3 Months Post Opp

OK so today is the 30th September which is 3 months and 3 days since my surgery!!

I still have some numbness on the inside of my chin and my gums but other than that its all healed nicely!

I now have elastics on my braces which are very annoying! But its the final stage of my braces!! My orthodontist said that if everything is looking good at my next appointment they will take my braces off at the appointment after that! So hopefully i will be brace free either just before Christmas or just after!!!! Cant wait!!

So happy with the results so far and to be honest i have completely forgotten about the process and how painful, scary and emotional it was! It is such a blip in my life! Cant believe its been 3 months!

Nothing else to report! I will post again once the braces are off!!!

Face photo:

10 Weeks (ish) post opp

Update! 

I'm really not very good a keeping a blog! If anyone is following my journey i apologize for not updating sooner.

OK so everything is going great! No problems to report so far! I still have some numbness in my chin but to be honest i dont really notice it! My nerves are also still coming round so i have some sensitivity in my gums at times and a few aches in my jaw where the bone is still healing (takes 3 months apparently!). Other than that i'm really happy with everything! 

My bite is still in line and my braces are still moving my teeth into the correct position! Not sure if i mentioned in a previous post but i am getting elastics on my next appointment (yay :/) to help align everything! 

Other than that there is nothing to report! Hope you all had a good summer!

Update (Finally!)

Just over 7 weeks post opp!

OK so i am really rubbish at keeping this blog up to date! I have had a lot of things going on recently so haven't even thought about my surgery!

So in the time i have been away, i turned 21! I had the best surprise party ever and got very drunk! I started back at work again and went to a renewal of vows reception last weekend! Busy Busy!

So with regards to my jaw:

Everything is going great! I started back at work a week earlier than i had planned because i didn't feel i needed the time off! So i had 5 weeks off work in total (i could have managed with only 2 weeks off!). 

Pain wise i am not in any! I have a small scare a couple of weeks ago just after my 21st birthday because i suddenly had this very tender and painful spot appear on my jaw! It was just over where the metal bracket would be on my left side! I was so worried i had done something to knock it out of place! Luckily i had an appointment with my orthodontist the day i noticed the pain for my brace adjustment, so my surgeon also popped in to check me over. He said i had probably over stretched the muscles that are trying to heal when i was singing and shouting at my party! He was right because the pain went away within the next 2 days and i am fine now.

As i said above i had my first brace adjustment since my surgery. My orthodontist wants me to wear elastics when i next go in and see her (great! :/) just to align everything up. She said i should have my braces off by Christmas which is great!! I have to go back every 6-8 weeks just like before my surgery. 

My surgeon no longer has to see me until after the braces come off just to check the final result. 

Here's a photo from my 21st! You cant really see my jaw but i was smiling and happy! 

Numbness: I still am experiencing numbness in my chin. Its not as bad as it was and it is gradually coming back to life, its just taking a long time! It doesn't really effect me though, i only notice it from time to time. My lower gums are still coming round as well so whenever i brush my teeth, certain parts of my gums are very tender and feel weird! 

Eating: I am pretty much eating normally now! I am still wary when it comes to eating really hard/crispy food and sometimes when i eat really chewy things my jaw starts to ache a bit. But i can still eat almost anything i want and i can open my jaw pretty wide. Not as much as i could before the surgery but i am sure i will get there!

To be honest i cant believe its been 7 weeks since i had my surgery! I cant even really remember the pain and discomfort because it is so insignificant now! I am so glad i had the surgery done and i will never regret it! I am already so happy with the result and i am still not at the end of the process. 

I think i was really lucky with my surgery because i didn't have any complications, hardly any pain and was back on my feet within 48 hours! I only had to stay in hospital the 1 night (and i found out the other day my surgeon was going to send me home the same day but because i had the drains in he kept me in!). 

So if you are thinking of having the surgery done and your looking at this blog for advice, the only thing i can say is that you make it a lot worse in your head than it actually is! This process has been so much easier than i thought it would be and i wish i could go back and tell myself this so i would stop worrying so much! It is so worth it!

Here's another photo from the renewal ceremony to end this update :) Keep smiling :D 

 

1 Month Gone!!!

Its been a whole month since my surgery and the time has flown by!

Still numb in parts of my chin and gums and every now and again i have a small pain in my jaw where im still getting used to my bite. Other than that everything is normal!

My swelling is still going down on my chin but all the other swelling has gone.

Not a lot else to say to be honest! Everything is normal.

Here is another face photo:

Before and After Profile

Thought id share a photo with you, this is a before and after pic of my profile so far. There's already a huge difference and there is still some swelling! The next is another front on photo :) Oh i had another surgeon appointment and he is really pleased and i no longer have to see him until after the braces come off! I have my next appointment in 3 weeks time to have my braces adjusted! Last leg of my journey!

3rd Week of Recovery

Keep forgetting to update! Really sorry! OK so today is Tuesday 19th July which is 3 weeks and 1 day after my surgery!

Nothing has really changed from the last week, my stitches have now dissolved so im just left with the internal scarring and a bit of swelling on my chin. Part of my chin is still numb but my bottom lip and tongue have nearly returned which is good!

This week has been pretty normal, i have been eating everything my family have been, im just careful with crispy and hard food. Pain wise, i am not in any! Every now and again i have a small pain in my right side of my jaw and my right ear sometimes aches but other than that im good.

I'm basically back to normal and im going out doing everything i would be if i wasn't recovering.

Here are some photos of me this week:

2nd Week of Recovery

OK so i am really bad at updating this blog!! Its now Monday 7th July which is 2 weeks after surgery!

Not a lot has really happened this week so i will just do an update of the whole week rather than a day by day.

So on Tuesday i went and saw my surgeon who took my plasters off (which really hurt!) and i was left with this sticky residue on my face! I managed to get it off with some face scrub and it feels good to have them off! The surgeon was really happy with everything and he showed me my x-rays, i now have lots of metal in my mouth! My orthodontist also came in and had a brief look at everything, she was really pleased and didn't think it was necessary for me to have elastics which is great!

Photo after my plasters came off:

Swelling wise this week, its gone down a lot! I still have slight swelling on either side and some on my lower lip.

Numbness is more of my problem, i have a spot on my chin which is really numb and my bottom gums are still numb. However one of my stitches came out the other day and i can now feel some of my gum on 1 side. My lower lip is still tingling and so is half of my tongue but they are gradually getting there.

I have now come off my pain medication, i didn't really need them to be honest but thought it safe to keep on top of them. I kept taking the ibuprofen for half the week just to help with the swelling but i have now stopped that as well. I keep getting small twinges in my jaw and chin which hurt a bit but its not really painful and doesn't last long. Annoyingly i keep getting itches in parts of my face that i cant feel! Other than that pain hasn't been a problem for me.

Food wise i am managing to eat relativity normally, i have eaten pasta, porridge, a roast dinner, risotto, chicken, chips, beans, onion rings, lots of cakes and puddings! Pretty much anything soft! It takes me slightly longer to eat than normal but i can eat most things just not really hard stuff!

Sleeping isn't an issue anymore, i don't need to sleep elevated anymore. Sometimes it is uncomfortable to sleep on my side just because i'm pressing on my jaw in a funny place. Other than that i'm managing to sleep really well.

Energy is normal really! I haven't been too tired to do anything and i have managed to do everything i normally do. I'm driving OK and walking to different places. No different to before surgery,

So yeah! Everything is going really well and so much easier than i expected! Don't know what all the fuss is about! I have another appointment to see my surgeon tomorrow as well and then i think he will leave me alone for a few weeks to heal up before he has another look.

Here are some more photos of me during the week:

1 Week Since Surgery!!!

Its been a week today!! Cant believe it to be honest! Its gone so quickly, wish i had known this time last week that it would be this easy to recover! Would have saved a lot of worrying!

So today i was taken to Bridport by my second mummy Jean (my friends mum) she took me to her house and i helped her look after her 20 month old granddaughter which was really fun. Just chilled and watched disney films! Also saw my good friend Lauren for the first time since the surgery which was lovely!

For breakfast i had some porridge then i had some cheese and salad cream sandwiches for lunch along with a yogurt and i think my mum is doing bacon, sausages and baked beans for tea! I am then driving over to my boyfriends tonight after a committee meeting to stay over, he is taking me to my first hospital oppointment since the surgery tomorrow. Hopefully i will get the plasters off my face!

Pain info:

Pain 1/10
Comfort/Swelling 2/10
Tiredness 1/10

Also took some photos today:

Day 6 post opp

OK so onto Sunday 3rd July which is 6 days post opp!

Today was good, didn't sleep as well as normal. Woke up and had some porridge for breakfast and then went to a restaurant for a nice meal! I had roast turkey with potatoes, carrots and gravy! I managed to eat most of this and then for desert i had warm lemon drizzle cake which was amazing!

For tea i had BBQ pulled pork with some bread and butter, managed a fair amount of it and then had some ice cream for desert. I drove back from my boyfriends and had my first shower! (Been having baths because of the plasters on my face!) It was amazing! Felt so much better! Watched TV then went to bed! Pretty normal day!

Pain info:

Pain: 1/10
Comfort/swelling: 2/10
Tiredness: 1/10

Feeling normal again really! I'm concerned that i am not feeling worse! Every other blog i read before my surgery said that everyone felt exhausted all the time and was in more pain! I don't know what to tell you! I guess i recover quickly! Ha!

Day 5 post opp

So sorry again haven't been keeping up to date! I am now talking about Saturday 2nd July which was 5 days after my operation:

To be honest there isn't much to report about today! I slept alright and during the day i drove over to see my boyfriend and ended up staying at his that evening as well! I had some porridge for breakfast, some beans and yogurt for lunch and also a magnum ice cream! Then i went to a cider festival with my boyfriend and his mates (i wasn't drinking by the way!) I had some cheesy chips which were tricky to eat so didn't manage a lot of them! Then went to bed fairly late!

Pain wise:

Pain: 1/10
Comfort/Swelling 3/10
Tiredness: 2/10

So yeah! Feel pretty normal to be honest! Feeling in my jaw is still funny, there is obviously swelling on the inside of my mouth which makes it slightly uncomfortable and i still have tingly feelings everywhere but it is nothing really! That's all folks!

Day 4 post opp

Im up to date! The date is now Friday 1st July which is 4 days post opp!

Im feeling great today! Energy wise i feel back to normal! I woke up at about 8:30 and had another bath which was nice. I then had some ready brek for breakfast and topped up on my medication. I then went on a long dog walk with my grandparents! Must have walked a mile and i felt fine! Was lovely and sunny and it was great to get out!

For lunch we went to my grandmas and i had 2 hot dogs in soft rolls!! Then i came home and had some chocolate ice cream! I watched tv for a bit and then my grandma took me up town to get some fruit, i popped into my work and said hello and i also saw my auntie which was lovely.

I came home and went for a drive in my car for the first time since surgery, i took my dad with me just in case! I felt normal! Apart from my fat face i was the same as i was before the surgery.

I can honestly say so far this experience has been 10 times easier than when i had my wisdom teeth out! I have very little pain and eating is not as hard as i expected it to be! I can open my jaw wide enough to fit 2 fingers!!

Todays pain etc:

Pain 1/10
Comfort/swelling 3/10
Tiredness 1/10

Not sure why im finding this so easy but i wish id known before hand so i could stop worrying about it! The worst part of my experience has been waiting for the surgery day! Everything after has been minor is comparison! So if your panicking about having this surgery, dont! Its not as bad as you think it will be!

For tea tonight i had these weird chicken dogs, chips and cheesy beans and then some ice cream! Again i didnt drink my protein shakes! I dont feel like i need them because im managing normal food fairly well!

Well thats it! Im up to date! I hope you are finding my blog helpful! :)

Todays pick:

Day 3 post opp

I had read online that the 3rd day after surgery is the worst day, and i found this to be true! I woke up on Thursday 30th June feeling very sick and in pain! I came down at about 6am to take some more tablets and then went back to bed. Didnt sleep because i felt so sick!

When it came to eating breakfast i didnt really think i could stomach it! I managed to drink half a cup of tea and a small amount of ready brek! This seemed to help the sicky feeling but it didnt really go away all day!

My boyfriend came over for a few hours and we sat watching tele together which was lovely! We also went for a small walk around the block just to get out of the house! I didnt find this hard and it was nice to get some fresh air! For lunch i had some rice pudding!

My pain subsided once i had taken my medication and after that my day was pretty much like yesterday! I watched movies and had a small nap in the afternoon. I managed to eat an omelette for tea which was nice and i had a chocolate mouse for desert. I didnt managed to drink my protein shakes today. I couldn't stomach it! They are too sickly when you are feeling sick!

I went to see my cousin briefly to get a heat pack to help with swelling which was nice and then i went to Tesco with my dad just to get out and about! Then i went to bed at about 11pm again with the heat pack on my jaw which felt lovely and soothing!

So at the start of the day my pain etc would have been:

Pain 6/10
Comfort/swelling 6/10
Tiredness 6/10

But by the end of the day:

Pain 2/10
Comfort/swelling 4/10
Tiredness 5/10

I managed to sleep! Which was a relief! I bled a little bit today but nothing major. Now on to day 4 post opp! (didnt take a photo today as it was pretty much like yesterday!)

Day 2 post opp

OK so I'm now writing about Wednesday 29th June which is day 2 post opp:

As i said i woke up fully at about 9am, i ran myself a bath because i needed to sort my hair out! I was told to keep the plasters on my face until i saw my surgeon next week so i had to be careful not to get them wet! I felt a lot more human after the bath and my hair was alot better!

My swelling has come on now and my face turned fat over night! But i expected it to be a lot worse! (see photo):

I came downstairs and made myself some baked beans which i managed a few of! My mum then went up the shop and bought some ready brek, chocolate mouse, yogurt and soup! So i also had some ready brek! I topped up on my pain meds and chilled in front of the tv most of the day! I had a nap at some point as well! For lunch i had a chocolate mouse! Which was enough at the time!

The day was pretty uneventful again! My pain etc:

Pain 2/10
Comfort/swelling 5/10
Tiredness 5/10

In the evening i had a jacket potato with cheese, some cheesy beans and a hamwhich! I managed most of this which i was really pleased with! I can suck most of it (i know disgusting) and i can move my jaw more than i thought id be able to!

I went to bed at about 11pm. Oh cleaning is my teeth is slightly difficult, i have to use a baby toothbrush and go very gently over my teeth. I then have to use the antiseptic mouthwash they gave me which is hard when you cant feel half of your mouth! I try and clean my teeth after every meal and before bed! I dont want to get an infection now!

Tonight was really hard, couldnt really sleep as i struggled to get comfy so just napped through the night again!

On to day 3 post opp on my next post!

Day 1 post opp

So i am now writing about Tuesday 28th June which was the day after my surgery:

As i said in my last post the night was pretty uneventful, didnt really sleep just napped throughout. I got given some antibiotics in the night through my cannula which hurt! Felt like my vein was going to explode because they had to push it in really slowly!

I was offered breakfast at about 7:45 in the morning i chose to have ready brek and some tea. This was really easy to eat! I could feel half my tongue and half my lower lip which i didnt expect! I also found drinking from a cup with no straw easy too, my mouth could open wider than i thought and i was able to speak really clearly! My surgeon came in to see me at about 8:30 and was really impressed to see me eating. He checked my bite and asked how i was feeling, told him that i was in no pain and was glad it was over! He asked me if i wanted to go home today, to which i said yes!! He told the nurse to send me for x-rays and then take my drains out then i was good to go! I was still a bit tired so kept drifting off until they came to collect me for my x-rays. They took 1 of my cannula's out and i was then wheeled down for x-rays.

Nothing special about the x-rays, pretty normal! When i got back to the ward they took out my drains, which wasnt as bad as i thought it would be! I just felt some tugging but no pain, i was really glad these were out because i was frightened to move whilst they were in! They also took my other cannula out and i was allowed to get dressed into my own clothes!

I also had some sausage casserole for lunch with mash potato, and then some ice cream. I managed to eat a bit of this but it didnt taste great!

I took a photo in the morning - sorry i look really terrible! My hair is just.... wow. But anyway i look worse than i felt! I wasnt in any pain still and it was all just numb and heavy! I saw a dietitian before i left who gave me some protein shakes which i have to drink 2 of a day. My boyfriend then picked me up at about 4:10 in the afternoon and i had managed to clean myself up a bit by this point as you can see by the photo: 

I was given my pain medication and protein shakes and was sent on my way! I managed to walk from the ward to the car park - doesnt sound impressive but it was a long way considering i had just had major surgery! Once i got home i felt a bit tired and just wanted to relax! My boyfriend stayed for about 2 hours and then left, i had a bit of a cry when he left because i was so tired and emotional! I drank loads throughout the evening and just sat and chilled out. I managed to eat some tomato soup and a cup of tea. I went to bed at about 10pm and propped myself up on pillows so i was sleeping on an incline. My pain medicine consisted of strong ibuprofen and paracetamol, they also gave me codeine just in case it got really bad. So i dosed up on the ibuprofen and paracetamol and went to sleep. 

I didnt sleep amazingly well but i managed to sleep from about 11pm - 4:30am when i woke up, not in pain just woke up! I came downstairs and had a cup of tea with my dad and had a protein shake. Took some more painkillers and went back to bed and managed to sleep from 6:30 - 9am which wasnt bad! 

So far id say: 

Pain is 2/10 (10 being painful)

Comfort/Swelling 5/10

Tiredness 7/10

So now on to day 2 post opp on my next post! 

Surgery Day

OK so today is Friday 1st July so its been 4 days after my lower jaw surgery! Sorry I haven't updated sooner but been busy!

So going back to my surgery day:

I woke up at about 8:15 to leave for Exeter hospital at 8:45. My boyfriend stayed the night which was really helpful because i was an emotional wreck!! I stopped eating at about 8:30 the night before and had a few sips of water in the morning. We got to the hospital and I got checked in to Knapp Ward which was the pre-surgical ward. I was told that my surgeon was currently in theatre and was asked to get changed into the hospital gown and blood clotting socks they make you wear! I was then visited by 3 nurses who asked the same questions e.g. are you pregnant, allergies etc. and i had to take a pregnancy test and a blood sugar test.

About an hour past and i was visited by my anaesthetist (by the way for the entire hospital wait i was crying!) he just ran through everything with me and asked if i had any questions, i didn't i just wanted them to get on with it!! I was then visited by my surgeon who said everything was ready to go and they would come and collect me soon. My grandma came in and said goodbye whilst my mum waited with me until they walked me down the corridor. My theatre nurse was lovely and walked me into the room before theatre to get me put to sleep. I laid on the bed and they went through my consent form with me, i had about 6 people in this room with me! I'm guessing half of them were trainees! By this point i was crying and very scared and just wanted it to be over, they talked to me the entire time and eventually put me to sleep! I vaguely remember feeling a pins and needles feeling going up my arm before i passed out but other than that i dont remember anything until i started to wake up.

This was by far the hardest thing i had to do! Waking up from aesthetic is really hard! I had a lovely guy who looked after me in the recovery room, he gave me a drink and kept taking my blood pressure. As i was coming round i realised i had a tube in my nose! But luckily they took it out before i was awake enough to panic!

Once i had woken up they wheeled me back to Otter Ward where i was going to be staying the night, i then realised i had drains in my jaw, i couldn't really feel them but i could see them and the bottles they were connected to. I also had a cooling face mask on and 2 cannulas, 1 in each hand. I had my IV connected to one, along with my morphine drip and then the other one wasnt connected to anything.

As you can see by the photos i was a bit dazed by still smiling!! I didn't feel any pain at this point, just uncomfortable and numb! Everything felt very heavy! My hair was matted with a mixture of blood and the disinfected stuff they use on you! Sounds disgusting, which is was!! My family came to see me and so did my surgeon, he said that everything went well and asked if i would like to try and eat something. I said yes and they brought me some soup and ice cream! I ate a few mouthfuls of this before feeling a bit sick so stopped! Think is was too soon after the aesthetic to start eating! Luckily the nurse came in and gave me some medicine to help. My boyfriend was the last to leave and then i basically cat napped the entire night! Couldn't really sleep because of the noise and the nurses kept coming in with more medication. 

I did struggle whenever i had to use the toilet because i was attached to the bed by tubes and wires everywhere! I also had pumps on my legs which where to stop blood clots, they were annoying because every now and then they would squeeze my legs! At about 10pm the nurse gave me an injection in my tummy to stop blood clots - this hurt! Wasn't a big needle but it stung for quite a while after! The night was pretty uneventful, pain was near to nothing and i only had to use my morphine 3 times. I also had oxygen on throughout the night which went in my nose, this was because the morphine effects my breathing apparently! 

So i will now move on to day 1 post opp on my next post! All i can say about today is im so glad its over and it wasnt as bad as i expected!

New Date!

Well I have had a few hiccups in the run up to my surgery and it ended up being postponed! Long story short, my blood tests came back abnormal so they had to do more tests and also my 'splint' (like a gum shield thing they use to align your teeth whilst in surgery) didn't fit so i had to have that redone! 

However now all that has been sorted my surgery has been re-booked for the 27th June, which is this time next week!!!

I have my last appointment with my surgeon tomorrow morning which is to go over everything before hand and then I am booked into hospital at 11am on Monday 27th June! My surgery is in the afternoon. 

Its been a long process but I will be so glad when it is out of the way and I can stop worrying about it! I have ordered some protein powder and some protein shakes which I am hoping will help me recover quicker if I can gain more energy! 

Everything is now ready to go, so I will update again as soon as I feel up to it after my surgery! Wish me luck! :/ 

Surgery Date!

Hi, Sorry I haven't posted in a while! Not a lot has happened until recently! 

I now have my surgery date - 6th June 2016! So just under 2 months away. 

I have several appointment before hand to get me ready for the surgery, i have 1 tomorrow which will consist of moulds and photographs being taken. Then i have another appointment on Thursday for a CT Scan - apparently this is so they can create a digital version of my surgery so they can see what the finished product will be. 

My last appointment before my surgery is 2 weeks before hand, this is to see my surgeon and he is going to make sure a plate fits in my mouth (its called a surgical plate which helps him line up my teeth in surgery). Then after that it will be my surgery!!

I am beyond nervous and scared, which i think is normal given the situation. My surgeon said that the surgery will take about 2 -2 and a half hours to complete and they will be just working on my lower jaw and chin. He said i will be in hospital for a maximum of 2 days and i will need about 6 weeks off work. He also said he doesn't think he will need to wire my jaw shut which is a bonus!

So i wont be posting anything else until probably the day of my surgery! Wish me luck! :/