Jaw Surgery Forums » Pre-Surgery Questions

Advice for Upper Jaw Surgery on August 15th

(16 posts)
  • Started 9 months ago by MKal25
  • Latest reply from jawbreaker911
12

  1. MKal25
    Member

    Hi guys,

    I'm going to be getting my upper jaw moved forward about 4 mm on August 15th, 2011, and was just wondering if anyone has any advice for after the surgery. I've read through a decent amount of the blog, and know all the about the swelling and the ordeals that come with eating, but was just wondering if anyone has any tips to alleviate the pain.

    Should I get a jaw wrap to ice my jaw? Would a jaw wrap even make a difference for just upper jaw?

    How about sleeping conditions and such?

    Thanks again for the help, love the blog!

    Posted 9 months ago #

  2. kelly2011
    Member

    Hey Mkal25! I'm in the same boat as you, expect I'm having double jaw surgery to fix my underbite. Looks like you got lucky and only have to have your top moved forward? Good luck with your surgery, mine is 3 days after yours! Post before/after pics if you can!

    Double jaw surgery to correct underbite and crossbite, August 18th, before and after pictures: http://www.jawsurgeryblog.com/forums/topic/kellys-before-double-jaw-surgery-pics
    Posted 9 months ago #

  3. NadiaK
    Member

    Post some before pics! I also need my upper jaw moved 4-5mm.

    Posted 9 months ago #

  4. citeeofangels
    Member

    Hi Mkal25! My surgery is 3 days before yours! I'm having a Lefort I/BSSO to fix my overbite and perhaps a genioplasty to give me a chin! I wish everyone who's having surgery soon the best of luck and best wishes for a swift recovery!

    Posted 9 months ago #

  5. giltzer14
    Member

    Hi Mkal,
    I am at day 6 of my upper jaw surgery. I was supposed to have Lower and chin as well, but everything fit in to place for me so well after they did the upper they let it be! For upper jaw surgery plan for about a 3-4 hour surgery. I will quickly share with you my recovery experience so far since we are in a similiar boat, however I did have my upper jaw moved more than 4mm.

    My cheeks are very numb, as well as my nose and upper lip. The swelling isn't as bad as expected, but got continually worse until day 3.

    I have awful headaches the first two days, and was using an ice pack on my head which helped. I then started taking sudafed and it made a world of difference. I am on pain medication (liquid vikadin) every 4 -5 hours, as well as a nasal spray and antiobiotics to prevent an infection.

    Eating is the most difficult part. The first few days are the easiest but wow am i ready to eat some real food!!!

    Expect a nose bleed for awhile as well. mine was non stop and finally ended the other day. I used tissue and let it stay in my nostrals to prevent creating a mess everywhere i go.

    Hope this helps - GOODLUCk!

    Check out my jaw surgery experience here: http://www.jawsurgeryblog.com/forums/topic/kevins-before-and-after-upper-jaw-surgery-pics
    Posted 9 months ago #

  6. giltzer14
    Member

    oh and as far as sleeping goes...the first 2 days sucked!!! i could only sleep for 2 hours at a time! After day 3 my normal sleeping habits came back.

    Posted 9 months ago #

  7. Amuu
    Member

    Hi MKal25!

    For pain, I recommend taking the pain meds your surgeon will give you and just stay on top of it to prevent the pain from coming through. I tried toughing it out cause it wasn't unbearable and I usually never take pain meds, even Advil, on a regular day. But the constant throbbing and the headache that followed drove me crazy for the first couple days and by the time the pain meds kicked in, I was already miserable. So just keep on top of it. Also, I found applying heat to my face helped relieve it a bit as well. The heat also helps with the swelling after the first few days when ice doesn't work anymore. So, instead of buying a jaw wrap for ice, I would recommend getting a heating pad with a warm setting. It was a life saver for me! Apply the heat for about 15 minutes almost every hour after the first few days. That was the recommendation I was sent home with, although I'm sure your surgeon will give you one before you leave the hospital. As for sleeping, stock up on pillows :) For the first 3 weeks I slept almost sitting up with a stack of about 4 pillows, and then I slept at a 45 degree angle after that until about my 7th week (I'm now 8 weeks post op and still sleep with an extra pillow just in case) Hope those little tips help!
    Good luck with everything! I hope you have a good recovery and everything goes well!

    Posted 9 months ago #

  8. IamSam12345
    Member

    Hi! I just had my jaw moved forward about 4mm on Friday. It is definitely better than having both jaws done...or at least it seems so. I have been pretty much able to take care of myself and heat up soup since the day after I was in the hospital. I'm pretty weak and stairs are a challenge. It's surprising the things that will knock me out. Most of my pain is from the swelling pressure and around the stitch sites.
    I got a cool jaw band and haven't used it very much. The ice packs that come in it are helpful to try and ice the front of my face where most of the pain/swelling is located. I really wish I had a ski mask made of ice because all of the pain is from the bottom of my eyes down to around my bottom lip. I also wish I had one of those eye masks that you can freeze. I may try to get one today. Also be very careful when brushing. I didn't even think of all the stitches in my mouth the first time I brushed...I don't know how I didn't realize they'd be tender. I brushed normally over the underside of my lip and OUCH! it got all irritated and swollen so watch out for that!!

    I feel really lucky that I've been able to use a cup since almost immediately after surgery. I only used the syringes a few times. Trying to spoon things into my mouth has been pretty useless bc I need to use such a small spoon and just kind of put it in my lip. I've been using mugs to drink all of my soups and that's worked really well for me. Just make sure to have paper towels handy bc stuff spills on your shirt, on the cup and on your lips/chin. My friends think it's funny when I "eat" and it's really not that bad as long as I have a paper towel bib.

    hope this helps and good luck with everything :)

    - Samantha
    check out my blog! : http://iamsam12345.blogspot.com/
    le fort 1 osteotomy July 29th 2011
    Posted 9 months ago #

  9. MKal25
    Member

    Thanks for the advice guys! I forgot that Mass General will supply the ice and heat, so that's great.

    @Glitzer - Thanks for the nosebleed warning. Hope you have an amazing recovery :).

    @Amuu - Thanks for the sleeping advice! I peeped at your 8 week after pics in your thread and you look great! Glad the surgery was such a sucesss for you.

    @IamSam - Thanks for the ice advice, I hope I am as lucky as you and don't need to eat from a syringe too much. Hope your recovery goes really well too!

    I think during those few weeks after surgery, Netflix is going to save my life. I am going to be watching so many TV shows.

    Posted 9 months ago #

  10. RachelM
    Member

    Five seasons of Grey's Anatomy on DVD got me through my first two weeks! All the best with your surgery and recovery!

    Posted 9 months ago #

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