I'm back! one week post-op

[Guest guest]

Today is exactly one week ago that i had my SARPE/lower advancement

and genio! I'm back in Aruba since Monday, and I have to say I'm

feeling pretty good at the moment. Sure I get tired easily but my

swelling is considerably down already, and I'm a very lucky woman

with my husband playing such a good 'nurse'.

This is how it all went down (don't be surprised if it went or will

go a little different for most of you, I had my surgery done in

Venezuela in a clinic with a most excellent surgeon). Before the

surgery I met with the surgeon (Dr. Guerrero) and he told me that

besides the lower advancement and the SARPE (he calls this

distraction osteogenosis (sp?), he's supposed to be one of the top-

people of that) that I would also need to have my chin set slightly

back and a little lower. I was soo surprised, I had definately not

even thought about that. Immediately all the posts about numb chins

popped in my head, but after he explained my profile, I had to admit

he was right.

So wednesday 16 june I was at the clinic at 9:30 am, got a little

pil to make me calm (didn't really feel anxious so I guess it did

its work) and then I went into the operating room, anastesia and I

was out. The surgery took about 4 hours. My lower jaw was advanced 4

mm, my palate expander had been turned 2 mm in surgery (still needs

more turning)and my chin was set back and brought down 3 mm on the

left and 4 mm on the right. When I came by, it took a while to

understand where I was. I had a mask on that I did not want, I

pulled it off, I also had a tube down my nose through my throat into

my stomach which they had used to take out the blood in my stomach.

I absolutely wanted it out, but they would not let me... I threw up

once, a lot of blood which was a relief and I also had to pee a lot

(no catheter for me, an old fashoned potty). At a certain time, I

was allowed to walk to the bathroom to pee, and after that they

released me and we went back to the hotel (that same day). That

night I slept pretty well.

The next day (1 day post-op) I felt ok in the morning, but started

feeling sick during the remainder of the day. I got a medicine

against sickness, but after I took it, I threw up immediately (?)

and could not stop throwing up until everything (and I mean

everything!) was out of my stomach. Even when there was nothing in

there, I was throwing up. I felt so down and desperate and tired.

Finally, in the middle of the night I was able to hold down a

cracker blended with water. The next morning we went back to the

clinic and they immediately put me back on an IV with all the stuff

I needed. That sure made me feel a whole lot better. I left there in

the afternoon, back to the hotel. After that I have to say things

were going better and better each day. I did experience joint pain

and slept with a towel on the sides on my face to cover up cold air

reaching my joints. I knew that if I got elastics that would help

with this, but that wouldn't happen until Monday (5 days post op). I

used my jaw wrap and my zippies. The jaw wrap soothed the most with

the warm packs instead of the cold packs in my case. I did look like

an enourmous chipmunk, 2 big blue cheeks (in the mean time have

turned green and I expect will turn all the colors of the rainbow)

but hardly any swelling on my chin, nose or upper lip. My neck was

also black & blue and big. The only problem I had (and still have a

little) is the swallowing which hurted a lot in the beginning. I

also had a lot of slime in the back of my throat from my nose, that

sometimes made it hard swallow and breath at night. In the end it

helped a little to drink warm water with salt. The enourmous

drooling is a little under control right now. I did not have any

bands or wires right out of surgery.

I got 2 elastics last Monday (5 days post op). On that same visit

with the surgeon, he turned the expander key another 1 mm. That was

a little scary, opening my mouth in order to expand. So that

afternoon back on the plane to Aruba. The plain flight went ok, I

knew in advance that I could expect my ears to 'close' because of

the swelling of all the tissue back near my ears. It did happen, but

it wasn't very painfull when it popped back open. I made sure I

swallowed a lot. Luckily I did not get sick on the plane. Sure I was

a little tired, but everything went perfect.

Yesterday i saw my ortho for the first time, who is helping with the

expansion, he has a cool expansion key with a light and is very

gently trying to expand, that will be until this Friday (thank god,

because it is still scary). The gap between my front teeth is

already looking very big! It's strange, most of you will have all of

this done and very quickly get your final endresult, I on the other

hand still have about 1 1/2 to 2 years of braces coming up and look

so silly with this gap between my teeth.

Wow this is a long post already! Just some details about the eating

and drinking and then I'll finally stop ramblling. I used the

zippies a lot in the first 3 days for drinking liquids. It's easy at

night to take few sips. After 3 days I started drinking from plastic

cups which goes a little quicker. I am still using the zippies at

night and for rinsing after food (fill them up with water and non-

alcoholic mouthwash). I have not been able to clean my teeth like I

want to, so i keep rinsing and brushing where I can. I eat ensure,

oatmeal, lots of yummmie soups (courtesy of the hotel and now my

parents in law) and drink all kinds of juices (just found the prune

juice...need that urgently, I'm constipated...), gatorade and water.

For everyone that is worried about the post-surgery days, you will

get through it day by day! I am at one week post-op and I feel ok!

Happy healing everyone.

Nathalie

[Guest guest]

Congratulations on making it through -

Jay

> Today is exactly one week ago that i had my SARPE/lower

advancement

> and genio! I'm back in Aruba since Monday, and I have to say I'm

> feeling pretty good at the moment. Sure I get tired easily but my

> swelling is considerably down already, and I'm a very lucky woman

> with my husband playing such a good 'nurse'.

>

> This is how it all went down (don't be surprised if it went or

will

> go a little different for most of you, I had my surgery done in

> Venezuela in a clinic with a most excellent surgeon). Before the

> surgery I met with the surgeon (Dr. Guerrero) and he told me that

> besides the lower advancement and the SARPE (he calls this

> distraction osteogenosis (sp?), he's supposed to be one of the top-

> people of that) that I would also need to have my chin set

slightly

> back and a little lower. I was soo surprised, I had definately not

> even thought about that. Immediately all the posts about numb

chins

> popped in my head, but after he explained my profile, I had to

admit

> he was right.

>

> So wednesday 16 june I was at the clinic at 9:30 am, got a little

> pil to make me calm (didn't really feel anxious so I guess it did

> its work) and then I went into the operating room, anastesia and I

> was out. The surgery took about 4 hours. My lower jaw was advanced

4

> mm, my palate expander had been turned 2 mm in surgery (still

needs

> more turning)and my chin was set back and brought down 3 mm on the

> left and 4 mm on the right. When I came by, it took a while to

> understand where I was. I had a mask on that I did not want, I

> pulled it off, I also had a tube down my nose through my throat

into

> my stomach which they had used to take out the blood in my

stomach.

> I absolutely wanted it out, but they would not let me... I threw

up

> once, a lot of blood which was a relief and I also had to pee a

lot

> (no catheter for me, an old fashoned potty). At a certain time, I

> was allowed to walk to the bathroom to pee, and after that they

> released me and we went back to the hotel (that same day). That

> night I slept pretty well.

>

> The next day (1 day post-op) I felt ok in the morning, but started

> feeling sick during the remainder of the day. I got a medicine

> against sickness, but after I took it, I threw up immediately (?)

> and could not stop throwing up until everything (and I mean

> everything!) was out of my stomach. Even when there was nothing in

> there, I was throwing up. I felt so down and desperate and tired.

> Finally, in the middle of the night I was able to hold down a

> cracker blended with water. The next morning we went back to the

> clinic and they immediately put me back on an IV with all the

stuff

> I needed. That sure made me feel a whole lot better. I left there

in

> the afternoon, back to the hotel. After that I have to say things

> were going better and better each day. I did experience joint pain

> and slept with a towel on the sides on my face to cover up cold

air

> reaching my joints. I knew that if I got elastics that would help

> with this, but that wouldn't happen until Monday (5 days post op).

I

> used my jaw wrap and my zippies. The jaw wrap soothed the most

with

> the warm packs instead of the cold packs in my case. I did look

like

> an enourmous chipmunk, 2 big blue cheeks (in the mean time have

> turned green and I expect will turn all the colors of the rainbow)

> but hardly any swelling on my chin, nose or upper lip. My neck was

> also black & blue and big. The only problem I had (and still have

a

> little) is the swallowing which hurted a lot in the beginning. I

> also had a lot of slime in the back of my throat from my nose,

that

> sometimes made it hard swallow and breath at night. In the end it

> helped a little to drink warm water with salt. The enourmous

> drooling is a little under control right now. I did not have any

> bands or wires right out of surgery.

>

> I got 2 elastics last Monday (5 days post op). On that same visit

> with the surgeon, he turned the expander key another 1 mm. That

was

> a little scary, opening my mouth in order to expand. So that

> afternoon back on the plane to Aruba. The plain flight went ok, I

> knew in advance that I could expect my ears to 'close' because of

> the swelling of all the tissue back near my ears. It did happen,

but

> it wasn't very painfull when it popped back open. I made sure I

> swallowed a lot. Luckily I did not get sick on the plane. Sure I

was

> a little tired, but everything went perfect.

>

> Yesterday i saw my ortho for the first time, who is helping with

the

> expansion, he has a cool expansion key with a light and is very

> gently trying to expand, that will be until this Friday (thank

god,

> because it is still scary). The gap between my front teeth is

> already looking very big! It's strange, most of you will have all

of

> this done and very quickly get your final endresult, I on the

other

> hand still have about 1 1/2 to 2 years of braces coming up and

look

> so silly with this gap between my teeth.

>

> Wow this is a long post already! Just some details about the

eating

> and drinking and then I'll finally stop ramblling. I used the

> zippies a lot in the first 3 days for drinking liquids. It's easy

at

> night to take few sips. After 3 days I started drinking from

plastic

> cups which goes a little quicker. I am still using the zippies at

> night and for rinsing after food (fill them up with water and non-

> alcoholic mouthwash). I have not been able to clean my teeth like

I

> want to, so i keep rinsing and brushing where I can. I eat ensure,

> oatmeal, lots of yummmie soups (courtesy of the hotel and now my

> parents in law) and drink all kinds of juices (just found the

prune

> juice...need that urgently, I'm constipated...), gatorade and

water.

>

> For everyone that is worried about the post-surgery days, you will

> get through it day by day! I am at one week post-op and I feel ok!

> Happy healing everyone.

>

> Nathalie