25 Days Post-Op + Pictures

[gatorseh]

Well today marks 25 days post-op for me! I had Le Fort & BSSO to correct facial asymmetry, open bite, and a gummy smile. Recovery has gone wonderfully so far. I'm happily enjoying macaroni and cheese, crab cakes, and pie right now; eagerly awaiting the day when I can try a cheeseburger again. The swelling seems to come and go as does the discomfort, but overall I haven't been in much pain. I'm ecstatic with the results so far and can't wait to see the finished product once the swelling has settled and the braces are gone.


I have very few pictures from pre-surgery since I hated taking any, but this is the best dead-on shot I have that shows the asymmetry pretty well:



This is me two hours after surgery:



Three days post-op and miserable (definitely the down point!):



Day Six (some bruising setting in now):



Day 11 (finally cleared for soft food!):



Day 14:



And today, day 25 (still working on the smile!):

[OzzysMom]

You look awesome! I hope the rest of my swelling goes down like yours.

[Steph-in-WI]

You're looking great, Sarah! I am jealous about how soon you were able to go to soft chew, I am at 6 weeks and still on liquid/blended diet, and have another 2 weeks to go before I graduate to soft chew.

Your smile is looking great for 3 weeks! Mine still looks quite wonky, both showing teeth and with my lips together. This is when the lession in patience is really necessary, I guess. Very subtle changes from day to day, a slow process but well worth it!

[Court84]

You look beautiful, girl! I think you had a nice smile before, too. But, I know it's truly what you think about yourself. Your swelling looks great! I hope it continues for you.

[FuzzyPants]

You look fantastic! Your swelling appears to be almost gone. Congrats!

[shiryu]

You look great!!! congratulations!!! thanks for posting

[Svensk Tiger]

You're looking great! I'm most jealous of your lovely shaped mouth. Even surgery couldn't sort out my pathetically thin little lips (well I suppose there ARE ways to fix that but the husband says NO! ).

[chipmunkcheeks]

you look amazing!!! i hope that you are excited and happy that you have gotten through all of this! i used to hate taking pics too! keep smiling!

[chicago29]

Sorry I never threw in here how great you look!!! And again I am sure the recovery has been tough, but by the looks of your smiling face in day 25, it makes it look like this was SO WORTH IT.

Thanks for sharing your story and I wish you the best as you continue your recovery.

Good for you, gatorseh!!!

[gatorseh]

Thanks so much everyone!

I got my surgical hooks and all of the metal ties I had around each bracket off yesterday so it is great to look at my mouth now without the excessive amount of metal in it! And I can finally floss thoroughly again... very thrilled!

[Becky]

You look great!! Some fantastic results. Congrats!! hope you dnt have to wait too much longer for that cheese burger!!! x

[iBorg]

Thanks for sharing. Any idea why your recovery has gone so smoothly?

Your results are wonderful. I'm inspired by your progress and am anxious to move on with my own journey. I am a bit concerned about the day three low point that I'm sure I'll also have.

MIke

[gatorseh]

I think one of the biggest things that helped my recovery along was my surgeons. They do 2 to 3 of these surgeries a week so it is so routine to them.

From my side, I'm not sure what exactly helped me out but before the surgery I was working out every other day (45 minutes cardio, 45 minutes strength training) so I could be as healthy as possible going into the surgery. After the surgery I was walking often starting the second day (I started with laps around the hospital floor and then started doing laps around my neighborhood). I also drank water constantly. My surgeons gave me the okay to sleep flat after the second week but I've slept propped up until right now (tomorrow is five weeks). I've gradually gotten lower and lower (I went from entirely upright to maybe a 30 degree slant now), but I haven't gotten entirely flat quite yet. I think returning to a 'normal' life helped my psyche and helped me out as well. After a week I was back to going to Starbucks for a drink every night and hanging out with my friends. After about day 11 I was going shopping and getting back into my normal routine as much as possible.

*edit* And as far as the low point-- I think my best advice is that it will come and then it will pass just as quickly. From most people's post-op stories I have read it seems that everyone has hit that low point. Once I got through that funk (I was upset, crying, annoyed) I felt much, much better!