June/July 2015 Surgery Buddies

[snapdresser]

Woooooooo!!!!! Welcome to the Super Fun Recovery Club Nozzelnut!!

[jaime]

One of us! One of us!!

How did it all go?

I love your post...I think you captured the post-surgery feeling exactly.

[Pavlidja]

Welp I made it out ok. Spending one last night hete then back home tomorrow!
My surgeon said everything went great and seems happy.
My right side seems to have most of its feeling back already but my lips feel like hotdogs and i can barely feel my tongue.
Just going to wait out the next few days and looking forward to thing improving!

[jaime]

Congrats Pavlidja! Glad to hear you're doing okay and still feeling positive. That will go a long way for you this week.

Had a terrible night yesterday. I was kind of in a bad mood to begin with and then for no reason I can discern, I could NOT sleep. My sleep schedule has been awesome since the 11th. Barely any napping, and nice long, restful sleeps at night. Until last night. I tried to sleep in my husband's bed (I've been in the spare room) but I could not get comfortable and kept feeling like I needed to cough, which kept waking him up. Eventually I leaned over to grab my water bottle and it tipped over. It didn't spill much (it's enclosed but has a straw), but what did spill got on 2 photos my husband has in frames. I got up and pretty much lost my crap. I was just so frustrated. Moved back down to the spare room and it took me until 5 am to fall asleep, after 2 sleeping pills and a Percocet. Ugh.

[Nozzelnut]

Definitely a rough night Jaime.

I've been napping as much as possible. Probably close to 20 hours a day in bed. I'm ok with it. I planned it like this. Might as well take advantage. Water intake is kinda of tough. Liquid food is slow going as well.

[snapdresser]

Pavlidja - Congrats!!! Welcome to the Super Fun Recovery Club!

Jaime - Brutal night. And after you're already this far into recovery? You'd think that kind of BS was behind you I'm sure tonight will be easier tho

Nozzelnut - Sounds like me in my first days. Are you holding your lips closed to drink? Pour a little water/whatever in, then hold your lips closed while you swallow? The resident showed me that and told me it makes swallowing much easier, and it does. But don't worry about it too much. Over the next 2 days or so you'd get real efficient at it, and a couple days later you'll be chugging stuff from cups like a champ

[jaime]

I can vouch for the lip holding tip...it helped me out, too!

How are things for you, Snap? Any new developments?

I've noticed that with each day, my lips get closer and closer together. I really hope the surgery solves my lip incompetence.

Last night while lying in bed, somewhere around 4am, all of a sudden it was like the nerve in my chin and lower lip turned on. I had so much of the tingle-buzz-throb feeling, for probably an hour. This morning I have a little bit of feeling back on the left side of my lower lip (the right side was never numb). Hallelujah! I still can't feel myself drooling, though.

Are you continuing to use heat compresses, Snap? I have and I notice when I hold it over my very numb chin area, it definitely wakes up the nerve a bit. I really dislike my chin being as numb as it is so I'm eager for the feeling to come back to it.

[snapdresser]

My lips have been together for the last few days. Of course, my lower lip is still swollen, so that makes it easier It's no longer novelty-sized tho. It's aaaalmost to normal-ish size. Give it another week or so and I'm pretty sure it'll be normal size. Of course, with my new look it might be a little tricky to tell what my "new normal" is. My cheeks are still puffy and a little tingly on the left side maybe. Chin is still numb, but shortly after I came out of surgery my doc poked me and the left side of my chin was the only numb area so I might have some continued numbness there. Feels weird when shaving lol. Which I've already had to do multiple times since the surgery I've never done the hot compresses. You use your jaw bra hot/cold packs for that? How you heating them?

Oh yeah, so my bite is coming together perfectly now )) I was a bit concerned that even like 8/9 days out my teeth were coming together in the back first, but it's all good now

[jaime]

Lucky...you make all this sound so easy.

I can only feel my right side touching, which is how it was pre-surgery. I am super paranoid about it, but trying not to be. I keep telling myself that I can't get upset about anything this soon. I see my ortho Monday so perhaps my elastics figuration will change.

Your lips already touch?! That's crazy. I can't wait until mine do, so my mouth doesn't get so dried out during the night. I am so over waking up with a desert for a mouth.

I bought a "cool jaw" but only bought the "cool" gel packs and apparently they can't be heated, so I use some other gel packs and just hold them up to my face. It's not ideal but it works. I try to do it a few times a day. You should try applying some heat to your numb spots, it might help you, too!

[gruntled]

It's funny... I have almost all my sensation back already. Great because I was worried about that but not so great because everything kills! Drinking from a glass has been fine but straws are still not my friends because every time I use one my nose bleeds again!

Sorry to hear about your rough night Jaime, fingers crossed it will all pick up for you soon! You're well on your way and I'm sure you'll be back to normal soon!

[snapdresser]

Jaime - Haha not easy, it's just the one perk of going first, I guess yeah, as of yesterday I could only feel one side touching, but that's just unevenness in the joint swelling. In the next day or two I bet you'll see both sides touching evenly. Your ortho may throw on some more elastics just to make themselves feel better (like my surgeon did) but I bet it'll be fine in a couple days regardless. I keep waking up and my jaw is against my shoulder on one side.... Painful and it can't possibly be good! I just gotta have faith in that titanium My surgeon said that because it's titanium it won't set off THIS IS SPAM PLEASE REPORT TO THE ADMINISTRATOR. THIS IS SPAM PLEASE REPORT TO THE ADMINISTRATOR. THIS IS SPAM PLEASE REPORT TO THE ADMINISTRATOR. THIS IS SPAM PLEASE REPORT TO THE ADMINISTRATOR. THIS IS SPAM PLEASE REPORT TO THE ADMINISTRATOR.. Which is a good thing! My lips have touched for a while. My bottom lip was swollen to cartoon character proportions and once I was able to control the muscles in it, I was able to close my lips, so that was like Day 4 or something. Now the swelling in it is much better. On a related note, I think I'm starting to see my "new face" Cheeks are puffy, lips are puffy, but I'm starting to be able to see it! I look like my brother now Maybe I could do warm compresses or something on my chin? I don't have a hot pack.

Gruntled - Woah! Great!!! full feeling in your chin and everything?! Color me impressed! And that sucks about the nose bleeds. As of yesterday (Day 9 post-op) my nose bleeds have much slowed down. Haven't had one today at all.

[gruntled]

Snap, it's funny that you mentioned the metal detector thing, I've been wondering the same


I find it really hard to sleep on my back so I keep waking up on my side as well! I've been trying to find a solution to it but no luck yet!

I don't have any hot packs either so I've made do by microwaving rice in socks socks, it's worked quite well!

[jaime]

Full sensation? Omg.

I find it crazy that you're allowed to use straws! I know you said your surgeon said it was cool, it's just crazy!

Do you guys have anything supporting your neck? Every night (since surgery) I roll up a towel and put it behind my neck. I can't sleep without it and it keeps my head from flopping around too much.

[snapdresser]

Jaime - Just a rolled towel behind your neck? Hmmm... Maybe I should try that. I feel like I'm dancing with the devil sleeping without any neck support when I keep waking up with pressure on my jaw

[Nozzelnut]

Go home swelling; your drunk!! Holy crap. Not sure how much more of this I can take... It's not soo bad that my cheeks are completely swollen but its moving into my chest. So freaking tight... Tried the arnica Montana gel and can't tell if that working or not...

Drinking and pill taking is getting easier. I can move my lips and theres some sensation but not normal by any means. They said they nerves stayed intact when they worked on me.

I'm a stomach sleeper. The first 2 nights I tried sleeping on my back with the bed wedge. It was ok not great. I got very hot a couple times.

Just all around uncomfortable. Much different than having tonsils out. More intense, localized to my throat for tonsils, but this is more of an all over general achy not feeling too great.