Re: Can someone who has survived this please help me calm down?

June 5, 2005

Hi ,

I'm still very much pre-op but I plan to have the same type of

surgery I hope I can offer some words of encouragement.

I'm sorry you're having such a hard time. I hope you're letting your

OS know about all of this. You don't want to get dehydrated, and lack

of sleep may slow healing. Are you drinking a lot of fluids? That may

help to dilute all of that blood if there's a lot down there. Did you

have an OK time while you were in the hospital? It's scary to think

they'd send you home if you weren't completely stable yet. Is there

anyone keeping an eye on you at home?

Please let us know that you're OK.

~Joanne

In orthognathicsurgerysupport , " treesaregivingup "

<treesaregivingup@y...> wrote:

> Hi guys, this is my first post and i'm 4 days post op. I had my

upper

> and lower done, to correct my open bite. Everyone on here seems to

be

> fine just a few days after, but i still feel like i'm dying. i'm

> running on no sleep and spent all night throwing up...i'm not sure

if

> it's because of the codeine, or all the blood i keep swallowing(do

> you guys just swallow the blood down? i have a hard time spitting

it

> between my teeth).. but has this happened to anyone else? i feel

like

> i can't breathe and I can't wait for my nose to stop being stuffy!

> how long does that usually take? also, did anyone have really bad

ear

> pain, and if so..do you have any tips? i feel a ton of pressure, as

> if i'm diving too deep under water. my os said it's common and goes

> hand in hand with my sinuses being plugged. sorry guys..my list of

> rants is endless, but i'm just going to throw everything out here

> because i've been going crazy the past couple of days. so back to

> ranting..everytime i wake up after dozing off, i panic because i

> forget my teeth are wired. i'm really having a hard time breathing

> through my mouth and i feel claustrophobic..(my os also said this

is

> common when closing and open bite? i'm not used to my teeth

touching)

> can someone please reassure me that this gets better? i try to stay

> calm but it's so easy to panic! i also stopped using the

> codeine..last dose was yesterday at noon. is this going to bite me

in

> the ass later? or is it okay to stop sooner than later? also, i'm

> having problems getting my ensure down...juice and broth are fine,

> but i feel like ensure is too thick and i hate that i can't brush

the

> inside of my teeth afterwards. sooo basically i'm probably making

way

> too big a deal about all of this....but if anyone can give me any

> tips or answers to my thousand questions, i would really appreciate

> it. good luck to everyone with surgery coming up! i'm not trying to

> scare anyone...it's all worth it in the end. that's what i have to

> keep telling myself! :] thanks guys. --katie

June 5, 2005

,

First of all, congrats for making it this far:-). I just got my

upper done 6 days ago, and I can tell you that today, day 6 is a

world better than day 4.

As far as the codiene goes, I get violently ill whenever I have taken

Tylenol 3 or Vicodin. Maybe your doctor can prescribe you darvocet

or percocet, those are easier on me at least, but they still have the

pain killing effect and take the edge off a little.

I'm still only sleeping like 4 hours a night, because of the

congestion and the fact that I now have a deviated septum, I wake

myself up snoring....yeah, it's that bad. My good nostril is slowly

unclogging, so hopefully the congestion will be getting out of the

way soon. I still have blood stuck in my sinuses, and the best thing

my surgeon said to deal with that was to drink plenty of water, even

if you don't want it.

You are not making too big of a deal out of this. It is a major

operation and it is very uncomfortable. I keep thanking my lucky

stars that I didn't have to be wired, so at least I can open a

little. Hang in there....it will get better. Hopefully a few days

from now, you can say that it was all worth it:-). Just take it hour

by hour if you have to....time will go on and you will feel better.

Hugs,

June 5, 2005

Hi ,

I had my open bite closed as well 2 months ago (upper and lower,

plus genio - photos under " Yann's orthognathic surgery " ) and I can

relate to how you're feeling.

Everyone recovers differently. Like said, you have to take

it an hour at a time, and sometimes a minute at a time. That's

where the patience comes in. One of the worst parts of this surgery

is just waiting for things to get better, minute by minute, hour by

hour. Keep telling yourself it'll get better the next day, because

it does once the swelling has peaked. I'm in Canada, so they kicked

me out of the crowded hospital the next morning. There are no IV

luxuries when you're home, so it's a heck of a lot of work just to

minimize the symptoms and get liquids in.

The average is 4 days of hell, followed by sudden improvements.

That's just an average though, so it might take you a few extra

days. The best thing you can do is to follow your OS's instructions

to the letter.

So onto the issues you mentioned:

- The codeine elixir made me nauseous too, so I switched to a

crushed Advil every 4 hours and that worked a LOT better for me (ask

your doctor). Your stomach is empty, so any strong medicine you

take will likely make you want to throw up. So keep taking liquids

(yes, it's a full-time job) and take dissolveable Gravol as soon as

you begin to feel nauseous, 'cause you need to keep the liquids down

if you want to heal.

- I had panic attacks as well. I didn't sleep for the first 3 full

days and nights at home. I was hallucinating and seriously began to

think I had become posessed. This to me, was the worst symptom of

all. I just wanted to sleep one hour without jumping awake every

single minute and panicking for no reason - I had no control over

the panic attacks. The loud noises, pops, and snaps in your mouth

are normal, and so is that claustrophobic feeling. Everything feels

exagerated in your mouth. The key is to not focus on it and remind

yourself that things will get better soon. You should ask your OS

for something to relax you, like Lorazepam, just so you can get some

sleep.

- You should dilute your Ensure with water. Everything feels much

thicker, tastes stronger, and is harder to swallow early post-op.

I'm glad you're drinking nutrients - keep challenging yourself and

you'll feel better.

Hang in there, - you should feel improvements any time now.

Just be patient, as difficult as that is to do right now. It seems

that things suddenly improve just when you're about to snap.

Yann

> Hi guys, this is my first post and i'm 4 days post op. I had my

upper

> and lower done, to correct my open bite. Everyone on here seems to

be

> fine just a few days after, but i still feel like i'm dying. i'm

> running on no sleep and spent all night throwing up...i'm not sure

if

> it's because of the codeine, or all the blood i keep swallowing(do

> you guys just swallow the blood down? i have a hard time spitting

it

> between my teeth).. but has this happened to anyone else? i feel

like

> i can't breathe and I can't wait for my nose to stop being stuffy!

> how long does that usually take? also, did anyone have really bad

ear

> pain, and if so..do you have any tips? i feel a ton of pressure,

as

> if i'm diving too deep under water. my os said it's common and

goes

> hand in hand with my sinuses being plugged. sorry guys..my list of

> rants is endless, but i'm just going to throw everything out here

> because i've been going crazy the past couple of days. so back to

> ranting..everytime i wake up after dozing off, i panic because i

> forget my teeth are wired. i'm really having a hard time breathing

> through my mouth and i feel claustrophobic..(my os also said this

is

> common when closing and open bite? i'm not used to my teeth

touching)

> can someone please reassure me that this gets better? i try to

stay

> calm but it's so easy to panic! i also stopped using the

> codeine..last dose was yesterday at noon. is this going to bite me

in

> the ass later? or is it okay to stop sooner than later? also, i'm

> having problems getting my ensure down...juice and broth are fine,

> but i feel like ensure is too thick and i hate that i can't brush

the

> inside of my teeth afterwards. sooo basically i'm probably making

way

> too big a deal about all of this....but if anyone can give me any

> tips or answers to my thousand questions, i would really

appreciate

> it. good luck to everyone with surgery coming up! i'm not trying

to

> scare anyone...it's all worth it in the end. that's what i have to

> keep telling myself! :] thanks guys. --katie

June 5, 2005

Hi there!

((((katie)))) You are in the same spot that I was in at that time.

What I can tell you is that in the next couple of days, it gets MUCH

better. I used the purple Sudafed to clear my nose so that I could

breathe better, and it worked like a charm. Once you get passed the

breathing issues, you will be able to calm yourself down a little

more. Try not to panic, and talk with your doctor about your

symptoms. (S)He can help you cope.

Jayar

> Hi guys, this is my first post and i'm 4 days post op. I had my

upper

> and lower done, to correct my open bite. Everyone on here seems to

be

> fine just a few days after, but i still feel like i'm dying. i'm

> running on no sleep and spent all night throwing up...i'm not sure

if

> it's because of the codeine, or all the blood i keep swallowing(do

> you guys just swallow the blood down? i have a hard time spitting

it

> between my teeth).. but has this happened to anyone else? i feel

like

> i can't breathe and I can't wait for my nose to stop being stuffy!

> how long does that usually take? also, did anyone have really bad

ear

> pain, and if so..do you have any tips? i feel a ton of pressure,

as

> if i'm diving too deep under water. my os said it's common and

goes

> hand in hand with my sinuses being plugged. sorry guys..my list of

> rants is endless, but i'm just going to throw everything out here

> because i've been going crazy the past couple of days. so back to

> ranting..everytime i wake up after dozing off, i panic because i

> forget my teeth are wired. i'm really having a hard time breathing

> through my mouth and i feel claustrophobic..(my os also said this

is

> common when closing and open bite? i'm not used to my teeth

touching)

> can someone please reassure me that this gets better? i try to

stay

> calm but it's so easy to panic! i also stopped using the

> codeine..last dose was yesterday at noon. is this going to bite me

in

> the ass later? or is it okay to stop sooner than later? also, i'm

> having problems getting my ensure down...juice and broth are fine,

> but i feel like ensure is too thick and i hate that i can't brush

the

> inside of my teeth afterwards. sooo basically i'm probably making

way

> too big a deal about all of this....but if anyone can give me any

> tips or answers to my thousand questions, i would really

appreciate

> it. good luck to everyone with surgery coming up! i'm not trying

to

> scare anyone...it's all worth it in the end. that's what i have to

> keep telling myself! :] thanks guys. --katie

June 5, 2005

,

First of all, you need to know that your panic is completely normal.

You've had major surgery, are dealing with a completely different jaw

and being wired takes away your ability to be in control as much as

you are used to. I'm about 4 1/2 weeks post-op. I had upper and

lower surgery too. There are days when I feel like you do - but for

the most part ... each day is a little bit better.

So, first thing - you need to speak to your Surgeon. If you are

vomiting - there is medicine that can help with that. If you are

having trouble sleeping - there is medicine that can help with that.

If the codeine is giving you problems - there are other pain

medicines you can take.

Are you taking anything in a nasal form? I was given Afrin and

Flonase to alternate. They helped with the stuffiness and with the

swelling. I'd ask your Surgeon about something like that if you are

finding yourself really congested.

I had problems with my ears, too. It worried me because I couldn't

hear properly. It seemed like I was under water or behind glass or

something. And then one day, it just went away. It was maybe a week

and a half post-op when it stopped. I think it's reletively " normal "

with upper jaw surgery. All your sinus' are affected.

I know exactly what you mean about waking up and forgetting and then

momentarily " freaking out " 'cause I'm wired. It gets better - I

promise. And just know that if you try to gasp or scream or

something you are wired for a reason - so nothing will move! You'll

be ok and should do any damage.

My Surgeon prescribed a mouthwash that has really helped in keeping

the inside of my teeth " clean " . Do you have something like that?

Don't force yourself to drink the Ensure or Boost or whatever if

you're not up to it. Just keep hydrated, for now. It will come with

time.

Yes, keep telling yourself it will all be worth it in the end. And

know that it will. Someday you will look back on this time and be so

proud of yourself for having made it through. You mark my words!

Send you a cyber-hug!!!

Hang in there ... vent when you need to,

Carol