3 weeks post op- upper/lower- infection

[Guest guest]

Hi everybody,

I just happened to stumble upon this group looking for a support

group for jaw surgery.

I know my situation is probably not very common, but I figured it

would make me feel a little better if I wrote it out to people who

have had the same type of surgery.

It's been three weeks since I had my surgery, upper and lower, upper

done in one piece (don't remember horizontal or vertical) and lower

in two pieces. They doctors put the two screws to hold the jaw in

place and plates in my upper facial area.

Apparently, the screws the doctors used were too hot, and put a

large burn on the side of my face. I didn't know how bad it was,

obviously from being on anesthesia and massive drugs, until about 4

days after surgery.

The first four days I was a mess, as most people are. I had liquid

tylenol with codine which made me hyper and anxious, so I was

getting very little sleep. Once I realized what was happening, I

stopped the codine and started sleeping fine. I didn't have much

pain after four days anyway.

The doctors saw me on the fourth day post-op, and told me I needed

to clean better and be more agressive with brushing. So I cleaned

thouroughly as best I could. But the swelling was not going down,

and it was hard for me to gargle the mouthrinse they gave me to

use.

11 days post-op, a week later. I went back to the doctor, and they

said that I had an infection, which as it stands now, are these

black holes inside my mouth with puss coming out of them.

The doctors don't know if it was because I didn't clean well for the

first four days, or if the burn caused the infection (the burn they

took fault for, and also didn't advise me on how bad the burn was or

how to clean it properly). But either way, it's been three weeks

and my upper lip is still extremely swollen along with the right

side of my face (the side with the burn).

I'm on an antibiotic called Clindamycin, and it seems to have

stabilized the infection. But, it hasn't gotten any better, and the

swelling hasn't gone down yet.

The doctors have been irrigating the infection sites about every

other day for the last week and a half, and today she did a major

irrigation where she opened up the holes even further and

irrigated.

She said if it doesn't get any better by Tuesday that we'll have to

consider another surgery to clean further up in my sinuses. She

says there could be puss where they cannot reach. It's also a

possibility that they will take out the plates in my upper face.

I'm not a doctor, so I don't know if my terms and lingo is correct.

Just wanted to share that, I feel a little better about the

possibility of another surgery after writing...it really upset me

when she first told me. Thanks for reading.

[Guest guest]

-

Sorry to hear you are having complications - hang in there...

Jay

> Hi everybody,

>

> I just happened to stumble upon this group looking for a support

> group for jaw surgery.

>

> I know my situation is probably not very common, but I figured it

> would make me feel a little better if I wrote it out to people who

> have had the same type of surgery.

>

> It's been three weeks since I had my surgery, upper and lower,

upper

> done in one piece (don't remember horizontal or vertical) and

lower

> in two pieces. They doctors put the two screws to hold the jaw in

> place and plates in my upper facial area.

>

> Apparently, the screws the doctors used were too hot, and put a

> large burn on the side of my face. I didn't know how bad it was,

> obviously from being on anesthesia and massive drugs, until about

4

> days after surgery.

>

> The first four days I was a mess, as most people are. I had

liquid

> tylenol with codine which made me hyper and anxious, so I was

> getting very little sleep. Once I realized what was happening, I

> stopped the codine and started sleeping fine. I didn't have much

> pain after four days anyway.

>

> The doctors saw me on the fourth day post-op, and told me I needed

> to clean better and be more agressive with brushing. So I cleaned

> thouroughly as best I could. But the swelling was not going down,

> and it was hard for me to gargle the mouthrinse they gave me to

> use.

>

> 11 days post-op, a week later. I went back to the doctor, and

they

> said that I had an infection, which as it stands now, are these

> black holes inside my mouth with puss coming out of them.

>

> The doctors don't know if it was because I didn't clean well for

the

> first four days, or if the burn caused the infection (the burn

they

> took fault for, and also didn't advise me on how bad the burn was

or

> how to clean it properly). But either way, it's been three weeks

> and my upper lip is still extremely swollen along with the right

> side of my face (the side with the burn).

>

> I'm on an antibiotic called Clindamycin, and it seems to have

> stabilized the infection. But, it hasn't gotten any better, and

the

> swelling hasn't gone down yet.

>

> The doctors have been irrigating the infection sites about every

> other day for the last week and a half, and today she did a major

> irrigation where she opened up the holes even further and

> irrigated.

>

> She said if it doesn't get any better by Tuesday that we'll have

to

> consider another surgery to clean further up in my sinuses. She

> says there could be puss where they cannot reach. It's also a

> possibility that they will take out the plates in my upper face.

>

> I'm not a doctor, so I don't know if my terms and lingo is

correct.

> Just wanted to share that, I feel a little better about the

> possibility of another surgery after writing...it really upset me

> when she first told me. Thanks for reading.

[Guest guest]

Thanks a bunch Jay.

~

> > Hi everybody,

> >

> > I just happened to stumble upon this group looking for a support

> > group for jaw surgery.

> >

> > I know my situation is probably not very common, but I figured

it

> > would make me feel a little better if I wrote it out to people

who

> > have had the same type of surgery.

> >

> > It's been three weeks since I had my surgery, upper and lower,

> upper

> > done in one piece (don't remember horizontal or vertical) and

> lower

> > in two pieces. They doctors put the two screws to hold the jaw

in

> > place and plates in my upper facial area.

> >

> > Apparently, the screws the doctors used were too hot, and put a

> > large burn on the side of my face. I didn't know how bad it

was,

> > obviously from being on anesthesia and massive drugs, until

about

> 4

> > days after surgery.

> >

> > The first four days I was a mess, as most people are. I had

> liquid

> > tylenol with codine which made me hyper and anxious, so I was

> > getting very little sleep. Once I realized what was happening,

I

> > stopped the codine and started sleeping fine. I didn't have

much

> > pain after four days anyway.

> >

> > The doctors saw me on the fourth day post-op, and told me I

needed

> > to clean better and be more agressive with brushing. So I

cleaned

> > thouroughly as best I could. But the swelling was not going

down,

> > and it was hard for me to gargle the mouthrinse they gave me to

> > use.

> >

> > 11 days post-op, a week later. I went back to the doctor, and

> they

> > said that I had an infection, which as it stands now, are these

> > black holes inside my mouth with puss coming out of them.

> >

> > The doctors don't know if it was because I didn't clean well for

> the

> > first four days, or if the burn caused the infection (the burn

> they

> > took fault for, and also didn't advise me on how bad the burn

was

> or

> > how to clean it properly). But either way, it's been three

weeks

> > and my upper lip is still extremely swollen along with the right

> > side of my face (the side with the burn).

> >

> > I'm on an antibiotic called Clindamycin, and it seems to have

> > stabilized the infection. But, it hasn't gotten any better, and

> the

> > swelling hasn't gone down yet.

> >

> > The doctors have been irrigating the infection sites about every

> > other day for the last week and a half, and today she did a

major

> > irrigation where she opened up the holes even further and

> > irrigated.

> >

> > She said if it doesn't get any better by Tuesday that we'll have

> to

> > consider another surgery to clean further up in my sinuses. She

> > says there could be puss where they cannot reach. It's also a

> > possibility that they will take out the plates in my upper face.

> >

> > I'm not a doctor, so I don't know if my terms and lingo is

> correct.

> > Just wanted to share that, I feel a little better about the

> > possibility of another surgery after writing...it really upset

me

> > when she first told me. Thanks for reading.