Re: My Daughter's Upper Jaw surgery, advice needed

[Guest guest]

Hi Anita,

I think surgeons tend to minimize what the recovery is like but it

sounds like your daughter's shouldn't be too bad. I assume she's

pretty young and youth is definitely on her side.

Usually with the lefort you do get a lot of swelling. It peeks

around days 3-5 but the worst of it will be gone by week six. She'll

probably have some residual swelling up to six months like he said

but it's not really that noticeable unless you compare pictures from

3-4 months post-op to one year post-op. At least that's how it was

for me.

I didn't feel fine for at least two to three weeks post-op but my

recovery from the lefort was a lot quicker than it was for my

mandibular advancement. I didn't have much pain after the first

week, mainly I just didn't have much energy. Most people have a lot

of congestion after a lefort which can make them feel miserable but

I didn't have that problem. My surgeon had also done a septoplasty

and turbinectomies so for the first time I was actually able to

breathe through my nose.

Your daughter should avoid holding or getting close to the children

for a few weeks post-op so she won't accidentally get hit in the

face. My girls were 12 months and 2 years old at the time of my

first surgery so I endured a lot of unintentional " head butts " -

none of them caused any damage but they did hurt.

I hope this helps and your daughter's recovery is quick and

uneventful.

> Hello,

> My daughter is to have upper jaw surgery (lafort) on August 13th.

> He will bring her jaw 4 millimeters forward and down in the back

so

> her teeth in back touch and her bite is corrected. Says she will

only

> have rubber bands for 4 days then only 1 on each side for a couple

of

> weeks.

>

> He has made is sound fairly simple but I cannot think it will

> be as easy as he acts. He says that she will have very little

> bruising and fairly little pain as this area naturally goes numb.

> Says no blowing of the nose and that she will be swollen for up to

> 6 months. He said it will be more " cheeky swelling " than horrific

> swelling. Said she will be able be fine in about a week after her

> surgery.

>

> Tell me the truth and what I am to expect. I need to be prepared.

He

> said that since I do daycare in my home not to watch any children

> for 4 days after her surgery.

>

> Help me help my daughter.

>

> Anita

[Guest guest]

Hi Anita,

I can understand your being scared. I'm 38 and a mother myself but

soemtimes I think my surgeries have been harder on my parents than

me. My mother has cried just as much as me and I'm sure I'll feel

the same when it's my daughter's turn. She inherited my jaw. At age

three, she already had a 10 mm overbite. They can correct a lot with

braces now - she'll start with those when she's 7 or 8 but they said

she may still need surgery because of the extent of her overbite.

She should be able to go back to school on August 31st. I returned

to work two weeks after my lower jaw surgery which was a little

early. I was still banded shut. It would have been fine if I didn't

have to talk so as long as she doesn't have to talk much (I'm sure

her teachers will understand), she should be fine. Also she's young

so she'll heal a lot faster. Just make sure that she can take in

plenty of fluids during the day.

I hope this helps and let me know if you have any other questions.

Keep us updated on her progress.

> Dear ,

> Thank you for your reply. This procedure scares me silly as a

Mother.

> My Daughter's school starts August 31st. Do you think if the

surgery is

> on August 13th like he said that she will be ready to return to

school on this date or should I plan on her staying home about a

week or so. The

> OS seems to think she can go to school no problems at the start of

school.

>

> She is not to be wired but rubber banded shut for 4 days. After

that he said she will have rubber bands on her teeth one on each

side there after.

>

> I appreciate your response to me.

>

> Anita

[Guest guest]

, it sounds as though you are traveling a long road, and I am

sorry that there have been so many obstacles in your path. But it

sounds as though you are getting excellent advice -- I can't imagine

many more stressful jobs than tending small children (or more

rewarding ones, for that matter), and I do know that many docs

prefer that their patients not do any heavy lifting for a while post

op.

And lordy, I can understand the admonition to stay away from little

ones for a while, if they're not your own and needing your attention.

While I was about two months out of surgery, I went with my husband

to the very busy office of an otorhinolaryngologist. Lots of little

germy kids all over the place, with runny noses, germy hands, and, I

suspect, at least one pending (and probably undiagnosed) case of

chicken pox.

That exposure, while I was in a state of weakened immunity post-op,

was enough to give me shingles on my face, which set back my whole

process by a month. That's not such a big deal, except that it was

indeed painful, and that it hit a nerve very near my eye, and had my

docs not been so sharp about picking up on it and treating it, I

could have lost vision, at least on that side.

The odd things you never think of, it seems, are the ones that can

hit the hardest. I'd had chickenpox as a child, but shingles had

never even occurred to me. I just thought I had a blotch, and some

odd pain in my face.

Take care, as it sounds as you are, and mend well and easily, I hope.

Cammie

> HI Anita,

>

> I am 12 weeks post op following a combination of Le Fort 1 and 2

bimaxillary osteotomies, rhinoplasty and other things done to my

nose. My upper jaw was braught forwards 12mm and moved about to the

correct position.

>

> Before the surgery I was told that I would have to take 6 weeks

off work sarting from when i got discharged from the hospital. Due

to the extent of the surgery, and bone graft etc my surgeon didn't

want me to return to work until he gave me the all clear. I work in

a children's day nursery and we didn't want to risk any damage,

while I was still healing.

>

> After the surgery I was very swollen and had lots of bruising but

as my surgeon said that he practically did something to all my face.

I was also told by my surgeon to avoid being around lots of people

and children for the first few weeks, and not to hold any child for

at least 6 weeks. I didn't feel like seeing a lot of people after my

surgery anyway, but once I got my strength back I sarted visiting

friends and family who lived close by.

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Anita, please try not to panic.

I think that's probably like telling a hurricane please not to come

for dinner, as it is your baby who's going in to have her face

rearranged.

But I beg you to consider the wonderful aspects of these procedures.

They can spare her a lifetime of dental (and perhaps social)

unhappiness. Migraine headaches daily for months, for one thing.

Teeth that erode, and eventually are lost because of the

malocclusion. If it was worth doing at age 56 for me -- which it

most certainly was -- how much more for a youngster with a whole,

long lifetime ahead! And they are soooo much easier than they were,

even 15 years ago.

It's interesting that someone who's been through upper and lower

thinks that the lower recovery is more difficult. Granted, I had an

extraordinarily easy ride, with minimal work (lower only, 5 mm.

advancement, and a 3 mm. slide to the right), at the hands of a

surgeon I would trust again tomorrow, and an anesthesia team about

whom I feel the same ... I actually ask for the anesthesiologist, as

he's done quite a few procedures for our family.

I found much bruising (my surgeon was openly embarrassed) but

minimal pain, and I was fortunate enough to escape the numbness

totally.

See the above post about shingles for the advisability of avoiding

exposure to other children's diseases...

When will she be ready for school? Probably quickly, if she comes

back with the usual youngster's resilience. But if she's weary, or

shows tiredness, or if she has trouble with the food or the liquids,

she may need more time.

It sounds as though he expects her to look like a little chipmunk.

Many of us do, and that's not to worry about. If you're adept with a

computer, you might think of doing what a friend did for me and,

using a t-shirt transfer, making her a shirt that has Chip 'n' Dale,

with one saying to another: " I look weird because I just had jaw

surgery. What's your excuse? " I still wear it sometimes, but then I

have to explain, because I'm just back to my usual weird-looking

self, these days.

Her face will take some time to settle into place, but it's no big

deal unless you make it one.

You don't say exactly how old she is -- or at least I don't remember

seeing it. If she's a high-schooler or college student, she's

probably gonna be somewhat uncomfortable with her appearance, but

her friends, if they're true ones, will be supportive and helpful.

Likewise, her teachers.

Best,

Non-mamma Cammie

[Guest guest]

Cammie,

I indeed am traveling a long road hopefully this week will bring things to a

close.

I am getting excellent advice from my surgeon and his team and my boss is very

understanding too. My job can be very stressfull but I enjoy it and it is very

rewarding especially when you see a child take his/her first steps or a child

who runs up to you for a cuddle. I got very emotional when I recieved some hand

made cards trhough the post by the children at work, sure did make my day.

My boss doesn't want me to return to work until I am ready and fully healed

incase I pick up an infection from the children.

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