Re: Opening up this Friday (but can't open mouth). Regret.

[Guest guest]

Ash:

I haven't had the surgery yet ... going in for the SARPE on 7 Sep.

However, a coworker of mine had the exact same surgery with the

exact same symptoms as you once she got everything off. They

couldn't find the problem, they sent her to get a thorough x-ray of

her jaw and it turned out when they did the surgery, they

accidentally broke the jaw in another spot that they weren't looking

at. The rebanded her for two more weeks and the pain was gone and

it healed up. Not sure this is your cause, but it is worth a look.

Don't let the surgeon just say that this is normal. I would request

another x-ray to make sure they haven't overlooked something. Just

trying to help.

P.S. I know it is hard but keep your eye on the prize ... that

great smile!

> Hi everyone,

>

> On Friday I get my bands off for good. It will be my 6 week

mark. I

> should be excited, but really..I'm not.

>

> Some of you may remember my posts last week about opening my mouth

to

> have my splint removed (and bands put on) and this causing intense

> pain in my left ear. Well, at my appointment today I brought

along a

> toothbrush as I was told..in an attempt to remove some of the

clumpy

> build-up on the back of my teeth. My surg. said, " If you can open

> your mouth wide enough, go ahead and do it before I put the new

bands

> on. " Well..I didn't accomplish much because I could only open

about

> as wide as the width of a peice of paper..or a fingernail before

the

> ear pain started screaming at me.

>

> I am so discouraged. Why should I be happy about Friday..when

I'll

> most likely still be on a liquid diet because I can't even open my

> mouth wide enough to get a fork/spoon in? I am definitely going

to

> be too scared to try to stretch it because I do not want to

inflict

> that excruciating pain on myself.

>

> I am beginning to regret ever having this surgery.

>

> -Ash

> (Lower jaw advancement 8mm on July 23. Was wired shut for 4

weeks,

> banded for 2 weeks. Screws and plates implanted)

[Guest guest]

Hi Ash,

I can hear your discouragement and I just wanted to write to you... I

remember what you wrote about the terrible pain last week, I hope

it's at least subsiding for you. I dont' know if it is relevant or

will be helpful, but I wanted to share with you some of my

experiences.... For quite a while after my surgery, I had pain in my

left jaw joint. Not from anything like your experience having your

mouth wrenched open but from basic post-op inflammation as my

surgeon explained it to me. I would never have described it as

excruciating, but it definitely inhibited opening my mouth and hurt

when I attempted to, and hurt even more when I had bands creating

more resistance to work against. When I was just out of my surgery, I

had a lot more opening up ability than I had later.... My opening

slowly but surely tightened right up. It was very frustrating to see

it getting smaller, not larger! I remember getting my splint off,

still being banded, and resorting to breaking up pieces of

AfterEights and slipping them in my barelythere opening. It was one

of the only things that fit! A regular spoon definitely didn't. I was

able to find a very flat spoon without much depth that worked for me.

I had children's toothbrush with the very small head that I was using

and couldn't fit it between my teeth either. And trying was painful!!

Slowly but surely, you WILL get there. I can remember the time when I

finally could fit my pinky finger tip in between my teeth. There are

a LOT of posts in the April archive between myself and another poster

Jane P. as we compared our struggles with eating and NO mouth opening

right after getting our splints off. IT's Very Frustrating and

discouraging!! Now I can't even remember when that pain in my joint

went away... not immediately, but eventually it was gone, and just

now your post reminded me that I ever had it. I'm six months post-op,

and slowly but surely, in my mouth's own time, I'm getting my opening

back. It isn't there all the way, but it takes time....Getting your

bands off is just one more step along the way towards the end of all

this. Your mouth will open again. I considered any time I did

anything that required trying to open my mouth and/or chew physical

therapy, because, really that's what it is! Hang in there Ash, we are

all cheering for you!

Katja

> Hi everyone,

>

> On Friday I get my bands off for good. It will be my 6 week mark.

I

> should be excited, but really..I'm not.

>

> Some of you may remember my posts last week about opening my mouth

to

> have my splint removed (and bands put on) and this causing intense

> pain in my left ear. Well, at my appointment today I brought along

a

> toothbrush as I was told..in an attempt to remove some of the

clumpy

> build-up on the back of my teeth. My surg. said, " If you can open

> your mouth wide enough, go ahead and do it before I put the new

bands

> on. " Well..I didn't accomplish much because I could only open

about

> as wide as the width of a peice of paper..or a fingernail before

the

> ear pain started screaming at me.

>

> I am so discouraged. Why should I be happy about Friday..when I'll

> most likely still be on a liquid diet because I can't even open my

> mouth wide enough to get a fork/spoon in? I am definitely going to

> be too scared to try to stretch it because I do not want to inflict

> that excruciating pain on myself.

>

> I am beginning to regret ever having this surgery.

>

> -Ash

> (Lower jaw advancement 8mm on July 23. Was wired shut for 4 weeks,

> banded for 2 weeks. Screws and plates implanted)

[Guest guest]

Katja:

Thank you so very much for sharing your experiences with me. It is so

comforting to know that everyone who comes to this group can almost

always count on receiving empathy from the other members. It lets

people like me know that we're not alone. Everyone who has responded

to any of my posts encourage me to remember that the storm will pass,

this does not last forever, and that good results are in my future. I

try to keep this in mind although sometimes it is truly difficult.

Thanks to you and everyone else in this group!

-Ash

[Guest guest]

Ash,

I know what it feels like to wonder if you should have had this

surgery. I'd like to tell you something that my mom told me a

couple of weeks after my surgery. She said, after you've had a

major surgery it feels like you will never be the same again. It

feels like when the doctor was in there working on you, that he

stole something from you that you will never get back again. She

told me that even though it seems like it is going on forever, one

day you look back and realize you're doing better and you'll be okay.

I can completely sympathize with you. I had surgery done on July

22nd, so we're surgery buddies, and still can barely open my mouth.

On Friday my OS was checking the extent of my still constant

numbness and told me to lick my lips and relax my mouth. In

frustration I told him I couldn't, after all, I can't get my tongue

out of my mouth, it won't open wide enough.

I still have my splint on, and will for an additional 5 plus weeks.

I can supposedly chew on Friday, but don't know what I can fit into

my mouth or what I will be able to chew with a splint on, so I am

also thinking I will remain on a liquid/soft food diet for a while.

We'll do it together. We'll both slowly but surely heal, and this

time next year we'll let eachother know what we are planning on

barbecuing for Labor Day weekend.

I'm always here for you Ash and think about you often. Take care,

don't push your healing, and know that others have been through this

and are there to cheer us on.

Connie

> Hi everyone,

>

> On Friday I get my bands off for good. It will be my 6 week

mark. I

> should be excited, but really..I'm not.

>

> Some of you may remember my posts last week about opening my mouth

to

> have my splint removed (and bands put on) and this causing intense

> pain in my left ear. Well, at my appointment today I brought

along a

> toothbrush as I was told..in an attempt to remove some of the

clumpy

> build-up on the back of my teeth. My surg. said, " If you can open

> your mouth wide enough, go ahead and do it before I put the new

bands

> on. " Well..I didn't accomplish much because I could only open

about

> as wide as the width of a peice of paper..or a fingernail before

the

> ear pain started screaming at me.

>

> I am so discouraged. Why should I be happy about Friday..when

I'll

> most likely still be on a liquid diet because I can't even open my

> mouth wide enough to get a fork/spoon in? I am definitely going

to

> be too scared to try to stretch it because I do not want to

inflict

> that excruciating pain on myself.

>

> I am beginning to regret ever having this surgery.

>

> -Ash

> (Lower jaw advancement 8mm on July 23. Was wired shut for 4

weeks,

> banded for 2 weeks. Screws and plates implanted)