LONG DAZE JOURNEY INTO BITE

[Guest guest]

Now that I am at home, after recouping at my dear friend 's

house for eight

days, I am able to sit down at my computer and put down in words my

pre and post

surgery experience.

For the vets out there, please indulge me as I bring any newbies up

to speed.

My name is Dale, I am 51 years " young " and I live in New Orleans. I

had

upper/lower jaw surgery on June 2nd to correct an underbite. I knew

of the condition

for some 20 years. Unless I pointed it out, know one could tell. To

make a long

story short, after getting braces in 1997 and wearing them for 2.5

years, the

underbite was now more noticeable, especially to me. So after

consulting with my

dentist and OD and lots of pondering, I decided in May, 2003 to go

ahead with the

surgery. My personal medical insurance did not cover it. Since I

would have to pay

for the surgery myself, I decided to go to the LSU School of

Dentistry, Faculty Dental

Practice. The oral surgeon at my dentist's office recommended Dr.

Kent,

DDS, the department head of the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at

LSU and Chief

of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Charity Hospital in New Orleans

since 1973. I

made a consultation appointment with Dr. Kent and after meeting with

him, I knew I

would be in good hands. I contacted my OD and advised her that I

decided to have

Dr. Kent do the surgery. She and he consulted and by August, 2003, I

was back in

braces. Although I had been in braces before and my teeth were

straight, after 4

years there had been some shifting and she wanted to get my teeth in

the best

position prior to surgery. After 8 months of " tweaking " , it was

decided that I was

good to go for surgery. The date was set . . . Wednesday, June

2nd . . .crunch time

was finally here and so were the nerves.

On May 11th, I met with Dr. Kent and we went over my " Questions for

the Surgeon " .

Without missing a beat, he answered all. I was definitely in a good

place after our

meeting.

The 2 weeks prior to surgery began with a teeth cleaning on May

20th. It needed to

be done because my scheduled cleaning was to be in June and that

would be out of

the question so soon after surgery. On Monday, May 24th, was my

appointment to

have the surgical wires and hooks put on. I was back at the OD on

Wednesday,

May 26th, because the surgical wires on the top were giving the

inside of my cheeks

a real unpleasant workout. The hooks I could deal with. The only

thing that

bothered me about the hooks were that they trapped more food and were

more

troublesome to clean.

On May 27th, was my final pre-op appointment with the OS to go over

my vitals and

to have molds made and take a bite registration. These were done by

Dr. Farrell, the

surgeon that would be assisting. We also went over the consent

forms together

and I was also asked to read over them to see if I had any

questions. I read the

forms and signed them. When we were finished, Dr. Farrell gave me

three

prescriptions I would need post-surgery . . . Lortab, Keflex and

Peridex. He also

talked to me to ease my nerves and told me that I was in Dr. Kent's

good hands and

told me to try and not worry.

It was off to the hospital, where the deed was to be done, for pre-

admission. With

consent in hand, I headed for Doctor's Hospital. Sat down with the

admit clerk. I

then had my blood taken, EKG and chest X-ray. I also met with the

anesthesiologist.

In and out in about and hour and a half. Everyone was sooooooo

nice.

Let the waiting begin.

On Sunday, May 30th, a very good friend had a chicken and steak

fajita dinner for

me with 11 other friends. I was showered with a bevy of theme type

straws and

jawbreakers! I know it was all in good fun. They all wished me well

and told me that

everything would be fine.

On the eve of my surgery, my friend and " sister " picked me up

to spend the

night at her house. She and I got to the hospital at 6AM. My best

friend came

by at 6:30. The two of them would be there for the surgery. My

parents are in their

80's and we thought it would be best that they stay at home and that

and

would call them as soon as my surgery was over.

I was called into the holding tank at 6:30. I was told to shed my

clothes, put on the

hospital gown and get into bed. The nurse started the IV and put

inflatable booties

on me. Those were cool. Dr. Farrell came out to talk to me. My

friends were

brought in to stay with me until I was wheeled in to the OR. Then

Dr. Kent came to

talk with me and met my friends. He reassured me all would be fine.

The

anesthesia nurse sprayed my nose with some sort of a nasal spray.

She said it

would be nasty, but it wasn't too bad. When I was ready to go, I

said goodbye to my

friends and I was wheeled into the OR. I was told it would be cold

in the OR and it

was. I was transferred to the operating table and covered with this

warm blanket.

That is the last thing I remember. The surgery lasted 3.5 hours.

I woke up in my room about 2:00PM. There was my friend ,

sitting in a chair on

my left. I had the compression bandage on with hospital issue ice

packs on either

side of my face and I could breathe through both nostrils! I was not

wired or

banded. I was in no pain and I did not have the pain pump. I was

not nauseous and

never was. I did not look in a mirror. That really wasn't a

priority to me. I had a

splint on my upper teeth and my tongue was swollen and numbness in my

lips and

chin. I wasn't cathered. That was put in and taken out in the OR.

I made sure to

drink lots of water and apple juice after I woke up and after a

couple of hours I was

able to walk to the bathroom on my own and take care of business. My

best friend

stayed the night with me. During the evening, Dr. Farrell came

by to see how I

was doing. He said all went fine and that my profile looked great.

He told me that

Dr. Kent had to segment my upper jaw on the left side to correct a

crossbite. He told

me that I woke up in recovery after he uninterbated (sp?) me. He

told me that I

thanked him and shook his hand. later told me that on my ride

from recovery to

the my room, I was giving the American Sign Language for " thank you "

to everyone I

saw. I remember none of this. While Dr. Farrell was there, my OD

and her office

manager came by to visit me and brought me a stuffie bear. She and

Dr. Farrell got

to talking about my surgery and she was very pleased with the

results. The doc said

he would be back to see me in the AM.

During the night, I dosed on and off. My nurses were wonderful and

did all

that I asked of him. I am so blessed to have friends like him and

and many

others.

Dr. Farrell was back to see me at 6:30AM. He checked me out and

asked me how I

was feeling. He said I could go home that morning, but that it was

up to me. I told

him going home sounded good to me. After telling me things to and

not to do at

home and when I needed to see Dr. Kent, he was off to sign the

discharge papers.

A few minutes later, Dr. Kent came by to see me and how I was doing.

He told me

that the surgery went fine. He went over what he had done and said

that everything

just fell into place.

To get back to having no pain. All I know is that the only thing I

was given after I

woke up was Toradol for pain and Decadron for inflammation. No

mention of

morphine, codeine, Dilaudid, etc.

After all was taken care regarding my discharge and getting one more

Toradol

injection before I departed the hospital, I was at 's house, in

a recliner, by 12PM

on June 3rd. and her husband and their two teenage boys took

good care of

me for eight days.

Of course, those first few days were what I was expecting. Lots of

swelling and

numbness. I took my meds, drank lots of water and apple juice. I

had beef

consumme, chicken broth, thinned down mashed potatoes and Boost.

Eventually,

the swelling went down, outside and inside my mouth. I have some

residual

numbness on the tip of my tongue, under my lower lip and chin. I am

so thankful to

God for how well my recovery is going.

I went to see Dr. Kent on June 10th. He took put rubber bands on and

then took

x-rays. It was so cool to see all the plates and screws. I didn't

get a chance to ask

Dr. Kent how he got the screws for my bottom jaw in with out going

through from the

outside. Can't wait to hear the answer to that one.

Well gang, that truly the long of it.

I am so thankful for all the post that I have been reading on this

board for the past

year. They truly helped me prepare for my surgery. I knew what to

expect and this, I

believe, made a difference. For all of those that gave me their

prayers, good vibes,

advice, information and support, I thank you!!! Once again, good

health and

recovery to all post ops and pre ops. My best to each and every one

of you.

With kindest regards,

Dale

[Guest guest]

Way to go Dale keep up the good work.

Jay

> Now that I am at home, after recouping at my dear friend 's

> house for eight

> days, I am able to sit down at my computer and put down in words

my

> pre and post

> surgery experience.

>

> For the vets out there, please indulge me as I bring any newbies

up

> to speed.

>

> My name is Dale, I am 51 years " young " and I live in New Orleans.

I

> had

> upper/lower jaw surgery on June 2nd to correct an underbite. I

knew

> of the condition

> for some 20 years. Unless I pointed it out, know one could tell.

To

> make a long

> story short, after getting braces in 1997 and wearing them for 2.5

> years, the

> underbite was now more noticeable, especially to me. So after

> consulting with my

> dentist and OD and lots of pondering, I decided in May, 2003 to go

> ahead with the

> surgery. My personal medical insurance did not cover it. Since I

> would have to pay

> for the surgery myself, I decided to go to the LSU School of

> Dentistry, Faculty Dental

> Practice. The oral surgeon at my dentist's office recommended

Dr.

> Kent,

> DDS, the department head of the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at

> LSU and Chief

> of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Charity Hospital in New

Orleans

> since 1973. I

> made a consultation appointment with Dr. Kent and after meeting

with

> him, I knew I

> would be in good hands. I contacted my OD and advised her that I

> decided to have

> Dr. Kent do the surgery. She and he consulted and by August,

2003, I

> was back in

> braces. Although I had been in braces before and my teeth were

> straight, after 4

> years there had been some shifting and she wanted to get my teeth

in

> the best

> position prior to surgery. After 8 months of " tweaking " , it was

> decided that I was

> good to go for surgery. The date was set . . . Wednesday, June

> 2nd . . .crunch time

> was finally here and so were the nerves.

> On May 11th, I met with Dr. Kent and we went over my " Questions

for

> the Surgeon " .

> Without missing a beat, he answered all. I was definitely in a

good

> place after our

> meeting.

> The 2 weeks prior to surgery began with a teeth cleaning on May

> 20th. It needed to

> be done because my scheduled cleaning was to be in June and that

> would be out of

> the question so soon after surgery. On Monday, May 24th, was my

> appointment to

> have the surgical wires and hooks put on. I was back at the OD on

> Wednesday,

> May 26th, because the surgical wires on the top were giving the

> inside of my cheeks

> a real unpleasant workout. The hooks I could deal with. The only

> thing that

> bothered me about the hooks were that they trapped more food and

were

> more

> troublesome to clean.

> On May 27th, was my final pre-op appointment with the OS to go

over

> my vitals and

> to have molds made and take a bite registration. These were done

by

> Dr. Farrell, the

> surgeon that would be assisting. We also went over the consent

> forms together

> and I was also asked to read over them to see if I had any

> questions. I read the

> forms and signed them. When we were finished, Dr. Farrell gave

me

> three

> prescriptions I would need post-surgery . . . Lortab, Keflex and

> Peridex. He also

> talked to me to ease my nerves and told me that I was in Dr.

Kent's

> good hands and

> told me to try and not worry.

> It was off to the hospital, where the deed was to be done, for pre-

> admission. With

> consent in hand, I headed for Doctor's Hospital. Sat down with

the

> admit clerk. I

> then had my blood taken, EKG and chest X-ray. I also met with the

> anesthesiologist.

> In and out in about and hour and a half. Everyone was sooooooo

> nice.

> Let the waiting begin.

> On Sunday, May 30th, a very good friend had a chicken and steak

> fajita dinner for

> me with 11 other friends. I was showered with a bevy of theme

type

> straws and

> jawbreakers! I know it was all in good fun. They all wished me

well

> and told me that

> everything would be fine.

> On the eve of my surgery, my friend and " sister " picked me

up

> to spend the

> night at her house. She and I got to the hospital at 6AM. My

best

> friend came

> by at 6:30. The two of them would be there for the surgery. My

> parents are in their

> 80's and we thought it would be best that they stay at home and

that

> and

> would call them as soon as my surgery was over.

> I was called into the holding tank at 6:30. I was told to shed my

> clothes, put on the

> hospital gown and get into bed. The nurse started the IV and put

> inflatable booties

> on me. Those were cool. Dr. Farrell came out to talk to me. My

> friends were

> brought in to stay with me until I was wheeled in to the OR. Then

> Dr. Kent came to

> talk with me and met my friends. He reassured me all would be

fine.

> The

> anesthesia nurse sprayed my nose with some sort of a nasal spray.

> She said it

> would be nasty, but it wasn't too bad. When I was ready to go, I

> said goodbye to my

> friends and I was wheeled into the OR. I was told it would be

cold

> in the OR and it

> was. I was transferred to the operating table and covered with

this

> warm blanket.

> That is the last thing I remember. The surgery lasted 3.5 hours.

> I woke up in my room about 2:00PM. There was my friend ,

> sitting in a chair on

> my left. I had the compression bandage on with hospital issue ice

> packs on either

> side of my face and I could breathe through both nostrils! I was

not

> wired or

> banded. I was in no pain and I did not have the pain pump. I was

> not nauseous and

> never was. I did not look in a mirror. That really wasn't a

> priority to me. I had a

> splint on my upper teeth and my tongue was swollen and numbness in

my

> lips and

> chin. I wasn't cathered. That was put in and taken out in the

OR.

> I made sure to

> drink lots of water and apple juice after I woke up and after a

> couple of hours I was

> able to walk to the bathroom on my own and take care of business.

My

> best friend

> stayed the night with me. During the evening, Dr. Farrell

came

> by to see how I

> was doing. He said all went fine and that my profile looked

great.

> He told me that

> Dr. Kent had to segment my upper jaw on the left side to correct a

> crossbite. He told

> me that I woke up in recovery after he uninterbated (sp?) me. He

> told me that I

> thanked him and shook his hand. later told me that on my

ride

> from recovery to

> the my room, I was giving the American Sign Language for " thank

you "

> to everyone I

> saw. I remember none of this. While Dr. Farrell was there, my OD

> and her office

> manager came by to visit me and brought me a stuffie bear. She

and

> Dr. Farrell got

> to talking about my surgery and she was very pleased with the

> results. The doc said

> he would be back to see me in the AM.

> During the night, I dosed on and off. My nurses were wonderful

and

> did all

> that I asked of him. I am so blessed to have friends like him and

> and many

> others.

> Dr. Farrell was back to see me at 6:30AM. He checked me out and

> asked me how I

> was feeling. He said I could go home that morning, but that it

was

> up to me. I told

> him going home sounded good to me. After telling me things to and

> not to do at

> home and when I needed to see Dr. Kent, he was off to sign the

> discharge papers.

> A few minutes later, Dr. Kent came by to see me and how I was

doing.

> He told me

> that the surgery went fine. He went over what he had done and

said

> that everything

> just fell into place.

> To get back to having no pain. All I know is that the only thing

I

> was given after I

> woke up was Toradol for pain and Decadron for inflammation. No

> mention of

> morphine, codeine, Dilaudid, etc.

> After all was taken care regarding my discharge and getting one

more

> Toradol

> injection before I departed the hospital, I was at 's house,

in

> a recliner, by 12PM

> on June 3rd. and her husband and their two teenage boys

took

> good care of

> me for eight days.

> Of course, those first few days were what I was expecting. Lots

of

> swelling and

> numbness. I took my meds, drank lots of water and apple juice. I

> had beef

> consumme, chicken broth, thinned down mashed potatoes and Boost.

> Eventually,

> the swelling went down, outside and inside my mouth. I have some

> residual

> numbness on the tip of my tongue, under my lower lip and chin. I

am

> so thankful to

> God for how well my recovery is going.

> I went to see Dr. Kent on June 10th. He took put rubber bands on

and

> then took

> x-rays. It was so cool to see all the plates and screws. I

didn't

> get a chance to ask

> Dr. Kent how he got the screws for my bottom jaw in with out going

> through from the

> outside. Can't wait to hear the answer to that one.

> Well gang, that truly the long of it.

> I am so thankful for all the post that I have been reading on this

> board for the past

> year. They truly helped me prepare for my surgery. I knew what

to

> expect and this, I

> believe, made a difference. For all of those that gave me their

> prayers, good vibes,

> advice, information and support, I thank you!!! Once again, good

> health and

> recovery to all post ops and pre ops. My best to each and every

one

> of you.

> With kindest regards,

> Dale