I'm on the other side of surgery now

[Guest guest]

It's finally over for me! I went in for surgery on Monday (the 20th)

and just got released from the hospital yesterday. It was a lengthy

hospital stay and I'm glad to be home. The doctor was so aggressive

and did so many 'things' during surgery that I was in ICU for two

days. I feel like I've been run over by a train, but am really glad

the worst of it is behind me.

I was in surgery over 5 hours. The doctor did five (yes five)

procedures on me while I was under. He moved my upper and lower jaw

out, then did the genioplasty (moved my chin out), plus he fixed my

deviated septum, PLUS did some work on the rear portion of my soft

palate and removed my uvula (that little hangy-thingy that moves

around the back of your throat when you laugh).

I had the surgery for sleep apnea basically, and the doctor was

quite thorough (to say the least) about relieving that problem for

me!

I am really, really swollen, and very bruised. The bruising goes

down to nearly my upper stomach.

When I first looked at myself after surgery...I was horrified

because I was so swollen I simply couldn't believe my eyes - I

thought I looked like Shrek! Others didn't think so but that was my

impression anyway.

The swelling is going away, but it's still pretty bad yet and the

surgery was done Monday.....It's going down everyday, but this is

still going to take a while I think.

The hardest thing for me is taking the medicine. I tried liquid

Vicodin and practically choked to death on that it was so nasty. I'm

now on liquid Motrin and alternate with liquid Tylenol. They are

pretty hard to swallow too. It hurts my throat to swallow that

stuff! It doesn't hurt too much to swallow the Boost or broth or

juice anymore, but it did in the beginning.

I've tried crushing pain pills and taking them that way, and

although it's very bitter, I prefer that to the burning sensation of

the Vicodin, Motrin or Tylenol liquid stuff.

Funny enough, I have to force myself to eat - or rather - drink.

I'm never the slightest bit hungry, but force myself to try to drink

enough to heal up good. It sure is an effort!! It is an all day

chore in itself to drink 'enough' fluids and get enough nutrition

in, and then clean my mouth out afterwards. It takes forever.

I'm still wearing my ice pack around my head most of the time and

usually only take it off to 'eat'. I dribble so darn much because I

can't feel my chin. I hope that goes away at some point because

it's humiliating.

The pain after surgery was pretty bad. The recovery room experience

was rather scary too. I'd never been under anesthesia that long

before, or had this extensive of work done in one surgery. It was

an experience - and I'll leave it at that for now.

I do feel like I've been run over by a train....just sore all over -

is that a typical feeling after this surgery? I have bruises in

places you'd think I wouldn't have bruises from having this surgery -

so I don't know if it's how I was handled or what.

That's my report for now.

Judy