Jaw Surgery Forums » Share Your Jaw Surgery Experience!

Came home today!

(11 posts)
  • Started 2 years ago by lucrezia
  • Latest reply from Brandon
  • 1 Members Subscribed To Topic

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12

  1. lucrezia
    Member

    Hi all!
    FINALLY had my upper jaw surgery yesterday morning - Lefort I three-piece osteotomy w/ rigid fixation- due to maxillary hypoplasia. (In normal words, he fixed my upper jaw cause it was too narrow, causing a lot of problems, by cutting it into 3 pieces to move each seperatly, then used bone plate and screws to put it back together.)
    I was just discharged from the hospital this morning, then, per his request, went straight to the surgeon's office for an x-ray.
    He says everything looks perfect, no surprises during surgery and he can't believe how little swelling I have, although, he said "it may get a bit worse over the next few days, but probably not."
    I will be on a clear liquid diet (anything you can see through) for a few more days and then move up to full liquids (anything that can be blended and strained).
    I have very little pain, more just discomfort from the swelling and not being able to open my mouth. It feels like I have a sinus infection- where you cheeks, forehead and the back of the head feel really sore. I had a morphine PCA (patient-controlled analgesia) that I just push the button and it'd give me a preprogrammed amt of morphine.
    Now, I have an oral suspension hydrocodone w/tylenol, and also a liquid antibiotic.
    So that's it for now. Gonna go put my ice packs back on my head...had taken them off for a shower...and try to sleep for awhile.

    I had upper jaw surgery 2/3/10...well on my way to recovery, a great smile and finally being able to chew normally!
    Posted 2 years ago #

  2. Brandon
    Site Administrator

    Congrats, Lucrezia!

    Sounds like everything is going great so far, and looking like a fast and smooth recovery.

    Keep us updated on your progress...

    I'm Brandon, the creator of JawSurgeryBlog.com. I personally had upper and lower jaw surgery on October 30, 2007. Thankfully, everything went beautifully, so I'm trying to make sure everyone else's surgery goes smoothly as well!

    http://www.facebook.com/pages/Corrective-Jaw-Surgery/114627165257701
    Posted 2 years ago #

  3. Jo
    Member

    WooHoo! awesome! Wow, that's really great! Thanks for posting. now I know EXACTLY what to expect :)

    Hey!
    I am JoAnna-20 yrs. old, and I have a Class 3 under-bite.I'm having maxillofacial jaw surgery(the top and bottom jaw surgery-but I'll have my chin adjusted as well)and got my braces 5/21/10.
    My surgery date is Valentine's Day 2012. Super excited =D
    Posted 2 years ago #

  4. lucrezia
    Member

    Hanging in there...much more swollen today...and REALLY hating the fact that I can't brush my teeth/tongue! Ewww! I'm really hoping this swelling goes down a bit by tomorrow.
    Mornings so far, definitely suck more...more swelling, more stuffiness, and more stiffness in my jaws. But by midday I feel pretty good. I even had enough energy this afternoon to bathe my daughter (my hubby has been doing all that stuff!)

    I'm still on clear liquids only...just till some of this swelling goes down...and I'm soooo hungry! It doesn't help that my husband is an amazing cook and is cookin up some yummy-smelling dinner! Soon enough...I'll be back at the dinner table...

    Posted 2 years ago #

  5. batxcore
    Member

    ohh it sounds like you had the surgery that I had a year ago (yesterday was one year!)!
    day 3 was the worst (for me) but by day 4, i woke up feeling amazing and even went to school! you're almost there!
    best of luck with the recovery, but it is so worth it to not have a narrow top jaw anymore.

    Posted 2 years ago #

  6. Jo
    Member

    aw, wow. hang in there, kay! my best of wishes!

    Posted 2 years ago #

  7. Alyx
    Member

    I am going in for the same exact thing on Wednesday this week, so thanks for posting and letting us all know how you're doing- sounds like you're healing really fast! Have you tried the warm salt water rinse? I hear that more than anything (like the alcohol-free mouth wash) helps get rid of the nasty taste in your mouth...
    So what do you do about the stuffiness in the mornings? Do you sleep with a humidifier, and upright in a chair? Did they send something home with you to help out with that??
    Thanks!!

    Posted 2 years ago #

  8. lucrezia
    Member

    Doing much better today! Thank God! Had a post-op visit with the doctor, he says everything looks "great for day five." He also says that the worst of the swelling and pain is past now, so things should only get better from here. He also says I can take my bands off for 1 hour 3 times/day...so now I can actually brush (thank God, again) and open my jaw which definitely helps with the stiffness.

    Alyx, I'll be thinking and praying for you! I did use a humidifier, not only at night, but kept it right next to me pretty much all the time! The first few nights, I slept on a recliner with lots of pillows, now I'm back in bed, but still with lots of pillows. (I was trying to let my hubby sleep as I was getting up every few hours for one reason or another.) They gave me Afrin (nasal spray) to use in the hospital and at home...it's damn-near my best friend! Oh, and MANY hot showers helped with the stuffiness and all the pressure I felt in my head. As far as the nasty mouth-taste thing, I was instructed to use a solution of 1/3 peroxide to 2/3 water/mouthwash to rinse several times a day with...only it was nasty too, and made me really nauseated, so I rinsed with just alcohol-free mouthwash...OFTEN. Good luck to you! Let us all know how it goes!

    Posted 2 years ago #

  9. Alyx
    Member

    Lucrezia,
    I love hearing stories like yours where everything goes like it should, and you heal really fast and feel fine right away- I am keeping my fingers crossed that I post something similar Thursday when I get home from the hospital!
    So you just have bands that you can take on and off? I will be wired for 10 days, no taking them off during that time for me...
    Oh yeah, I already use Afrin when I get congested from a cold/allergies- so good to know I'll keep using what I'm used to- but do you inhale really hard (like you normally would) or just spray and hope it gets all the way up there?? Since you're not supposed to blow your nose for a while, I figured inhaling hard would be bad too- I guess not, huh?
    Good to know about the peroxide mix- think I'll save myself the trouble and just go straight to the alcohol-free mouthwash too!
    Thanks so much for all your helpful info, and I hope you continue to heal super fast and feel better everyday!

    Posted 2 years ago #

  10. Jac
    Member

    Hi,

    i had both upper & lower jaw + chin on Feb 3rd. i had my op on the NHS as i'm in England so didn't need to pay, had my braces for about 18 months & should get them off in about 3 months.
    i have a plate between upper & lower teeth at the minute which is making it relly hard to eat (well i'm on liquids) have to use syringe down side of mouth, this is a bit painful because of stitches.
    things seem to work a lot smoother over your side of the pond as most of the nurses in the hospital here didn't have a clue, even gave me my antibiotics in tablets which i am having to grind & mix with water, not pleasent!
    any ideas for things to eat would be great as i am perminantly hungry, already lost 10lbs xxx

    Posted 2 years ago #

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