Hello~

[jaimie007]

Hello , Im new to this forum and super glad to find it . It's been 13 days since I had my surgery, Lefort 1 osteotomy, bilateral sagittal split osteotomy , and genioplasty (which i did not need but the doctor said it might be a better outcome ). I was never wired shut  , only wearing elastics and my surgeon encouraged me to do facial exercises from day one to help with the swelling. I'm still very swollen though , and it's been very tough because I keep having these bouts of depression because i look absolutely awful now. My nose looks really strange and not proportionate to my face . I had the surgery  because of tmj and to correct a somewhat gummy smile and overbite/overjet   although my overbite wasn't that noticeable I'm told.  I'm terrified and keep feeling like I made a horrible decision  going through this .  Has anyone else felt this way after their surgery? 

[chinnychinchin]

Hi jamie,

I'm sorry you feel this way but you're still very early in the process and things will take awhile before they settle. I just had surgery a week ago and everything looks out of whack. But have confidence in your surgeon and the healing process and everything will fall into place. Can I ask who your surgeon was?

[jaimie007]

Thank you , it really helps reading other people's stories. Although now I'm a bit paranoid because having to have revision surgery would be my worst nightmare.  I'm in NY so i went to NYCOMS. They have several doctors on their team but I think mine is the youngest one. A huge downside is that my surgeon is not in network with ANY insurance so upfront I had to pay $19,000. They billed the rest to my insurance and even though they previously approved I'm just hoping they cover the rest so I won't be responsible for it.  I noticed most people used syringes , I was discouraged from using any and he didnt let me leave the next day until his residents saw me drink from a cup several times (lots of spilling). I had originally gone to see Dr Super , also in NYC , for my surgery  but wasn't too happy with his  approach and ended up switching  .

[chinnychinchin]

I never used a syringe and they also made me drink from a cup. I had double jaw surgery and was drinking from a cup by the time I was released. I think they want to see that you're getting enough fluids by the time they discharge you and the only way to do that is from a cup. My entire surgeon's office also discouraged the use of syringes. I had surgery with Dr. Gunson.

Please keep us updated on your progress!

[JayJaw]

I hope you do well! I bet that after recovery you'll be glad you went through it. Good luck!

I have an appointment for consultation at NYCOMS this September. I'm hoping it goes well. We will see what they suggest. I'm seeing Dr. Sachs but I assume everyone in the office is on same page and quite qualified.

[chinnychinchin]

Was your jaw wired shut?

Nope, elastics from day one.

[chinnychinchin]

Having elastics sort of feels like your jaw is wired shut but with wiggle room. I would assume it's easier to breathe with elastics cause it allows you to form a gap between your teeth. The pain meds make everything much easier let's just say.

[jaimie007]

Thank you , today marks my third week post op , not counting surgery day. I'm still swollen and my face feels paralyzed in a lot of spots. It feels/looks like I'm wearing a hideous mask but when I told my surgeon he said my face is fine      I have another appointment in 3 weeks , hopefully I'll look more human by then . I have been staying home as much as possible and i must add the liquid/mush diet  sucks big time .

JayJaw I know Dr Sachs , he's really nice and has many years of experience , the office staff is pretty helpful as well.  My only gripe is that I was not unhappy with the way my face looked before , since my overbite wasn't the noticeable kind. TMJ sucks though and my smile was a bit gummy. I'm terrified of looking all weird after I heal and of course, nerve damage .

[Lazlo]

dude, i'm having surgery too, pm me your before and after pics (most recent) I'll let you know how things will turn out since I have a lot of experience analyzing this stuff.

[Tom2]

Jamie - I had the same work you did...even the genio for the better results reason.....

I'm about 4 months ahead of you.

Day by day, take it day by day.   It gets better.  I went through a wide range of emotions and a lot of them were bad/depression.

You'll get there.


Where ya from?

[jaimie007]

Thank you Tom! He says all he did to my chin was shorten it a tiny bit (barely noticeable) to fit in better with my jaw position , it wasn't moved. It's so awfully swollen though . How are you feeling after 4 months? Do you have numb spots? Has most of the swelling resolved? I wear a surgical mask the few times I have to step outside because I look so weird and my face looks squared shaped.


Oh and I'm in NY 

[jaimie007]

Lazlo I don't have any post op pics , other than the ones taken at my surgeon's office (which I do not have) . This look is  not something I want to keep memories of 

[chinnychinchin]

jaimie007

Nice to see that you're coming along. The pain for me still unbearable at times so I'm still taking painkillers.

Does it look like your chin is more recessed due to the swelling by any chance?

[jaimie007]

Hey there! This weekend I was in a lot of pain myself , kept me up all night saturday. I don't know about more recessed but it looks bigger , and my face looks square , which it has never been . I hope that's just the swelling because it's beyond hideous . I was just brushing 5 minutes ago , accidentally bit really hard on the toothbrush and I saw stars. Now my upper jaw/cheeks are all tingly and throbbing , the parts that are not numb that is. I'm just hoping I didn't break/move anything. My next appointment is in a bit over 2 weeks so it'll have to wait         How are things looking on your end? Does the pain get worse at a specific time of the day? Nights are the worst for me

[Tom2]

"How are you feeling after 4 months? Do you have numb spots? Has most of the swelling resolved? I wear a surgical mask the few times I have to step outside because I look so weird and my face looks squared shaped. "



Between where you are and where I am - I actually got worse.....more pain, discomfort, muscle spasms, TMJ issues on one side, then the other.

I didnt take pain meds after 2 days (hated their impact on me)   but I had to take when when the TMJ got bad.

Its all been getting better though......still can't open fully.......maybe never will....the price of beauty.