Jaw Surgery Forums » Post-Surgery and Recovery Questions

After Surgery Questions?!!

(7 posts)
  • Started 8 months ago by KLC95
  • Latest reply from KLC95
  • 1 Members Subscribed To Topic

  1. KLC95
    Member

    Last friday Sept 9th I had jaw surgery, bone graft & wisdom teeth out. I am on day 6 recovery & have some questions!
    1. When will the swelling start to go down?
    2. What are some different All liquid diet recipes to try?
    3.What happens at the post op appointment?
    4. Any tips?!?

    Posted 8 months ago #

  2. RachelM
    Member

    Well done on being on the other side of surgery!
    1. swelling will start to go down from now on and the worst of it will have gone after about six weeks (on average). However, I'm 3 months post op and still have swelling in my cheeks. I have all the sensation back though. It takes up to 12 months to see the final result (so I'm told)
    2. I was on a soft food diet so no ideas for a liquid diet I'm afraid. Just try and get as many calried down you as possible. Have full fat milk with everything!
    3. Post op appointments last Get your friends to visit and try to have an 'event' to look forward to each day. Sleep as upright as possible (also helps to reduce your swelling), don't get upset about not seeing immediate restults, your recovery will take a long time. Keep positive, watch lots of DVDs and keep rested.
    All the best with the rest of your recovery!

    (everyone's recovery is different so this is my expereince. You might get different answers from different people!)

    Posted 8 months ago #

  3. kscott
    Member

    Hello KLC :)

    I am on day 16, well 17 (it's midnight soon in the UK).
    Congratz on having your surgery, hope your doing okay!
    I have had double jaw surgery, with a genioplasty, so my recovery may be slightly different from yours :)

    1. On day 6 I reached the peak of being swollen, I started coming out in proper bruises and generally felt pretty damn rotten. I'm still very much swollen now, however the people around me say they notice it going down slightly everyday, one side of my face is doing better than the other it seems, too! It really depends on the person I think, there are things some as ice packs or heat packs that people try to speed up recovery, I quite like a warm wheat bag, that soothes me a bit.

    2. I'm also looking forward to replies on this! I am fully wired so I'm on a purely liquid diet, soft food is very difficult for me so I tend to avoid it. What I am living on is prescribed meal replacement drinks, I have Scandishake and Ensure, you can ask for them at a pharmacy or ask your surgeon.

    I also am having Heinz soups, primarily chicken, leek and potato and oxtail. I heat them in the microwave then pop them in a blender for a few mins, add some water and put them in a water bottle with a straw to get them down. I also have some ready brek, which is like porridge or sometimes breakfast cereal soaked in milk for a while blended up.

    3. I've had my surgery on the NHS, so for my, I see my surgeon once a week for my bands to be changed to make sure the jaw is held together tightly. He checks everything is nice and clean, he also removed a few stitches last time, he asks how I am, gives any advice he can and prescribes me new drinks if I need them. He also stands there and tells me how wonderful my face is, which is always nice!

    4. Stay positive! I am currently in a bit of a rut at the moment, quite low. So try to keep busy (in the least active sense of the word!). Books, jigsaws, tv, games, the internet, anything to keep you occupied!

    I find having a fan nearby helped me sleep along with having a straw in my mouth, it all gave me the illusion that I was breathing much better than I was.

    And baths! Baths are the best thing in the world. They help you feel human and squeaky clean :)

    Good luck!

    xxx

    Posted 8 months ago #

  4. KLC95
    Member

    Thanks Everyone, I am not banded shut nor do I have a splint which is great! @kscott for the soups you should put milk in them instead of water it would taste better & more calories. Also try smoothies & carnation. milkshakes, mashed potatoes & gravy. malt o meal. I can't take a bath due to my bone graft only showers.

    Posted 8 months ago #

  5. kscott
    Member

    Totally jealous of you about now! No bands? Crazy!

    I really am currently limited to what I can get through a thin straw, I don't think I can hack mash potatoes, its a bit too thick for me. I'm also struggling to have a lot of milk on an empty stomach, so milkshakes are making me feel a bit sick. I can't seem to win.

    27 days to go... 27 days to go... :)

    Posted 8 months ago #

  6. tbruning
    Member

    hello just wanted to drop in and say i had my surgery on the same date as you and pretty much the same things done. My lower jaw was moved back, had my wisdom teeth removed, a bone graph on my upper front jaw, and had a couple of teeth removed from my upper front jaw as well. I had a question for you as it seems its been the same amount of time for you as well, and that is how are youfinding your recovery? My swelling has gone down some, and where they removed my wisdom teeth have healed up. However where they did the bone graph i still feel that the gums have yet to fully heal there. Anyways best of luck to you and hope your recovery is going well.

    Posted 8 months ago #

  7. KLC95
    Member

    Kscott, try the KFC mashed potatoes there really thin & maybe a smoothie? are cream of chicken soup.

    tbruning, I had a bone graft from my right hip. I'm walking better just get tired really easy & have to go slow.. Im on dyay 8 recovery & the swelling has gone down some compared to days 345 but my upper lip is huge! haha it Sucks :/ I need to be better by the 27th!

    Posted 8 months ago #

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