Re: My BSSO Experience

[Guest guest]

Ho-kay...

Sounds like you've done your homework and your doc has been helpful.

Marketanarchist???? Help me out on that one!

I reckon I'm a Fidelity brainwashee... But that's an aside.

Now,

Most of us have done braces once, twice, thrice or more before

reaching our present state. For me, it was once as a kid, and then

again at age 56 -- almost 57. A big shock, but a useful help.

Last Thursday??? And you're already worrying about the eventual

outcome??? Honey, Honey, Honey.... Way too soon.

Nothing wrong with being a narcissist. But do you really understand

what a millimeter is? Don't mean to be patronizing, but five of

these little buggers only equal a quarter of an inch, sez my os.

Yes, others have had numbness in the tongue, and most certainly so

soon. It's way too early to be worrying. Do tell your surgeon, but

figure that your body's still trying to put itself back together.

And are we really talking here about a 1 mm. discrepancy??? What do

you do for a living -- engineer Bugattis? 1 mm. is almost

undetectable, I'm thinking. And you're nowhere near seeing the

eventual healing results.

Are you wired? Banded? That may make a difference, too.

I'm not trying to put you down, really. But you're less than a week

out of surgery, if I'm reading you right, and you're trying to

micromanage to the iinth degree. You don't even know what the

swelling is up to, yet!

Chill out, pal. Enjoy your spinach soup, or whatever!

And relax and heal and don't go at the gym too hard.

I was forbidden to try any of those antics for a couple of months.

And I would wager that your ortho has some loverly elastic bands

waiting for you that will tighten your bite and fix up whatever

lagunae persist in your mouth. I think at one point I had either

five or six of them, strung up in different patterns (I requested

and received a schematic so as to know how to replace them), with

strengths ranging from 1/8-inch, 8-oz; to 3/8-inch, 4.5 oz. But

that's all growing fuzzy now in the dim haze of time. They did their

work, though.

C.

> Last Thursday I had my BSSO to correct mandibular prognathism.

I've

> been dealing with orthodonics for the past 16 months trying to get

> prepared for it, which is too bad since I already had braces when

I

> was younger. First, some background on me:

>

> Condition: Mandibular prognathism (underbite) of only a few

> millimeters. The malocclusion wasn't bad, but it was bad enough

that

> I wanted to get it fixed, as I'm a narcissist.

> Age: 21 Sex: M

> Physical condition: Very good, college athlete

>

> So I had surgery, performed by Basil A. Schiff in Vienna, VA. He

> assured me the surgery was routine and recovery for someone my age

in

> great physical condition would be swift.

>

> Following the surgery I was told it went great and blood loss was

> minimal. Swelling, of course, was very bad, even though my

bleeding

> was minimal and the jaw movement wasn't too severe. I still have

> some swelling in the actual area, but it has gone down

considerably

> and I just have some chipmunk-cheek effects. I had very little

pain

> and took no pain medication after I left the hospital.

>

> Now, the numbness. My bottom lip and chin are numb, although I

have

> pins and needles in both. My bottom gums are numb, no tingling,

but

> who cares. This is normal, I know. But I also have some numbness

on

> the left tip of my TONGUE. I do not think this is normal. Its a

bit

> tingly, but its definitely numb. Before surgery, I figured I

could

> live without feeling in my chin and lip (and definitely my gums).

> But my tongue? No way. Has anyone else experienced this? Is it

> cause for concern?

>

> Now, my occlusion. Its not fixed. Actually I have an overbite

now,

> I'd say by at least 1mm. My bottom teeth are clearly too far

behind

> my top when I smile. My bite feels worse than before. What's

going

> on here? My doctor said there was a bit of overcorrection because

he

> said there is always some relapse and he was allowing for that.

My

> jaw doesn't seem to be moving though. If I have went through all

> this pain, discomfort, and fear and now I am not even going to

have a

> proper bite, I will be angry to say the least.

>

> So overall, I'm fine. I worked out in the gym the other day, went

> light of course, but I can't just sit around the house. I have a

ton

> of energy. What I recommend for everyone is to invest in a big

tub

> of whey protein powder, from your local health store. During

> recovery you should consume 1g of protein per pound of body

weight,

> and without a protein supplement you are NOT going to be able to

do

> this. Aside from ~200g protein daily, I drink a glass of V8, take

a

> multivitamin (high potency, with extra vitamin c), and supplement

> with fish oil for essential fatty acids (also instrumental in

> recovery). The past few days I've been eating soup as well,

canned

> spinach, and oatmeal. Tomorrow I'm finally going on a date with

my

> girlfriend to see a movie and go to dinner - they better have good

> soup!

>

> So while I have some concerns, I am thinking it is probably too

early

> in my recovery to freak out. Any comments or advice are

appreciated.

[Guest guest]

It also may, or may not, be that your ortho will do

some " equillibration " on your bite -- selective grinding here and

there -- that will even things up a bit. Mine did, and more than

once.

C.

> Last Thursday I had my BSSO to correct mandibular prognathism.

I've

> been dealing with orthodonics for the past 16 months trying to get

> prepared for it, which is too bad since I already had braces when

I

> was younger. First, some background on me:

>

> Condition: Mandibular prognathism (underbite) of only a few

> millimeters. The malocclusion wasn't bad, but it was bad enough

that

> I wanted to get it fixed, as I'm a narcissist.

> Age: 21 Sex: M

> Physical condition: Very good, college athlete

>

> So I had surgery, performed by Basil A. Schiff in Vienna, VA. He

> assured me the surgery was routine and recovery for someone my age

in

> great physical condition would be swift.

>

> Following the surgery I was told it went great and blood loss was

> minimal. Swelling, of course, was very bad, even though my

bleeding

> was minimal and the jaw movement wasn't too severe. I still have

> some swelling in the actual area, but it has gone down

considerably

> and I just have some chipmunk-cheek effects. I had very little

pain

> and took no pain medication after I left the hospital.

>

> Now, the numbness. My bottom lip and chin are numb, although I

have

> pins and needles in both. My bottom gums are numb, no tingling,

but

> who cares. This is normal, I know. But I also have some numbness

on

> the left tip of my TONGUE. I do not think this is normal. Its a

bit

> tingly, but its definitely numb. Before surgery, I figured I

could

> live without feeling in my chin and lip (and definitely my gums).

> But my tongue? No way. Has anyone else experienced this? Is it

> cause for concern?

>

> Now, my occlusion. Its not fixed. Actually I have an overbite

now,

> I'd say by at least 1mm. My bottom teeth are clearly too far

behind

> my top when I smile. My bite feels worse than before. What's

going

> on here? My doctor said there was a bit of overcorrection because

he

> said there is always some relapse and he was allowing for that.

My

> jaw doesn't seem to be moving though. If I have went through all

> this pain, discomfort, and fear and now I am not even going to

have a

> proper bite, I will be angry to say the least.

>

> So overall, I'm fine. I worked out in the gym the other day, went

> light of course, but I can't just sit around the house. I have a

ton

> of energy. What I recommend for everyone is to invest in a big

tub

> of whey protein powder, from your local health store. During

> recovery you should consume 1g of protein per pound of body

weight,

> and without a protein supplement you are NOT going to be able to

do

> this. Aside from ~200g protein daily, I drink a glass of V8, take

a

> multivitamin (high potency, with extra vitamin c), and supplement

> with fish oil for essential fatty acids (also instrumental in

> recovery). The past few days I've been eating soup as well,

canned

> spinach, and oatmeal. Tomorrow I'm finally going on a date with

my

> girlfriend to see a movie and go to dinner - they better have good

> soup!

>

> So while I have some concerns, I am thinking it is probably too

early

> in my recovery to freak out. Any comments or advice are

appreciated.

[Guest guest]

Mmmm, only 10 days post-op right? I would say that with any surgery

where you face is touched (or bone in any part of your body) you

won't really start to see the results for at least two weeks and even

then, this will be nothing compared to 6 months down the line.

As for the 1mm overbite. I have to agree with Cammie here, 1mm really

is not that much, seriously. Take it from me, I have a 7mm overbite

and even that is not that big. There are some people here who have

14mmm over bites! But practically speaking, a 1mm overbite is

definitely something your ortho can fix. Do not fret. I promise you

that the 1mm will be sorted.

I seem to recall that there was someone on this site who said that

their WHOLE tongue had gone numb. So i guess it happens. I haven't

had surgery yet so I can't comment personally on that but having been

operated in the past on areas where nerves were affected I can tell

you that it takes a while for that sensation to come back. I had a

cyst removed from underneath my chin about 8 years ago. I'd say only

after two years did all my sensation come back and nowadays it still

feels funny sometimes. Nothing unbearable just funny.

Keep up with the good recovery and don't overdo it at the gym. Oh,

and enjoy your date with your girlfriend!

Sara

> Last Thursday I had my BSSO to correct mandibular prognathism.

I've

> been dealing with orthodonics for the past 16 months trying to get

> prepared for it, which is too bad since I already had braces when I

> was younger. First, some background on me:

>

> Condition: Mandibular prognathism (underbite) of only a few

> millimeters. The malocclusion wasn't bad, but it was bad enough

that

> I wanted to get it fixed, as I'm a narcissist.

> Age: 21 Sex: M

> Physical condition: Very good, college athlete

>

> So I had surgery, performed by Basil A. Schiff in Vienna, VA. He

> assured me the surgery was routine and recovery for someone my age

in

> great physical condition would be swift.

>

> Following the surgery I was told it went great and blood loss was

> minimal. Swelling, of course, was very bad, even though my

bleeding

> was minimal and the jaw movement wasn't too severe. I still have

> some swelling in the actual area, but it has gone down considerably

> and I just have some chipmunk-cheek effects. I had very little

pain

> and took no pain medication after I left the hospital.

>

> Now, the numbness. My bottom lip and chin are numb, although I

have

> pins and needles in both. My bottom gums are numb, no tingling,

but

> who cares. This is normal, I know. But I also have some numbness

on

> the left tip of my TONGUE. I do not think this is normal. Its a

bit

> tingly, but its definitely numb. Before surgery, I figured I could

> live without feeling in my chin and lip (and definitely my gums).

> But my tongue? No way. Has anyone else experienced this? Is it

> cause for concern?

>

> Now, my occlusion. Its not fixed. Actually I have an overbite

now,

> I'd say by at least 1mm. My bottom teeth are clearly too far

behind

> my top when I smile. My bite feels worse than before. What's

going

> on here? My doctor said there was a bit of overcorrection because

he

> said there is always some relapse and he was allowing for that. My

> jaw doesn't seem to be moving though. If I have went through all

> this pain, discomfort, and fear and now I am not even going to have

a

> proper bite, I will be angry to say the least.

>

> So overall, I'm fine. I worked out in the gym the other day, went

> light of course, but I can't just sit around the house. I have a

ton

> of energy. What I recommend for everyone is to invest in a big tub

> of whey protein powder, from your local health store. During

> recovery you should consume 1g of protein per pound of body weight,

> and without a protein supplement you are NOT going to be able to do

> this. Aside from ~200g protein daily, I drink a glass of V8, take

a

> multivitamin (high potency, with extra vitamin c), and supplement

> with fish oil for essential fatty acids (also instrumental in

> recovery). The past few days I've been eating soup as well, canned

> spinach, and oatmeal. Tomorrow I'm finally going on a date with my

> girlfriend to see a movie and go to dinner - they better have good

> soup!

>

> So while I have some concerns, I am thinking it is probably too

early

> in my recovery to freak out. Any comments or advice are

appreciated.

[Guest guest]

I don't think working out in a gym so soon post-op is a good idea.

Your jaw will not be fully healed for 6-8 weeks. Please ask your

surgeon about this!

As for a numb tongue, that's not unusual. It will likely go away in

time, although I do know of a person for whom it hasn't yet, although

I think that this person only had surgery a year ago.

A small amount of relapse is possible, but no guarantees. You'll just

have to be patient about the recovery and the outcome. Sorry to hear

that you did this just for cosmetic reasons. It is a lot to go through

for something where there are no guarantees.

[Guest guest]

Maybe my overbite is more than a millimeter. I figured it was at

least a millimeter, and I just took out some tape and its about 4 or

5mm. I just think it is very odd that he would have overcorrected so

much. My underbite before was probably about 8mm. Unless I relapse

a bit, I don't really consider this an improvement to the occlusion,

especially considering all I had to go through. Hopefully he will be

right, there will be some relapse, and whatever remaining

micromanagement needs to be done can be done via orthodontia. I went

back to my ortho today just so he could see what I look like, he said

I should go in to have the wires changed in about a month and when he

saw my bite, I couldn't really read his face. He just had a sort of

blank look and said " looks like he's allowed for some relapse there. "

I didn't really do my homework before the surgery, my surgeon made it

sound so routine, I figured it would be no big deal. For those who

have responded and said that I shouldn't go to the gym: that is not

really an option for a college athlete in the offseason, I can't let

my muscles just completely atrophy. Its bad enough that I have to go

so light with the weight and that 90% of my protein intake has to

come from whey protein shakes and milk.

Today I had pho noodle soup and saw a movie with my girlfriend, the

noodles you don't need to chew and all I had in it were bean sprouts

and those are rather easy to eat. I am recuperating nicely, I can

pretty much feel the entire left side of my tongue with just a

slightly reduced sensation, the right side is not coming along as

well though. My chin is a little prickly at times, and the sensation

is coming back in a sort of shrinking circle - the area that is numb

on my chin is smaller now. I have resorted to growing a goatee

however. Electric razors are for the birds and its just too weird to

shave my dead chin with a mach 3.

The swelling seems to have plateaued in its reduction. The right

side is pretty much down (I mean, its a little puffy but its barely

noticeable) and the left side (which has always been more swollen) is

still a bit chipmunk-like. My surgeon said use hot compresses, and

while they feel pretty good, I don't think the swelling is really

going down much anymore. I guess its just a matter of time now.

Luckily most of the swelling has gone down in my neck and I no longer

look like I have Down's Syndrome. I joked with friends that trisomy

21 was an unfortunate side effect of this procedure.

I have exams this upcoming week, so I really need to focus on those

and stop worrying about what may or may not be wrong with my

surgery. Thanks all for the advice and comments, especially

regarding my tongue, I was afraid something totally weird happened.

I can already feel quite a bit of tingling in that area of my tongue,

so hopefully the sensation will come back soon.

Thanks again all.

> > Last Thursday I had my BSSO to correct mandibular prognathism.

> I've

> > been dealing with orthodonics for the past 16 months trying to

get

> > prepared for it, which is too bad since I already had braces when

> I

> > was younger. First, some background on me:

> >

> > Condition: Mandibular prognathism (underbite) of only a few

> > millimeters. The malocclusion wasn't bad, but it was bad enough

> that

> > I wanted to get it fixed, as I'm a narcissist.

> > Age: 21 Sex: M

> > Physical condition: Very good, college athlete

> >

> > So I had surgery, performed by Basil A. Schiff in Vienna, VA. He

> > assured me the surgery was routine and recovery for someone my

age

> in

> > great physical condition would be swift.

> >

> > Following the surgery I was told it went great and blood loss was

> > minimal. Swelling, of course, was very bad, even though my

> bleeding

> > was minimal and the jaw movement wasn't too severe. I still have

> > some swelling in the actual area, but it has gone down

> considerably

> > and I just have some chipmunk-cheek effects. I had very little

> pain

> > and took no pain medication after I left the hospital.

> >

> > Now, the numbness. My bottom lip and chin are numb, although I

> have

> > pins and needles in both. My bottom gums are numb, no tingling,

> but

> > who cares. This is normal, I know. But I also have some

numbness

> on

> > the left tip of my TONGUE. I do not think this is normal. Its a

> bit

> > tingly, but its definitely numb. Before surgery, I figured I

> could

> > live without feeling in my chin and lip (and definitely my

gums).

> > But my tongue? No way. Has anyone else experienced this? Is it

> > cause for concern?

> >

> > Now, my occlusion. Its not fixed. Actually I have an overbite

> now,

> > I'd say by at least 1mm. My bottom teeth are clearly too far

> behind

> > my top when I smile. My bite feels worse than before. What's

> going

> > on here? My doctor said there was a bit of overcorrection

because

> he

> > said there is always some relapse and he was allowing for that.

> My

> > jaw doesn't seem to be moving though. If I have went through all

> > this pain, discomfort, and fear and now I am not even going to

> have a

> > proper bite, I will be angry to say the least.

> >

> > So overall, I'm fine. I worked out in the gym the other day,

went

> > light of course, but I can't just sit around the house. I have a

> ton

> > of energy. What I recommend for everyone is to invest in a big

> tub

> > of whey protein powder, from your local health store. During

> > recovery you should consume 1g of protein per pound of body

> weight,

> > and without a protein supplement you are NOT going to be able to

> do

> > this. Aside from ~200g protein daily, I drink a glass of V8,

take

> a

> > multivitamin (high potency, with extra vitamin c), and supplement

> > with fish oil for essential fatty acids (also instrumental in

> > recovery). The past few days I've been eating soup as well,

> canned

> > spinach, and oatmeal. Tomorrow I'm finally going on a date with

> my

> > girlfriend to see a movie and go to dinner - they better have

good

> > soup!

> >

> > So while I have some concerns, I am thinking it is probably too

> early

> > in my recovery to freak out. Any comments or advice are

> appreciated.