Hello! I had surgery on august 8th, 2011 and here is my story so far.
My whole pre-surgery story is right here (Before Photos and my experiences with my mouth)
if you would like to take a second. Heed warning, though, it's rather long.
Anyways, on to the main event!
I had jaw surgery on August 8th at 4:30 PM. I was surprised it was so late, especially because every other surgery i have ever had has been early, like 7 AM or so, so they left me starving that whole day, which sucked.
I went in, got all checked in and set up (IV, gown, the works) and then I was wheeled in to the surgical room. There was a lot of activity and I was being pumped with medicine so I wasn't completely coherent after this. I do remember getting my legs wrapped up and having the surgical nurse holding my hand. I wasn't nervous at all leading up to the surgery, until the few moments before I went under, I had a panic attack (I've never had a panic attack before- scary experience) and started bawling and then I was quickly put out. After a blink of time, I woke up and was very groggy. I didn't open my eyes, I just sat there as a gaggle of nurses took my vital signs and put a jaw bra on me along with a strange mask that blew cold air so every time i took a breath, it would be freezing. It was to prevent swelling in my throat, i guess. It was around 8:45 and I didn't sleep very well. First, I was awoken every few hours which sucks, Second, I was at an awkward angle and it was uncomfortable to sleep that way but I couldn't bring myself to move. My mom came at 10 AM and stayed with me and then my nurse brought me a breakfast consisting of oatmeal, yogurt, and orange juice and expected me to eat it using a straw. It sucked using a straw. I quickly requested a Catheter Tip 60 CC Syringe - which I highly suggest. It's so easy to put in and it uses force, unlike a straw, to put food in your mouth. I survived mainly because of that nifty tool. I was then quickly checked out and got to come home to watch TV and sit around for a few weeks. Broth and TV suck after so many hours. Try to find something nice to fill in your time, because I swear my IQ went down a few points immersing myself in reality television for a few weeks straight.
I had no pain at all during the day, my problem is that I would wake up at 5 AM everyday in excruciating pain and I would have to call my mom's cell phone even though I couldn't talk so she could come from across the house and give me some liquid loritab. I owe her big time. And it was every day, 5 AM on the spot.
I healed relatively easily. In fact, my maxilliofacial surgeon told me I was his favorite patient (Maybe just to make me feel better, perhaps?) because I was so easy. I have a video that shows my day by day swelling along with before and after photos (If you want to watch, it's here) but just because, I'm posting the side by side photos here.
So, here we go
BEFORE/AFTER PHOTOS
(At three weeks post OP)
And then this was taken yesterday... for Facebook... I received a free makeover from a friend who is a professional make up artist and it looked nice considering how little i put into my appearance.
You can't really tell by this photo, but i think my swelling is now completely gone.
Maybe some more photos later on... but for now,
Thanks for reading!
The first time I actually bit into an apple I was 17 years old, 3 months post-op, and it was delicious.
7 Months Post-Op: http://www.jawsurgeryblog.com/forums/topic/beforeafter-7-months-post-op-with-x-ray
