So, hey again! I'm now 4 weeks post op! For anybody that hasn't read my previous posts, I had only lower jaw surgery, adding 8mm to its length.
I thought I might do a little week by week list of what I did and how it was going, so here it is!
Week 1: Surprisingly, I had no pain at all. They gave me Morphine as I came out of the operating theatre, and paracetamol the rest of the day, switching the drip between paracetamol, antibiotics and steroids. I was fitted with elastics at the front of my mouth and then allowed to leave the hospital 16 hours after leaving the operating room. I was given cocodamol tablets to take (dissolvable). I changed my dose myself; cocodamol is known for causing constipation, so I halved the dose of that and made it up with dissolvable paracetamol. I took these every 6 hours. Though, after 1/2 days I gave up on them as I was feeling no pain. I started to introduce ibuprofen as it has anti-inflamatory properties.
Week 2: My swelling was almost completely gone, by this point, I was still on liquid foods; porridge in the mornings, tomato soup for lunch, liquidised meals for dinner, and minced fruits mixed with greek yoghurt to fill in the hunger gaps. I'd taken an old quilt, folded it up, and put it under my mattress, to prop myself up (helps reduce swelling so I hear). Since I'm generally not a good sleeper anyway, I used diazepam, which helps you to relax.
Week 3: Visible swelling had almost entirely gone, there was some gum swelling at the back right which gave my jaw a slightly odd appearance. This was put down to my inability to clean properly during the first swollen weeks, and I began work on getting that down, with a host of different types of toothbrush. I had begun to eat solid food again by this point, although biting chunks off was difficult because I couldn't open my mouth very wide, once inside my mouth, chewing wasn't too much of a problem, just a little awkward.
Week 4: My gum swelling is now almost gone - a little help from the dental hygienist and I should have it under control. I am eating regular meals now, it's good practice. It's still awkward chewing, but it doesn't hurt. My mouth still doesn't open very wide, infact I can't even tell if there's been any improvement in my ability to open wide! I'm also talking fine, and, learning to whistle again! The skin on my lip still feels a bit tight from time to time, and my chin, lower lip and lower gums are all still totally numb.
Tips from experience:
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Healing: sleep as often as you can, prop yourself up when you do sleep.
Be Healthy: a good diet helped me, plenty of fresh fruits (minced), oaty foods or cereals (cornflakes are easy if you leave them to go soggy in the milk, as are branflakes and shredded wheat). I also used nutritional milkshakes called "Build-Up". You may wish to try fruit juices, but be aware of their acidic nature, and your inability to clean your teeth properly - I'd also steer clear of sugary foods for the same reason.
Walk! Yep, you may not feel like it, I sure didn't, but going for a bit of a walk each day helped me, I think. It was only a short walk, and you may wish to take somebody with you - it's uncomfortable walking around with your face swollen up and not able to tell people when they are staring at you. Just generally being active and getting the blood flowing can help with the swelling and healing - much more than sitting around all day.
Other things I did: I also used icepacks now and then
If you're embarassed about the food/drink running down your chin, I used babies beaker cups, with the spouts - simply cut the top off the spout and used these to eat my food, without spillage. I think you can get adult versions of course, but my 2 baby nephews have recently grown out of the cups, so they were handy.
Oh, and take a flask of soup with you if you go out anywhere. There's nothing more annoying than going out for the day and then remembering you can't eat anything from the local store - trust me!
Questions of my own!:
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How long is the norm or average before I'll have full opening functions returning to my mouth? That's literally the only thing bugging me right now. I can eat fine, I have no pain, I can talk, I just can't open my mouth wide enough to eat without having to break my food up before hand!
4 Weeks Post Op - My Update!
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mamaneedsanewjaw
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