Present or Card for Surgeon ?

[Guest guest]

Hi Kirsten,

What a coincidence! I sent a Cookie Bouquet to my OS and to the OS that

assisted him. I am so thankful and grateful to both of them. It will be

exactly

two weeks tomorrow that I had upper/lower surgery. From the moment I woke

up, other than the expected swelling and numbness (which are drastically down in

both cases), it has been a smooth ride for me. No pain . . . no nausea . . .

no dizziness . . . in fact, I am almost ashamed to say it, but I feel great.

I feel good enough that I am going back to work in the AM. I, like you, have

thanked them both, but I wanted to do a little something more. And I figured

with the Cookie Bouquet, if they would like, they could share with the nurses

in the office, which I sure is what they will do. Congratulations and best

wishes to you!

With regards,

Dale

[Guest guest]

I'm 6 weeks post-op from surgery for my open bite and I absolutely

love the results so far. I cannot even begin to express my gratitude

toward my surgeon and all he has done for me.

I've thanked him many times for his great work, but I want to give him

something. Did most of you give your surgeon a card? A present? What

would be some good ideas of something appropriate that I could give?

I live in Halifax, Nova Scotia and I was thinking about getting him a

nice framed picture of our Halifax Waterfront. Would I get looks from

people, though, if I walked into the Maxillofacial Department of the

hospital with a 20 " X 20 " wrapped thing?

I've always considered myself to be a generous person and so I think

this guy deserves something nice. After all, he did change how I look

and how my mouth functions... those are two huge things!

Thanks for any comments/ideas!

Kirstin

[Guest guest]

What I have attached to the teeth of my upper jaw is a splint. I am in New

Orleans and my OS is Dr. Kent. I have pasted below my two most recent

post to this board describing my surgery experience. Hope it is of some help to

you.

With regards,

Dale

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

Hi ya'll,

I had my 2nd post-op appointment with my OS today. He checked out my

bite and told me that the bands were doing there job. He said that

lots of progress had been made since he first put the bands on last

Thursday. He replaced those bands and added a few more. I look like

Hannibal Lectur! He handed me a bag of bands and asked me if I would

be able to change them on Thursday since they lose their elasticity

after a few days. I told him I had no problem changing the bands

out. Glad I bought that hemostat! Since returning home, I have been

checking out the configuration and memorizing the number of bands and

their placement. If it will help me get through this process

sooner . . . I have no problem with participating in my own recovery.

After he was finished all he had to do, I had to ask him about one

thing that had puzzled me after my surgery. Before leaving the

hospital, the assisting OS told me to wear the compression bandage

for another 24hrs. When I removed it and looked in the mirror, as I

turned my head from side to side, I noticed that I did not have the

tiny external incisions that are made in order to put the screws in

the lower jaw. I knew the screws were there because I saw them in

the x-ray last week. I asked him just how did he get those screws

in. He said he retracted like hell and he put the screws in on an

angle. Who knew!!! This explains why the corners of my mouth sort

of scabbed over and eventually fell off. By the way, my lips are in

great condition. I have been using the Aquaphor religiously and so

far no cracking or peeling.

He also said I can now gently blow my nose and that I no longer have

to sleep elevated. Even though my swelling is drastically down, I

think I will continue to sleep elevated for a few more nights.

One thing I told him that needs to be stressed to patients pre-

surgery and I will tell all you pre-ops out there . . . make sure you

do all that you can to prevent, dare I say it, constipation post

surgery. Speaking from experience, this was by far the worse part of

my recovery. Enough said!

Good luck and best wishes to all post and pre ops out there!

With kindest regards,

Dale

[Guest guest]

If anybody gives you nasty looks, that person is a boor, and not to

be considered.

I think the picture would be a lovely idea. I gave my surgeon a

bottle of champagne that i knew he particularly liked. (Of course, he

was sposed to tell me I didn't need the surgery as part of the deal.

He drank the champagne but did the surgery, too!)

I also gave him a framed cartoon I thought was appropriate (before

the surgery). It showed a patient, in a hospital gown on a table,

sitting up and saying to the doc, " I would be honored to be among

your great successes. "

It may be that one of his nurses or his office staff could give you

some ideas about what he particularly likes -- sailing or hunting or

reading (and what) or sports or whatever.

I think he would be appreciative of anything you picked for him,

probably. Even a bunch of flowers!

Cammie

> I'm 6 weeks post-op from surgery for my open bite and I absolutely

> love the results so far. I cannot even begin to express my

gratitude

> toward my surgeon and all he has done for me.

>

> I've thanked him many times for his great work, but I want to give

him

> something. Did most of you give your surgeon a card? A present?

What

> would be some good ideas of something appropriate that I could give?

>

> I live in Halifax, Nova Scotia and I was thinking about getting him

a

> nice framed picture of our Halifax Waterfront. Would I get looks

from

> people, though, if I walked into the Maxillofacial Department of the

> hospital with a 20 " X 20 " wrapped thing?

>

> I've always considered myself to be a generous person and so I think

> this guy deserves something nice. After all, he did change how I

look

> and how my mouth functions... those are two huge things!

>

> Thanks for any comments/ideas!

>

> Kirstin

[Guest guest]

WEll, now that I think of it, I did some baking before I went to his

office (and to that of my ortho, too) and gave them some goodies,

which seemed to be appreciated.

And don't be afraid to say you're feeling great! That's good news,

for you especially, but for everybody else who's scared and waiting

to see what happens.

Cammie

> Hi Kirsten,

> What a coincidence! I sent a Cookie Bouquet to my OS and to the

OS that

> assisted him. I am so thankful and grateful to both of them. It

will be exactly

> two weeks tomorrow that I had upper/lower surgery. From the moment

I woke

> up, other than the expected swelling and numbness (which are

drastically down in

> both cases), it has been a smooth ride for me. No pain . . . no

nausea . . .

> no dizziness . . . in fact, I am almost ashamed to say it, but I

feel great.

> I feel good enough that I am going back to work in the AM. I, like

you, have

> thanked them both, but I wanted to do a little something more. And

I figured

> with the Cookie Bouquet, if they would like, they could share with

the nurses

> in the office, which I sure is what they will do. Congratulations

and best

> wishes to you!

> With regards,

> Dale

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Kirstin!!

I had emailed you but I think I am having problems sending it but if

you did get my email please disregard this. I would love to talk

with you! I am on my way to an orthodontist in Halifax today!! It

would be great to know who you saw for a surgeon (I will most likely

need surgery too), it was so great to hear how happy you were with

yours! And if you had an orthodontist as well, I would love

suggestions! Feel free to email me!

Thanks Kirstin!

I look forward to hearing form you!!

Holly

ryleighroo2002 blisstherapy@...>

[Guest guest]

MMMM a cookie bouquet!! Now there's a present I could definitely stand

to receive. Haha that's a great idea!