're gonna > watch any TV, how in the world do you avoid food ads? It seemed to me > they peddled an incredible number of hamburgers, steaks, french > frieds etc., the whole time I couldn't manage any of 'em! I'd never > noticed before... > > We do have the old movie channel, that runs 'em without ads, and of > course just now there's nearly endless coverage here of events > happening in Washington, D. C., but I really couldn't believe the > number of food ads I'd been avoiding. Oh well, at least i was able to > enjoy the yogurt ones! > > Cammie You're right. I usually take the time to go to the toilet room, or do something else. But, mainly, I mute the tv. That's better. And I always have a book, so I go on, and read a few lines. Just to get my mind on something else. Finally, yogurt is my new friend as well, so I always have some near that I can have! Today's flavour : Danone Creamy Vanilla. Can't wait to taste it! Ray Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 10, 2004 Report Share Posted June 10, 2004 One question, Ray... All good advice, I think, but if you're gonna watch any TV, how in the world do you avoid food ads? It seemed to me they peddled an incredible number of hamburgers, steaks, french frieds etc., the whole time I couldn't manage any of 'em! I'd never noticed before... We do have the old movie channel, that runs 'em without ads, and of course just now there's nearly endless coverage here of events happening in Washington, D. C., but I really couldn't believe the number of food ads I'd been avoiding. Oh well, at least i was able to enjoy the yogurt ones! Cammie > > It is not at all unusual for > > patients in the first week or so to regret having had surgery and to > > think they will be miserable. For a very few, the miseries do > > persist. But most begin to feel much better within the first week, > > and change their minds completely once the healing has happened. > > > > Cammie > > > > My surgeon mentionned two stages at which things are going to be tough: > > Stage 1 : 48 hours after the surgery, there's a small depression because of the > meds I was given (shots to reduce the swelling and some others I can't > remember) > Stage 2 : For people on a special diet for more than two weeks (be it liquid or > semi solid), the mind kinds of start acting depressive after two weeks. > > For stage 1, there's nothing really to do, unless it persist, and then you'll > be put on anti-depressive pills. My depression lasted an evening. The following > morning, I was up and ready to face the world again. > > Stage 2: I've already collected a few recipes for smoothies and alikes that I'll > use only at week #2 mark. Also, in my case, since I will be permitted to eat > soft food at this mark, it becomes less of a problem. First meal is already planned.. > KRAFT DINNER !!!!!!! I know, it's not actually food for some people, but heck, I > like the taste! > > Once you know these steps, it's easier to prevent them. Avoid " over food " > reunions and gatherings with friends and family, and avoid being exposed > to restaurant / groceries / food advertisements, amongst other things. Always > carry something you can eat, when going out. V8 vegetables juice boxes makes it > ideal for that matter. They're low in fat, high in vitamins, what your body would > require in times like these (and other things, like proteins, I know) > > Ray Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 10, 2004 Report Share Posted June 10, 2004 > One question, Ray... All good advice, I think, but if you're gonna > watch any TV, how in the world do you avoid food ads? It seemed to me > they peddled an incredible number of hamburgers, steaks, french > frieds etc., the whole time I couldn't manage any of 'em! I'd never > noticed before... > > We do have the old movie channel, that runs 'em without ads, and of > course just now there's nearly endless coverage here of events > happening in Washington, D. C., but I really couldn't believe the > number of food ads I'd been avoiding. Oh well, at least i was able to > enjoy the yogurt ones! > > Cammie I don't know what happened to my answer... I did post something, an hour ago.. Any way, I mute the TV during the commercials, or I go to the toilet room (with the bones graft I had, it takes longer to walk, so once I'm back, the commercial break is over!) Ray Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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