Physique prior to surgery

Message

#1 Post by **ssjosh** » Mon Nov 16, 2009 10:37 pm

Does being in good health reduce the incidence of complications? For instance if there was nerve damage, would being in good health increase the rate at which the nerve repaired itself? Would it also decrease the recovery period and swelling time? I exercise 5 times a week and play tennis, and was wondering if my health would decrease my risk for possible complications/ make for a better surgery?

#2 Post by **ssjosh** » Mon Nov 16, 2009 10:58 pm

when i said nerves repairing themselves, i didn't mean regenerate. I meant more of the numbness disappearing quicker, if it is indeed temporary

#3 Post by **Emaciated** » Tue Nov 17, 2009 6:20 am

I consider myself a health/fitness freak, run everyday and workout constantly. I went into a double jaw/genio in excellent shape & condition. I had the attitude that I would be that freak person who is eating sandwiches the week after surgery and would blow away all the doctors. That attitude pretty much diminished the moment I woke up from the surgery and realized what I'd gotten myself into. I found that I recovered about the same pace as everyone else on this forum. I also have permanent nerve damage in the center of my chin from the genio, a small spot about the size of a quarter. It doesn't bother me and I'd do the surgery again in a heartbeat.

I can't imagine being healthy or in good shape hurts, but I wouldn't count on it speeding you through the recovery. On the other hand, I imagine being overweight might complicate the recovery so its still a positive to be exercising regularly. I would think the light exercise AFTER the surgery would help more than walking into it in good shape, mostly just because it will improve your attitude to get some exercise and will raise your mood. (Recovery can be very depressing to someone who is used to having an exercise outlet everyday because your body feels like itself, but your face feels like its been run over by a truck. Plus you're eating only liquid so your energy levels are at an all time low). I remember I couldn't wait to get back to running and get back into the gym, and as soon as I got permission, my recovery sped by.

Also, (I'll put this comment here too which doesn't necessarily answer your question but just for the sake other fitness people who may stumble on this thread) another perspective that's been discussed here in some thread somewhere is whether it makes sense to go on an intense work out plan before going into surgery. In that regard I would advise saving your effort until after the operation and THEN putting forth the effort to get yourself back into shape. The surgery is going to take a lot out of you and reduce your muscle mass and basically shrink you way down because of the lack of calories, energy, and the pain meds, so you'll lose all the effort you've put forth and all the money you've spent on supplements, shakes, and whatnot. So I think its more effective to let the surgery take its toll on you, lose all the weight, etc. and then when you feel up to it post op, start sucking down the protein shakes again, and putting forth a real effort to get yourself into great shape. That way a few months down the road, you're in perfect health and have a brand new smile to flash around. You'll feel great all around, other than the possible slight nerve damage.

(kidding, kidding)

Your age will probably have more of an effect on nerve regrowth than your current physical condition. I was 31 when I had the surgery and like I said, I pretty much felt on pace with everyone else.

#4 Post by **trish222** » Tue Nov 17, 2009 7:48 am

Hello ssjosh,
I have to agree with everything KarlClayLA had to say. I, too, was it good physical shape prior to surgery. I had many complications post-op that are all over-almost anyway-now. I had a good mental attitude as well. Regardless of how much preparation one may do, there are some things that are just out of our control. Just remember that anything negative you may experience, in time, it pretty much resolves itself. I had upper,lower and genio and my chin seems to be the last to recover as well. It has been 4 /2 months since surgery and 2 weeks since chin plate and screws came out due to them pushing themselves out. I have given myself the rest of 2009 to recover and have promised myself to come back in 2010 with a vengence-and a great smile and profile!!! Good luck and you will be in my prayers for a great recovery!

#5 Post by **ssjosh** » Tue Nov 17, 2009 10:00 am

I have been working out 5 times a week and playing tennis on the side. I'm also young (18) and was wondering with my age and fitness if I could expect less time swelling/recovering. I'm not insistuting a workout plan for surgery.

#6 Post by **ssjosh** » Tue Nov 17, 2009 10:03 am

i meant 18, but the 8 and ) formed a cool face. I know that in the end it comes down to you personally, but I'm the type who never gets sick, never misses school and recovered very quickly from arm surgery when I was younger. I shouldn't expect quicker results, but I'm hoping for them

#7 Post by **theKurp** » Tue Nov 17, 2009 3:48 pm

Before your question can be answered "optimum" fitness has to be defined. Optimum fitness is achieved by striking a balance between anerobic and aerobic activity as well as consuming the right foods.

Rarely does someone really meet the criteria of optimum fitness. Too much aerobic activity erodes muscle strength and too much anerobic activity at the expense of aerobic activity results in too little endurance and cardiovascular health.

Then there's diet, which VERY few people get right simply because they lack the discipline.

To answer your question, yes, good physical shape absolutely positively affects recovery. The trouble is, most people who say they're in good physical shape are deluding themselves to an extent so being able to quantify the answer to your question is difficult at best.

#8 Post by PJ » Tue Nov 17, 2009 4:08 pm

I think if one is fit enough to do 30-60 minutes of cardio several times a week, then they have a better chance of recovering more quickly than someone who is sedentary. The former described me, and I think I recovered pretty quickly--especially for being 45. I was up and walking around the block by the end of the first week, and even though I lost 10 pounds, I had enough energy to go back to walking dogs everyday after just 11 days off. However, as far as the nerves and that sort of thing--I think age plays a bigger factor in how quickly you recover. Just my opinion. It's all pretty individual though, and the skill of your surgeon probably plays into it too. Best of luck!

#9 Post by **ssjosh** » Tue Nov 17, 2009 5:36 pm

I try to combine a healthy nutrition with exercise. I was involved in competitive tennis, and my coach was basically a nutritionist, and I've kept the same eating habits but the exercise intensity has decreased. I just don't want surgery to keep me out of the loop too long, as I will likely have to take time off from college to have it done.

#10 Post by **Emaciated** » Tue Nov 17, 2009 6:06 pm

This is just a hunch, but I don't think your surgeon is going to want you playing tennis anytime soon after surgery, regardless of whether your nerves have regrown or not. At 18, you're in a good spot as far as a quick recovery, but I can't imagine your doctor will let you back on the court with swinging rackets and flying projectiles until at least 6-weeks post op to give the bone some time to set. And even then I would be a little hesitant. You'll probably still be really numb even at 6-weeks.

The trouble is, most people who say they're in good physical shape are deluding themselves to an extent so being able to quantify the answer to your question is difficult at best.

Agreed, this is why fitness discussions are so difficult, everyone thinks they know more than the next guy. Eating red meat is good, eating red meat is bad, eating cooked meat is bad, or eating any meat is bad, etc. Everyone's a zealot when it comes to diet, its like discussing politics, you can't change peoples' minds, its just a thing people believe. Nonetheless, at 18-years-old, you have a great chance of a full and quick recovery regardless of your anerobic & aerobic balance. So I wouldn't get too hung up on it at your age.

Good luck with everything.

#11 Post by **ssjosh** » Tue Nov 17, 2009 9:13 pm

I'm more concerned with the surgery interfering with my college life. Not social life, but rather missing school and possibly needing to take a medical leave. Making up a missed week or more of college work is difficult, and I'd rather not be thinking of that while recouperating. But this is all speculative and I haven't even begun orthodontics, although I've had them for years prior to now. I'm weighing wether or not I want the surgery done now or later in life, although I'm pretty set on getting it done asap despite college interfering, as there will always be some kind of interference. If not college, then work

#12 Post by **crazybeautiful** » Wed Nov 18, 2009 4:10 am

As for the college part (can't talk to you about being fit I'm afraid

), I'm in my second year on university, and though my preliminary surgery date falls during time off, if it gets moved, I will miss a couple of weeks of lectures. I'm prepared to catch up, and lecture notes, etc, are put up online, so I can still access work at home.
So long as it's not during a critical period (as in, around exam time), then I think it catching up is quite easy, or at least do-able. I missed 3 weeks of college (that would be high school) when I had SARME, but I caught up then too. (FYI, I was fine after 2 weeks, but in the third week I got a nasty cold which halted recovery somewhat, so I had an extra week off

)

It's not ideal to miss your studies, but for me certainly, the surgery is something that everything else has to be worked around, not the other way around

#13 Post by **Emaciated** » Wed Nov 18, 2009 10:08 am

Well, having experienced both college, and full-time employment, I can say that it would be much easier to miss work than school in my opinion. It would also be much less aggravating. I list a bunch of pros and cons on that note in the details section of http://thisisjustwrong.com if you're curious, mainly with work you get health insurance to pay for the surgery, you get paid vacation and medical leave so you continue earning income while sitting at home recovering (as opposed to missing class that you're paying for) and you're not obligated to continue socializing as you are in college. Work, at least in my case, is mush less stressful than the pressures of school so its easier to sort of "coast" through your daily obligations once you return to work. Of course the downside is you have to wait till you're out of school and get a job which is frustrating of course if you're set on fixing your bite immediately.

I don't know, just throwing another perspective at you. I, like you, was considering fixing my underbite when I was 20 and in school and the ortho I consulted with sat me down and sincerely advised me to wait until I wasn't in college. Looking back at school and having been through the entire process now start to finish, I think that was absolutely the right advice. Its a tough decision, I know exactly where you are. You'll be fine either way.

#14 Post by **Tribal** » Thu Nov 19, 2009 12:09 pm

In terms of missing work versus school, it really depends on what type of field you're heading towards. In my case I would have been much better off if I had done this while in University - my parents medical plan would have paid for the braces at that point, plus I'm an engineer and my job is fairly stressful and I'm talking on the phone for most of the day which meant I had to use 3 weeks of vacation time to recover from surgery. In university I would have had no problem keeping up with work while recovering since you can kind of do it at your own pace, although I was never one for going to the lectures anyhow

Really, it comes down to your own abilities, both physically and mentally. I recovered from the surgery pretty quickly physically (I was Walking around my subdivision the day after getting out of the hospital, and back to my dance practice in a week and a half) but I was not able to preform my job at full force until over a month after surgery. I guess the point is, you don't know what the future will hold, so if you can handle it now then you should go for it rather than waiting on the chance that down the roasd *might* be better.