8 weeks post-op

I'm now 8 weeks post-op and would like to give you a progress update.

Appearance:

I have about 5% swelling left. It's really minor - primarily on my left side of my face (right on the picture) near my nose where the titanium plate is. The solid lump I mentioned on my previous blogs is still there and will probably be there to stay. It doesn't hurt and doesn't bother me much unless I press on that area. Even with the pressing, it doesn't hurt so I don't think I will get it removed (although it was an option). For the most part, it's unnoticeable. I really don't want to go through another surgery again!

Diet:

I've been eating a lot more foods now. I've moved up to chewable foods although I try to be careful of extremely tough foods. Just recently, I am able to eat chicken, fish balls, thin potato chips, etc. It's a lot of work to chew these foods... but I figure, if I always take the easy way out by eating only soft foods, then my jaws will never learn to chew and bite. So I'm forcing myself to work a bit -- of course, I know my limits. No calamari and beef for me yet! I've gained back about 3 lbs I think. I don't pay much attention about my weight. I just want to eat at this point!

Emotion:

I feel better now in accepting my new look although I won't say I'm 100% happy yet...maybe because I still have my braces on and they are looking more noticeable than before. The rubber bands only make it worse. I am OK with my face when my mouth is closed (i.e. the picture above). But when I talk and smile with my mouth open, it's a different story. Last week, I felt so depressed about my nose, which is now more tilted up and flatter than before. My nostrils are more noticeable, which makes my nose looks like Ms. Piggy. I think this is the one change that I HATE THE MOST. I tell myself this is not the final product yet. I'm still improving every day and will see the subtle changes in the months to come.

16 months anniversary

16 months ago, on the 16th of September, I went into the ortho's office to put on my braces. Now, fast forward 16 months. I still have braces, but am close to being done. I've completed my surgery (which was the turning point of course) and have 9 more months of braces left. Oh, I just can't wait!

Right now, I still look funny. My swelling hasn't gone down completely yet and I have an overbite that is all too noticeable! I went back to work today after 6 weeks of medical leave. Everyone thought I looked different. Some said that I looked great. Could they have said that just for politeness? courtesy? kindness? I don't know for sure. It's hard to tell. No one will tell you the truth in these kinds of situations. I talked so much today. Many people came by to say Hi. One of my collegues got me flowers, which was really nice. I kept on talking and talking, because people tend to ask about the surgery, the recovery, etc. By the end of the day, I talked so much that my rear brackets probably scraped off some skin along the walls of my mouth. I started to bleed. The bleeding was a bit painful so at the very end of the day, I refused to talk at all. I tried putting on some wax yesterday because I knew this would happen, but it was hard to get the wax all the way in to the rear... I'm sure there will be more talking tomorrow. I'll just try to be careful.

Ouch!

I went to see my ortho today and received some good news. I got clearance from my OS to resume orthodontic treatment! I actually feel a lot better nowadays -- I can open my mouth freely and my swelling has gone down a little bit (although I still look chubby than pre-surgery). The first step was to remove all my lig ties, which took a while. The nurse assistant had to do this one by one. I got my archwire removed for the first time since surgery. I did a really good brushing and floss. To be honest, I didn't floss once after my surgery. I know it's bad but I had other problems to deal with!

I got the same archwires put in and c-chains. I haven't had c-chains for a while, so my teeth felt a bit tight. I had the silver ones on both upper and lower. Then I got the rubberbands. I've been wearing rubberbands after-surgery already, but they weren't that tight. They were used just to give added support to my jaws and not meant to create major movement. But today's rubberbands are something different!! They hurt!! My teeth are so sore right now. I can barely open my teeth.

My upper and lower mid-lines are beginning to drift so I had to wear these rubberbands to move the teeth to their proper alignment. I have to change them 2 to 3 times a day. Different variations of the rubber bands will be prescribed to me for the next few months. This is the only way to perfect my bite.

Next OS appointment: Feb 8, 2007.
Next Ortho appointment: Feb 27, 2007

5 weeks Post-op

Today is 5-weeks since my jaw surgery. I've included a picture I took today to mark the occasion. I'm still tight and a bit swollen on my left side (right side on the picture). I've been staring at the mirror at least 10 times a day. I don't know if I've learned to like my new look yet. I don't hate it, but I don't know if I like it yet. Believe me, I get my valleys and peaks once in a while when I look at myself. It's hard on the psyche. Maybe because I'm still swollen and part of my face look lop-sided. I think I look OK if I have my mouth closed. But once I open my mouth, I look weird...especially when I try to smile with my teeth. I look like I'm putting on a "fake" smile. It's hard to explain it but it doesn't look good. Even my husband made comments that I don't have my old "smile" anymore, which I really liked. Even though I had a huge underbite, I smiled showing only my upper teeth and was able to conceal my protruding lower jaw.

So far everyone I've seen told me that I look totally different. They all said that if they saw me on the street unexpectedly, they would not have recognized me. I know I look different. I'm actually nervous to go back to work to see everyone in my office. They will be so surprised.

2 weeks after being unwired. I am able to open my mouth quite widely now. I measure the opening very un-scientifically by seeing how far my tongue can stick out. :) I try to take it slow on the chewing. For the most part, I don't chew. I can chew noodles and soft rice if necessary. Otherwise, I don't attempt to over-exert my jaws. My bite is not the best right now either because I know many of upper and lower teeth don't fit together (hence 9 more months of braces)....

My next ortho appointment is next Thursday, Jan 11. My ortho was going to check with my OS to see if I'm ready to continue my orthodontic treatment. I would sure hope so. The earlier I re-start, the earlier I'll be done. That day will definitely be a beautiful day.