surgery scheduled for 08/08/2005

[Guest guest]

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