So I'm always struggling to figure out what I should actually post here. I was a chronic Facebook oversharer for awhile and in my struggle to overcome my addiction decided 'nah, nobody needs to know shit.' Some stuff I read online said I should try to start a blog for my book and I went: okay, yeah! But there were only so many posts of that before I can't post anymore since, like, I shouldn't put the whole thing I'm working on online for free and whatever. I had one of my paintings stolen once and I ain't about that shit no more.
Anyways, I just went through double jaw surgery (orthognathic surgery) and am about five weeks post-op and figured I should write something about my experience because maybe it'll help people or something. (God knows I was freaking out beforehand and mined the internet's trove of information for help.) I probably should've started this, like, four weeks ago but I was lazy and the TV was there, so things happen.
At any rate, I figured I'd share some things about my experience and can talk about it more if anyone's interested. Just let me know if you have more questions or something. I'll post my pictures separately, though I haven't taken a really recent one because my swelling stopped two weeks ago and I am generally camera shy. I'll get to it. I kind of wish I had better before pictures but hey. I only get that girl instinct to selfie every couple of months and then I just leave them all on my camera because my instincts embarrass me.
I'm getting off track.
Okay . . .
1. Pain
So, I personally didn't find the pain too unbearable because hydrocodone just became my best friend (I wish we could go on more dates, hydrocodone, but my mom was definitely silently judging me so I had to leave you after my second refill. I will always remember you, though you tasted terrible so I probably will stay away from you in the future.) I generally tend to have a high pain tolerance, though, so it might be different for other people (after all, we all experience pain differently!) I read before that it's not supposed to be too painful because the nerves won't grow back for awhile and you'll be numb, but my nerves grew back really quickly and by the second week I'd basically gotten all my feeling back except for my palate and my top, front gums (which are still numb.)
I do have to tell, you, though, that your jaw WILL cramp and spasm before you get your wires off and it will be uncomfortable. My mom freaked out about it but my surgeon told me that it's not a big deal. I ended up with some give in my wires (which actually helped my muscles a lot) but my result has been fine. Just make sure it's not too much give it you have some! You shouldn't be able to move side-to-side and should talk to your surgeon if you can.
2. Swelling
So, I was able to combat swelling really well. I hated how it made my face feel like a mask, so I just slept in a reclining chair and kept ice packs on my face until I started to look normal again (which was about two weeks.) My surgeon said she was impressed with how little swelling I actually had, which was great because she also told me that some people she sees at unwiring are, like, shiny and bulbous. If you want to stop your swelling as soon as possible, you should avoid sleeping laying down. When I tried to sleep lying down again my swelling started to go back up, so a nice chair or sofa where you can sit but still be comfortable is best. You will still swell, but you'll have an almost normal face much sooner. I also drank a ton of water, which might've helped.
3. Diet and Syringes
So I know that they tell you to eat a LOT but I had a real hard time eating. If you want to lose some weight (be honest, it's basically the only reason you're excited to go through this. At least if you're a girl.) then you should just assume you won't lose as much as you want. I know you should be eating the right amount of calories but it was a struggle for me to eat at all toward the end. Part of this was because of the worst part for me - taking all my pills in liquid or crushed form. I generally take two pills a day already but I also had an infection in my toe at the same time I was recovering and when I went in I got prescribed antibiotics. Most pills are NOT meant to be consumed in crushed form so their insides taste TERRIBLE. I started getting really nauseous from the taste of the antibiotics and had to stop taking them (luckily I didn't puke when I had my wires in, but a lot of the time I felt close to it.) Unfortunately, the liquids don't taste very good, either. Like . . . I know they're trying to get a balance between it tasting okay enough to consume vs. too good and potentially making you actually want to ingest these drugs but damn. Hydrocodone is alright when you can just drink it really fast, but when you have to use a syringe . . . urgh. The Ibuprofen was alright, but I was on megadoses of it when I was 17 and 18 due to a concussion and my stomach has had a really hard time dealing with Ibuprofen since. I tend to avoid it unless I have a really bad hangover.
You may be able to use sippy cups but I couldn't for whatever reason. I ended up using syringes for everything. If you don't have a lot of space in your mouth for food to enter, you should try to stick to liquids. I know, I know, it SUCKS after awhile, but if you try anything chunky it'll just get stuck in between your teeth and you'll have to spend awhile using your syringes to clear out food debris. You won't be able to get some of the stuff in the back with a toothbrush, so use your syringes to help. When you have a funky taste in your mouth, it's probably food that's getting a liiiiiittle past its nice point and all you have to do is use your syringes to flush out the particles. If you've had your wisdom teeth taken out it's a similar process to when you clean the holes. Knowing how to do that helped me a lot because I was already nauseous when my mouth started tasting bad (I know this is kinda gross, sorry.)
I also got oral thrush afterwards because I had to go back on antibiotics (different ones that didn't taste anywhere near as bad) to get the infection in my toe fixed and the pills and the mouthwash both messed up the bacteria balance in my mouth. You should talk to your surgeon about it if it happens to you, but it's important to try to restore the balance naturally by eating yogurt and taking probiotics. Holding yogurt in my mouth seemed to help. They can give you sprays if it gets too bad, but if you can get the balance to start restoring itself then the thrush starts to retreat within a few days. Gross, right? Anyways.
4. Exercise
So . . . I probably didn't walk around as much as I should've because I just wanted to embrace my laziness, but when I did it was great. Now I've sat too much and have started to jog and lift again, but you should be very wary as you transition back to your normal routine. Don't try to go too fast! I only just could start jogging this week because before my face would start to throb. Walk. Just walk. You'll probably be pretty weak, anyways. I was doing all my exercises with ten pound weights before and had to scale back to threes, but now that I'm back to tens it feels like a lot of weight (yeah, I know, if you're into weight lifting then none of that may sound like much but shut up.) You'll have restrictions on how much you can lift. Just be aware that you'll have to build your muscle mass back up. You probably won't be in any shape to exercise the way you usually do.
5. Jaw Movement/Healing
The creepiest part of all this was feeling the bones move. One side of my face the bone would move when I swallowed so that it felt like something was hanging in the back of my throat - which made me have to swallow more. If you have that problem just press against the outside of your jaw while you swallow and it'll balance out. Apparently the first few weeks are a prime time to get orthodontic work done because the jaws are still not completely healed and can move around so your orthodontist might get fancy with bands and stuff. I went across the country to get my surgery done (since it was free on my mom's plan and I live on the other side of America, now) so my orthodontist has yet to actually see the results besides pictures and x-rays and I've been seeing my old orthodontist here. Hopefully they're happy. I know they wanted to widen my top jaw because it was too narrow and I don't think that's the case, anymore. The sooner I can get these stupid braces off, the better.
6. Drinking
I might slightly be an alcoholic but I'm also 23 so screw your judgments. I do what I want.
I stopped drinking a week before the surgery (they didn't tell me to but a friend recommended it who's all smart and stuff, so I did it) and didn't really feel like touching alcohol until I got my wires off. I want to clear out my system a bit, but I had a few drinks while my boyfriend was here last week and nothing terrible happened. My tolerance has definitely taken a hit but, hey. If you haven't figured out how to conduct yourself around alcohol before your surgery you probably shouldn't be drinking until well after it. Some people may be like 'no liquor, you're healing!' but it's really up to your discretion. You obviously shouldn't mix painkillers and alcohol, but I was fine drinking a bit last week. If you're having a hard time healing you should avoid anything that'll make things worse, but if you're doing okay . . . screw it. Have some fun. You've been through an ordeal.
That's basically all I can think of right now. As I said before, I'm in my fifth week and everything finally feels solid and settled again. Most of the jaw movement stopped the middle of last week and I can now eat most things - though not all. I have to cut up some stuff, still, and my jaw will get tired while eating some stuff. At least it means I eat less! Now I can lose those last ten pounds that've been dogging me since my senior year in college. Screw them.
At any rate, if you're reading this and have this surgery I hope it goes well for you and that this has been helpful! I'll post some pictures soon.
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