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General Category => General Chat => Topic started by: jaimie007 on August 05, 2015, 04:16:28 PM

Title: Hello~
Post by: jaimie007 on August 05, 2015, 04:16:28 PM
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?  :'(
Title: Re: Hello~
Post by: chinnychinchin on August 05, 2015, 08:01:22 PM
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?
Title: Re: Hello~
Post by: jaimie007 on August 06, 2015, 07:56:51 AM
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  .
Title: Re: Hello~
Post by: chinnychinchin on August 06, 2015, 04:04:28 PM
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!
Title: Re: Hello~
Post by: JayJaw on August 11, 2015, 11:20:30 AM
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.
Title: Re: Hello~
Post by: chinnychinchin on August 11, 2015, 07:36:45 PM
Was your jaw wired shut?

Nope, elastics from day one.
Title: Re: Hello~
Post by: chinnychinchin on August 12, 2015, 11:18:03 AM
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.
Title: Re: Hello~
Post by: jaimie007 on August 14, 2015, 03:18:57 PM
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 .
Title: Re: Hello~
Post by: Lazlo on August 14, 2015, 04:59:40 PM
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.
Title: Re: Hello~
Post by: Tom2 on August 16, 2015, 02:24:28 PM
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?
Title: Re: Hello~
Post by: jaimie007 on August 17, 2015, 10:32:10 AM
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. :-X


Oh and I'm in NY 
Title: Re: Hello~
Post by: jaimie007 on August 17, 2015, 10:36:02 AM
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  ;D
Title: Re: Hello~
Post by: chinnychinchin on August 17, 2015, 04:37:10 PM
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?
Title: Re: Hello~
Post by: jaimie007 on August 17, 2015, 06:41:07 PM

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
Title: Re: Hello~
Post by: Tom2 on August 17, 2015, 07:09:36 PM
"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. :-X"



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.
Title: Re: Hello~
Post by: Tom2 on August 18, 2015, 07:29:43 AM
I had some TMJ issues.         Correction of such even with surgery is difficult to my knowledge.      Your TMJ's take a beating when you have a surgery like I did, LF1, BSSO.    My surgery wasn't specific for the TMJ issues I had.    We didn't know if they would stay the same, worsen or improve.     They worsened for a while.    Bad.     But it has gotten better.   If I maintain the path I am on now, and gain more of the pre op opening of mouth ability, then the surgery would have been a screaming success.
Title: Re: Hello~
Post by: Tom2 on August 19, 2015, 02:02:43 PM
I had a similar thing happen at 18.    4 impacting wisdom teeth.  Two wisdom teeth stay, but 4 over all were removed.   A crow bar incident took another tooth.

Those situations messed up my teeth bad.   Braces had a hard time dealing with it......

Jamie - how are you feeling today?

Title: Re: Hello~
Post by: jaimie007 on August 20, 2015, 11:17:13 AM
I can't believe it's only been 26 days  :'( ,feels like 3 months. IM SO HUNGRY !!!!  If i see one more bottle of ensure or blended soup again I'm going to barf  >:(
Title: Re: Hello~
Post by: Tom2 on August 20, 2015, 11:21:52 AM
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. :-X


Oh and I'm in NY


My swelling is all gone.....

LOL about not wanting to remember the look.   I did have pics of me all swollen - funny to look at now.   I was miserable.
Title: Re: Hello~
Post by: jaimie007 on August 31, 2015, 05:06:55 PM
5 weeks along and still swollen , when i see my chin I'm terrified. I have a question for those that have already had the surgery though , did it happen to change your lips? My lips look weird and thinned out now , I  read somewhere that it's not uncommon for that to happen  :'(
Title: Re: Hello~
Post by: Tom2 on August 31, 2015, 07:09:43 PM
First....its way too early to make any observations about changes to your lips.

My lower lip looks thinner (I'm 5 months post op) but thats only because my upper teeth aren't sticking out of my mouth pushing the lower lip over making it look fatter than it was.

So - give it some time and good luck with the healing!
Title: Re: Hello~
Post by: jaimie007 on September 08, 2015, 12:57:03 PM
Tom when were you allowed to eat regular foods? I'll be 8 weeks post op in two weeks , which is when they told me i could start chewing but I find out today they mean that i should chew the mashed foods I'm already eating. Mashed potatoes , soup with mushy vegetables etc. Things that could be easily squished  and continue for a few weeks before moving on to soft breads and other still sort of soft foods  :o :'(  . I was so excited for next week  too.  Mushy foods suck
Title: Re: Hello~
Post by: Tom2 on September 08, 2015, 04:19:56 PM
Hey Jaimie!


Time is passing - you're getting there.


Food...yea the first time they told me I could chew was a tease as it was things like mashed potatoes and scrambled eggs.   GIVE ME SUBSTANCE DAMMIT!!!

Getting back into food came with pain for me.......but it eased out.

I'm 5.5 months posts op...gaining back my weight and eating anything I want.. hambergers, cheeseburgers.......      I haven't done steak yet....

My first bite and chew stuff was hot dogs with no buns......  and they felt and tasted soooo good!

Buttered bread works too.....  its all tricky and not like before surgery when you first get back to eating but its better than that damn liquid diet!!!

I was about 3 months post op when they cleared me to chew.   YMMV.
Title: Re: Hello~
Post by: jaimie007 on September 09, 2015, 01:58:37 PM
Hah  , so in two weeks i'll be chewing mashed potatoes  that I'm already sick of. Was it painful at first , when you first started eating actual foods with texture? They did the same thing to me , you can chew after 8 weeks but they did not tell me WHAT.  I was planning on visiting 3 of my favorite restaurants in one day lol , didnt even care that my face still looks like a potato and my speech is all sorts of messed up. Plans CRUSHED .
Title: Re: Hello~
Post by: jaimie007 on September 09, 2015, 02:02:41 PM
On a happier note , this friday my ortho will be removing the hooks and changing back to my regular wire ( I still have the surgical one on ) . I'll still have some hooks left for the rubber bands im guessing , but much better than having a whole mouth full of them. So uncomfortable ;D
Title: Re: Hello~
Post by: Tom2 on September 09, 2015, 07:26:55 PM
Oh yea.....getting the surgical wires out was really nice.   Those things caused me all sorts of discomfort.
Title: Re: Hello~
Post by: jaimie007 on September 11, 2015, 11:32:41 AM
Yes, hooks removed today! My ortho changed the configuration of my elastics so they're really tight and i feel a lot of pressure. I  feel more comfortable talking openly with my orthodontist than with my  surgeon ( maybe because I have known him for much longer  and he's a good listener).  After joining this forum I have looked through many threads  but I can't quite find anyone  I can relate to surgery wise.   Seems like altering the way their face looks  is what most were going for. I almost feel horrible saying this but I never had any issues with my facial structure , no one ever went out of their way to call me ugly ( that i know of)  or made negative comments about my features.  I went through surgery to correct my bite and sleep apnea.  I know I am only 7 weeks along today  but I almost keep regretting it daily.  I hate the way my face looks now , I'm afraid my chin will look square  or huge and my face will be unbalanced.  I told my ortho about this and he says there isn't much change to my face and that it'll go back to normal eventually . He was a little surprised my surgeon decided to tinker with my chin though . Even though  my chin was not moved he did shorten it a tiny bit to be in balance with my current jaw position.
 
Title: Re: Hello~
Post by: Tom2 on September 11, 2015, 04:49:52 PM
Yes, hooks removed today! My ortho changed the configuration of my elastics so they're really tight and i feel a lot of pressure. I  feel more comfortable talking openly with my orthodontist than with my  surgeon ( maybe because I have known him for much longer  and he's a good listener).  After joining this forum I have looked through many threads  but I can't quite find anyone  I can relate to surgery wise.   Seems like altering the way their face looks  is what most were going for. I almost feel horrible saying this but I never had any issues with my facial structure , no one ever went out of their way to call me ugly ( that i know of)  or made negative comments about my features.  I went through surgery to correct my bite and sleep apnea.  I know I am only 7 weeks along today  but I almost keep regretting it daily.  I hate the way my face looks now , I'm afraid my chin will look square  or huge and my face will be unbalanced.  I told my ortho about this and he says there isn't much change to my face and that it'll go back to normal eventually . He was a little surprised my surgeon decided to tinker with my chin though . Even though  my chin was not moved he did shorten it a tiny bit to be in balance with my current jaw position.

The facial changes will occur regardless of your motocvation for surgery.    This is tough even if the changes are good.    I know of a woman who left her family because she got attention from men that never looked at her before so this surgery and its results can have a wide range of impacts.      We also tend to inspect our own faces more than others and you may see more changes that do others in you.     

Focus on healing as you are only a  little of the way into your recovery.      I'm almost 6 months post op and looking different that I did at 4 months which was a lot different than where I was at 2 or 1 months past.       

Title: Re: Hello~
Post by: PloskoPlus on September 11, 2015, 05:47:02 PM
The facial changes will occur regardless of your motocvation for surgery.    This is tough even if the changes are good.    I know of a woman who left her family because she got attention from men that never looked at her before so this surgery and its results can have a wide range of impacts.      We also tend to inspect our own faces more than others and you may see more changes that do others in you.     

Focus on healing as you are only a  little of the way into your recovery.      I'm almost 6 months post op and looking different that I did at 4 months which was a lot different than where I was at 2 or 1 months past.       
Everyone is different. Doctors say that for most people all swelling is gone by 12 months.  Mine was completely gone after 9.
Title: Re: Hello~
Post by: jaimie007 on October 14, 2015, 12:15:39 PM
Been a while , mainly because there isn't anything relevant to update other than I regret doing this 100%. My chin still feels/looks swollen  but whatever. Friday it'll be 12 weeks and I'm quite discouraged , my face changed for the worst and now when i close my mouth i have a chin dimple on the side (I'm praying that's just the swelling ). It's kind of devastating to know you ruined a perfectly normal face just to fix some tmj/sleep apnea issues , and also to be paying a LOT of $$$$ for it . I'm in NY , my doctor is on the very expensive side and not in network with insurances.
Title: Re: Hello~
Post by: chinnychinchin on October 14, 2015, 07:50:41 PM
Hey jamie,

Good to hear from you again. I'm sorry to hear that your outcome hasn't been what you expected. What did your surgeon say regarding your concerns? That dimple sounds like an ortho issue actually.

We actually had surgery around the same time and I still have some considerable swelling so I know how you feel about that. Unfortunately, we have no choice but to let the chips fall where they may. My surgeon says to give it at least 6 months before any serious scrutinization. Furthermore, the orthodontics can also affect things aesthetically. Just in the last week my swelling only started going down noticeably which as a result made my chin less receded. Before, I was concerned my jaw wasn't advanced enough but now I realized my view was skewed due to the swelling. So things can still change and they probably will!
Title: Re: Hello~
Post by: jaimie007 on October 14, 2015, 10:23:47 PM
Hi Chinny , I'm glad to hear that everything is going well on your end. Every time i bring my concerns up to my doctor he kind of brushes it off and says to give it time . When i told him about the dimple , he said it was me doing it , whatever that means.  I have honestly been so depressed  and for the first time in my life I feel like people are actually staring , even if they're not.  I keep avoiding everything and everyone every chance I get . I never wanted any cosmetic changes i just wanted my bite adjusted and tmj solved  :'(   I keep hoping that this isn't it and somehow it will all go back to normal once the residual swelling dissipates but it's hard to stay optimistic  when even my nose looks strange now. Is your chin still swollen? That's the worst area for me  .