Re: surgery scheduled for 08/08/2005

[Guest guest]

Hi Angel, welcome!

Am I understanding correctly that you're having lower advancement

surgery, and possibly upper to straighten it? I had lower advancement

eight days ago and am doing quite well, although the first few days

were no picnic. More discomfort than pain, though. I go back to work

on Monday. I can't speak to upper surgery, but if your insurance is

covering it, my inclination would be to go for it. Maybe others who've

had both will have better advice.

So, why can't they fix your kids' jaws with braces alone? I thought

that surgery was just for adults whose bones have hardened?

I'm going to post some post-surgery pix shortly.

Luna

Braces on 10/6/04

Lower advancement 7/8/05

[Guest guest]

Hello, and welcome.

I hope that you have talked with your surgeon specifically about the

TMJ issues, and have his/her opinion on what the surgery can do for

you there.

As for the crooked jaw... Well, for me it would be " in for a penny,

in for a pound, " and do the whole number while they're at it. But

your docs are your best guides on such.

Pain? Usually not much. The meds are good, and unless you encounter

something really unusual, incredibly enough, you will have little

pain. Numbness can be the far greater issue, and you may have that

with you for a while.

How to eat? Gently. Softly. Liquidly. Do nothing to stress your

healing jawbones. But there are many good and tasty things you can

have, ranging from ice cream to yogurt to tofu to blended chili...

The key is to thin it enough with whatever liquid to make it work. A

lot depends, too, on whether you're wired shut, tightly banded, or

neither. If you know you're gonna be wired, I recommend checking out

the Zip 'n' Squeeze materials, including the jaw wrap (that one in

any case), the zippie bags and the cookbook/handbook.

Don't sneeze. Or if you must, do it with your mouth open. Ask your

doc about talking. Some want you to do it; mine did not. (But he

noted, " You like to talk. A LOT. Don't. " )

The t-shirt: Shiloh created those designs, and they're brilliant. To

make one, get a plain t-shirt in whatever color; probably white or

beige is best. Print the design onto a t-shirt transfer (available

here at Staples, or Target -- probably other places, too) and iron

it on. If you're computer clever, or have a friend who is, there are

all sorts of neat things you can do. A dear friend made for me a t-

shirt showing Chip and Dale, with one saying to the other: " I look

weird because I just had jaw surgery. What's your excuse? "

Irish! had the surgery some time ago now, had a pretty tough time of

it, thanks to an allergic reaction to one of the antibiotics, and

had to have a second op because things didn't line up exactly

properly. But far as I know, she's fine now, and trying to produce

baby Irish! No. 2. (or is it No. 3, Irish!?)

Cammie

> Hi everyone! I'm new to the group, but I've read alot of your

> postings, and I want to thank you for sharing your stories. I'm

38

> years old and I've been in braces since 04/16/2004. My surgery is

> scheduled for 08/08/2005. The main reason I decided to pursue

this

> course is to get relief from TMJ problems like earaches and

> headaches. I've never really been very self-conscience about the

> shape of my face because even though I have a short lower jaw, I

> have a prominent chin. As it turns out, the short jaw runs in my

> family, and both of my children also need orthognathic surgery.

Of

> course, they couldn't inherit my husband's perfect jaw! My 19

year

> old son is in braces, now, and is almost ready for surgery. My 14

> year old daughter is out of braces right now, but will be getting

> them back on and having surgery after she turns 15 (if I can talk

> her into it!) I've been reading everything I can get my hands on,

> and buying everything that may help with recovery. With all three

> of us going through this, I figure it's a good investment.

>

> My main concerns about the surgery are the same as most of

everyone

> else's. How soon can I get back to work? How much pain can I

> expect? How awful will I look, and for how long? How am I going

to

> eat, or talk or laugh or sneeze?

>

> One thing I have to decide is whether to have my upper jaw done

just

> to level it. My smile looks crooked, and apparently this is why.

> I'm thinking if I have to go through all of this anyway, I may as

> well get a straight smile out of it, too. Insurance is paying

100%

> so that's not the issue; just wondering if it's worth the

additional

> recovery.

>

> Also, when I looked at some of your pics, I noticed a woman

> ( " Irish! " ) wearing the coolest shirt. It looked like the Survivor

> logo, but it said " Survivor...Orthognathic Surgery " ! I'd love to

> know where to get one!

>

> I'll keep you posted on how things progress, and maybe I'll post

> some pics.

>

> Angel

> braces 04/16/2004

> surgery 08/08/2005

[Guest guest]

Luna, docs can do a lot of things to direct and encourage growth.

But if there's not enough jawbone there -- whether upper or lower --

or if it's too crooked or wonky, there's nothing short of a saw and

plates and/or screws that will fix things. Or at least that's my non-

professional, uneducated understanding. You would be amazed at some

of the techniques for helping children born with anomalies such as

nearly nonexistent lower (and probably upper) jawbones. It's long,

hard, and probably painful for both the children and their parents,

but can make huge differences.

I do think that early intervention with children can often ward off

problems that those of us in, um, advancing years just have to deal

with.

Cammie

> Hi Angel, welcome!

>

> Am I understanding correctly that you're having lower advancement

> surgery, and possibly upper to straighten it? I had lower

advancement

> eight days ago and am doing quite well, although the first few days

> were no picnic. More discomfort than pain, though. I go back to

work

> on Monday. I can't speak to upper surgery, but if your insurance is

> covering it, my inclination would be to go for it. Maybe others

who've

> had both will have better advice.

>

> So, why can't they fix your kids' jaws with braces alone? I thought

> that surgery was just for adults whose bones have hardened?

>

> I'm going to post some post-surgery pix shortly.

>

> Luna

>

> Braces on 10/6/04

> Lower advancement 7/8/05

[Guest guest]

Cammie,

Oh, I see. I was told that if I'd had braces as a kid, they could have

addressed the jaw issue and surgery wouldn't have been necessary. I

guess I assumed that was true for everyone, but maybe it's just

because my difference was not that big. Once again, count my blessings.

Luna