Surgery date set, have some questions

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#1 Post by **Monroeski** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 9:15 am

I haven't been around here for a while, which I guess is actually a good thing, because I have been coping with my braces just fine so far. Here comes the big part, though - a week or two ago I finally got a surgery date set for October 15.

My OS' office will be calling me today to set up pre-op appointments and such, and I have a TON of questions to ask them, some of which I'm going to post here to see what everybody else's experiences have been. Keep in mind that I KNOW the answers to some of these will only really be worked out between me and my OS, so I'm not taking your responses as gospel or anything.

I'm 25 years old, turning 26 in February, so I'm apparently on the young end of most of the people on here.

As of right now, I'm scheduled only to have my lower jaw extended (BSSO I guess?) No LeFort or anything. Given that I don't know much about all the procedures yet and haven't been keeping up with everybody else's posts, it has been hard to match up people's experiences with the same procedure I'll be having. Most posts about BSSO seem to also have a LeFort, which is obviously VERY different than what I'm having, so a big part of these questions is trying to determine what may be different about my experience as opposed to all the people getting both procedures.

1. They've told me I'll be wearing a splint for 3 weeks, which I guess is standard practice judging from this board. How long, though, should it be before I'm chewing soft food? Experiences on this board seem to vary wildly, from over a month to one guy mentioning his doctor scolded him for not at least eating pasta only 5 days out. God, I hope I'm ready for Thanksgiving.
2. Is full recovery time still expected to be about a year if only the bottom jaw is messed with?
3. It seems like most are saying that the majority of the swelling is gone after a week, with some swelling sticking around for months. Same general story for BSSO by itself?
4. Seems that the BSSO + LeFort folks all had their mouths banded shut after surgery, but is that the same case for just BSSO? The woman at the OS' office I talked to didn't mention that, she only mentioned the splint, and past experiences with her indicate to me that it's not something she would have left out.

I'm sure I have more, but I'll be back later. Be back a lot more over the next few months, I would guess.

I'm trying to stay positive about this whole process. At least when I'm confined to my bed for a week I'll be able to catch up on my backlog of SPAMS.

#2 Post by **loulou123** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 12:28 pm

Welcome back to the boards

I had a BSSO on the 11th Feb 2008 (with wisdom tooth removal) my recovery was on the rough side of normal, but heres my answers: (you can also check out my blog for more info) by the way im 28, so not to far away in age from you.

1. i wasnt splinted at all, and all i had for the 1st day was light guiding elastics, meaning on the day after op i had weetabix for breakfast, (couldnt chew it tho) i was then banded tightly for about 10 weeks (due to a setback) and could not chew for this time. This all depends upon your recovery and the individual surgeon.

2. Im nearly 7 months out now, and had a 2nd op at the 12 weeks point and id say i was more or less 100% now. I flew after 11 weeks and was fine and i went on holiday at the 5 months mark to Eurodisney and was able to do everything completlely normally. Think the year guidline is more for the healing to be complete, than feel ok if that makes sense.

3.I had quite some swelling for several weeks, but some of this was due to infection, so its pretty hard for me to answer this one. Id say youd be very lucky if majority of swelling is gone after a week tho.

4. I was banded shut, i think most people have bands, the strength depends. Some just have i band on each side, some like me, are tighlty banded on most teeth.

Staying positive is the most important thing in all this. If you can do that your have a much easier journey. Any more questions please ask

#3 Post by **ohmyjaw** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 12:58 pm

Hi Monroeski,

I had upper and lower surgeyr. Actually had BSSO on just one side of my jaw, but I will throw in my two cents.

1. I never had a splint but I was wired shut for 10 days. So obviously was only eating liquids for the first 10 days but went on to soft foods almost immeditately after the wires came off.

2. I was doing normal activities after about 3 weeks. Had aches and pains and fatigue for about 6 weeks. However, I still have numbness. My surgery was March 2007 and I still do not have all sensation back. It may be gone permanently.

3. The majority of swelling was gone after about 3 weeks with some of it sticking around for 6 months.

4. This varies from one surgeon to another. Mine still wires most of his patients.

I agree with Meryaten - you should try to walk around, unless your surgeon says otherwise.

#4 Post by **Monroeski** » Mon Sep 22, 2008 7:19 am

I was just exaggerating on the "confined to bed" thing.

I know I won't actually be stuck there, but I'm so used to working out every day and doing stretching/rubberband exercises periodically at work that not being able to do these things will FEEL like I'm bed restricted. Doc told me there would be no working out allowed for a few weeks, that's going to drive me nuts! I'm going to ask if I'll at least be allowed to do a stationary bike or something else that's pretty much totally non contact like that after the first couple of weeks. As you mention, I assume the blood flow increase will be a good thing so long as I'm not putting myself at extra risk of jarring my screws lose.

Still haven't been able to talk to my doc for too long yet, but I did get some questions in last week, most importantly that they told me with the surgery on a Wednesday they should OK me for soft foods on the next Monday. One kind of annoying thing is that when I was initially getting all this set up months ago, it has beens slowly building up from them saying they would "probably" keep me in the hospital for one night, to saying that they would "definitely" keep me for one night, to saying now that they will "definitely" keep me for two nights.

My work isn't too strenuous, mostly just computer stuff. Having an excuse to use email and not have to answer the phone will be a good thing

. If I go to any Halloween parties I think I'll get a mime costume so I don't have to talk.

#5 Post by **Emaciated** » Mon Sep 22, 2008 9:27 am

Everyone's pretty much already answered your questions, but here are some threads on exercising after surgery if they're useful to you:

Exercise
viewtopic.php?t=27411

Return to jogging:
viewtopic.php?t=26684

Gym:
viewtopic.php?t=25639

Resuming exercise after LeFort?
viewtopic.php?t=26474

Athletics post surgery
viewtopic.php?t=22145

I also work out everyday and I found I had no desire to get back into the gym until I was off the pain meds. At that point I imediately wanted to get back in and my OS OK'd it for light exercise, I think after 3 weeks. I am also an avid gamer and I'll say that I had no ability to play any games because they made me so nauxious (again, from the pain meds).

And I had the unfortunate timing of being on liquid diet through Thanksgiving and you know what I discovered? Thanksgiving dinner tastes exactly the same puree'd as it does served on a plate. I even handed out small samples and people were impressed. When you think about it, everything tastes like gravy anyway. And the "apple pie shake" was incredible. *laughs* (No, it sucked of course, but c'mon who cares? If you can get a date that conflicts with a holiday, take the date, why put it off for something that's going to come around again in 12 months?)

I have swelling pics posted in the post-op photo section of this site if you want to see how mine went down over time.

#6 Post by **Monroeski** » Mon Sep 22, 2008 12:03 pm

Thanks for the links, KarlClayLA. I've actually been checking out your site off and on for the past while, and I've got a quick question (for anyone that can answer, obviously, not necessarily just you) - Was all the sinus trouble you had due to having your upper jaw cut on in addition to the lower, or should I be looking forward to that same sort of thing with lower-jaw only work being done?

::edit::
Also, what were everybody else's splints like? I initially got the impression of an almost horseshoe shaped deal over the top of the teeth, something really horrifying (as we almost make these things out in our heads), but last I talked to the OS' assistant she said mine will basically be like an invisalign tray.

#7 Post by **Emaciated** » Mon Sep 22, 2008 10:11 pm

You may have seen this thread if you've already been browsing for awhile but this is exactly what my splint looked like and I believe what a "traditional" splint used in surgeries looks like.

People talk splint but what is it?
viewtopic.php?t=27350

The invisiline could be a more friendly way to describe it I suppose, or you're just getting off easy

and getting a much more comfortable splint than what most people get. The splint, which as you already know holds your teeth in place during and sometimes after surgery, should not be confused with the retainer, which also holds your teeth in place. But the retainer comes after the braces come off and basically is an invisiline.

The only reason I think there might be some confusion is that I don't see how an invisiline would work unless you are currently using invisiline to move your teeth and not bracket-braces. Because I don't see how an invisiline could fit over top of brackets, and then how they would get it off, unless they cut it into small pieces I guess. Also an invisiline would cover your brackets up so how would they band your teeth together? They'd have to poke holes in the invisilne?

I don't know. It would be really nice to have an invisiline instead of the contraption posted in that thread above but I'd be curious how they go about holding your jaws together while you're wearing it. Maybe I'm just being unimaginative though.

Oh, and in regards to the nasal stuff, yes, I would have to assume all the nasal/sinus problems are directly related to upper jaw surgery. The air hose they put up your nose is uncomfortable but I don't think it would cause the blood and ooze that most upper patients experience. I may be wrong though, I suppose it IS slightly possible that having a freezing cold foreign object shoved so far up your nose that it ends up in your lung might cause the body to go through some remote period of rejection.

I think you'll likely breath pretty easy with just a lower though.

#8 Post by **Monroeski** » Mon Sep 29, 2008 8:02 am

I was thinking the way she described it to me sounded a little too easy, which is the main reason I asked here.

God, only about two weeks left until the big day. It's getting harder to want to go through with this when I see other people every day who have had overbites for decades without any problems.

#9 Post by **loulou123** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 2:36 am

I did have alot of dried up blood up my nose, im assuming from the tubes, and on the 2nd day had a pretty heavy nose bleed. Im guessing tho that my nose was just aggravated by tube, or poss it snagged slightly and caused the bleeding.

I was surprised by this, as i hadnt given it much thought only having lower.

#10 Post by **Kerry** » Thu Oct 02, 2008 8:09 am

good luck hun keep us informed of how you get on, are u in the us, uk or somewhere else ?

I am due for bsso at some point (who knows when) hoping Febuary time, i had two extractions of premolars on my lower jaw so hopefulyl they close nice and quickly (approx 4mm to close)

I am having BSSO only too so dont worry your not alone

#11 Post by **Monroeski** » Mon Oct 06, 2008 8:03 am

I'm in the US, in Texas.

Quick hit question - when I go to get my orthodontist to get the surgery hooks put on this week (Wednesday, I think), are they going to shred up my cheeks like my braces did when I first got them on? Getting my jaw broken and plates put in in a little over a week is bad enough, but being all cut up and not being able to truly enjoy my last decent meals for a couple months is just adding insult to injury.

#12 Post by **gatorseh** » Mon Oct 06, 2008 9:53 am

I had surgical hooks put between every bracket and the only problem I had was with one particular hook on the bottom rubbing the inside of my bottom lip. It wasn't as bad as I had expected!

#13 Post by **Steph-in-WI** » Mon Oct 06, 2008 9:54 am

I only had 4 surgical hooks, and it didn't really tear anything up before surgery, food just got stuck in there a lot easier. So, it had no impact on my "last supper". After I had surgery, I do notice that since I am more swollen, the hooks do tend to leave indents in my upper lip, but so do the brackets. Even though I have full feeling back, or so I thought, I don't have any soreness or tenderness from it. I guess somehow my body has found a way to compensate.

#14 Post by **FuzzyPants** » Mon Oct 06, 2008 10:25 am

I had a BSSO and Lefort, but the OS did not add surgical hooks. They used the existing hooks on my brackets and bands.

#15 Post by **Monroeski** » Wed Oct 08, 2008 1:17 pm

Well, I don't know what I thought surgical hooks were, but I assumed they'd be more medieval than this. I don't even notice them unless I'm cleaning food out of my braces with my tongue.

FuzzyPants wrote:I had a BSSO and Lefort, but the OS did not add surgical hooks. They used the existing hooks on my brackets and bands.

I don't have hooks on all of my brackets; they didn't add surgical hooks to the ones that have hooks built in, but they did add them on the other teeth.