Re: Shirley 6 week Post Op - Lefort 1, BSSO, Genio, and Turbinectomies

August 5, 2005

Hi Shirley!

Congrats on being able to chew again. That must feel good even if

it's still just soft foods. Your chewing will probably get easier

after your OD tweeks your teeth into better positions. Also your

muscles are still weak from not chewing all this time. The best way

to strengthen them is to chew so happy eating! I'm jealous about

eating that hamburger. I tried eating a piece of my daughter's

cheeseburger yesterday but couldn't bite through it. So far I've

only been able to chew well-cooked pasta. I'm still working up to

food with thicker consistency. I don't really like to eat anyway so

I don't miss food.

You're doing really well with the opening - 30 mm is pretty good. 30

mm is the goal my OS wants me to attain. In addition to your muscles

weakening from not using them, they also shorten so it is not

unusual to have a limited opening after surgery. 35 mm is considered

a normal opening but I'll never be able to get that with my joints.

Right now I get to 22 mm after a lot of stretching at PT. In between

PT, my opening is about 15 mm. One of the exercises my physical

therapist taught me that I really found helpful is the crossed arm

stretch. I cross my arms in front of my chest and put my right thumb

on my left lower molars. My left thumb goes on my right lower

molars. I then pull down gently with my arms and then just let my

arms hang down. It gently and slowly stretches my jaw muscles and

it's pretty comfortable. I can do it while riding in the car or

watching TV. My teeth are still very sensitive so I don't like using

the tongue depressors that much. I also use a therabite and do

various other exercises as well. Good luck with your stretching.

That is the hardest part of my recovery right now. After not being

able to open or chew for three years, my muscles have really

atrophied. With my new joints, now the only thing limiting my

opening is the muscles.

I hope you get good news about your sleep study but it sounds like

things are progressing well so far. Sleep apnea is something I've

never had to deal with but it sounds miserable.

About the ear pressure while flying - antihistamines do help a lot.

I didn't have any problems while flying but I did have trouble

clearing my ears while scuba diving last March. On the first day, I

couldn't go down at all so I took an antihistamine the second day. I

took Claritin because I didn't want to take anything that could make

me drowsy. The Claritin worked great. I was able to clear my ears

and enjoy the dives without any problems. I didn't think it could

make such a big difference but it did.

I'm glad to hear you're doing so well. Enjoy that food!

minirascal-

> Hi all, I can chew again! I finally got the ok to chew again.

> I'm to start with soft foods and work up to harder foods over the

> next two weeks. But I am not to bite on things - no biting into a

> sandwich, pizza, etc. Apparently the biting down with front teeth

> causes more pressure on the joints and my OS does not want that

> pressure on the joints at present (left joint has degenerative

> changes & has TMD). I must say that chewing seems odd after 6

weeks

> and of course my teeth are in a position they never have been in.

> Also some of the teeth are still numb.

>

> I actually ate ¾ of a hamburger, albeit cut up in very small

> pieces and ate with fork. Since I can't bite into things yet I

> have to cut up items (or pull apart) and place in mouth. But,

boy,

> did that hamburger taste good!

>

> My jaws open to about 30 mm, but pre-op was 43 mm. OS has now

> started me on the tongue depresser stretch exercise (adding an

> additional depresser every other week to stretch opening). I am

to

> put them in mouth multiple times during day to stretch jaw muscles.

>

> I can start back to the WaterPik in about 10 days - the reason I

> have to wait 10 days is OS had to remove a stitch that wasn't

> falling out on its own. He wants to make sure that has healed

> before I start WaterPik. But ok to use electric toothbrush

again.

> I had already been flossing since I can't use the WaterPik. I

> also have the ok to see my dental hygienist on Aug 18th for

cleaning.

>

> My numbness is about 90-95% gone. I still have some on rt lower

> upper and lower lip. Chin still has some numbness. Each day the

> numbness gets better and I can tell it's healing.

>

> After seeing OS & pulmonologist, I had another sleep study (my

> surgery was for sleep apnea) and I am still having some problems

> sleeping (probably not sleep apnea as the airway is now opened up

> from 9mm to about 19mm). I am now waiting to see the results of

> that study. My OS did say that it takes about 3 months for the

> throat, etc. to heal up from the surgery and he stills wants me to

> have another sleep study done at 3 mos.

>

> I'm still using a fair amount of wax. As the upper ties wires

> are still rubbing on my lips that are regaining their feeling.

Hope

> to have those off on my next OD appt. on Aug. 15th. Also mouth is

> still getting use to the teeth and brackets in farther forward and

> rub on mouth. I'm still having trouble with biting lower lip at

> night, so load up on wax there at night.

>

> Bands (one on each side) are still on except for eating and

cleaning

> teeth.

>

> I will be traveling the end of month and I was concerned about ear

> pressure when flying. OS said just to load up on anti-histamine

> before hand. I normally do that as I've always had trouble with

> left ear (may be related to that left jaw joint).

>

> All in all it's getting better. We just all have to remember it

> will get better, it just takes time.

>

> Shirley

> (Lefort 1 [upper jaw], BSSO [lower jaw], genio, and turbinectomies

> on 6/23/05).

August 6, 2005

Shirley - What wonderful news! You must be so excited and relieved to

be at this stage of your recovery. Also nice to hear that your

numbness is becoming a thing of the past - that will help with the

chewing too. I'm sure your sleep study will go smoothly; let's just

say that it had better after all that you've been through. Sounds

like your recovery is moving right along; soon you'll be out of the

braces and will be eating steak dinner with Caboose! // I went to my

OMS on Wednesday for one of those question & answer sessions. He says

he's not sure if he will have to do the LeFort on me; he says it all

depends how much and in what direction my OD can get my teeth to

move. I told him that I was under the impression from the last time

we had talked that it was a " done deal " - that I would definitely

need it. He told me that he said that only to get me used to the idea

that the LeFort was a very real possibility, but he won't know if he

will need to do it until six months before the surgery which is Dec.

or Jan., as the surgery would be in June or July. He says he will

need another set of cephalometric and panoramic xrays before he can

make that determination. He is hoping to only do a BSSO, so we'll

see. Oh, and my Gynecologist finally ordered my bloodwork (CBC, 18

channel, lipid profile and thyroid profile), and some of my results

were elevated. & Since you're a Med.Tech., Shirley, you'll understand

my concern: my cholesterol was 323, LDL - 245, glucose - 187, AST

(SGOT) - 71, and ALT(SGPT) - 152. I took a copy of my results to my

OMS and he was very concerned; he referred me to his own physician

who has put HIM on a statin. Wed. I go back to my Gyno to have a

little discussion. The interesting thing about this is that I may

have fasted wrong - NPO to me means NO food or drink, but I was told

that I could've drank water, and also I fasted for only eight hours

instead of the ten to twelve hours I should've. I'm going to ask for

a repeat before being put on any drugs (statins). I think my glucose

is up for several reasons, including stress and fasting improperly;

I'm not a diabetic, but I'm a little bit overweight and in the

process of losing some excess #. My OMS told me that the statin he

takes has really helped him. He also says the elevated results must

be down before he will do my surgery; he assures me they will be and

NOT to worry.// This Tuesday is my big Ortho day: spacers come out

and bands/archwires/ligatures(o-rings) get put on. I intend on taking

a couple of Naproxen prior to leaving work for the OD's office.

Thought I'd drop by my OMS's office on the way back to work to show

off my " pretty smile " - he said I looked really good in my brackets

on Wednesday! LOL! My OMS gave me " before & after the BSSO " pictures

and the improvement is very noticeable. I may attempt to upload the

print sometime soon. Well, that's all for now - sorry I got verbose!

Take care and keep that recovery progressing right along! ~~ Diane---

In orthognathicsurgerysupport , " bizegramatx "

<Bizegramma@h...> wrote: