Re: questioning my sanity!!!

[Guest guest]

Since I am a teacher, I had to schedule my surgery around summer. Last

summer I really tried to have it, but the surgeon and my schedule did

not work out. I was so disappointed. This summer, I had it done in

early July. You just may have to wait for next year. It was okay for

me in the long run, as the OD could move some teeth around in the

interim.

Patty

[Guest guest]

It's not at all unusual to have a spate of doubts as surgery draws

near.

Since you're worried about your chin, ask your surgeon about it. Ask

him whether a genioplasty is indicated. He may tell you that he won't

know for sure until he's done the other surgery. I know a couple of

people who've left it up to the surgeons and come out without, and a

couple who've left it up to the surgeons and come out having had one.

Some folks are very pleased; others are not. As you say, there are no

guarantees. And the unfortunate thing about genioplasties is that

they are almost invariably ruled cosmetic by insurance companies.

They can also be done, or in some cases undone, as a separate

surgery -- but that means more expense, and undergoing a second

operation.

Honey, if you were hit by a truck tomorrow (God forbid) and

immobilized with a broken hip or worse, your husband and child would

find a way to get you care and keep on going. Even bosses can take

vacations from time to time, too, or medical leaves. (Suppose HE, God

forbid, got hit by a truck!)

Surgery is inconvenient to us all. The recovery can be unpleasant.

Heck, it can be painful, although it seldom is. But for many people

it's well worth doing.

If you think it's not, I'd suggest that you have a long talk with

your ortho and/or surgeon, and if you decide that you really want to

cancel it, cancel it. But be prepared to spend some more time in

braces, because they usually position the teeth specifically for

surgery, and you may have to have some of the work they've done

undone.

As for the insurance, it's not inconceivable that you could be held

in the braces in a stable situation until you get the approval, and

then figure out something about your child's schooling. Is there no

bus system, no classmate with parents who might help out, no friend,

family or neighbor who could, perhaps even for a fee, provide

transportation for her? And are you so sure, really, that a month or

two in public, or any nearer, schools would be sooo bad for her as

all that? If you think there's an element of physical danger for her

there, that's different. But I believe most children are pretty

resilient and could adapt to such a brief change.

Your best friend probably knows very little about what can happen as

the result of a mismatched set of jaws. Very few people who haven't

had the surgery, known someone closely who did, or had professional

medical training know anything at all about it. Be sure you discuss

with your docs the long-term repercussions that are possible if you

decide against it.

In short, you seem to me to be offering so many reasons why it's not

a good idea that I think you just either aren't ready, are panicked

or deeply don't want to do it. Perhaps more time is the answer --

there is usually a sense of calm that sets in shortly before surgery

and shortly after the panic. Talk with your docs. But if you really

deeply don't want to do it, you can make failure, relapse or a

painful recovery a self-fulfilling prophecy, and you don't want to do

that, either. I do think the recovery takes a certain commitment to

the result, and if I were a surgeon I would not want to operate on an

uncertain patient, I think.

Good wishes to you. It's really all up to you.

Cammie

> Hey y'all! My surgery (lower advancement and upper tweeking) is

> scheduled for 08/08/2005. This is the thing...I really think I

must

> have been out of my mind to agree even to start this process!!

> There is no guaranty that it will help with my TMJ problems, and

I'm

> really afraid that because of my prominent chin I'm gonna end up

> looking like I have an underbite! Not to mention the whole awful

> recovery process, the upsest and complications to my already too

> busy schedule! I'm self-employed, so if I don't work, I don't get

> paid. I was planning to take off two weeks per my OS instructions,

> but that's gonna cost me alot of money (and no the work won't be

> there when I get back, it can't wait on me). And yesterday, I got

> two pieces of information that further complicated things. It

turns

> out that it takes BC/BS 30 to 60 days to give approval for

> coverage! That means I probably won't have that until the end of

> August!! I was already cutting things really close to the start of

> school, as my daughter goes back to school on August 15. Her

school

> is 30 miles from our home, and I'm the one who takes her and picks

> her up. (It's a private christian school and it's so worth the

> extra effort.) It would be almost impossible to do this during the

> school year. The second thing is that my husband will be going on

> overtime for the next four weeks, or more, because of a special

> project that just came up. He's the boss, so he can't possibly

take

> a week off to care for me like we had planned. Anyway, I'm just

> sick of the whole mess! My best friend says if it were her, she

> wouldn't do it. It does seem like a lot of cure for a problem that

> just comes up periodically, albeit VERY PAINFUL when it flares up.

> I'm just sick of the whole mess! I dread telling my OD that I've

> changed my mind, because he made it very clear that if I weren't

> willing to have surgery I shouldn't even get the braces, and I

> agreed to do it. Help!!! I don't know what to do!!!

>

> Angel

[Guest guest]

Cammie, thank you so much for your thoughtful comments. That's more

help than I've gotten from anyone I actually know! You made some

really good points, and I'm going to give them serious thought.

Your're right, when you absolutely have to figure out how to deal

with something, you do, and usually without any chance to plan

ahead. I learned that in 2003 when both of my children were

critically injured in a car accident (read traumatic brain injuries,

ICU, Rehab, etc.). Praise the Lord, they both made miraculous full

recoveries, but during the process absolutely NOTHING else

mattered. Maybe it's just easier to stop the world when it's for

your children instead of for yourself???

Anyway, you're right...I am definately panicking. I was all psyched

out for this a couple of weeks ago, and was actually scheduled for

07/18/2005 at that time. Thanks to Hurricane Dennis and BC/BS, I

had to reschedule. Combine that with all the other stuff, and it's

just getting really stressful. Thanks again for your help!

Angel

> > Hey y'all! My surgery (lower advancement and upper tweeking) is

> > scheduled for 08/08/2005. This is the thing...I really think I

> must

> > have been out of my mind to agree even to start this process!!

> > There is no guaranty that it will help with my TMJ problems, and

> I'm

> > really afraid that because of my prominent chin I'm gonna end up

> > looking like I have an underbite! Not to mention the whole

awful

> > recovery process, the upsest and complications to my already too

> > busy schedule! I'm self-employed, so if I don't work, I don't

get

> > paid. I was planning to take off two weeks per my OS

instructions,

> > but that's gonna cost me alot of money (and no the work won't be

> > there when I get back, it can't wait on me). And yesterday, I

got

> > two pieces of information that further complicated things. It

> turns

> > out that it takes BC/BS 30 to 60 days to give approval for

> > coverage! That means I probably won't have that until the end

of

> > August!! I was already cutting things really close to the start

of

> > school, as my daughter goes back to school on August 15. Her

> school

> > is 30 miles from our home, and I'm the one who takes her and

picks

> > her up. (It's a private christian school and it's so worth the

> > extra effort.) It would be almost impossible to do this during

the

> > school year. The second thing is that my husband will be going

on

> > overtime for the next four weeks, or more, because of a special

> > project that just came up. He's the boss, so he can't possibly

> take

> > a week off to care for me like we had planned. Anyway, I'm just

> > sick of the whole mess! My best friend says if it were her, she

> > wouldn't do it. It does seem like a lot of cure for a problem

that

> > just comes up periodically, albeit VERY PAINFUL when it flares

up.

> > I'm just sick of the whole mess! I dread telling my OD that

I've

> > changed my mind, because he made it very clear that if I weren't

> > willing to have surgery I shouldn't even get the braces, and I

> > agreed to do it. Help!!! I don't know what to do!!!

> >

> > Angel

[Guest guest]

Cammie, thank you so much for your thoughtful comments. That's more

help than I've gotten from anyone I actually know! You made some

really good points, and I'm going to give them serious thought.

Your're right, when you absolutely have to figure out how to deal

with something, you do, and usually without any chance to plan

ahead. I learned that in 2003 when both of my children were

critically injured in a car accident (read traumatic brain injuries,

ICU, Rehab, etc.). Praise the Lord, they both made miraculous full

recoveries, but during the process absolutely NOTHING else

mattered. Maybe it's just easier to stop the world when it's for

your children instead of for yourself???

Anyway, you're right...I am definately panicking. I was all psyched

out for this a couple of weeks ago, and was actually scheduled for

07/18/2005 at that time. Thanks to Hurricane Dennis and BC/BS, I

had to reschedule. Combine that with all the other stuff, and it's

just getting really stressful. Thanks again for your help!

Angel

> > Hey y'all! My surgery (lower advancement and upper tweeking) is

> > scheduled for 08/08/2005. This is the thing...I really think I

> must

> > have been out of my mind to agree even to start this process!!

> > There is no guaranty that it will help with my TMJ problems, and

> I'm

> > really afraid that because of my prominent chin I'm gonna end up

> > looking like I have an underbite! Not to mention the whole

awful

> > recovery process, the upsest and complications to my already too

> > busy schedule! I'm self-employed, so if I don't work, I don't

get

> > paid. I was planning to take off two weeks per my OS

instructions,

> > but that's gonna cost me alot of money (and no the work won't be

> > there when I get back, it can't wait on me). And yesterday, I

got

> > two pieces of information that further complicated things. It

> turns

> > out that it takes BC/BS 30 to 60 days to give approval for

> > coverage! That means I probably won't have that until the end

of

> > August!! I was already cutting things really close to the start

of

> > school, as my daughter goes back to school on August 15. Her

> school

> > is 30 miles from our home, and I'm the one who takes her and

picks

> > her up. (It's a private christian school and it's so worth the

> > extra effort.) It would be almost impossible to do this during

the

> > school year. The second thing is that my husband will be going

on

> > overtime for the next four weeks, or more, because of a special

> > project that just came up. He's the boss, so he can't possibly

> take

> > a week off to care for me like we had planned. Anyway, I'm just

> > sick of the whole mess! My best friend says if it were her, she

> > wouldn't do it. It does seem like a lot of cure for a problem

that

> > just comes up periodically, albeit VERY PAINFUL when it flares

up.

> > I'm just sick of the whole mess! I dread telling my OD that

I've

> > changed my mind, because he made it very clear that if I weren't

> > willing to have surgery I shouldn't even get the braces, and I

> > agreed to do it. Help!!! I don't know what to do!!!

> >

> > Angel

[Guest guest]

Cammie, thank you so much for your thoughtful comments. That's more

help than I've gotten from anyone I actually know! You made some

really good points, and I'm going to give them serious thought.

Your're right, when you absolutely have to figure out how to deal

with something, you do, and usually without any chance to plan

ahead. I learned that in 2003 when both of my children were

critically injured in a car accident (read traumatic brain injuries,

ICU, Rehab, etc.). Praise the Lord, they both made miraculous full

recoveries, but during the process absolutely NOTHING else

mattered. Maybe it's just easier to stop the world when it's for

your children instead of for yourself???

Anyway, you're right...I am definately panicking. I was all psyched

out for this a couple of weeks ago, and was actually scheduled for

07/18/2005 at that time. Thanks to Hurricane Dennis and BC/BS, I

had to reschedule. Combine that with all the other stuff, and it's

just getting really stressful. Thanks again for your help!

Angel

> > Hey y'all! My surgery (lower advancement and upper tweeking) is

> > scheduled for 08/08/2005. This is the thing...I really think I

> must

> > have been out of my mind to agree even to start this process!!

> > There is no guaranty that it will help with my TMJ problems, and

> I'm

> > really afraid that because of my prominent chin I'm gonna end up

> > looking like I have an underbite! Not to mention the whole

awful

> > recovery process, the upsest and complications to my already too

> > busy schedule! I'm self-employed, so if I don't work, I don't

get

> > paid. I was planning to take off two weeks per my OS

instructions,

> > but that's gonna cost me alot of money (and no the work won't be

> > there when I get back, it can't wait on me). And yesterday, I

got

> > two pieces of information that further complicated things. It

> turns

> > out that it takes BC/BS 30 to 60 days to give approval for

> > coverage! That means I probably won't have that until the end

of

> > August!! I was already cutting things really close to the start

of

> > school, as my daughter goes back to school on August 15. Her

> school

> > is 30 miles from our home, and I'm the one who takes her and

picks

> > her up. (It's a private christian school and it's so worth the

> > extra effort.) It would be almost impossible to do this during

the

> > school year. The second thing is that my husband will be going

on

> > overtime for the next four weeks, or more, because of a special

> > project that just came up. He's the boss, so he can't possibly

> take

> > a week off to care for me like we had planned. Anyway, I'm just

> > sick of the whole mess! My best friend says if it were her, she

> > wouldn't do it. It does seem like a lot of cure for a problem

that

> > just comes up periodically, albeit VERY PAINFUL when it flares

up.

> > I'm just sick of the whole mess! I dread telling my OD that

I've

> > changed my mind, because he made it very clear that if I weren't

> > willing to have surgery I shouldn't even get the braces, and I

> > agreed to do it. Help!!! I don't know what to do!!!

> >

> > Angel