Could everyone applicable please share with me
The stories of your journeys to having a bsso done?
I'd love to see contrast and comparison of your worries vs the reality.
I'm a little overwhelmed with the whole process:P
stories of bsso
Moderator: bbsadmin
Re: stories of bsso
My story started when I was about 12 and my parents took me for two ortho consults. Surgery was recommended by both. My parents couldn't afford it, so nothing was done. Fast forward 10 years. I began having minor TMJ symptoms which progressed over the next several years until they were really interfering with my life. I visited a TMJ specialist who put me in a special splint which was quite amazing in its ability to reduce symptoms. At the end of her treatment plan, I was doing quite well, but I would still have 2-3 day periods of pain. I had to have her splint with me all the time in case I needed it for pain relief. Before discharging me, she told me that if I wanted a permanent solution, I would have to talk to an orthodontist, but the timing of so doing was completely up to me. There was no hurry, and I didn't have to if I didn't want to. She did give me a referral in case I wanted to.
Six or so months later, I had concluded that at 24 years old, the splint was not a good long-term solution. If I left home without it, I might or might not be in trouble, and it was bound not to last a lifetime, and who knew if another one could be made as well. I decided that, having tried all other options, I needed to bite the bullet and get orthodontics and jaw surgery done. So I called up her referral, and off I went.
My primary worry was that the surgery would do nothing for my TMJ and I would end up splint-dependent after all with no further options. That was a risk I had to take. Heck, it was no worse than my current situation! Yes, I had concerns about numbness, but I considered numbness preferable to the TMJ pain, and I had to try. For me, once I realized I needed to do surgery, it was not a hard decision.
Because of another surgery I had had as a teenager when I was given no pain meds, I really expected to be in absolute agony postoperatively. I was also very worried about nausea and vomiting because I don't handle anesthesia well, and I didn't know how I would handle strong pain meds, never having had them before.
They gave me plenty of nausea meds for the anesthesia. I did have lots of trouble with nausea from pain meds, and it took a trip to the ER to control it. The pain was minimal. I probably could have done without much of anything, but because of my worries as above, I wasn't about to try: Have meds will take them. Recovery was hard, harder than I had anticipated. I missed food more than I thought possible. I ate the same four dishes for 6 weeks. My family couldn't understand my speech for at least a week, maybe more. I struggled to get my energy back because of all the nausea from pain meds. By 3 weeks out, I was finally doing ok in the energy department, and that is very delayed compared to most folks. I was readily understandable to everyone except people over the telephone by 2 weeks. By 3 weeks, most people over the phone could understand me. The splint to position my bite came out at 6 weeks (oh happy day), whereupon I could talk normally immediately.
One year out, my TMJ symptoms are nearly gone, as long as I avoid certain foods and certain activities with my jaw. I am completely splintless, and I'm not looking to buy another. I have altered sensation on my chin on both sides, though one side is much worse than the other. Overall, I am glad I did the surgery, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Recovery is very hard but not lethal, which fortunately means you'll live to tell the tale of how hard it was. Lots of people have easier recoveries than I did, especially BSSO-only patients.
Is that helpful? Unhelpful? Questions? If you haven't done so yet, I suggest you spend some time exploring this forum. There is a lot of good information, and you will come upon many stories as you read.
Six or so months later, I had concluded that at 24 years old, the splint was not a good long-term solution. If I left home without it, I might or might not be in trouble, and it was bound not to last a lifetime, and who knew if another one could be made as well. I decided that, having tried all other options, I needed to bite the bullet and get orthodontics and jaw surgery done. So I called up her referral, and off I went.
My primary worry was that the surgery would do nothing for my TMJ and I would end up splint-dependent after all with no further options. That was a risk I had to take. Heck, it was no worse than my current situation! Yes, I had concerns about numbness, but I considered numbness preferable to the TMJ pain, and I had to try. For me, once I realized I needed to do surgery, it was not a hard decision.
Because of another surgery I had had as a teenager when I was given no pain meds, I really expected to be in absolute agony postoperatively. I was also very worried about nausea and vomiting because I don't handle anesthesia well, and I didn't know how I would handle strong pain meds, never having had them before.
They gave me plenty of nausea meds for the anesthesia. I did have lots of trouble with nausea from pain meds, and it took a trip to the ER to control it. The pain was minimal. I probably could have done without much of anything, but because of my worries as above, I wasn't about to try: Have meds will take them. Recovery was hard, harder than I had anticipated. I missed food more than I thought possible. I ate the same four dishes for 6 weeks. My family couldn't understand my speech for at least a week, maybe more. I struggled to get my energy back because of all the nausea from pain meds. By 3 weeks out, I was finally doing ok in the energy department, and that is very delayed compared to most folks. I was readily understandable to everyone except people over the telephone by 2 weeks. By 3 weeks, most people over the phone could understand me. The splint to position my bite came out at 6 weeks (oh happy day), whereupon I could talk normally immediately.
One year out, my TMJ symptoms are nearly gone, as long as I avoid certain foods and certain activities with my jaw. I am completely splintless, and I'm not looking to buy another. I have altered sensation on my chin on both sides, though one side is much worse than the other. Overall, I am glad I did the surgery, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Recovery is very hard but not lethal, which fortunately means you'll live to tell the tale of how hard it was. Lots of people have easier recoveries than I did, especially BSSO-only patients.
Is that helpful? Unhelpful? Questions? If you haven't done so yet, I suggest you spend some time exploring this forum. There is a lot of good information, and you will come upon many stories as you read.
Boodles8
Braced July, 2012
BSSO August, 2013
Debraced October 2, 2014
Braced July, 2012
BSSO August, 2013
Debraced October 2, 2014