3 weeks post-op

[Guest guest]

-Hi everyone

I had upper (Leforte I) and lower (BSSO ramus) surgery on August 31

to correct my underbite and thought I would give an update on how

things have gone. I'll start by saying that everything has gone

great so far. Don't get me wrong, the whole process is an ordeal

but

it has gone really well- so far.

My surgery was at 8:30 am and lasted about 6 hours. Evidently this

was a little longer than expected because my bone was difficult to

cut through but the surgery went excellent according to my OMS. My

upper jaw was moved forward 5mm and leveled slightly and the lower

was moved backward 6 mm and leveled slightly. He also said he did a

partial septoplasty to position my nose since moving my upper jaw

forward affects its position. I remember being very cold when I woke

up but otherwise I felt pretty relaxed and it wasn't too weird as

I

expected it might be. I had a splint in and was banded shut tightly

so I couldn't move my jaw any. The rest of that day and overnight

I

was kept in the PACU where there was constant observation. I had a

NG tube in as well as a breathing tube to keep my airway open but

they both came out during the night and once they did I was able to

breathe even better. About 8 am I was released from the PACU since I

was drinking water on my own through a syringe and generally felt

good. Once in my hospital room, I was able to drink boost and apple

juice. I was also up on my feet and able to walk in the hallway

short distances. I was discharged Thursday afternoon around 3:30. I

never experienced any nausea at all.

The swelling peaked around the third day and slowly went down over

the next 7-10 days. My face looked about twice its normal size. My

sister said I looked like a busted-up boxer due to the swelling and

cracked lips. I think I am a little puffy in my cheeks near my nose

still but it diminishes each day. I had just a little bruising (the

yellow kind) from my lips down along my neck. It is gone now. As for

the pain, it wasn't as bad as I expected and never what I would

consider severe. I didn't need to finish all the pain meds that

were

prescribed. I was pretty numb everywhere on my face the first 2 days

after, but feeling has returned everywhere except one side of my

upper lip and part of my cheek on that same side. I have some

tingling/itchy/other strange sensations there occasionally which

they say are signs that the nerves are repairing themselves so

hopefully that numbness will be gone soon. The worst part was

keeping my nose decongested but that was manageable with Dimetapp

and Q-tips. I've been back to see my OMS twice so far since

surgery

and everything looks great according to him. He removed most of the

bands at the first post-op visit 6 days after surgery. 2 bands are

still in which allow me to move my jaw some and I get to take them

off completely 3 times a day for up to 2 hours each time. My splint

fits all my teeth so it guides my bite in place when I open and

close. When the bands are off I do stretching exercises. The splint

comes out on Monday. I'm looking forward to that since talking

with

it is a bit difficult and it does trap a lot of food that is hard to

get out. I will still have another 5+ weeks of no chewing depending

on what the doc thinks I guess, as time passes.

Generally I can say the whole process has gone better than I

expected so far. Largely I guess because I was prepared. Having a

good OMS and this site helped with that tremendously. I am very

pleased with my new look. I have no regrets having had this surgery.

I hope this helps others who have upcoming surgery. If anyone has

any questions, I'd be happy to try and answer based on my

experience.