Re: first twenty four hours ... long report

[Guest guest]

Jen - Thank you SO much for sharing your first twenty-four hours with

us. I am pre-op [bSSO set-back + LeFort advancement and dropped down

in front(1-piece) + chin/neck Lipo - to be done by next June] and

need all the help I can to get mentally ready for my surgery. My OMS

says my surgery will take somewhere between five to six hours (2-2.5

hours for BSSO, 2-2.5 hours for LeFort, and up to an hour for the

Lipo). I have an underbite, plus Maxillary Hypoplasia, which means

that my maxilla didn't grow as far forward as it should've. // My

lips are rather chapped from my braces, so I use 100% shea butter on

them; it is all-natural and very soothing. I buy the L'Occitane brand

in a big tin; it is available on their website (www.loccitane.com) or

on QVC (www.qvc.com), and also in one of their own stores.// Thank

you again for sharing your experience with us. ~~~ Diane (Idaho) ---

In orthognathicsurgerysupport , " Jen " <jenlarsen@m...>

wrote:

>

> a few people seem to be wondering what the first twenty four hours

are like, so I'll just

> share tidbits of mine with you.

>

> Firstly, my surgery took about 7 hours, so i'm told. (Upper split

into three sections with

> slight advancement and tilt, lower advancement of almost 10 mm, and

genioplasty) Of

> course, I don't remember a bit of it, and anesthesia is timeless,

so you basically go to

> sleep and then wake up and have no idea how much time has passed.

We started a little

> after 1pm, and finished later in the evening.

>

> I had no ice packs on my face when I woke up, nor did I have ice at

any point in the

> hospital. I had brought my own homemade ice packs made with maxi

pads soaked in

> strong comfrey tea and then frozen, and they felt good, but I was

so out of it, I didn't

> really use them that much. I did have a tube in one nostril to pump

blood out from my

> stomach, and I had a nebulizer/cool steamer on my face to help

breathe and keep things

> moist. I remember my nostrils being surprisingly clear, breathing

was no problem at all.

> Also, there was no pain, and minimal swelling. Remember, you are on

an IV and they are

> pumping you full of painkillers, antibiotics, and sudafed, so you

really don't feel much.

> Antibiotics and saline with dextrose came through the IV, and

sudafed and tylenol were

> taken orally every 4 hours with a syrine with IV tubing at the end

instead of a needle, so

> you could shoot everything right down your throat. I am still using

these contraptions

> now, 5 days post op.

>

> That first night, sleep was fitful, on and off. I barely remember

being wheeled into my

> room, memories are kind of patchy. What woke me up a few hours

later was the sensation

> of the tube in my throat. The tube didn't bother my nose at all,

but it felt a little weird in

> my throat when I swallowed and I remember watching the clock

constantly because I

> really wanted them to take it out and they kept saying " tomorrow

morning " . They'd come

> in every 4 hours for the meds and to take my vital signs, and I

kept asking. Finally at 6:30

> AM, when they said " tomorrow morning " , I said " It IS tomorrow

morning, please take it out "

> so they did. It was a strange sensation, and it made me retch a

little bit, but I was so glad

> to have it out.

>

> My surgeon's required me to hire a private nurse for the first

night, for a 12 hour shift

> until 7am. She sat in a chair by my bed, awake, all night long, and

I don't remember

> requiring her services too too much, but when I did need her for

anything, she was right

> there. This was helpful, considering that the regular nurses at the

hospital have lots of

> people to attend to, and even though they were great, sometimes it

took them a few

> minutes to come in after I pressed the nurse button in the room

(eg, when my IV bag was

> empty and needed replacing).

>

> I also had a catheter in, which was removed shortly after the nose

tube. There was no pain

> associated with this, and I had no " accidents " without it ... just

got myself up out of bed,

> unplugged the IV, and wheeled everything over to the bathroom when

I needed to. I was

> definitely VERY DIZZY for the first several days. Not sure if this

was anesthesia, pain meds,

> lack of food, or some combo thereof. Whenever I stood up too fast,

I felt like I was going

> to fall over, and sometimes even turning my head too fast in bed

would make me spin.

>

> For breakfast, they brought me chicken broth, tea, and jello around

7:30am. I had no

> appetite for anything, and the IV was keeping me hydrated, so I ate

nothing just yet. By

> lunchtime, I realized i really needed to try to eat something to

help with the dizziness, so I

> had all of the broth, which was actually quite yummy at that point,

My husband was in the

> hospital with me the whole time (2 days, we left by 3pm on my 2nd

day post op), and he

> snuck me in a Stonyfield Farms vanilla yogurt smoothie which tasted

SOOOOO GOOOOD at

> that point. I knew I needed more protein than just the broth, and

I'm not good at keeping

> secrets or lying, so I told the nurse what I was doing. She said

that even though

> instructions were that I should have clear liquids only, if I was

tolerating the smoothie, it

> should be just fine. I drank about half of it, and just didn't have

room for any more.

>

> They gave me a sodium chloride rinse for my mouth, since I couldn't

brush, and I used it

> frequently. I tend to be a little neurotic about my oral hygeine,

and when my mouth feels

> scummy, I get cranky. They also gave me peroxide, but I never

really used it.

>

> The surgeon came to visit me at 1pm the day after surgery, and he

was totally amazed

> that a) I had no bruising, I had very little swelling, and c) I

was up and about and

> smiling. He said if I kept this up, I wouldn't need to stay the

requisite 3 days in the

> hospital (which I didn't). I asked him about the peroxide, he said

don't bother with it. I also

> asked him about the splint ... I am not wired shut, but rather have

titanium plates and pins

> in my bones, and a surgical splint wired to my upper teeth for 5

weeks. He said the splint

> acts as a guide for my lower teeth, and once it's off, if there is

any shifting, it can be fixed

> by my orthodontist, since the braces are still on. I will also need

a little bit of restorative

> dentistry (ie, shaving down some teeth, adding bonding to others)

to reshape them to

> perfectly fit my new bite, since there was some wear in my old bite.

>

> He kept a piece of silk tape below my lower lip, about 6 inches

long, and taped on slightly

> curving upward and gave me some to take home and change as needed.

He said that

> because the incisions are on the inside of the gum, and because of

the numbness, I need

> the tape to support my lower lip otherwise it may heal with a

slight droop downward. I

> change it daily, because it does tend to get a little scummy when I

drool soup or juice on

> it.

>

> He also gave me triamcinolone acetonide ointment in a petroleum

jelly base to keep my

> lips constantly moist. I did find after a few days though that my

lips were peeling horribly,

> and that I had nasty white stuff in the corners which one of the

nurses said was " mildew " .

> Once I got home, I started looking for alternatives ... I tend to

be a natural kind of girl, and

> putting a petroleum based product on my lips daily just didn't seem

right. So far, the best

> thing I've found is olive oil from the kitchen, though it tends to

dry rather quickly.

> However, the texture of my lips is much better with it, less

peeling, and no nasty stuff in

> the corners. When I have my first post op visit later this morning,

I'll ask him for other

> alternatives.

>

> I am not allowed to blow my nose, because the upper surgery was

done through the sinus

> cavities. instead, i have various nose sprays to loosen things up,

and I am then supposed

> to sniff them up and spit them out. This is rather nasty, but

luckily, the sudafed is keeping

> me fairly clear to begin with, so I don't have much extra stuff in

there.

>

> I started walking around the day after surgery, in the afternoon. I

unplugged the IV from

> the wall, and toted it around with me, up and down the halls of the

hospital. I had my iPod

> and listened to gentle music the first day post op, cranking it up

and dancing in the halls

> the second day post op. I did buy a set of surgical support CDs

from www.hemi-sync.com

> and I do think they helped with my overall level of relaxation. I

listend to the pre=op CD

> while in the waiting room before surgery, and they let me take the

iPod in so I could listen

> to the intraop CD while they were working on me. Since the surgery

was 7 hours and I only

> have 3-4 hours of battery time, i'm sure it ended at some point,

but at least i listened to

> some. Then, I started listening to the post-op CD as soon as I was

lucid enough in my

> hospital room. There are 3 more CDs: Recuperation, Energy Walk, and

Surf, which is my

> favorite. It is just the sound of ocean waves, with an occasional

seagull in the background.

> Something about the way it is recorded is supposed to level out

your theta brain waves,

> reducing your blood pressure and need for drugs, and increasing

your level of relaxation. I

> thought they were great.

>

> I also had one session of manual lymph drainage massage before the

surgery, and now 5

> days post op I am seeking someone to do another session. MLD is

supposed to help move

> the lymphatic fluid around the lymphatic system and reduce

swelling. Being in the US, this

> is not covered by insurance unless you go to a physical therapist

for it, not a massage

> therapist. I also think my one session preop helped me have so

little swelling now. I don't

> want anyone to touch my face, because where it is not numb, there

is a little bit of pain,

> but the lymphatic system includes the neck, chest, underarms, and

other parts of the

> head, so I think I can still benefit from it.

>

> Oh, one more thing about the pain: if you take your meds, it's

totally manageable. Again,

> I'm a natural sort of girl and I'm not really into taking drugs if

I can avoid it, but during my

> recovery, I understand that I totally need them. My doc prescribed

me tylenol with codeine,

> which just wasn't doing the job. I mean, it took some of the pain

away, but the codeine left

> me soooo drowsy and dizzy, I was just laying around on it. My

husband called the doc on

> the 3rd day post op (my full day back home), and told him it just

wasn't cutting it. He said

> that when he had had his wisdom teeth out, he had been prescribed

Vicodin, and he

> requested it for me. I was hesitant at first, because of all the

hype about addiction, but MY

> GOD what a difference it made! With tylenol, after 1.5 hours, I'd

be watching the clock

> waiting for 4 hours so I could have my next dose. Also, as I told

you, I was so drowsy and

> out of it because of the codeine. The Vicodin totally removes all

the pain altogether, and

> actually gives me a little bit of energy. Of course, as soon as I

don't need it, I don't want it,

> but in the meantime, it is a lifesaver. So make sure your doc

prescribes you something

> strong enough ... remember, you've had bone and flesh cut! This is

serious stuff!

>

> One warning though: my dreams are TOTALLY CRAZY! It's got to be the

drugs. They are so

> vivid, and so weird! Also, I find myself dreaming about my mouth,

because it feels so

> weird. Last night, I dreamed that I was eating cooked celery, all

stringy, and that I was

> trying to pull it out of my gums and teeth, and that I was pulling

my sutures out instead.

> Yikes! I was so happy to wake up and realize it was just a dream!

>

> OK, I think that's about all of it. Hope this wasn't too long, and

that it helps those of you

> looking for details. I'll keep you all posted on how my first post

op appt goes later today.

>

> Best of luck to all!!!!!!

>

> Jen

>

[Guest guest]

Hi jen, thank you for sharing your first twenty four hours it is

good to hear your story as it encourages me. I am due for surgery on

29th Nov and really appreciate hearing how things are in the first

24 hours. That is the part I have been most worried about. I hope

the rest of your recovery goes well. Thanks again

Jeannie

In orthognathicsurgerysupport , " Jen "

<jenlarsen@m...> wrote:

>

> a few people seem to be wondering what the first twenty four hours

are like, so I'll just

> share tidbits of mine with you.

>

> Firstly, my surgery took about 7 hours, so i'm told. (Upper split

into three sections with

> slight advancement and tilt, lower advancement of almost 10 mm,

and genioplasty) Of

> course, I don't remember a bit of it, and anesthesia is timeless,

so you basically go to

> sleep and then wake up and have no idea how much time has passed.

We started a little

> after 1pm, and finished later in the evening.

>

> I had no ice packs on my face when I woke up, nor did I have ice

at any point in the

> hospital. I had brought my own homemade ice packs made with maxi

pads soaked in

> strong comfrey tea and then frozen, and they felt good, but I was

so out of it, I didn't

> really use them that much. I did have a tube in one nostril to

pump blood out from my

> stomach, and I had a nebulizer/cool steamer on my face to help

breathe and keep things

> moist. I remember my nostrils being surprisingly clear, breathing

was no problem at all.

> Also, there was no pain, and minimal swelling. Remember, you are

on an IV and they are

> pumping you full of painkillers, antibiotics, and sudafed, so you

really don't feel much.

> Antibiotics and saline with dextrose came through the IV, and

sudafed and tylenol were

> taken orally every 4 hours with a syrine with IV tubing at the end

instead of a needle, so

> you could shoot everything right down your throat. I am still

using these contraptions

> now, 5 days post op.

>

> That first night, sleep was fitful, on and off. I barely remember

being wheeled into my

> room, memories are kind of patchy. What woke me up a few hours

later was the sensation

> of the tube in my throat. The tube didn't bother my nose at all,

but it felt a little weird in

> my throat when I swallowed and I remember watching the clock

constantly because I

> really wanted them to take it out and they kept saying " tomorrow

morning " . They'd come

> in every 4 hours for the meds and to take my vital signs, and I

kept asking. Finally at 6:30

> AM, when they said " tomorrow morning " , I said " It IS tomorrow

morning, please take it out "

> so they did. It was a strange sensation, and it made me retch a

little bit, but I was so glad

> to have it out.

>

> My surgeon's required me to hire a private nurse for the first

night, for a 12 hour shift

> until 7am. She sat in a chair by my bed, awake, all night long,

and I don't remember

> requiring her services too too much, but when I did need her for

anything, she was right

> there. This was helpful, considering that the regular nurses at

the hospital have lots of

> people to attend to, and even though they were great, sometimes it

took them a few

> minutes to come in after I pressed the nurse button in the room

(eg, when my IV bag was

> empty and needed replacing).

>

> I also had a catheter in, which was removed shortly after the nose

tube. There was no pain

> associated with this, and I had no " accidents " without it ... just

got myself up out of bed,

> unplugged the IV, and wheeled everything over to the bathroom when

I needed to. I was

> definitely VERY DIZZY for the first several days. Not sure if this

was anesthesia, pain meds,

> lack of food, or some combo thereof. Whenever I stood up too fast,

I felt like I was going

> to fall over, and sometimes even turning my head too fast in bed

would make me spin.

>

> For breakfast, they brought me chicken broth, tea, and jello

around 7:30am. I had no

> appetite for anything, and the IV was keeping me hydrated, so I

ate nothing just yet. By

> lunchtime, I realized i really needed to try to eat something to

help with the dizziness, so I

> had all of the broth, which was actually quite yummy at that

point, My husband was in the

> hospital with me the whole time (2 days, we left by 3pm on my 2nd

day post op), and he

> snuck me in a Stonyfield Farms vanilla yogurt smoothie which

tasted SOOOOO GOOOOD at

> that point. I knew I needed more protein than just the broth, and

I'm not good at keeping

> secrets or lying, so I told the nurse what I was doing. She said

that even though

> instructions were that I should have clear liquids only, if I was

tolerating the smoothie, it

> should be just fine. I drank about half of it, and just didn't

have room for any more.

>

> They gave me a sodium chloride rinse for my mouth, since I

couldn't brush, and I used it

> frequently. I tend to be a little neurotic about my oral hygeine,

and when my mouth feels

> scummy, I get cranky. They also gave me peroxide, but I never

really used it.

>

> The surgeon came to visit me at 1pm the day after surgery, and he

was totally amazed

> that a) I had no bruising, I had very little swelling, and c) I

was up and about and

> smiling. He said if I kept this up, I wouldn't need to stay the

requisite 3 days in the

> hospital (which I didn't). I asked him about the peroxide, he said

don't bother with it. I also

> asked him about the splint ... I am not wired shut, but rather

have titanium plates and pins

> in my bones, and a surgical splint wired to my upper teeth for 5

weeks. He said the splint

> acts as a guide for my lower teeth, and once it's off, if there is

any shifting, it can be fixed

> by my orthodontist, since the braces are still on. I will also

need a little bit of restorative

> dentistry (ie, shaving down some teeth, adding bonding to others)

to reshape them to

> perfectly fit my new bite, since there was some wear in my old

bite.

>

> He kept a piece of silk tape below my lower lip, about 6 inches

long, and taped on slightly

> curving upward and gave me some to take home and change as needed.

He said that

> because the incisions are on the inside of the gum, and because of

the numbness, I need

> the tape to support my lower lip otherwise it may heal with a

slight droop downward. I

> change it daily, because it does tend to get a little scummy when

I drool soup or juice on

> it.

>

> He also gave me triamcinolone acetonide ointment in a petroleum

jelly base to keep my

> lips constantly moist. I did find after a few days though that my

lips were peeling horribly,

> and that I had nasty white stuff in the corners which one of the

nurses said was " mildew " .

> Once I got home, I started looking for alternatives ... I tend to

be a natural kind of girl, and

> putting a petroleum based product on my lips daily just didn't

seem right. So far, the best

> thing I've found is olive oil from the kitchen, though it tends to

dry rather quickly.

> However, the texture of my lips is much better with it, less

peeling, and no nasty stuff in

> the corners. When I have my first post op visit later this

morning, I'll ask him for other

> alternatives.

>

> I am not allowed to blow my nose, because the upper surgery was

done through the sinus

> cavities. instead, i have various nose sprays to loosen things up,

and I am then supposed

> to sniff them up and spit them out. This is rather nasty, but

luckily, the sudafed is keeping

> me fairly clear to begin with, so I don't have much extra stuff in

there.

>

> I started walking around the day after surgery, in the afternoon.

I unplugged the IV from

> the wall, and toted it around with me, up and down the halls of

the hospital. I had my iPod

> and listened to gentle music the first day post op, cranking it up

and dancing in the halls

> the second day post op. I did buy a set of surgical support CDs

from www.hemi-sync.com

> and I do think they helped with my overall level of relaxation. I

listend to the pre=op CD

> while in the waiting room before surgery, and they let me take the

iPod in so I could listen

> to the intraop CD while they were working on me. Since the surgery

was 7 hours and I only

> have 3-4 hours of battery time, i'm sure it ended at some point,

but at least i listened to

> some. Then, I started listening to the post-op CD as soon as I was

lucid enough in my

> hospital room. There are 3 more CDs: Recuperation, Energy Walk,

and Surf, which is my

> favorite. It is just the sound of ocean waves, with an occasional

seagull in the background.

> Something about the way it is recorded is supposed to level out

your theta brain waves,

> reducing your blood pressure and need for drugs, and increasing

your level of relaxation. I

> thought they were great.

>

> I also had one session of manual lymph drainage massage before the

surgery, and now 5

> days post op I am seeking someone to do another session. MLD is

supposed to help move

> the lymphatic fluid around the lymphatic system and reduce

swelling. Being in the US, this

> is not covered by insurance unless you go to a physical therapist

for it, not a massage

> therapist. I also think my one session preop helped me have so

little swelling now. I don't

> want anyone to touch my face, because where it is not numb, there

is a little bit of pain,

> but the lymphatic system includes the neck, chest, underarms, and

other parts of the

> head, so I think I can still benefit from it.

>

> Oh, one more thing about the pain: if you take your meds, it's

totally manageable. Again,

> I'm a natural sort of girl and I'm not really into taking drugs if

I can avoid it, but during my

> recovery, I understand that I totally need them. My doc prescribed

me tylenol with codeine,

> which just wasn't doing the job. I mean, it took some of the pain

away, but the codeine left

> me soooo drowsy and dizzy, I was just laying around on it. My

husband called the doc on

> the 3rd day post op (my full day back home), and told him it just

wasn't cutting it. He said

> that when he had had his wisdom teeth out, he had been prescribed

Vicodin, and he

> requested it for me. I was hesitant at first, because of all the

hype about addiction, but MY

> GOD what a difference it made! With tylenol, after 1.5 hours, I'd

be watching the clock

> waiting for 4 hours so I could have my next dose. Also, as I told

you, I was so drowsy and

> out of it because of the codeine. The Vicodin totally removes all

the pain altogether, and

> actually gives me a little bit of energy. Of course, as soon as I

don't need it, I don't want it,

> but in the meantime, it is a lifesaver. So make sure your doc

prescribes you something

> strong enough ... remember, you've had bone and flesh cut! This is

serious stuff!

>

> One warning though: my dreams are TOTALLY CRAZY! It's got to be

the drugs. They are so

> vivid, and so weird! Also, I find myself dreaming about my mouth,

because it feels so

> weird. Last night, I dreamed that I was eating cooked celery, all

stringy, and that I was

> trying to pull it out of my gums and teeth, and that I was pulling

my sutures out instead.

> Yikes! I was so happy to wake up and realize it was just a dream!

>

> OK, I think that's about all of it. Hope this wasn't too long, and

that it helps those of you

> looking for details. I'll keep you all posted on how my first post

op appt goes later today.

>

> Best of luck to all!!!!!!

>

> Jen

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Jeannie,

You are so welcome, glad it helps One thing I've definitely ascertained

though is that

VICODIN IS EVIL!!!! I just can't deal with the disturbing dreams. They are

getting weirder

and weirder, and I was up most of the night because I just didn't want to go

back to sleep.

I'll have to find an alternative, or just deal with the pain as it comes. Maybe

simple Advil

more often throughout the day would be enough.

Thanks for the good wishes, I feel much better, energy is coming back every day,

and the

doc said I'm one of the speediest recoverers with a positive mental attitude

he's

encountered in his 25 years doing this sort of thing. Maybe he says that to

everyone, but it

still made me feel good

Best of luck to you on the 29th!

Jen

> >

> > a few people seem to be wondering what the first twenty four hours

> are like, so I'll just

> > share tidbits of mine with you.

> >

> > Firstly, my surgery took about 7 hours, so i'm told. (Upper split

> into three sections with

> > slight advancement and tilt, lower advancement of almost 10 mm,

> and genioplasty) Of

> > course, I don't remember a bit of it, and anesthesia is timeless,

> so you basically go to

> > sleep and then wake up and have no idea how much time has passed.

> We started a little

> > after 1pm, and finished later in the evening.

> >

> > I had no ice packs on my face when I woke up, nor did I have ice

> at any point in the

> > hospital. I had brought my own homemade ice packs made with maxi

> pads soaked in

> > strong comfrey tea and then frozen, and they felt good, but I was

> so out of it, I didn't

> > really use them that much. I did have a tube in one nostril to

> pump blood out from my

> > stomach, and I had a nebulizer/cool steamer on my face to help

> breathe and keep things

> > moist. I remember my nostrils being surprisingly clear, breathing

> was no problem at all.

> > Also, there was no pain, and minimal swelling. Remember, you are

> on an IV and they are

> > pumping you full of painkillers, antibiotics, and sudafed, so you

> really don't feel much.

> > Antibiotics and saline with dextrose came through the IV, and

> sudafed and tylenol were

> > taken orally every 4 hours with a syrine with IV tubing at the end

> instead of a needle, so

> > you could shoot everything right down your throat. I am still

> using these contraptions

> > now, 5 days post op.

> >

> > That first night, sleep was fitful, on and off. I barely remember

> being wheeled into my

> > room, memories are kind of patchy. What woke me up a few hours

> later was the sensation

> > of the tube in my throat. The tube didn't bother my nose at all,

> but it felt a little weird in

> > my throat when I swallowed and I remember watching the clock

> constantly because I

> > really wanted them to take it out and they kept saying " tomorrow

> morning " . They'd come

> > in every 4 hours for the meds and to take my vital signs, and I

> kept asking. Finally at 6:30

> > AM, when they said " tomorrow morning " , I said " It IS tomorrow

> morning, please take it out "

> > so they did. It was a strange sensation, and it made me retch a

> little bit, but I was so glad

> > to have it out.

> >

> > My surgeon's required me to hire a private nurse for the first

> night, for a 12 hour shift

> > until 7am. She sat in a chair by my bed, awake, all night long,

> and I don't remember

> > requiring her services too too much, but when I did need her for

> anything, she was right

> > there. This was helpful, considering that the regular nurses at

> the hospital have lots of

> > people to attend to, and even though they were great, sometimes it

> took them a few

> > minutes to come in after I pressed the nurse button in the room

> (eg, when my IV bag was

> > empty and needed replacing).

> >

> > I also had a catheter in, which was removed shortly after the nose

> tube. There was no pain

> > associated with this, and I had no " accidents " without it ... just

> got myself up out of bed,

> > unplugged the IV, and wheeled everything over to the bathroom when

> I needed to. I was

> > definitely VERY DIZZY for the first several days. Not sure if this

> was anesthesia, pain meds,

> > lack of food, or some combo thereof. Whenever I stood up too fast,

> I felt like I was going

> > to fall over, and sometimes even turning my head too fast in bed

> would make me spin.

> >

> > For breakfast, they brought me chicken broth, tea, and jello

> around 7:30am. I had no

> > appetite for anything, and the IV was keeping me hydrated, so I

> ate nothing just yet. By

> > lunchtime, I realized i really needed to try to eat something to

> help with the dizziness, so I

> > had all of the broth, which was actually quite yummy at that

> point, My husband was in the

> > hospital with me the whole time (2 days, we left by 3pm on my 2nd

> day post op), and he

> > snuck me in a Stonyfield Farms vanilla yogurt smoothie which

> tasted SOOOOO GOOOOD at

> > that point. I knew I needed more protein than just the broth, and

> I'm not good at keeping

> > secrets or lying, so I told the nurse what I was doing. She said

> that even though

> > instructions were that I should have clear liquids only, if I was

> tolerating the smoothie, it

> > should be just fine. I drank about half of it, and just didn't

> have room for any more.

> >

> > They gave me a sodium chloride rinse for my mouth, since I

> couldn't brush, and I used it

> > frequently. I tend to be a little neurotic about my oral hygeine,

> and when my mouth feels

> > scummy, I get cranky. They also gave me peroxide, but I never

> really used it.

> >

> > The surgeon came to visit me at 1pm the day after surgery, and he

> was totally amazed

> > that a) I had no bruising, I had very little swelling, and c) I

> was up and about and

> > smiling. He said if I kept this up, I wouldn't need to stay the

> requisite 3 days in the

> > hospital (which I didn't). I asked him about the peroxide, he said

> don't bother with it. I also

> > asked him about the splint ... I am not wired shut, but rather

> have titanium plates and pins

> > in my bones, and a surgical splint wired to my upper teeth for 5

> weeks. He said the splint

> > acts as a guide for my lower teeth, and once it's off, if there is

> any shifting, it can be fixed

> > by my orthodontist, since the braces are still on. I will also

> need a little bit of restorative

> > dentistry (ie, shaving down some teeth, adding bonding to others)

> to reshape them to

> > perfectly fit my new bite, since there was some wear in my old

> bite.

> >

> > He kept a piece of silk tape below my lower lip, about 6 inches

> long, and taped on slightly

> > curving upward and gave me some to take home and change as needed.

> He said that

> > because the incisions are on the inside of the gum, and because of

> the numbness, I need

> > the tape to support my lower lip otherwise it may heal with a

> slight droop downward. I

> > change it daily, because it does tend to get a little scummy when

> I drool soup or juice on

> > it.

> >

> > He also gave me triamcinolone acetonide ointment in a petroleum

> jelly base to keep my

> > lips constantly moist. I did find after a few days though that my

> lips were peeling horribly,

> > and that I had nasty white stuff in the corners which one of the

> nurses said was " mildew " .

> > Once I got home, I started looking for alternatives ... I tend to

> be a natural kind of girl, and

> > putting a petroleum based product on my lips daily just didn't

> seem right. So far, the best

> > thing I've found is olive oil from the kitchen, though it tends to

> dry rather quickly.

> > However, the texture of my lips is much better with it, less

> peeling, and no nasty stuff in

> > the corners. When I have my first post op visit later this

> morning, I'll ask him for other

> > alternatives.

> >

> > I am not allowed to blow my nose, because the upper surgery was

> done through the sinus

> > cavities. instead, i have various nose sprays to loosen things up,

> and I am then supposed

> > to sniff them up and spit them out. This is rather nasty, but

> luckily, the sudafed is keeping

> > me fairly clear to begin with, so I don't have much extra stuff in

> there.

> >

> > I started walking around the day after surgery, in the afternoon.

> I unplugged the IV from

> > the wall, and toted it around with me, up and down the halls of

> the hospital. I had my iPod

> > and listened to gentle music the first day post op, cranking it up

> and dancing in the halls

> > the second day post op. I did buy a set of surgical support CDs

> from www.hemi-sync.com

> > and I do think they helped with my overall level of relaxation. I

> listend to the pre=op CD

> > while in the waiting room before surgery, and they let me take the

> iPod in so I could listen

> > to the intraop CD while they were working on me. Since the surgery

> was 7 hours and I only

> > have 3-4 hours of battery time, i'm sure it ended at some point,

> but at least i listened to

> > some. Then, I started listening to the post-op CD as soon as I was

> lucid enough in my

> > hospital room. There are 3 more CDs: Recuperation, Energy Walk,

> and Surf, which is my

> > favorite. It is just the sound of ocean waves, with an occasional

> seagull in the background.

> > Something about the way it is recorded is supposed to level out

> your theta brain waves,

> > reducing your blood pressure and need for drugs, and increasing

> your level of relaxation. I

> > thought they were great.

> >

> > I also had one session of manual lymph drainage massage before the

> surgery, and now 5

> > days post op I am seeking someone to do another session. MLD is

> supposed to help move

> > the lymphatic fluid around the lymphatic system and reduce

> swelling. Being in the US, this

> > is not covered by insurance unless you go to a physical therapist

> for it, not a massage

> > therapist. I also think my one session preop helped me have so

> little swelling now. I don't

> > want anyone to touch my face, because where it is not numb, there

> is a little bit of pain,

> > but the lymphatic system includes the neck, chest, underarms, and

> other parts of the

> > head, so I think I can still benefit from it.

> >

> > Oh, one more thing about the pain: if you take your meds, it's

> totally manageable. Again,

> > I'm a natural sort of girl and I'm not really into taking drugs if

> I can avoid it, but during my

> > recovery, I understand that I totally need them. My doc prescribed

> me tylenol with codeine,

> > which just wasn't doing the job. I mean, it took some of the pain

> away, but the codeine left

> > me soooo drowsy and dizzy, I was just laying around on it. My

> husband called the doc on

> > the 3rd day post op (my full day back home), and told him it just

> wasn't cutting it. He said

> > that when he had had his wisdom teeth out, he had been prescribed

> Vicodin, and he

> > requested it for me. I was hesitant at first, because of all the

> hype about addiction, but MY

> > GOD what a difference it made! With tylenol, after 1.5 hours, I'd

> be watching the clock

> > waiting for 4 hours so I could have my next dose. Also, as I told

> you, I was so drowsy and

> > out of it because of the codeine. The Vicodin totally removes all

> the pain altogether, and

> > actually gives me a little bit of energy. Of course, as soon as I

> don't need it, I don't want it,

> > but in the meantime, it is a lifesaver. So make sure your doc

> prescribes you something

> > strong enough ... remember, you've had bone and flesh cut! This is

> serious stuff!

> >

> > One warning though: my dreams are TOTALLY CRAZY! It's got to be

> the drugs. They are so

> > vivid, and so weird! Also, I find myself dreaming about my mouth,

> because it feels so

> > weird. Last night, I dreamed that I was eating cooked celery, all

> stringy, and that I was

> > trying to pull it out of my gums and teeth, and that I was pulling

> my sutures out instead.

> > Yikes! I was so happy to wake up and realize it was just a dream!

> >

> > OK, I think that's about all of it. Hope this wasn't too long, and

> that it helps those of you

> > looking for details. I'll keep you all posted on how my first post

> op appt goes later today.

> >

> > Best of luck to all!!!!!!

> >

> > Jen

> >

>