Re: new member with story and questions...

[Guest guest]

Hi! I haven't yet had my surgery yet (mine will be upper and

genioplasty -- probably won't have to advance the lower), so I can't

help answer your questions there, but I just wanted to say how much

your comments about teasing really resonate with me. In addition to

having a long face/weak chin, I'm also fairly tall/skinny/flat-

chested, and have endured being called Olive Oyl for more years than

I can count. I've overheard people refer to me as being " horse-

faced. " I have a really attractive female friend, and more than once

when she and I have gone out for dinner, etc., people have come up to

her specifically to tell her how beautiful she is, *and* to tell me

how awful it must be to have a pretty friend. When I was 14 and

being fitted for my costume for a local community theater production,

the makeup artist made a point of telling her assistant what a great

example I was of having a " very homely profile problem, " and how I

would be an " interesting challenge " to try to " make pretty. " (Yep,

you can tell I still remember every word -- and that was 20 years

ago!) And those are just the ones that pop into my mind immediately.

So in short: yep, my heart absolutely goes out to you. While I know

that I'm not exactly about to be spirited off to a freak show or

anything -- and I'm sure you weren't either! -- the cruelty of others

absolutely stings. More than that -- sometimes it can leave real

emotional scars. But like you, I hope it's made me more compassionate

to others about their appearances -- we live in a society that is so

overly-obsessed with thinness, for example, so even though I've never

been overweight, I hope I've learned to resist the social attitudes

that say it's okay to be rude to those who are overweight. I hope,

too, to be an example to my nephews in terms of being kind to others,

regardless of appearances or abilities. So congrats on getting the

surgery -- and I hope you soon feel some the burden of such hurtful

remarks and treatment to be easing from your shoulders. You are

worthwhile -- you always were, and always will be.

Hope your recovery continues to go well,

Sara

> The truth is, I was terribly insecure about my " weak jaw/chin " . It

> can be very painful when year after year people compare your looks

to

> goofy cartoon characters and/or ugly animals. " You know who you

look

> like?:… "

> …Butthead from `Beavis and Butthead'

> …Mr. Burns from the Simpsons

> …Jar Jar Binks

> …a snake

> …a rat

> …a horse

> …a giraffe

> …a hillbilly

>

>

> …etc. etc. There are many painful memories associated with that

kind

> of mocking. As such, I have promised myself that, whatever the

> results may be for my surgery, I will never turn around and

mistreat

> or publicly humiliate someone else for their appearance.

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi! I haven't yet had my surgery yet (mine will be upper and

genioplasty -- probably won't have to advance the lower), so I can't

help answer your questions there, but I just wanted to say how much

your comments about teasing really resonate with me. In addition to

having a long face/weak chin, I'm also fairly tall/skinny/flat-

chested, and have endured being called Olive Oyl for more years than

I can count. I've overheard people refer to me as being " horse-

faced. " I have a really attractive female friend, and more than once

when she and I have gone out for dinner, etc., people have come up to

her specifically to tell her how beautiful she is, *and* to tell me

how awful it must be to have a pretty friend. When I was 14 and

being fitted for my costume for a local community theater production,

the makeup artist made a point of telling her assistant what a great

example I was of having a " very homely profile problem, " and how I

would be an " interesting challenge " to try to " make pretty. " (Yep,

you can tell I still remember every word -- and that was 20 years

ago!) And those are just the ones that pop into my mind immediately.

So in short: yep, my heart absolutely goes out to you. While I know

that I'm not exactly about to be spirited off to a freak show or

anything -- and I'm sure you weren't either! -- the cruelty of others

absolutely stings. More than that -- sometimes it can leave real

emotional scars. But like you, I hope it's made me more compassionate

to others about their appearances -- we live in a society that is so

overly-obsessed with thinness, for example, so even though I've never

been overweight, I hope I've learned to resist the social attitudes

that say it's okay to be rude to those who are overweight. I hope,

too, to be an example to my nephews in terms of being kind to others,

regardless of appearances or abilities. So congrats on getting the

surgery -- and I hope you soon feel some the burden of such hurtful

remarks and treatment to be easing from your shoulders. You are

worthwhile -- you always were, and always will be.

Hope your recovery continues to go well,

Sara

> The truth is, I was terribly insecure about my " weak jaw/chin " . It

> can be very painful when year after year people compare your looks

to

> goofy cartoon characters and/or ugly animals. " You know who you

look

> like?:… "

> …Butthead from `Beavis and Butthead'

> …Mr. Burns from the Simpsons

> …Jar Jar Binks

> …a snake

> …a rat

> …a horse

> …a giraffe

> …a hillbilly

>

>

> …etc. etc. There are many painful memories associated with that

kind

> of mocking. As such, I have promised myself that, whatever the

> results may be for my surgery, I will never turn around and

mistreat

> or publicly humiliate someone else for their appearance.

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi!

I'm only 5 weeks post op from a similar surgery. I had a lower

advancement of 8-9mm, no genio. I've had a slightly abnormal

recovery. I wasn't very numb, so the first week was a lot more

painful than I expected. I also didn't swell a whole lot at all and

after 10 days I had a pretty good idea of what the results will look

like in the end.

Now, at 5 weeks, my lower jaw has set itself back about 1mm from where

it was at 10 days, but I think that has a lot to do with the

orthodontics I'm doing again and I'm sure it will even out in the end.

So, to answer your questions:

1. Depends on how much swelling you have and how much more

orthodontic work you need. I had a good idea after only 10 days, but

I don't think I'll really know until the orthodontics are done.

2. My face turned out longer, and it was exactly what I wanted. My

face was way too round for my liking before the surgery, and I'm

extremely happy with the results.

3. Ask your OS what he/she thinks. I am not allowed to start rock

climbing again until I'm at 10 weeks, but that's more because of the

risk of getting hit in the face. I'm allowed back to my chiropractor

at 6 weeks, and have been back to walking/hiking for about a week now.

Your OS will have good advice for you on this.

If you're interested, my pictures up to day 10 are posted at

http://photos.yahoo.com/ezraeeq

~Jen

> Hello.

>

> I'm a 26 year old active male, no big health problems.

>

> This past Thursday (September 23rd) I had some orthognathic surgery

> on my lower jaw and chin to correct " mandibular deficiency /

> hypoplasia " . For those that don't know, that's where one has too

> short of a jaw. The lower jaw was moved forward 8mm. I also had a 4mm

> genioplasty to advance the chin. So, altogether, 12mm of advancement

> between the lower jaw and chin. No other portion of my bone structure

> was altered.

>

> Post operatively, I have some numbness but nothing too severe.

> Swelling is going down considerably. The pain level is fine. There is

> some slight bleeding at times, but no gushing blood or anything.

>

>

> Here are my questions:

>

> 1) At what point can I look in the mirror and get a general idea

> of what the final results will be? There is still some swelling at

> this point not to mention there is a dressing placed firmly that is

> not to be removed for another week.

>

>

>

> 2) Has anyone else has surgery similar to mine? If so, were you

> pleased with the results? Most of the stories I've read have been

> positive, but I've heard some horror stories about asymmetry and

> faces appearing " too long " after surgery.

>

> 3) At what point can I begin heavy weight lifting again? I have

> a naturally high metabolism and have lost 10 pounds in the first week

> alone!

>

>

> I have to say that, so far, everything has been a success. I had 14

> months of orthodontic work done before this (including removal of

> teeth) and that alone helped my profile quite a bit.

> The truth is, I was terribly insecure about my " weak jaw/chin " . It

> can be very painful when year after year people compare your looks to

> goofy cartoon characters and/or ugly animals. " You know who you look

> like?:… "

> …Butthead from `Beavis and Butthead'

> …Mr. Burns from the Simpsons

> …Jar Jar Binks

> …a snake

> …a rat

> …a horse

> …a giraffe

> …a hillbilly

>

>

> …etc. etc. There are many painful memories associated with that kind

> of mocking. As such, I have promised myself that, whatever the

> results may be for my surgery, I will never turn around and mistreat

> or publicly humiliate someone else for their appearance.

>

> Anyways, I just wanted to introduce myself and ask those questions.

>

> Thanks!

[Guest guest]

Hi!

I'm only 5 weeks post op from a similar surgery. I had a lower

advancement of 8-9mm, no genio. I've had a slightly abnormal

recovery. I wasn't very numb, so the first week was a lot more

painful than I expected. I also didn't swell a whole lot at all and

after 10 days I had a pretty good idea of what the results will look

like in the end.

Now, at 5 weeks, my lower jaw has set itself back about 1mm from where

it was at 10 days, but I think that has a lot to do with the

orthodontics I'm doing again and I'm sure it will even out in the end.

So, to answer your questions:

1. Depends on how much swelling you have and how much more

orthodontic work you need. I had a good idea after only 10 days, but

I don't think I'll really know until the orthodontics are done.

2. My face turned out longer, and it was exactly what I wanted. My

face was way too round for my liking before the surgery, and I'm

extremely happy with the results.

3. Ask your OS what he/she thinks. I am not allowed to start rock

climbing again until I'm at 10 weeks, but that's more because of the

risk of getting hit in the face. I'm allowed back to my chiropractor

at 6 weeks, and have been back to walking/hiking for about a week now.

Your OS will have good advice for you on this.

If you're interested, my pictures up to day 10 are posted at

http://photos.yahoo.com/ezraeeq

~Jen

> Hello.

>

> I'm a 26 year old active male, no big health problems.

>

> This past Thursday (September 23rd) I had some orthognathic surgery

> on my lower jaw and chin to correct " mandibular deficiency /

> hypoplasia " . For those that don't know, that's where one has too

> short of a jaw. The lower jaw was moved forward 8mm. I also had a 4mm

> genioplasty to advance the chin. So, altogether, 12mm of advancement

> between the lower jaw and chin. No other portion of my bone structure

> was altered.

>

> Post operatively, I have some numbness but nothing too severe.

> Swelling is going down considerably. The pain level is fine. There is

> some slight bleeding at times, but no gushing blood or anything.

>

>

> Here are my questions:

>

> 1) At what point can I look in the mirror and get a general idea

> of what the final results will be? There is still some swelling at

> this point not to mention there is a dressing placed firmly that is

> not to be removed for another week.

>

>

>

> 2) Has anyone else has surgery similar to mine? If so, were you

> pleased with the results? Most of the stories I've read have been

> positive, but I've heard some horror stories about asymmetry and

> faces appearing " too long " after surgery.

>

> 3) At what point can I begin heavy weight lifting again? I have

> a naturally high metabolism and have lost 10 pounds in the first week

> alone!

>

>

> I have to say that, so far, everything has been a success. I had 14

> months of orthodontic work done before this (including removal of

> teeth) and that alone helped my profile quite a bit.

> The truth is, I was terribly insecure about my " weak jaw/chin " . It

> can be very painful when year after year people compare your looks to

> goofy cartoon characters and/or ugly animals. " You know who you look

> like?:… "

> …Butthead from `Beavis and Butthead'

> …Mr. Burns from the Simpsons

> …Jar Jar Binks

> …a snake

> …a rat

> …a horse

> …a giraffe

> …a hillbilly

>

>

> …etc. etc. There are many painful memories associated with that kind

> of mocking. As such, I have promised myself that, whatever the

> results may be for my surgery, I will never turn around and mistreat

> or publicly humiliate someone else for their appearance.

>

> Anyways, I just wanted to introduce myself and ask those questions.

>

> Thanks!

[Guest guest]

Hi, and congratulations on being " on the other side. "

I would think that after one or two months, you could get a pretty

good idea of your new look. Maybe before, maybe later, though; there

are huge variables in how folks bodies handle this assault. Some

people have some swelling for a year or more, and some surgeons have

told some patients that it could be five years or so before

everything is settled in. This does NOT mean that you will have the

extreme appearance with swelling you get immediately post op. It just

means that there are many subtle changes that can take a while to

assert themselves.

I had 5 mm advancement, with a 3mm movement to the side. No genio for

me. I am pleased with my results, which are primarily functional. You

can see my pics in the photos section -- but I warn you, I'm no

beauty and never have been.

AS for exercise, your surgeon is your best guide. I asked about

swimming and was told " too strenuous " at about 8 weeks. Others have

gone back to weights and running sooner. Mainly, I think, you want to

be very careful about anything that would lead you to clench your

teeth, or any contact sport in which you might be hit or kicked.

(Clenching is a problem for some weight-lifters.) And the other

concern is whether you're burning up calories that you need to use in

the healing process. If you're already losing weight, your surgeon

may well want you to conserve those calories for putting your mouth

back together.

I am sorry about such cruel remarks and teasing. I think most who do

such things have little on their own to emphasize, so resort to

trying to tear down others. In any case, it's mean and hateful.

Cammie

> Hello.

>

> I'm a 26 year old active male, no big health problems.

>

> This past Thursday (September 23rd) I had some orthognathic surgery

> on my lower jaw and chin to correct " mandibular deficiency /

> hypoplasia " . For those that don't know, that's where one has too

> short of a jaw. The lower jaw was moved forward 8mm. I also had a

4mm

> genioplasty to advance the chin. So, altogether, 12mm of

advancement

> between the lower jaw and chin. No other portion of my bone

structure

> was altered.

>

> Post operatively, I have some numbness but nothing too severe.

> Swelling is going down considerably. The pain level is fine. There

is

> some slight bleeding at times, but no gushing blood or anything.

>

>

> Here are my questions:

>

> 1) At what point can I look in the mirror and get a general idea

> of what the final results will be? There is still some swelling at

> this point not to mention there is a dressing placed firmly that is

> not to be removed for another week.

>

>

>

> 2) Has anyone else has surgery similar to mine? If so, were you

> pleased with the results? Most of the stories I've read have been

> positive, but I've heard some horror stories about asymmetry and

> faces appearing " too long " after surgery.

>

> 3) At what point can I begin heavy weight lifting again? I have

> a naturally high metabolism and have lost 10 pounds in the first

week

> alone!

>

>

> I have to say that, so far, everything has been a success. I had 14

> months of orthodontic work done before this (including removal of

> teeth) and that alone helped my profile quite a bit.

> The truth is, I was terribly insecure about my " weak jaw/chin " . It

> can be very painful when year after year people compare your looks

to

> goofy cartoon characters and/or ugly animals. " You know who you

look

> like?:… "

> …Butthead from `Beavis and Butthead'

> …Mr. Burns from the Simpsons

> …Jar Jar Binks

> …a snake

> …a rat

> …a horse

> …a giraffe

> …a hillbilly

>

>

> …etc. etc. There are many painful memories associated with that

kind

> of mocking. As such, I have promised myself that, whatever the

> results may be for my surgery, I will never turn around and

mistreat

> or publicly humiliate someone else for their appearance.

>

> Anyways, I just wanted to introduce myself and ask those questions.

>

> Thanks!

[Guest guest]

Hi, and congratulations on being " on the other side. "

I would think that after one or two months, you could get a pretty

good idea of your new look. Maybe before, maybe later, though; there

are huge variables in how folks bodies handle this assault. Some

people have some swelling for a year or more, and some surgeons have

told some patients that it could be five years or so before

everything is settled in. This does NOT mean that you will have the

extreme appearance with swelling you get immediately post op. It just

means that there are many subtle changes that can take a while to

assert themselves.

I had 5 mm advancement, with a 3mm movement to the side. No genio for

me. I am pleased with my results, which are primarily functional. You

can see my pics in the photos section -- but I warn you, I'm no

beauty and never have been.

AS for exercise, your surgeon is your best guide. I asked about

swimming and was told " too strenuous " at about 8 weeks. Others have

gone back to weights and running sooner. Mainly, I think, you want to

be very careful about anything that would lead you to clench your

teeth, or any contact sport in which you might be hit or kicked.

(Clenching is a problem for some weight-lifters.) And the other

concern is whether you're burning up calories that you need to use in

the healing process. If you're already losing weight, your surgeon

may well want you to conserve those calories for putting your mouth

back together.

I am sorry about such cruel remarks and teasing. I think most who do

such things have little on their own to emphasize, so resort to

trying to tear down others. In any case, it's mean and hateful.

Cammie

> Hello.

>

> I'm a 26 year old active male, no big health problems.

>

> This past Thursday (September 23rd) I had some orthognathic surgery

> on my lower jaw and chin to correct " mandibular deficiency /

> hypoplasia " . For those that don't know, that's where one has too

> short of a jaw. The lower jaw was moved forward 8mm. I also had a

4mm

> genioplasty to advance the chin. So, altogether, 12mm of

advancement

> between the lower jaw and chin. No other portion of my bone

structure

> was altered.

>

> Post operatively, I have some numbness but nothing too severe.

> Swelling is going down considerably. The pain level is fine. There

is

> some slight bleeding at times, but no gushing blood or anything.

>

>

> Here are my questions:

>

> 1) At what point can I look in the mirror and get a general idea

> of what the final results will be? There is still some swelling at

> this point not to mention there is a dressing placed firmly that is

> not to be removed for another week.

>

>

>

> 2) Has anyone else has surgery similar to mine? If so, were you

> pleased with the results? Most of the stories I've read have been

> positive, but I've heard some horror stories about asymmetry and

> faces appearing " too long " after surgery.

>

> 3) At what point can I begin heavy weight lifting again? I have

> a naturally high metabolism and have lost 10 pounds in the first

week

> alone!

>

>

> I have to say that, so far, everything has been a success. I had 14

> months of orthodontic work done before this (including removal of

> teeth) and that alone helped my profile quite a bit.

> The truth is, I was terribly insecure about my " weak jaw/chin " . It

> can be very painful when year after year people compare your looks

to

> goofy cartoon characters and/or ugly animals. " You know who you

look

> like?:… "

> …Butthead from `Beavis and Butthead'

> …Mr. Burns from the Simpsons

> …Jar Jar Binks

> …a snake

> …a rat

> …a horse

> …a giraffe

> …a hillbilly

>

>

> …etc. etc. There are many painful memories associated with that

kind

> of mocking. As such, I have promised myself that, whatever the

> results may be for my surgery, I will never turn around and

mistreat

> or publicly humiliate someone else for their appearance.

>

> Anyways, I just wanted to introduce myself and ask those questions.

>

> Thanks!

[Guest guest]

Heavens -- I am appalled that anyone working with children would say

such a thing as the makeup person did. (Reminds me of a session in a

hospital waiting room. The families mostly had patients in there

having open heart surgery. They were talking, and I was just aghast

when the volunteer in charge of the room jumped in, sharing her own

horror stories about her husband's experiences.) I guess some people

just have no common sense, nor courtesy. (I also can't see myself

walking up to a pair of people and making such remarks as they did

with your " beautiful " friend! Although I'll bet you're beautiful,

too, in your own ways.)

Good wishes to you.

Cammie

> Hi! I haven't yet had my surgery yet (mine will be upper and

> genioplasty -- probably won't have to advance the lower), so I

can't

> help answer your questions there, but I just wanted to say how much

> your comments about teasing really resonate with me. In addition

to

> having a long face/weak chin, I'm also fairly tall/skinny/flat-

> chested, and have endured being called Olive Oyl for more years

than

> I can count. I've overheard people refer to me as being " horse-

> faced. " I have a really attractive female friend, and more than

once

> when she and I have gone out for dinner, etc., people have come up

to

> her specifically to tell her how beautiful she is, *and* to tell me

> how awful it must be to have a pretty friend. When I was 14 and

> being fitted for my costume for a local community theater

production,

> the makeup artist made a point of telling her assistant what a

great

> example I was of having a " very homely profile problem, " and how I

> would be an " interesting challenge " to try to " make pretty. " (Yep,

> you can tell I still remember every word -- and that was 20 years

> ago!) And those are just the ones that pop into my mind

immediately.

>

> So in short: yep, my heart absolutely goes out to you. While I know

> that I'm not exactly about to be spirited off to a freak show or

> anything -- and I'm sure you weren't either! -- the cruelty of

others

> absolutely stings. More than that -- sometimes it can leave real

> emotional scars. But like you, I hope it's made me more

compassionate

> to others about their appearances -- we live in a society that is

so

> overly-obsessed with thinness, for example, so even though I've

never

> been overweight, I hope I've learned to resist the social attitudes

> that say it's okay to be rude to those who are overweight. I hope,

> too, to be an example to my nephews in terms of being kind to

others,

> regardless of appearances or abilities. So congrats on getting the

> surgery -- and I hope you soon feel some the burden of such hurtful

> remarks and treatment to be easing from your shoulders. You are

> worthwhile -- you always were, and always will be.

>

> Hope your recovery continues to go well,

> Sara

>

[Guest guest]

Heavens -- I am appalled that anyone working with children would say

such a thing as the makeup person did. (Reminds me of a session in a

hospital waiting room. The families mostly had patients in there

having open heart surgery. They were talking, and I was just aghast

when the volunteer in charge of the room jumped in, sharing her own

horror stories about her husband's experiences.) I guess some people

just have no common sense, nor courtesy. (I also can't see myself

walking up to a pair of people and making such remarks as they did

with your " beautiful " friend! Although I'll bet you're beautiful,

too, in your own ways.)

Good wishes to you.

Cammie

> Hi! I haven't yet had my surgery yet (mine will be upper and

> genioplasty -- probably won't have to advance the lower), so I

can't

> help answer your questions there, but I just wanted to say how much

> your comments about teasing really resonate with me. In addition

to

> having a long face/weak chin, I'm also fairly tall/skinny/flat-

> chested, and have endured being called Olive Oyl for more years

than

> I can count. I've overheard people refer to me as being " horse-

> faced. " I have a really attractive female friend, and more than

once

> when she and I have gone out for dinner, etc., people have come up

to

> her specifically to tell her how beautiful she is, *and* to tell me

> how awful it must be to have a pretty friend. When I was 14 and

> being fitted for my costume for a local community theater

production,

> the makeup artist made a point of telling her assistant what a

great

> example I was of having a " very homely profile problem, " and how I

> would be an " interesting challenge " to try to " make pretty. " (Yep,

> you can tell I still remember every word -- and that was 20 years

> ago!) And those are just the ones that pop into my mind

immediately.

>

> So in short: yep, my heart absolutely goes out to you. While I know

> that I'm not exactly about to be spirited off to a freak show or

> anything -- and I'm sure you weren't either! -- the cruelty of

others

> absolutely stings. More than that -- sometimes it can leave real

> emotional scars. But like you, I hope it's made me more

compassionate

> to others about their appearances -- we live in a society that is

so

> overly-obsessed with thinness, for example, so even though I've

never

> been overweight, I hope I've learned to resist the social attitudes

> that say it's okay to be rude to those who are overweight. I hope,

> too, to be an example to my nephews in terms of being kind to

others,

> regardless of appearances or abilities. So congrats on getting the

> surgery -- and I hope you soon feel some the burden of such hurtful

> remarks and treatment to be easing from your shoulders. You are

> worthwhile -- you always were, and always will be.

>

> Hope your recovery continues to go well,

> Sara

>