Post surgery assistance

This forum is for discussions relating to oral surgery for orthodontics.

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jjames
Posts: 108
Joined: Fri Oct 27, 2006 8:03 am
Location: GA

#1 Post by jjames »

I only really needed help for like a day or two, but I only got the BSSO and you having much more done. I think it would probably be a good idea for you to have somebody around for a week, you may not need them, but it sure helps and you can always send them home early.

Emaciated
Posts: 352
Joined: Mon Dec 10, 2007 4:08 pm

#2 Post by Emaciated »

My wife stayed with me for a day after I was released and then went back to work the next day. Its good for moral support but I don't think you'll need anyone other than in a situation where you need to driven somewhere. You won't want to drive while all medicated but otherwise you'll pretty much just lay around, rest and eat. Have someone available you can text message if you need something but otherwise you should be fine alone in my opinion. In some instances you may prefer it because you're all oozy and phlemy, not the most dignifying.

ohmyjaw
Posts: 657
Joined: Thu Jun 22, 2006 12:09 pm

#3 Post by ohmyjaw »

I agree with everyone else. My surgeon insisted that someone stay with me the first night after I was released from the hospital, but other than that I was on my own. But I did have a friend who called to check on me almost every day.

Arvensis
Posts: 514
Joined: Thu May 03, 2007 5:23 pm
Location: USA

#4 Post by Arvensis »

I have to be the butt in this joke. I was completely useless the first three days, and definitely not up for making my own food for a good two more days after that. I was way too woozy till day 5 to do anything on my own, including bathe, make food, etc. My mother compared it to a reborn childhood, new face, new passage through all the stages of childhood again ;)
I almost passed out on day 7 standing in the kitchen trying to get a glass of juice. If I hadn't been staying with my mother, I don't know what I would have done. Mind I'm very independent and don't usually want anyone around me when ill, but my extent of self-preservation the first week was limited to ordering Egg drop soup from the comfort of my recliner on day 7. Yup.
[8 Months, 4 days with Braces]
Braces off 4/17/2008 - Rockstar!

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OneGuy
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed Apr 11, 2007 7:12 pm

#5 Post by OneGuy »

I'm glad that many of you have your love ones by your side taking care of you after surgery. I'm afraid that I may not be able to find someone to assist me the first few days after being released from hospital. I'm not married and don't have a significant other at the moment. My folks are living across the country. I don't really want to bother them anyway since some of them are struggling economically and can not take days off easily.

Just in case I can not absolutely find anyone to help, can someone suggest where I can hire an assistant for 1 to 3 days in the D.C. area? I guess I don't neccessarily want a nurse because a RN is very expensive. Perhaps, a nursing assistant, or a college Co-op pursuing a nursing degree and wanting to make some extra money and to gain some nursing experience would be more preferable. Even for a long shot, someone undergoing the same surgery on a different date and is in the same situation as mine so that we can swap favor to help each other would be acceptable too. Can such person be easily found? If so, where can I find these kind of individual? Is there a temp agency out there? Do I put up an ad? Who should I call or talk to? Where and how?

Also, do you think it's realistic to drive long distance (about 5 hours) by myself one week after surgery? Should I even be thinking about it?

Arvensis
Posts: 514
Joined: Thu May 03, 2007 5:23 pm
Location: USA

#6 Post by Arvensis »

Also, do you think it's realistic to drive long distance (about 5 hours) by myself one week after surgery? Should I even be thinking about it?
First of all I think it depends on your surgery in some degree. I had a bunch of sinus work done along with upper, and that knocked me on my arse, but if you talk to Meryaten and Andantae, both had really nice recoveries and probably would feel differently about the drive thing.

Here's my thing. I stayed with my mother in the city where surgeon was for two and a half weeks. I had to wait until the 3 week checkup before surgeon would let me abandon ship and return home to husband. so it was somewhere around end of week two/beginning of week three that I made the 2.5 hour drive home.

I arrived home around 4 PM. I promptly set up camp on the futon, in the reclining position, and conked out for the next 16 hours. Husband was v. annoyed, and after watching me sleep for 4 hours, went to work for his Saturday night entertainment instead:)

So, I realistically probably wouldn't have been able to drive 5 hours in the first week, if 2.5 exhausted me. And mind, I took lots and lots of breaks, I stopped like every 45 min or so on the road. But my recovery was filled with tiredness for the first three weeks, and not everyone's is like that:)
[8 Months, 4 days with Braces]
Braces off 4/17/2008 - Rockstar!

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Before and After.

Andantae
Posts: 546
Joined: Thu May 24, 2007 6:26 pm
Location: Outside Minneapolis

#7 Post by Andantae »

Hey Seriously!

Are you still on for the 8th?

In your case, Seriously, I would side with your doc and err on side of caution and plan for a week. Just my opinion, but you are going well beyond even BiMax with 5 procedures total. That's alot.

jjames brings up a good point in that you can always send them home early. It would be far, far easier to be in the position to send them home early than to put yourself in a position to have to ask them to stay longer than you or they had planned.

After the first day or two, after that, I would imagine that they would easily be able to go off and do their own thing for increasing amounts of time over the remainder of that week depending on your progress.

How many nights are you in the hospital?
Braced 5-30-07 for 18-24 months
In-Ovation Uppers, Metal Lowers, TPA upper arch, Lower Lingual arch, no elastics.
100% Deep Bite, Crowding, Over Extrusion
BSSO & Genio surgery June 4th '08!


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"Truth is a bully we all pretend to like." Gregory David Roberts -SHANTARAM

ohmyjaw
Posts: 657
Joined: Thu Jun 22, 2006 12:09 pm

#8 Post by ohmyjaw »

Hi Oneguy,

I don't know if it is really necessary to hire a nurse/assistant to stay with you. Of course, it is your call, but I was fine on my own. Do you have a friend who could be on "stand-by"? Someone who doesn't stay with you, but is available by phone in case you need anything?

How long are you staying in the hospital? I only stayed one night. That is why my surgeon wanted me to have someone stay with me for one night when I got home. If you are staying two or three days in the hospital, you will be that much more functional by the time you get home.

I don't think I would attempt the 5 hour drive one week after surgery. I think it would be too tiring. In my case, it would have been impossible because I was still on morphine and that makes you drowsy and dopey.

Arvensis
Posts: 514
Joined: Thu May 03, 2007 5:23 pm
Location: USA

#9 Post by Arvensis »

Ooooo yeah, the drugs. I forgot about those:) Yeah, I was on diazapram for like the first week or so, one really shouldn't drive on that ;)
[8 Months, 4 days with Braces]
Braces off 4/17/2008 - Rockstar!

Image

Before and After.

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