5 weeks postop
I seem to have passed another milestone. My energy level is good. I met friends for b'fast and lunch today (I'm so popular - ha!) and ran several errands. I was out from 7:30 until around 2:30 with no problems. I was bushed when I got home but I had a chance to sit and rest for a little while before kids got home. Didn't need to nap, just rest. I have been fine the rest of the evening. I will be going to bed within the hour hopefully. I am sleeping well through the night, still using Sonata but I will be trying to go without soon.
I have been released to eat anything I wish - so I have started a little jaw rehab. The eating variety and the passive tension variety. Just trying to relax my jaw while I use a few fingers to hold my mouth open just to the point of tension, not pain. The lateral movement of my jaw is pretty much non-existent right now. With the total 20mm advancement (12mm BSSO + 8mm GA) my TMJs are very tight. The discomfort with chewing is decreasing daily. I was able to eat salad with grape tomatoes, cucumber, and peppers on it. It was so nice to crunch the veggies. The lettuce has a tendency to get a little lost in my mouth because of all the numb spots, but I happily managed. I am sick to death of soft cooked veggies. My lips seem, well, too small. It's like they are thinner than they were before surgery. I guess some of this came about from the addition of the chin. I am hoping that when the braces and those awful surgical hooks are gone that maybe my lips will appear a little more normal. I am scheduled to have my lower front brackets repositioned on 12/11. At that time the surgical hooks will be removed. That will be worth the discomfort of the appointment.
Speaking of lips, the numbness on the left lower lip to chin is fading. Maybe slightly more numbness on the right. Cheeks are still pretty numb on the inside of my mouth.
I have a bony prominence (don't know how else to describe it) on the left lower jaw - it comes up beside my back molar. It creates a bit of a pocket that is just big enough to hide a little food and make it difficult to brush the back molar. I asked my orthodontist about what he thought. He said that the body really doesn't like sharp edges and to give it 6 months or so to see if it smoothes itself out. If not I might have to consider having a little revision done back there eventually. Also, where my nasal spine was cut is pretty sharp. Ditto for a revision in at least 6 months if it doesn't smooth over and settle down on it's own. Right now it makes it fairly uncomfortable to blow my nose.
The weight has stabilized at 17 pounds down. This has been the count and amount since about two weeks postop.
All for now. I am ready to hit the hay. I am really sleeping well. What a blessing!
I have been released to eat anything I wish - so I have started a little jaw rehab. The eating variety and the passive tension variety. Just trying to relax my jaw while I use a few fingers to hold my mouth open just to the point of tension, not pain. The lateral movement of my jaw is pretty much non-existent right now. With the total 20mm advancement (12mm BSSO + 8mm GA) my TMJs are very tight. The discomfort with chewing is decreasing daily. I was able to eat salad with grape tomatoes, cucumber, and peppers on it. It was so nice to crunch the veggies. The lettuce has a tendency to get a little lost in my mouth because of all the numb spots, but I happily managed. I am sick to death of soft cooked veggies. My lips seem, well, too small. It's like they are thinner than they were before surgery. I guess some of this came about from the addition of the chin. I am hoping that when the braces and those awful surgical hooks are gone that maybe my lips will appear a little more normal. I am scheduled to have my lower front brackets repositioned on 12/11. At that time the surgical hooks will be removed. That will be worth the discomfort of the appointment.
Speaking of lips, the numbness on the left lower lip to chin is fading. Maybe slightly more numbness on the right. Cheeks are still pretty numb on the inside of my mouth.
I have a bony prominence (don't know how else to describe it) on the left lower jaw - it comes up beside my back molar. It creates a bit of a pocket that is just big enough to hide a little food and make it difficult to brush the back molar. I asked my orthodontist about what he thought. He said that the body really doesn't like sharp edges and to give it 6 months or so to see if it smoothes itself out. If not I might have to consider having a little revision done back there eventually. Also, where my nasal spine was cut is pretty sharp. Ditto for a revision in at least 6 months if it doesn't smooth over and settle down on it's own. Right now it makes it fairly uncomfortable to blow my nose.
The weight has stabilized at 17 pounds down. This has been the count and amount since about two weeks postop.
All for now. I am ready to hit the hay. I am really sleeping well. What a blessing!
posted by Anne | 10:38 PM
5 Comments:
It's great to know that you can finally sleep well!!! Fabulous. Nothing beats a good night of sleep....... actually that reminds me - its way past my bedtime :-)
You are just so ahead of yourself that it's amazing! May you continue on such a restorative path. Best, toni
Thanks Toni!
I do feel like I am clicking right along now. The biggest annoyance has to be these braces but I just have to keep telling myself that they are temporary. Have you looked at Brandy's blog? She got her braces off today and she looks great! I am so jealous! Not really, just anxious for the next several months to pass so I can be where she is now.
Talk to you soon,
Anne
Hey Anne,
You are coming along quite rapdily if I do say so myself! Trust me, I've been where your at, I hated those hooks, and after surgery the whole braces thing just starts to wear on you. With every passing day you are just more ready to get them off! Your day will come soon, and I'm sure your teeth will look amazing when your all done!
Honestly I'm really glad I went the brace route as opposed to just being advanced without braces. I really like have a bite that is functional as well as aesthically appealing! LOL...
I'm so glad to hear that your energy is returning, probably because you are getting good sleep now! Whatever the reason though, isn't it great?
Thanks for the compliments on my teeth, I'm pretty happy with the results, but will be even more so once they stop hurting from all the manipulation yesterday. The retainers are sortof bothering my tongue in spots too....seems it is always something new to adust to isn't it? I can't wait for the day when there is nothing in my mouth but my teeth!
Well keep up the good work with your healing journey, and keep posting pics. I love seeing how your swelling decreases, and the change that take place over time. It is so cool to watch the tranformation! Wishing you well!
Brandy
Always trying to adjust to something new is a good way to put it. Just when things start to settle in the orthodontist or OS change things up!
I left my camera at my folks on Thanksgiving. Mom's b'day is tomorrow so I will retrieve it then. I should be posting some new pics this weekend.
I too am glad about the aesthetic improvements (a (single) chin, straight teeth, smaller appearing nose) that go along with this surgery. I wouldn't do this for the changes alone, but they are a nice consolation prize for having to go through all of this. If I make it to August 2008 with my braces then I will have been on a three year journey to improve my apnea. Some extra improvements seem to be justified, don't you think?
I have been up all day (since 6:30am) and am on my way out the door to have dinner with friends. I haven't had a nap all day and feel fine to make it through the evening. This is such a drastic change from pre-op. Before surgery it would have had to adjust my whole day to be able to tolerate being up and out all evening. Had I not had the surgery, today would have been worked around a significant nap to be able to stay away and reasonably alert through dinner.
I am feeling like I am getting my life back. I am not sleeping my life away any longer. What a blessing!
Peace,
Anne
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