Re: SARA: Made it back alive and well

[Guest guest]

Hi Sara!!!

Nice to be on this side! And guess what ensure doesn't suck!

LOL it is my first one today...go figure!

Thank god because I had

to spend the whole night in the recovering unit

=oh that's not relaxing at all, I was lucky to get a private suite

if I wasn't in pain it could have been a hotel...minus the shots in

the bum...

My lower jaw swung right into place

perfectly. My mouth is now banded shut with only two VERY tight

elastic

=me too, I got a triangle shape though...I am told more elastics to

come later.

When I woke up post-surgery I still had the nasal gastric tube in my

nose. Let me tell all you pre-oppers this. This tube is your friend

even if it looks grosse!

=lol and feels sorta itchy, I am blood swallowing queen having also

had my sinus polyps all scraped out its been nose bleed city.

Ah yes, the catherer. Well I had two. One in my arm

and one for down there, you know where.

=what was the arm one for or do you mean IV?

it took less than 3 seconds and didn't hurt at all. It

also did not hurt after to go the the bathroom. Sorry about the

details.

=lol yeah people dread the catheter but its such a relief vs trying

to get onto a bedpan in recovery!

The catherer in my arm on the other hand hurt like hell.

=my guy went for 4 then tried to cover up his really messy one with

a huge bandaid - lol like what do they expect nothing to drink and I

am breastfeeding of course they are going to hunt for a vien..

" there's no reason it should be hurting you, " and

promptly went back to her desk to gossip with her colleague.

=lol nurse ratchet!

As soon as I woke up this

mroning I remembered to do my breathing exercises and to cough as

much as possible.

=what were you told? I was told 3 deep breaths then cough.

I got a tonne of phlegm and blood still.

I was out of surgery at 11am, and I have to say I have not bruised

as much as with the bsso...I am a little chubby and retaining water

but...all in all okay.

My lips are wider and my nose is

also slightly wider. I'm still not sure I like what I see but I've

decided not to make any final judgements for at least 3 weeks.

=good thinking, the nose and lips is part of the swelling, your lips

will look so thin in 3 weeks bye bye laura croft!

Well, that's enough of my rambling for now. Throughout the whole

procedure I kept on saying to myself, oh I need to tell the group

about this. It was a huge comfort.

=lol my mom can't understand why I needed to hop online not

just 'rest'...

Well i just took some 24 hour pictures myself to add to the bunch.

When my father took my first surgery post op pictures I would have

told him to f-off if I could have made the F noise. But now I

really like seeing how far I have come...its so weird so weird

having teeth that touch!

SHiloh

[Guest guest]

sara!

i'm so glad to hear from you and know all went well! and if i could

meet those nurses, i give them a piece of my mind...well at lease for

the next 24hrs! i can't wait to see your pics. keep up the good

spirits and i'm sure i'll talk to you tomorrow!

-becky

[Guest guest]

Congradulations Sara!!! Let me just tell you what a relief it was

to read your detailed summary. It really calmed my nerves a lot. I

went for my last appointment with my surgeon today and then over to

the hospital for my pre-op testing (which didnt happen..but I will

explain in my next post!). I am now done with all appointments and

doctors until my surgery in 6 days!!! AHHHH! I was really getting

nervous about the whole thing after going to the hospital today but

reading your post was definitely good for me. Hope your recovery

stays just as well for you.

~~

> Hi all, this is my first post post-op. Well I survived surgery amd

made

> it back home in record time! Surgery started at 1pm yesterday and

ended

> at 6:30pm and I was back home today by 2:30pm. Thank god because I

had

> to spend the whole night in the recovering unit as there were no

beds

> left in LIJ hospital. What's more they put me in the mens section

in

> the recovering unit which wouldn't have been so bad if the guy

next

> door to me hadn't insisted on telling jokes all night, ones that I

did

> not find amusing:-( On the plus side it meant that I had a nurse

> checking in one me pretty much every hour which was reassuring.

>

> Surgery details: I had an upper leforte 1. My palet was dissected

into

> three pieces and expanded. I can feel a little cut in the middle

of my

> palet from where they cut it but it has already started healing

which

> is good news. They removed only my two upper bicuspids and not my

three

> wisdom teeth as my doctors claimed I would have been in major pain

> today. My upper jaw was moved up and they removed a piece of bone

above

> my gum line to allow for this. My lower jaw swung right into place

> perfectly. My mouth is now banded shut with only two VERY tight

elastic

> bands which actually feel like four bands because they are wrapped

> around my hooks in a box shape. I have a splint which by the looks

of

> it is not that big but boy does it feel clunky. Eating, or rather

> getting liquids in, as well as talking is proving a nightmare but

I am

> confident I will get there eventually.

>

> When I woke up post-surgery I still had the nasal gastric tube in

my

> nose. Let me tell all you pre-oppers this. This tube is your

friend

> even if it looks grosse! I had a lot of blood in my stomach and

thanks

> to this tube I was able to get all the blood out of my stomach and

not

> vomit once. It also helped me breathe very well. Surprisingly when

I

> woke up I was breathing totally from my nose without struggling.

A

> first for me as I am a mouth breather. When they removed the tube

it

> hurt a little but nothing major. Unfortunately my sinuses are very

sore

> right now. I am using ice packs to desensitize them and it seems

to be

> working. What else. Ah yes, the catherer. Well I had two. One in

my arm

> and one for down there, you know where. The 'toilet' catherer I

was

> very thankful for because there is no way I would have been able

to get

> up to go to the bathroom until this morning. I was already asleep

when

> they put the catherer in so no embarassment there. When they took

out

> the catherer it took less than 3 seconds and didn't hurt at all.

It

> also did not hurt after to go the the bathroom. Sorry about the

details.

>

> The catherer in my arm on the other hand hurt like hell.

Unfortunately

> this catherer is essential because this is where they administered

my

> IV. I know from previous operations that this catherer has always

hurt

> me at times but today it really hurt bad! Unfortunately it was the

> first time my mother left me on my own for 30 mins post-surgery.

She

> left me in the recovering unit under the supposed watchful eye of

the

> nurses. The problem was that suddenly the catherer and IV started

to

> really hurt. SO much so that I started crying. A first throughout

the

> whole surgery procedure. NO ONE NOTICED or they chose to ignore me

> which got me even more frustrated and I suspect worsened the pain

in my

> mind. I had to start waving my other arm and bang the side of the

bed

> with my wipe-board to get someones attention. Eventually a nurse

came

> over and said, " there's no reason it should be hurting you, " and

> promptly went back to her desk to gossip with her colleague. Such

was

> my first encounter with not being able to talk back clearly and

tell

> someone to shove it up you know where. Eventually my nurse showed

up

> and blocked the IV.

>

> That I have to say was my only bad surgery experience. I was up

and

> walking as of this morning at 8am. I had my last morphine shot at

5am

> this morning. The next pain killer dose I took was this evening at

6pm

> once I was at home. This was tylenol and codene which put me

nicely to

> sleep. I've not in major pain. More than anything it's my sinuses

and

> my joints feel really stiff, as if they are being forced into

their new

> position which is exactly what's happening. As soon as I woke up

this

> mroning I remembered to do my breathing exercises and to cough as

much

> as possible. I had quite a bit of phlem built up in my lungs from

the

> anesthesia but nothing to worry about. I have to say, taking deep

> breaths and walking around the ward, as well as going to the

bathroom

> did a lot for me not just physically in terms of getting the

anethesia

> out of my system but also in terms of my mental state. I felt

better

> and positive about my recovery.

>

> Doctor Scwartz came in to see me this morning at 8am and removed

my

> bandages that were wrapped around my head. He was amazed by how

little

> swelling I had. In fact, Dr Sachs who came in to see right before

I was

> discharged at 1:30pm and all the nurses kept on saying that I

looked

> amazing for someone who just had a leforte. I put it down to the

arnica

> pills I took on Sunday night and the MLD massage I had. I still

think I

> look swollen and I'm sure it will get worse over the next 48 hours

but

> at least I haven't bruised badly immediately. I'll post a post-op

24

> hour picture for all of you.

>

> The weirdest part has been getting used to the new me. First of

all I

> hav a chin, which is really weird. My lips are wider and my nose

is

> also slightly wider. I'm still not sure I like what I see but I've

> decided not to make any final judgements for at least 3 weeks.

>

> Well, that's enough of my rambling for now. Throughout the whole

> procedure I kept on saying to myself, oh I need to tell the group

about

> this. It was a huge comfort. And I can honestly say now from the

other

> side that while not one of the most enjoyable activities I have

ever

> been through, the surgery is not that bad. The best part was

getting it

> over with. Now I'm going to go through the other posts to see how

> Shiloh and Jae did and to see how Jen and Becky are getting along

in

> preparing for their surgery.

>

> It's good to be back.

>

> Sara

[Guest guest]

Welcome back Sara! I am so glad to read how well things went for you!

Thank you for going over your experience in detail, it is really

helping me cope with what may happen tomorrow (actually today, as it's

past midnight - eek!). Keep resting and I'll be looking forward to

meeting you on the other side shortly!!

Happy healing

> Hi all, this is my first post post-op. Well I survived surgery amd

made

> it back home in record time! Surgery started at 1pm yesterday and

ended

> at 6:30pm and I was back home today by 2:30pm. Thank god because I

had

> to spend the whole night in the recovering unit as there were no

beds

> left in LIJ hospital. What's more they put me in the mens section

in

> the recovering unit which wouldn't have been so bad if the guy next

> door to me hadn't insisted on telling jokes all night, ones that I

did

> not find amusing:-( On the plus side it meant that I had a nurse

> checking in one me pretty much every hour which was reassuring.

>

> Surgery details: I had an upper leforte 1. My palet was dissected

into

> three pieces and expanded. I can feel a little cut in the middle of

my

> palet from where they cut it but it has already started healing

which

> is good news. They removed only my two upper bicuspids and not my

three

> wisdom teeth as my doctors claimed I would have been in major pain

> today. My upper jaw was moved up and they removed a piece of bone

above

> my gum line to allow for this. My lower jaw swung right into place

> perfectly. My mouth is now banded shut with only two VERY tight

elastic

> bands which actually feel like four bands because they are wrapped

> around my hooks in a box shape. I have a splint which by the looks

of

> it is not that big but boy does it feel clunky. Eating, or rather

> getting liquids in, as well as talking is proving a nightmare but I

am

> confident I will get there eventually.

>

> When I woke up post-surgery I still had the nasal gastric tube in

my

> nose. Let me tell all you pre-oppers this. This tube is your friend

> even if it looks grosse! I had a lot of blood in my stomach and

thanks

> to this tube I was able to get all the blood out of my stomach and

not

> vomit once. It also helped me breathe very well. Surprisingly when

I

> woke up I was breathing totally from my nose without struggling. A

> first for me as I am a mouth breather. When they removed the tube

it

> hurt a little but nothing major. Unfortunately my sinuses are very

sore

> right now. I am using ice packs to desensitize them and it seems to

be

> working. What else. Ah yes, the catherer. Well I had two. One in my

arm

> and one for down there, you know where. The 'toilet' catherer I was

> very thankful for because there is no way I would have been able to

get

> up to go to the bathroom until this morning. I was already asleep

when

> they put the catherer in so no embarassment there. When they took

out

> the catherer it took less than 3 seconds and didn't hurt at all. It

> also did not hurt after to go the the bathroom. Sorry about the

details.

>

> The catherer in my arm on the other hand hurt like hell.

Unfortunately

> this catherer is essential because this is where they administered

my

> IV. I know from previous operations that this catherer has always

hurt

> me at times but today it really hurt bad! Unfortunately it was the

> first time my mother left me on my own for 30 mins post-surgery.

She

> left me in the recovering unit under the supposed watchful eye of

the

> nurses. The problem was that suddenly the catherer and IV started

to

> really hurt. SO much so that I started crying. A first throughout

the

> whole surgery procedure. NO ONE NOTICED or they chose to ignore me

> which got me even more frustrated and I suspect worsened the pain

in my

> mind. I had to start waving my other arm and bang the side of the

bed

> with my wipe-board to get someones attention. Eventually a nurse

came

> over and said, " there's no reason it should be hurting you, " and

> promptly went back to her desk to gossip with her colleague. Such

was

> my first encounter with not being able to talk back clearly and

tell

> someone to shove it up you know where. Eventually my nurse showed

up

> and blocked the IV.

>

> That I have to say was my only bad surgery experience. I was up and

> walking as of this morning at 8am. I had my last morphine shot at

5am

> this morning. The next pain killer dose I took was this evening at

6pm

> once I was at home. This was tylenol and codene which put me nicely

to

> sleep. I've not in major pain. More than anything it's my sinuses

and

> my joints feel really stiff, as if they are being forced into their

new

> position which is exactly what's happening. As soon as I woke up

this

> mroning I remembered to do my breathing exercises and to cough as

much

> as possible. I had quite a bit of phlem built up in my lungs from

the

> anesthesia but nothing to worry about. I have to say, taking deep

> breaths and walking around the ward, as well as going to the

bathroom

> did a lot for me not just physically in terms of getting the

anethesia

> out of my system but also in terms of my mental state. I felt

better

> and positive about my recovery.

>

> Doctor Scwartz came in to see me this morning at 8am and removed my

> bandages that were wrapped around my head. He was amazed by how

little

> swelling I had. In fact, Dr Sachs who came in to see right before I

was

> discharged at 1:30pm and all the nurses kept on saying that I

looked

> amazing for someone who just had a leforte. I put it down to the

arnica

> pills I took on Sunday night and the MLD massage I had. I still

think I

> look swollen and I'm sure it will get worse over the next 48 hours

but

> at least I haven't bruised badly immediately. I'll post a post-op

24

> hour picture for all of you.

>

> The weirdest part has been getting used to the new me. First of all

I

> hav a chin, which is really weird. My lips are wider and my nose is

> also slightly wider. I'm still not sure I like what I see but I've

> decided not to make any final judgements for at least 3 weeks.

>

> Well, that's enough of my rambling for now. Throughout the whole

> procedure I kept on saying to myself, oh I need to tell the group

about

> this. It was a huge comfort. And I can honestly say now from the

other

> side that while not one of the most enjoyable activities I have

ever

> been through, the surgery is not that bad. The best part was

getting it

> over with. Now I'm going to go through the other posts to see how

> Shiloh and Jae did and to see how Jen and Becky are getting along

in

> preparing for their surgery.

>

> It's good to be back.

>

> Sara

[Guest guest]

Congratulations on getting through your surgery Sara!

Your catheter story made me cringe and wince a little,

I'm scared of needles, but I hope I'll have

hypnotherapy before then to calm me down about all

this. (Well, let's face it, I have two years to

prepare!!!)

Well done Sara, an inspiring email indeed!

[Guest guest]

mmmmm.. .. i loved that post Sara. i really enjoyed all the positivity

woven into those sentences. it's the only way to get through a surgery like

that.

i'm really glad that the swelling was not that severe immediately after the

surgery. in my opinion, a person going into the surgery who is doing a lot

of physical expercise or at least some exercise is at an advantage because

their body's are already used to moving bodily fluids efficiently. good

circulation is vital to a rapid recovery.

well. .. keep up the good spirits, and get out of the house as soon as you

have the energy to do so. fresh morning and evening air is soooo soothing.

goooooooo SARA!

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<DIV><FONT face= " Lucida Handwriting, Cursive "

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<DIV>

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<br><br><br> & gt;From: & quot;Sara & quot;

& lt;sararegine@... & gt;<br> & gt;Reply-To:

orthognathicsurgerysupport <br> & gt;To:

orthognathicsurgerysupport <br> & gt;Subject: [Orthognathic

Surgery Support ] SARA: Made it back alive and well<br> & gt;Date: Wed, 08

Jun 2005 02:49:04 -0000<br> & gt;<br> & gt;Hi all, this is my first post

post-op. Well I survived surgery amd made<br> & gt;it back home in record

time! Surgery started at 1pm yesterday and ended<br> & gt;at 6:30pm and I was

back home today by 2:30pm. Thank god because I had<br> & gt;to spend the whole

night in the recovering unit as there were no beds<br> & gt;left in LIJ

hospital. What's more they put me in the mens section in<br> & gt;the

recovering unit which wouldn't have been so bad if the guy next<br> & gt;door

to me hadn't insisted on telling jokes all night, ones that I did<br> & gt;not

find amusing:-( On the plus side it meant that I had a nurse<br> & gt;checking

in one me pretty much every hour which was

reassuring.<br> & gt;<br> & gt;Surgery details: I had an upper leforte 1. My

palet was dissected into<br> & gt;three pieces and expanded. I can feel a

little cut in the middle of my<br> & gt;palet from where they cut it but it

has already started healing which<br> & gt;is good news. They removed only my

two upper bicuspids and not my three<br> & gt;wisdom teeth as my doctors

claimed I would have been in major pain<br> & gt;today. My upper jaw was moved

up and they removed a piece of bone above<br> & gt;my gum line to allow for

this. My lower jaw swung right into place<br> & gt;perfectly. My mouth is now

banded shut with only two VERY tight elastic<br> & gt;bands which actually

feel like four bands because they are wrapped<br> & gt;around my hooks in a

box shape. I have a splint which by the looks of<br> & gt;it is not that big

but boy does it feel clunky. Eating, or rather<br> & gt;getting liquids in, as

well as talking is proving a nightmare but I am<br> & gt;confident I will get

there eventually.<br> & gt;<br> & gt;When I woke up post-surgery I still had the

nasal gastric tube in my<br> & gt;nose. Let me tell all you pre-oppers this.

This tube is your friend<br> & gt;even if it looks grosse! I had a lot of

blood in my stomach and thanks<br> & gt;to this tube I was able to get all the

blood out of my stomach and not<br> & gt;vomit once. It also helped me breathe

very well. Surprisingly when I<br> & gt;woke up I was breathing totally from

my nose without struggling. A<br> & gt;first for me as I am a mouth breather.

When they removed the tube it<br> & gt;hurt a little but nothing major.

Unfortunately my sinuses are very sore<br> & gt;right now. I am using ice

packs to desensitize them and it seems to be<br> & gt;working. What else. Ah

yes, the catherer. Well I had two. One in my arm<br> & gt;and one for down

there, you know where. The 'toilet' catherer I was<br> & gt;very thankful for

because there is no way I would have been able to get<br> & gt;up to go to the

bathroom until this morning. I was already asleep when<br> & gt;they put the

catherer in so no embarassment there. When they took out<br> & gt;the catherer

it took less than 3 seconds and didn't hurt at all. It<br> & gt;also did not

hurt after to go the the bathroom. Sorry about the

details.<br> & gt;<br> & gt;The catherer in my arm on the other hand hurt like

hell. Unfortunately<br> & gt;this catherer is essential because this is where

they administered my<br> & gt;IV. I know from previous operations that this

catherer has always hurt<br> & gt;me at times but today it really hurt bad!

Unfortunately it was the<br> & gt;first time my mother left me on my own for

30 mins post-surgery. She<br> & gt;left me in the recovering unit under the

supposed watchful eye of the<br> & gt;nurses. The problem was that suddenly

the catherer and IV started to<br> & gt;really hurt. SO much so that I started

crying. A first throughout the<br> & gt;whole surgery procedure. NO ONE

NOTICED or they chose to ignore me<br> & gt;which got me even more frustrated

and I suspect worsened the pain in my<br> & gt;mind. I had to start waving my

other arm and bang the side of the bed<br> & gt;with my wipe-board to get

someones attention. Eventually a nurse came<br> & gt;over and said,

& quot;there's no reason it should be hurting you, & quot; and<br> & gt;promptly

went back to her desk to gossip with her colleague. Such was<br> & gt;my first

encounter with not being able to talk back clearly and tell<br> & gt;someone

to shove it up you know where. Eventually my nurse showed up<br> & gt;and

blocked the IV.<br> & gt;<br> & gt;That I have to say was my only bad surgery

experience. I was up and<br> & gt;walking as of this morning at 8am. I had my

last morphine shot at 5am<br> & gt;this morning. The next pain killer dose I

took was this evening at 6pm<br> & gt;once I was at home. This was tylenol and

codene which put me nicely to<br> & gt;sleep. I've not in major pain. More

than anything it's my sinuses and<br> & gt;my joints feel really stiff, as if

they are being forced into their new<br> & gt;position which is exactly what's

happening. As soon as I woke up this<br> & gt;mroning I remembered to do my

breathing exercises and to cough as much<br> & gt;as possible. I had quite a

bit of phlem built up in my lungs from the<br> & gt;anesthesia but nothing to

worry about. I have to say, taking deep<br> & gt;breaths and walking around

the ward, as well as going to the bathroom<br> & gt;did a lot for me not just

physically in terms of getting the anethesia<br> & gt;out of my system but

also in terms of my mental state. I felt better<br> & gt;and positive about my

recovery.<br> & gt;<br> & gt;Doctor Scwartz came in to see me this morning at

8am and removed my<br> & gt;bandages that were wrapped around my head. He was

amazed by how little<br> & gt;swelling I had. In fact, Dr Sachs who came in to

see right before I was<br> & gt;discharged at 1:30pm and all the nurses kept

on saying that I looked<br> & gt;amazing for someone who just had a leforte. I

put it down to the arnica<br> & gt;pills I took on Sunday night and the MLD

massage I had. I still think I<br> & gt;look swollen and I'm sure it will get

worse over the next 48 hours but<br> & gt;at least I haven't bruised badly

immediately. I'll post a post-op 24<br> & gt;hour picture for all of

you.<br> & gt;<br> & gt;The weirdest part has been getting used to the new me.

First of all I<br> & gt;hav a chin, which is really weird. My lips are wider

and my nose is<br> & gt;also slightly wider. I'm still not sure I like what I

see but I've<br> & gt;decided not to make any final judgements for at least 3

weeks.<br> & gt;<br> & gt;Well, that's enough of my rambling for now. Throughout

the whole<br> & gt;procedure I kept on saying to myself, oh I need to tell the

group about<br> & gt;this. It was a huge comfort. And I can honestly say now

from the other<br> & gt;side that while not one of the most enjoyable

activities I have ever<br> & gt;been through, the surgery is not that bad. The

best part was getting it<br> & gt;over with. Now I'm going to go through the

other posts to see how<br> & gt;Shiloh and Jae did and to see how Jen and

Becky are getting along in<br> & gt;preparing for their

surgery.<br> & gt;<br> & gt;It's good to be

back.<br> & gt;<br> & gt;Sara<br> & gt;<br> & gt;<br> & gt;<br> & gt;<br>

[Guest guest]

Sara,

Welcome home!!! I'm glad that things went really well (all except

for your arm waving/banging IV incident) and that you are home

recovering with Mom's support!

You know, I tried to send you flowers. But on Monday they wouldn't

deliver them 'cause you were in recovery for SO long and on Tuesday

by the time they tried ... you were gone!

So, just pretend you got a pretty basket of daisies, okay?

Keep in touch and let us know how things go.

Again ... welcome back!!! Hugs,

Carol

> Hi all, this is my first post post-op. Well I survived surgery amd

made

> it back home in record time! Surgery started at 1pm yesterday and

ended

> at 6:30pm and I was back home today by 2:30pm. Thank god because I

had

> to spend the whole night in the recovering unit as there were no

beds

> left in LIJ hospital. What's more they put me in the mens section

in

> the recovering unit which wouldn't have been so bad if the guy next

> door to me hadn't insisted on telling jokes all night, ones that I

did

> not find amusing:-( On the plus side it meant that I had a nurse

> checking in one me pretty much every hour which was reassuring.

>

> Surgery details: I had an upper leforte 1. My palet was dissected

into

> three pieces and expanded. I can feel a little cut in the middle of

my

> palet from where they cut it but it has already started healing

which

> is good news. They removed only my two upper bicuspids and not my

three

> wisdom teeth as my doctors claimed I would have been in major pain

> today. My upper jaw was moved up and they removed a piece of bone

above

> my gum line to allow for this. My lower jaw swung right into place

> perfectly. My mouth is now banded shut with only two VERY tight

elastic

> bands which actually feel like four bands because they are wrapped

> around my hooks in a box shape. I have a splint which by the looks

of

> it is not that big but boy does it feel clunky. Eating, or rather

> getting liquids in, as well as talking is proving a nightmare but I

am

> confident I will get there eventually.

>

> When I woke up post-surgery I still had the nasal gastric tube in

my

> nose. Let me tell all you pre-oppers this. This tube is your friend

> even if it looks grosse! I had a lot of blood in my stomach and

thanks

> to this tube I was able to get all the blood out of my stomach and

not

> vomit once. It also helped me breathe very well. Surprisingly when

I

> woke up I was breathing totally from my nose without struggling. A

> first for me as I am a mouth breather. When they removed the tube

it

> hurt a little but nothing major. Unfortunately my sinuses are very

sore

> right now. I am using ice packs to desensitize them and it seems to

be

> working. What else. Ah yes, the catherer. Well I had two. One in my

arm

> and one for down there, you know where. The 'toilet' catherer I was

> very thankful for because there is no way I would have been able to

get

> up to go to the bathroom until this morning. I was already asleep

when

> they put the catherer in so no embarassment there. When they took

out

> the catherer it took less than 3 seconds and didn't hurt at all. It

> also did not hurt after to go the the bathroom. Sorry about the

details.

>

> The catherer in my arm on the other hand hurt like hell.

Unfortunately

> this catherer is essential because this is where they administered

my

> IV. I know from previous operations that this catherer has always

hurt

> me at times but today it really hurt bad! Unfortunately it was the

> first time my mother left me on my own for 30 mins post-surgery.

She

> left me in the recovering unit under the supposed watchful eye of

the

> nurses. The problem was that suddenly the catherer and IV started

to

> really hurt. SO much so that I started crying. A first throughout

the

> whole surgery procedure. NO ONE NOTICED or they chose to ignore me

> which got me even more frustrated and I suspect worsened the pain

in my

> mind. I had to start waving my other arm and bang the side of the

bed

> with my wipe-board to get someones attention. Eventually a nurse

came

> over and said, " there's no reason it should be hurting you, " and

> promptly went back to her desk to gossip with her colleague. Such

was

> my first encounter with not being able to talk back clearly and

tell

> someone to shove it up you know where. Eventually my nurse showed

up

> and blocked the IV.

>

> That I have to say was my only bad surgery experience. I was up and

> walking as of this morning at 8am. I had my last morphine shot at

5am

> this morning. The next pain killer dose I took was this evening at

6pm

> once I was at home. This was tylenol and codene which put me nicely

to

> sleep. I've not in major pain. More than anything it's my sinuses

and

> my joints feel really stiff, as if they are being forced into their

new

> position which is exactly what's happening. As soon as I woke up

this

> mroning I remembered to do my breathing exercises and to cough as

much

> as possible. I had quite a bit of phlem built up in my lungs from

the

> anesthesia but nothing to worry about. I have to say, taking deep

> breaths and walking around the ward, as well as going to the

bathroom

> did a lot for me not just physically in terms of getting the

anethesia

> out of my system but also in terms of my mental state. I felt

better

> and positive about my recovery.

>

> Doctor Scwartz came in to see me this morning at 8am and removed my

> bandages that were wrapped around my head. He was amazed by how

little

> swelling I had. In fact, Dr Sachs who came in to see right before I

was

> discharged at 1:30pm and all the nurses kept on saying that I

looked

> amazing for someone who just had a leforte. I put it down to the

arnica

> pills I took on Sunday night and the MLD massage I had. I still

think I

> look swollen and I'm sure it will get worse over the next 48 hours

but

> at least I haven't bruised badly immediately. I'll post a post-op

24

> hour picture for all of you.

>

> The weirdest part has been getting used to the new me. First of all

I

> hav a chin, which is really weird. My lips are wider and my nose is

> also slightly wider. I'm still not sure I like what I see but I've

> decided not to make any final judgements for at least 3 weeks.

>

> Well, that's enough of my rambling for now. Throughout the whole

> procedure I kept on saying to myself, oh I need to tell the group

about

> this. It was a huge comfort. And I can honestly say now from the

other

> side that while not one of the most enjoyable activities I have

ever

> been through, the surgery is not that bad. The best part was

getting it

> over with. Now I'm going to go through the other posts to see how

> Shiloh and Jae did and to see how Jen and Becky are getting along

in

> preparing for their surgery.

>

> It's good to be back.

>

> Sara

[Guest guest]

Hi Sara,

What a great and detailed post! Thank you for such a complete

report. I am glad you are feeling so well too. I am really happy

for you. Will watch for your updates too. I hope the swelling

stays within your comfort range too.

Fran

--In orthognathicsurgerysupport , " Sara "

<sararegine@a...> wrote:

> Hi all, this is my first post post-op. Well I survived surgery amd

made

> it back home in record time! Surgery started at 1pm yesterday and

ended

> at 6:30pm and I was back home today by 2:30pm. Thank god because I

had

> to spend the whole night in the recovering unit as there were no

beds

> left in LIJ hospital. What's more they put me in the mens section

in

> the recovering unit which wouldn't have been so bad if the guy

next

> door to me hadn't insisted on telling jokes all night, ones that I

did

> not find amusing:-( On the plus side it meant that I had a nurse

> checking in one me pretty much every hour which was reassuring.

>

> Surgery details: I had an upper leforte 1. My palet was dissected

into

> three pieces and expanded. I can feel a little cut in the middle

of my

> palet from where they cut it but it has already started healing

which

> is good news. They removed only my two upper bicuspids and not my

three

> wisdom teeth as my doctors claimed I would have been in major pain

> today. My upper jaw was moved up and they removed a piece of bone

above

> my gum line to allow for this. My lower jaw swung right into place

> perfectly. My mouth is now banded shut with only two VERY tight

elastic

> bands which actually feel like four bands because they are wrapped

> around my hooks in a box shape. I have a splint which by the looks

of

> it is not that big but boy does it feel clunky. Eating, or rather

> getting liquids in, as well as talking is proving a nightmare but

I am

> confident I will get there eventually.

>

> When I woke up post-surgery I still had the nasal gastric tube in

my

> nose. Let me tell all you pre-oppers this. This tube is your

friend

> even if it looks grosse! I had a lot of blood in my stomach and

thanks

> to this tube I was able to get all the blood out of my stomach and

not

> vomit once. It also helped me breathe very well. Surprisingly when

I

> woke up I was breathing totally from my nose without struggling.

A

> first for me as I am a mouth breather. When they removed the tube

it

> hurt a little but nothing major. Unfortunately my sinuses are very

sore

> right now. I am using ice packs to desensitize them and it seems

to be

> working. What else. Ah yes, the catherer. Well I had two. One in

my arm

> and one for down there, you know where. The 'toilet' catherer I

was

> very thankful for because there is no way I would have been able

to get

> up to go to the bathroom until this morning. I was already asleep

when

> they put the catherer in so no embarassment there. When they took

out

> the catherer it took less than 3 seconds and didn't hurt at all.

It

> also did not hurt after to go the the bathroom. Sorry about the

details.

>

> The catherer in my arm on the other hand hurt like hell.

Unfortunately

> this catherer is essential because this is where they administered

my

> IV. I know from previous operations that this catherer has always

hurt

> me at times but today it really hurt bad! Unfortunately it was the

> first time my mother left me on my own for 30 mins post-surgery.

She

> left me in the recovering unit under the supposed watchful eye of

the

> nurses. The problem was that suddenly the catherer and IV started

to

> really hurt. SO much so that I started crying. A first throughout

the

> whole surgery procedure. NO ONE NOTICED or they chose to ignore me

> which got me even more frustrated and I suspect worsened the pain

in my

> mind. I had to start waving my other arm and bang the side of the

bed

> with my wipe-board to get someones attention. Eventually a nurse

came

> over and said, " there's no reason it should be hurting you, " and

> promptly went back to her desk to gossip with her colleague. Such

was

> my first encounter with not being able to talk back clearly and

tell

> someone to shove it up you know where. Eventually my nurse showed

up

> and blocked the IV.

>

> That I have to say was my only bad surgery experience. I was up

and

> walking as of this morning at 8am. I had my last morphine shot at

5am

> this morning. The next pain killer dose I took was this evening at

6pm

> once I was at home. This was tylenol and codene which put me

nicely to

> sleep. I've not in major pain. More than anything it's my sinuses

and

> my joints feel really stiff, as if they are being forced into

their new

> position which is exactly what's happening. As soon as I woke up

this

> mroning I remembered to do my breathing exercises and to cough as

much

> as possible. I had quite a bit of phlem built up in my lungs from

the

> anesthesia but nothing to worry about. I have to say, taking deep

> breaths and walking around the ward, as well as going to the

bathroom

> did a lot for me not just physically in terms of getting the

anethesia

> out of my system but also in terms of my mental state. I felt

better

> and positive about my recovery.

>

> Doctor Scwartz came in to see me this morning at 8am and removed

my

> bandages that were wrapped around my head. He was amazed by how

little

> swelling I had. In fact, Dr Sachs who came in to see right before

I was

> discharged at 1:30pm and all the nurses kept on saying that I

looked

> amazing for someone who just had a leforte. I put it down to the

arnica

> pills I took on Sunday night and the MLD massage I had. I still

think I

> look swollen and I'm sure it will get worse over the next 48 hours

but

> at least I haven't bruised badly immediately. I'll post a post-op

24

> hour picture for all of you.

>

> The weirdest part has been getting used to the new me. First of

all I

> hav a chin, which is really weird. My lips are wider and my nose

is

> also slightly wider. I'm still not sure I like what I see but I've

> decided not to make any final judgements for at least 3 weeks.

>

> Well, that's enough of my rambling for now. Throughout the whole

> procedure I kept on saying to myself, oh I need to tell the group

about

> this. It was a huge comfort. And I can honestly say now from the

other

> side that while not one of the most enjoyable activities I have

ever

> been through, the surgery is not that bad. The best part was

getting it

> over with. Now I'm going to go through the other posts to see how

> Shiloh and Jae did and to see how Jen and Becky are getting along

in

> preparing for their surgery.

>

> It's good to be back.

>

> Sara

[Guest guest]

Hey Sara,

Glad you made it through ok, now it's my turn. Having upper, lower and genio

this Friday to treat my apnea. I hope I make it through ok.

Feel better!

Steve

lastingviolet wrote:

Welcome back Sara! I am so glad to read how well things went for you!

Thank you for going over your experience in detail, it is really

helping me cope with what may happen tomorrow (actually today, as it's

past midnight - eek!). Keep resting and I'll be looking forward to

meeting you on the other side shortly!!

Happy healing

> Hi all, this is my first post post-op. Well I survived surgery amd

made

> it back home in record time! Surgery started at 1pm yesterday and

ended

> at 6:30pm and I was back home today by 2:30pm. Thank god because I

had

> to spend the whole night in the recovering unit as there were no

beds

> left in LIJ hospital. What's more they put me in the mens section

in

> the recovering unit which wouldn't have been so bad if the guy next

> door to me hadn't insisted on telling jokes all night, ones that I

did

> not find amusing:-( On the plus side it meant that I had a nurse

> checking in one me pretty much every hour which was reassuring.

>

> Surgery details: I had an upper leforte 1. My palet was dissected

into

> three pieces and expanded. I can feel a little cut in the middle of

my

> palet from where they cut it but it has already started healing

which

> is good news. They removed only my two upper bicuspids and not my

three

> wisdom teeth as my doctors claimed I would have been in major pain

> today. My upper jaw was moved up and they removed a piece of bone

above

> my gum line to allow for this. My lower jaw swung right into place

> perfectly. My mouth is now banded shut with only two VERY tight

elastic

> bands which actually feel like four bands because they are wrapped

> around my hooks in a box shape. I have a splint which by the looks

of

> it is not that big but boy does it feel clunky. Eating, or rather

> getting liquids in, as well as talking is proving a nightmare but I

am

> confident I will get there eventually.

>

> When I woke up post-surgery I still had the nasal gastric tube in

my

> nose. Let me tell all you pre-oppers this. This tube is your friend

> even if it looks grosse! I had a lot of blood in my stomach and

thanks

> to this tube I was able to get all the blood out of my stomach and

not

> vomit once. It also helped me breathe very well. Surprisingly when

I

> woke up I was breathing totally from my nose without struggling. A

> first for me as I am a mouth breather. When they removed the tube

it

> hurt a little but nothing major. Unfortunately my sinuses are very

sore

> right now. I am using ice packs to desensitize them and it seems to

be

> working. What else. Ah yes, the catherer. Well I had two. One in my

arm

> and one for down there, you know where. The 'toilet' catherer I was

> very thankful for because there is no way I would have been able to

get

> up to go to the bathroom until this morning. I was already asleep

when

> they put the catherer in so no embarassment there. When they took

out

> the catherer it took less than 3 seconds and didn't hurt at all. It

> also did not hurt after to go the the bathroom. Sorry about the

details.

>

> The catherer in my arm on the other hand hurt like hell.

Unfortunately

> this catherer is essential because this is where they administered

my

> IV. I know from previous operations that this catherer has always

hurt

> me at times but today it really hurt bad! Unfortunately it was the

> first time my mother left me on my own for 30 mins post-surgery.

She

> left me in the recovering unit under the supposed watchful eye of

the

> nurses. The problem was that suddenly the catherer and IV started

to

> really hurt. SO much so that I started crying. A first throughout

the

> whole surgery procedure. NO ONE NOTICED or they chose to ignore me

> which got me even more frustrated and I suspect worsened the pain

in my

> mind. I had to start waving my other arm and bang the side of the

bed

> with my wipe-board to get someones attention. Eventually a nurse

came

> over and said, " there's no reason it should be hurting you, " and

> promptly went back to her desk to gossip with her colleague. Such

was

> my first encounter with not being able to talk back clearly and

tell

> someone to shove it up you know where. Eventually my nurse showed

up

> and blocked the IV.

>

> That I have to say was my only bad surgery experience. I was up and

> walking as of this morning at 8am. I had my last morphine shot at

5am

> this morning. The next pain killer dose I took was this evening at

6pm

> once I was at home. This was tylenol and codene which put me nicely

to

> sleep. I've not in major pain. More than anything it's my sinuses

and

> my joints feel really stiff, as if they are being forced into their

new

> position which is exactly what's happening. As soon as I woke up

this

> mroning I remembered to do my breathing exercises and to cough as

much

> as possible. I had quite a bit of phlem built up in my lungs from

the

> anesthesia but nothing to worry about. I have to say, taking deep

> breaths and walking around the ward, as well as going to the

bathroom

> did a lot for me not just physically in terms of getting the

anethesia

> out of my system but also in terms of my mental state. I felt

better

> and positive about my recovery.

>

> Doctor Scwartz came in to see me this morning at 8am and removed my

> bandages that were wrapped around my head. He was amazed by how

little

> swelling I had. In fact, Dr Sachs who came in to see right before I

was

> discharged at 1:30pm and all the nurses kept on saying that I

looked

> amazing for someone who just had a leforte. I put it down to the

arnica

> pills I took on Sunday night and the MLD massage I had. I still

think I

> look swollen and I'm sure it will get worse over the next 48 hours

but

> at least I haven't bruised badly immediately. I'll post a post-op

24

> hour picture for all of you.

>

> The weirdest part has been getting used to the new me. First of all

I

> hav a chin, which is really weird. My lips are wider and my nose is

> also slightly wider. I'm still not sure I like what I see but I've

> decided not to make any final judgements for at least 3 weeks.

>

> Well, that's enough of my rambling for now. Throughout the whole

> procedure I kept on saying to myself, oh I need to tell the group

about

> this. It was a huge comfort. And I can honestly say now from the

other

> side that while not one of the most enjoyable activities I have

ever

> been through, the surgery is not that bad. The best part was

getting it

> over with. Now I'm going to go through the other posts to see how

> Shiloh and Jae did and to see how Jen and Becky are getting along

in

> preparing for their surgery.

>

> It's good to be back.

>

> Sara

---------------------------------

[Guest guest]

Congratulations, Sara! - You have survived your surgery and it sounds

like you are coping with all the post-op stuff really well,

especially the challenge of eating. Glad to hear that you aren't too

swollen; it also sounds like you are in high spirits - that will help

your recovery progress right along. Take care! / Diane

> Hi all, this is my first post post-op. Well I survived surgery amd

made

> it back home in record time! Surgery started at 1pm yesterday and

ended

> at 6:30pm and I was back home today by 2:30pm. Thank god because I

had

> to spend the whole night in the recovering unit as there were no

beds

> left in LIJ hospital. What's more they put me in the mens section

in

> the recovering unit which wouldn't have been so bad if the guy next

> door to me hadn't insisted on telling jokes all night, ones that I

did

> not find amusing:-( On the plus side it meant that I had a nurse

> checking in one me pretty much every hour which was reassuring.

>

> Surgery details: I had an upper leforte 1. My palet was dissected

into

> three pieces and expanded. I can feel a little cut in the middle of

my

> palet from where they cut it but it has already started healing

which

> is good news. They removed only my two upper bicuspids and not my

three

> wisdom teeth as my doctors claimed I would have been in major pain

> today. My upper jaw was moved up and they removed a piece of bone

above

> my gum line to allow for this. My lower jaw swung right into place

> perfectly. My mouth is now banded shut with only two VERY tight

elastic

> bands which actually feel like four bands because they are wrapped

> around my hooks in a box shape. I have a splint which by the looks

of

> it is not that big but boy does it feel clunky. Eating, or rather

> getting liquids in, as well as talking is proving a nightmare but I

am

> confident I will get there eventually.

>

> When I woke up post-surgery I still had the nasal gastric tube in

my

> nose. Let me tell all you pre-oppers this. This tube is your friend

> even if it looks grosse! I had a lot of blood in my stomach and

thanks

> to this tube I was able to get all the blood out of my stomach and

not

> vomit once. It also helped me breathe very well. Surprisingly when

I

> woke up I was breathing totally from my nose without struggling. A

> first for me as I am a mouth breather. When they removed the tube

it

> hurt a little but nothing major. Unfortunately my sinuses are very

sore

> right now. I am using ice packs to desensitize them and it seems to

be

> working. What else. Ah yes, the catherer. Well I had two. One in my

arm

> and one for down there, you know where. The 'toilet' catherer I was

> very thankful for because there is no way I would have been able to

get

> up to go to the bathroom until this morning. I was already asleep

when

> they put the catherer in so no embarassment there. When they took

out

> the catherer it took less than 3 seconds and didn't hurt at all. It

> also did not hurt after to go the the bathroom. Sorry about the

details.

>

> The catherer in my arm on the other hand hurt like hell.

Unfortunately

> this catherer is essential because this is where they administered

my

> IV. I know from previous operations that this catherer has always

hurt

> me at times but today it really hurt bad! Unfortunately it was the

> first time my mother left me on my own for 30 mins post-surgery.

She

> left me in the recovering unit under the supposed watchful eye of

the

> nurses. The problem was that suddenly the catherer and IV started

to

> really hurt. SO much so that I started crying. A first throughout

the

> whole surgery procedure. NO ONE NOTICED or they chose to ignore me

> which got me even more frustrated and I suspect worsened the pain

in my

> mind. I had to start waving my other arm and bang the side of the

bed

> with my wipe-board to get someones attention. Eventually a nurse

came

> over and said, " there's no reason it should be hurting you, " and

> promptly went back to her desk to gossip with her colleague. Such

was

> my first encounter with not being able to talk back clearly and

tell

> someone to shove it up you know where. Eventually my nurse showed

up

> and blocked the IV.

>

> That I have to say was my only bad surgery experience. I was up and

> walking as of this morning at 8am. I had my last morphine shot at

5am

> this morning. The next pain killer dose I took was this evening at

6pm

> once I was at home. This was tylenol and codene which put me nicely

to

> sleep. I've not in major pain. More than anything it's my sinuses

and

> my joints feel really stiff, as if they are being forced into their

new

> position which is exactly what's happening. As soon as I woke up

this

> mroning I remembered to do my breathing exercises and to cough as

much

> as possible. I had quite a bit of phlem built up in my lungs from

the

> anesthesia but nothing to worry about. I have to say, taking deep

> breaths and walking around the ward, as well as going to the

bathroom

> did a lot for me not just physically in terms of getting the

anethesia

> out of my system but also in terms of my mental state. I felt

better

> and positive about my recovery.

>

> Doctor Scwartz came in to see me this morning at 8am and removed my

> bandages that were wrapped around my head. He was amazed by how

little

> swelling I had. In fact, Dr Sachs who came in to see right before I

was

> discharged at 1:30pm and all the nurses kept on saying that I

looked

> amazing for someone who just had a leforte. I put it down to the

arnica

> pills I took on Sunday night and the MLD massage I had. I still

think I

> look swollen and I'm sure it will get worse over the next 48 hours

but

> at least I haven't bruised badly immediately. I'll post a post-op

24

> hour picture for all of you.

>

> The weirdest part has been getting used to the new me. First of all

I

> hav a chin, which is really weird. My lips are wider and my nose is

> also slightly wider. I'm still not sure I like what I see but I've

> decided not to make any final judgements for at least 3 weeks.

>

> Well, that's enough of my rambling for now. Throughout the whole

> procedure I kept on saying to myself, oh I need to tell the group

about

> this. It was a huge comfort. And I can honestly say now from the

other

> side that while not one of the most enjoyable activities I have

ever

> been through, the surgery is not that bad. The best part was

getting it

> over with. Now I'm going to go through the other posts to see how

> Shiloh and Jae did and to see how Jen and Becky are getting along

in

> preparing for their surgery.

>

> It's good to be back.

>

> Sara