WILLA : Post-op questions

May 17, 2005

Hey, i'm pretty new to the recovery process as i'm on day 5 after a

mandibular (lower jaw) osteotomy. Reading about your situation makes me

think how lucky i am. I have taken 2 weeks off work and a 3rd week has been

set up just in case i decide that i will need it. I couldn't imagine going

back to work so quickly. First off, energy levels are really low and

there's just enough to move myself from couch to couch or enduring my worst

times of the day. .. meal times. Overall though, i have definately felt

worse the first couple days out of the surgery. Now, i'm not great. .. but

i would take my present state over what i was going through even yesterday.

THe swelling is going down. .. slowly. .. but people here have said that it

might take a good year to get everything out. THe best way i would deal

with it is to stay as active as you can, and apply heat pad to the area to

open up the capillaries to move blood through the area. Of course, i

haven't put this in practice yet as i'm still attached to ice packs. ..

ahhaha. ..

the pain despite how you feel may be a good thing. it shows that you have

nervous activity in the area and your nerves are just realigning themselves

and refamiliarizing themselves with their new surroundings. i'm not sure

what type of pain you're enduring but if it bugged me, i too would want to

find a way to stop feeling it. keep the outlook optimistic. . as much as

you can anyway. ..bones take a while to mend and you probably won't feel

100% till well after the bones have healed. .. sometimes i miss the light at

the end of the tunnel, but coming on here reaffirms that it is there. keep

your head up ! take care

<html><DIV><FONT face= " Lucida Handwriting, Cursive "

color=#000099> & nbsp;</DIV>

<DIV><FONT face= " Lucida Handwriting, Cursive "

color=#000099>derrick</DIV>

<DIV>

<IMG height=75

src= " http://www.educ.sfu.ca/pdp/admissions/content/general_information/images/sf\

u.jpg "

width=425 align=bottom></DIV></html>

& gt;From: crossword43

& lt;no_reply & gt; & gt;Reply-To:

orthognathicsurgerysupport & gt;To:

orthognathicsurgerysupport & gt;Subject: [Orthognathic

Surgery Support ] Post-op questions & gt;Date: Tue, 17 May 2005

15:21:22 -0000 & gt; & gt;Hello all you regulars. I am hoping I can get

advice from some of & gt;you who have been there done

that. & gt; & gt;I had upper, lower, and genio on April 21, so today I

am about 3 1/2 & gt;weeks post op. Before surgery I read this site and

others and felt & gt;very confident about a speedy recovery. I am healthy,

36, nonsmoker, & gt;and excercise daily. The surgery itself was

noneventful and & gt;everything went well. Recovery, however, is a

different beast & gt;entirely. I wear a splint on my upper teeth (and will

for 8 weeks), & gt;and my jaws are held together with elastics, which I

can remove & gt;three times a day to eat and clean my teeth. My questions

are as & gt;follows regarding swelling, pain, and

healing: & gt; & gt;I still have swelling. I have read that most

swelling should subside & gt;by 10 days. What is the longest I might

expect to have swelling? It & gt;doesn't appear to be going down on one

side of my face at all! & gt; & gt;Pain is intermittent, but when it

comes it really comes on strong. & gt;Mostly my chin hurts, as if I can

feel exactly where the bone was & gt;cut and reset. Does this just mean

the the bones are healing and & gt;regrowing? What is the best

over-the-counter pain med to use? Most & gt;of the pain is in the morning

when I wake up. I seem to be very & gt;stiff. My routine is to wake up,

take some pain meds, and then start & gt;the day. Drinking hot coffee or

tea has been, for me, the best way & gt;to loosen my stiff joints. Also,

by the end of the day (I am back at & gt;work full time) I am very sore.

But I have to be strong and peppy & gt;and take care of my two small

children. It's very hard sometimes. & gt; & gt;Finally, as far as

healing, I keep reading some posts that every day & gt;is better than the

previous. Maybe I just don't have enough & gt;patience, but is there

really some point at which you feel like & gt;yourself again? I was hoping

that by four weeks I would be able to & gt;resume my excercise and other

activities, but I don't see that & gt;happening anytime soon. Is there

really light at the end of the & gt;tunnel? Is there a point where are

this early recovery stuff will be & gt;forgotten? & gt; & gt;Well,

thanks for reading, and if possible, thanks for answering

my & gt;questions. My recovery is such that I have good days and bad

days, & gt;and today, I'm afraid, is a bad day. I will just hide myself in

my & gt;cubicle today and hope that by noon I will feel

better. & gt; & gt;Cheers, & gt;Willa & gt; & gt;

Sign In

WILLA : Post-op questions

Recommended Posts

Guest guest

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Join the conversation

Activity