i look like a gerbil!

Message

#1 Post by **cheeky aim** » Thu May 08, 2008 9:48 am

yes, i had a bimax osteotomy 3 weeks ago and still look like a gerbil! my cheeks (i'm hoping) are still swollen and hopefully should go down a bit more because it just looks weird and my consultant is very vague when i talk to him...it drives me crazy!
i feel so happy i have found this site as i have found no one who has had something like this done to talk to, also i have nerve damage on my left lower lip and left side of chin cause they cut the nerve on that side as it wasnt where it normally is (oops) i am hopin feeling will come back as im dribbling and spilling food down my face a lot when i eat and drink... anyone else with similar? or further along in recovery? would be great to hear from you

Amy xx

#2 Post by **tazzle** » Thu May 08, 2008 3:38 pm

hi gerbil

........ I like gerbils , they cute ( as long as they dont bite

)

sorry to hear you have had nerve damage ..... when they said it had been "cut" did they say its actually severed ... or was it just nicked.,or just traumatised/ swollen with the disturbance. Surgeon should tell you which so you know whether to expect improvment or not !!!

sorry I can help with the benifit of experience as I haven't had mine done yet .. hopefully someone wll pop along soon that has been where you are now and be a bit more useful .

#3 Post by **Delag** » Thu May 08, 2008 5:39 pm

Hi Cheeky! Have you tried putting heat on those chubby cheeks yet? I was told to use ice for the first 48 hours, then swich to heat. Now I am using a combo - ice for 15 min. and then heat. I thnk it is working better for some reason. Have you tried arnica yet? It is a homeopathic remedy that can be taken by mouth or in an ointment. A lot of folks have also had great luck with a pineapple extract ....can someone help me out with the name?

#4 Post by **Andantae** » Thu May 08, 2008 5:58 pm

Hi Cheeky Aim!

Glad you found us! The pineapple extract is called, Bromelain. You can find it online or in a health food store. Lynn, the owner of this website, used a combination enzyme (I've included the link below) RPR which included Bromelain in it as well as other ingredients which help to "address inflamation, speed recovery and tissue repair".

http://www.theramedix.net/prod_rpr.php

I agree with Tazzle, you may want to find out what kind of damage you are dealing with---that can mean many things!

#5 Post by **Luella** » Thu May 08, 2008 7:47 pm

Sorry.... I couldn't help it!

My doctors support the ice/heat combo for post op swelling.

#6 Post by **loulou123** » Fri May 09, 2008 2:06 am

hey

i only had lower jaw advancement and wisdom tooth removal, but due to complications still have quite alot of swelling on one side. The changes after surgery in swelling etc, can be subtle day by day, but im sure eventually the swelling will go down. 3 weeks is still relatively early days.

Definately find out what nerve damage you are dealing with, my surgeon was able to tell me, that the nerve was disturbed but definately not severed, meaning id get full feeling eventually.

good luck

#7 Post by **cheeky aim** » Fri May 09, 2008 5:19 am

thanks for replying everybody.... with some really good advice, which i am going to try out, will definitely look into what type of nerve damage- i have a feeling it was completely severed but my surgeon took quite a long time repairing it as best as possible... (operation was 6 hours in total, nice. lol) but good news because had some tingling (deeper, not on surface as yet) in that area recently. so fingers crossed eh?! p.s. thanks for gerbil pic it did make me giggle! thanks again! amy

#8 Post by **nimo** » Fri May 09, 2008 5:09 pm

It took almost the entire six weeks of recovery time before I had all the feeling back in my face. My upper lip still feels a little weird, but only if I actually think about it. My upper gums have no feeling still. None. At all. It's the weirdest thing ever, but it doesn't bother me.

The swelling was mostly gone by three weeks, and definitely all the way gone by six. It totally sucks, but it takes time.

#9 Post by **doddares** » Mon May 12, 2008 12:40 pm

i looked like a gerbil for 3 and a half months so don't wory about it

#10 Post by **rincewind** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 7:07 am

I had my bimax done 15 years ago on 21 Oct 1993. Aside from the 6 wired weeks being the longest of my life I have to say that I'm still glad that I had it done.

I've been left with a bit of numbness on the lower right hand side of my face though I still retain full movement in it (it permanently feels like the injection at the dentist is just beginning to wear off - actually such an injection actually brought feeling back to a bit of it 14 years back). I don't like it being touched (odd sensation) so have grown a beard to keep my toddler from prodding it

. Maybe numbess it too strong a term, lets just call it "altered sensation" as I sometimes feel that liquid is running down my chin. I've got used to it now and it's not an issue. I think I was a good 4 months before feeling and taste came back completely to the rest of it, though the swelling did go down fairly quickly it did take slightly longer for the no-longer-needed boney bits of my lower jaw to be absorbed (I had my top jaw pulled forward by 5 mm my bottom one pushed back 6 and 25mm cut out from the length of my chin).

Trust me. The op is a big one and post op involves a lot of painkillers but in the long run - you'll never look back!

#11 Post by **Svensk Tiger** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 8:16 am

Three weeks is still very early days. I was still very noticably swollen at 7-8 weeks and when I look back at photos I realise I was quite swollen for quite some time after, I just didn't realise at the time. As for the nerve damage, I still (after nearly 2 years!!!!) have some in my lower lip on the right and in my chin and cheek on the right (my mandible was advanced significantly more on the right than the left). It doesn't bother me though, like someone else said I don't like it being touched, but other than it's become a new kind of "normal".