Subject: 4 months postop and joint pain to _mes

May 18, 2005

Hi . I remember reading your posts. I was 4 months post op

yesterday. I had upper, lower, genio. I have alot of stiffness and

soreness like you and joint pain on my left side that gives me

headaches that are hard to make go away. My surgeon tells me its

the muscles but I don't know, I had alot of joint pain on that side

prior to surgery so I am skeptical that it will go away. I wish it

would b/c it makes life hard as it is such a high pitch kind of like

pain and radiates to my head which gives me headaches. I still feel

like I am wearing this tight mask over my face. My chin area is

still numb so is my lower lip (parts though if I touch I get this

pain, major sensitivity in where if I touch one area I can feel it

radiate to another area, I don't know hard to explain). But every

time I swallow I feel the stiffness in my chin, lip area that is

annoying already. My opening is not that great, I still have

trouble putting a fork full of food in my mouth, have to remember to

only put a little bit on the fork. Was told to do exercises where

you move your mouth/jaw like side to side and it still is really

hard to do this, doesn't move all that much and is so stiff and

sore. I am now wearing 4 rubber bands (2 in the very front and 1 on

each side in the very back). Haven't gotten rid of the rubber bands

yet. Was down to 2 but at my last ortho visit last week she added 2

more. Seems like only my front teeth are touching when I bite

down,I have an open bite now in the back/sides. At first my ortho

put rubber bands on my back teeth to try and bring the teeth

together but that only made my front teeth open back up so then was

switched to bands on the front only and now she is trying them in

both positions so we'll see what happens. I look like a vampire

with the bands on the front teeth that is all you see when I smile

or talk. My ortho told me she has never seen anyone have it so

hard after surgery as I did (great thing to hear). She complains

about how jumpy I am at appts b/c I hurt and how I am not opening

enough and it is hard for them to do their work. Sorry can't help

it. I go to the dentist for my first cleaning since surgery. I am

scared to death. I still can't use my sonicare toothbrush so can't

imagine them poking and scraping and polishing my teeth or keeping

my mouth open that long. I have a hard time just flossing my front

teeth as my jaw starts to hurt and get tired. I hope I don't cry

and make a baby out of myself.

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