Guest guest Posted July 10, 2004 Report Share Posted July 10, 2004 Hi! This is Tom! I found this site earlier today...and since I'm having my jaw surgery in a month(August 11), I thought it'd be a good idea. I will confess...I am totally freaked out about it. I have never even been to a hospital before. I have no idea what to expect. My procedure is going to be pretty involved: LeFort I maxillary Osteotomy (Upper jaw surgery) Bilateral Sagittal Osteotomies of maxilla (Lower jaw surgery) Bilateral nasal turbinectomies Reduction of chin The surgery is supposed to take almost 8 hours. I would like some feedback maybe of someone who had a similiar surgery to what I'm having. I think I'll be a lot less tense and nervous if I know what to expect! Thanks! Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 10, 2004 Report Share Posted July 10, 2004 More than likely, your surgery will be a lot easier than you are probably expecting. Thats how it seems to be for most people and that was how it was for me. Here is my story thus far, and I will include details about the hospital so you would know kind of what to expect. I arrived at the hospital at 6 AM, and went to, you guessed it, a waiting room. I had to wait there for what seemed like hours, and it was cold in there. I think all hospitals are cold. If you have a cold-natured person in your family, have them bring a jacket. When I was admitted, they took me to a room with a bunch of beds in it. Each bed had a curtain around it that could be opened and closed as needed. The nurse gave me a very attractive (and might I say...drafty) hostpital gown and had me put it on. Careful...they're open in the back Then I settled in to my bed and the nurse gave me some warm blankets. She then drew some blood and started an IV. She numbed it for me first so it only hurt once. Even then, it wasn't that bad. Then my family was allowed to come back. This is when various people came into my curtain and asked me a bunch of questions. Are you allergic, are you sick, etc. All questions behind me, they wheeled me away, in the bed, to the operating room. But before I left, they gave me something (through the IV, that way they don't have to poke again) to help me " relax. " This is where the cliche " it all happened so fast " comes into play. Nurses move things around, adjust some really big lights, put on gloves, push buttons, etc. But with the medical marijuana in my system, I really didn't care. Soon after I had been taken to the operating room, a nurse put another medecine in the IV. The next thing I remembered, I was waking up in the " wake up room. " No joke. In the snap of a finger, it is all over. The wake up room is another room like the prep room. I had another curtain and nurse to watch me and give me medecine. My memories from this place are kind of foggy, because I had all that medecine in me. I do remember having an oxygen tube hung loosely around my nose and a blood pressure cuff on my arm. The thing took my blood pressure about every 5 minutes, all to the scrutiny of the nurse, who also took my temperature often. I remember a baby screaming bloody murder, one of the reasons the nurses let me out of there early. The next, and final, room is the recovery room. This one is really special. I had my own room, (with walls, not curtains) TV, closet, bathroom, bed that moves up and down, and very attractive IV stand. This is where the nurses come in every hour to check up. They took off my blood pressure cuff, and just used their portable one every hour. I was supposed to have a " pain pump " where I could give myself the pain medecine, but I think they decieded I didn't need it. I had to ask the nurse whenever I wanted some morphine. There was a nifty little call button on my bed, but I had to have a family member talk into it because I couldn't. If you are worried about jaw pain....don't be. Those nurses will give you enough pain medecine that you could be shot and not feel it. The night in the hospital is really slow. The nurses would come in about every hour and take measurements, then leave. It was really annoying. Plus, the IV pumped me so full of fluids, I had to pee all the time. Another pet peeve is the ice bags. They were hung around my head, but they were really in the way. Other than that, it wasn't that bad. The next morning, they let me eat a nutritious breakfast of chicken broth, apple juice, and melted popsicle. Then I got to leave. It felt good to be home, although my family member's nagging was almost as bad as the nurses. The first few nights were kind of hard, but if I kept with the painkillers, it was bearable. Eating through a syringe is not as hard as it sounds, and I found it helps if you use a mirror. I am now 9 days post-op, and I am allowed to take out my rubber bands to eat and brush. One of the most annoying things the first few days was the dirty feeling in my mouth. I am able to eat with a spoon, and it has improved my choices drastically. I can now have cut up pasta, small fruits, rice, etc. For now, I am living day to day. I suppose the first day I felt well enough to get out was about the 5th day. My family has been really helpful. The best thing to do is to stay positive. The first few days are pretty tough, but it gets better. I feel great now. I am still not the person I was before the surgery, but I am still healing. I was skinny to start, and I lost about 10 pounds, but my weight has stablized. I hope this gives you a better idea of how the surgery works. Plus, it feels good for me to " spill my guts. " Not like I have anything better to do Luke > Hi! This is Tom! I found this site earlier today...and since I'm > having my jaw surgery in a month(August 11), I thought it'd be a good > idea. I will confess...I am totally freaked out about it. I have > never even been to a hospital before. I have no idea what to > expect. My procedure is going to be pretty involved: > LeFort I maxillary Osteotomy (Upper jaw surgery) > Bilateral Sagittal Osteotomies of maxilla (Lower jaw surgery) > Bilateral nasal turbinectomies > Reduction of chin > The surgery is supposed to take almost 8 hours. I would like some > feedback maybe of someone who had a similiar surgery to what I'm > having. I think I'll be a lot less tense and nervous if I know what > to expect! > > Thanks! > > Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 11, 2004 Report Share Posted July 11, 2004 Hey Tom, I had a similar surgery, except they enhanced my chin. I was terrified after meeting with my surgeon a week before my surgery. He used some words that scared the hell out of me, like " cutting away your upper jaw " . I just had this vision of all of my teeth lying on a counter - out of my mouth. I was having MAJOR second thoughts. However, HONESTLY - the part that hurt the most? Getting the IV put in. And, I'm a baby. You will feel nothing - and your stay in the hospital will be easy. The nurses are in to give you pain medication more frequently than you even think you need. You won't feel a thing. The recovery once you go home isn't so fun. I am 13-days post surgery, and I have yet to feel any pain. I'm completely off of my painkillers. I was on clear liquids for the first week - and I got very tired of juice and chicken broth. But, not even two weeks later, I'm feeling good. I've been out running errands, I'm completely understandable when I talk. Just make sure you're good and healthy going into the surgery, and you'll be fine coming out of it. Good luck! > Hi! This is Tom! I found this site earlier today...and since I'm > having my jaw surgery in a month(August 11), I thought it'd be a good > idea. I will confess...I am totally freaked out about it. I have > never even been to a hospital before. I have no idea what to > expect. My procedure is going to be pretty involved: > LeFort I maxillary Osteotomy (Upper jaw surgery) > Bilateral Sagittal Osteotomies of maxilla (Lower jaw surgery) > Bilateral nasal turbinectomies > Reduction of chin > The surgery is supposed to take almost 8 hours. I would like some > feedback maybe of someone who had a similiar surgery to what I'm > having. I think I'll be a lot less tense and nervous if I know what > to expect! > > Thanks! > > Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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