Day 14!

Well I saw my surgeon today and things are looking good! At this point I will have my elastics on until sometime early August. I'm supposed to try to open my mouth a little bit with the elastics off but that sounds a little scary to me. Things are soooo tight and it feels like I can't open my mouth ever again. Of course I'll get over that soon enough...we'll see how much it hurts to try that! Not much more to add for now but here's a couple new pictures taken today!

I feel happier than I look in this one haha

It's gonna take a bit of getting used to my new profile but I feel like I'm looking more and more like myself!! Similar to how I used to look a few years ago before this happened. My face is still swollen of course. I'm excited to see how it'll look in a couple months!

Still Alive!

Well, it's been almost two weeks since my jaw surgery. 

Since my surgery day, I've been exhausted which is normal. Been sleeping a lot, trying to drink as much juice, smoothies, veggie juices etc as possible. Here's a little update on what my recovery has been so far!

My surgery took 2 1/2 hours under general anesthetic. I was in the hospital for two nights. The first 24 hours were pretty rough. My face was so swollen and numb, but I ended up having a lot of nausea and vomited a few times. THAT was rough!! It's bad enough when you can open your mouth normally, but when you can't move your jaw, well, it's just not fun. Once that was over, the second day in the hospital was a lot better. The staff there was so nice, I always appreciate that.

Here's my first picture out of surgery:

Once I got home, I figured out how to drink through a straw. It's a little tiring since I can only get so much through a thin straw. But it works. This is how I was taking my medicine - through a saringe. Since I can't open my mouth, my wonderful Dad crushed all my medications for me and mixed them with my orange slurpee. It's a bit annoying having to crush and mix but you do what you have to do! I'm still crushing but am using a straw now, a bit quicker!

 

The pain I've had since surgery hasn't been fun. The first week I was basically drugged up on Tylenol 3's and Ibuprofen. I had ice packs on 24/7 for the first five days. Thank you to my parents and sister for switching them out for me. And thanks to my husband! He didn't get much sleep those first five days after. He slept on a mattress on the floor beside the couch so he could be right ready to get my medication and icepacks when needed. I felt bad for him but felt worse for myself lol. He was amazing in the wee hours of the morning as I tapped him with my foot to wake him up. Thank you Hun!!

Once the first five days passed, I started feeling intense muscle pain. All my neck and facial muscles have been traumatized from the surgery. Because my lower jaw was moved so much forward, my neck muscles are also tight and sore. It's amazing how tight everything is. I am completely numb from just below my eyes to my chin. This will slowly disappear in the next 6 to 12 months but some of it may be permanent. The good thing is the numbess will not affect how I look or my mobility. The muscle pain is one of the worst because it doesn't really go away easily. I'd love to be able to go for some accupuncture to take it away but that isn't a good idea right now. I've been applying moist heat regularly and that has helped to relax the muscles a little.

I'm at the two week mark this Wednesday! I go to see my surgeon tomorrow for my two week post-op. We'll see what he has to say. I will have the elastics on for 6 weeks from my surgery. Thankfully I did not have to be wired but I feel like I have been. I can't move my teeth or jaw at all.

Here's a few more pictures of the past few days. I'll update with my x-rays soon, it's interesting to see how my upper and lower jaw have been aligned. I'll do that another day.

Thanks again to everyone for praying for me and all your support!! I know things have been going well because of all the prayer for me. I appreciate it so much!

SURGERY DAY!

It's almost 5 a.m. on the morning of my surgery, just finished getting ready to head to the hospital. I slept pretty good for the few hours I got! I'm not too nervous now, feel quite normal to be honest. God is helping me with that of course! This could also be because I've been so crazy busy before today, I didn't have a whole lot of down time to really feel super nervous. The weirdest thing in this is that after my surgery today, my face is going to be quite different. Maybe not hugely noticeable to everyone, but those in my family and those that have known me for years will see the change. (I'll add lots of pictures when I'm at home for 4 weeks with lots of free time!) I am SO ready for the pain to go away, I don't even know what it will feel like to not have achiness and pain constantly! 

My surgery is at 7:40 a.m. which means I'm the first case of the day. It's nice to be first, it means my surgeon won't be behind and I can get in there and have a really good sleep. 


Thank you all for praying!! I know that is why I feel the way I do. I appreciate it millions.

I'm off, I'll be back in a few days! ; )




 

The Details.....12 Days to Go!

So I saw my oral surgeon on Monday this past week. It was yet another appointment getting that really gross goop stuck to my teeth to create the models of my teeth and bite. After that, I bit on some wax to create another bite model. After only about 10 minutes of this, my jaw was killing already! I'm am SO ready for this pain to end!

It's been a little while since I've stated the details of what I'm actually having done on my jaw. In 2005/2006 I started experiencing a lot of ear pain, so much it would wake me up at night. I had no idea this was being caused because I clench my teeth and my bite was beginning to change. Throughout the next year, my upper jaw actually started shifting forward and my lower jaw started shifting back. It's odd this didn't start happening when I was a lot younger as it does for most people who need jaw surgery, but mine just started in my early 20's. Because of this shift happening, I started getting daily headaches, jaw pain, singing made me exhausted and talking all day at work of course, didn't help! So, I think I've posted all these details before in an earlier post, the last couple years have been preparation for this upcoming surgery.

My surgery includes upper and lower orthognathic (jaw) surgery and a possible chin implant. My upper jaw is going to be moved up a little closer to my nose, and back farther. My lower jaw is going to be moved up as well and moved forward to match up together nicely.  Then I may get a little implant placed in my chin so it naturally fits my new jaw line etc.

The surgery itself takes about 2 1/2 to 3 hours. I'll be in the hospital for sure for one night, possibly two. No talking for 4 weeks. On a liquid diet for 6 to 8 weeks. Soft food for a few months, and in about 1 to 2 years, I should be completely healed. There's still a long road ahead, but this is the beginning of getting to where I need to be so I'm ready for it! 

I am starting to feel a little nervous for the surgery, it's coming up quick. My surgeon said there is a chance he made need to wire my jaw shut. He said once he goes in, he anticipates my jaw bones are going to be quite thin because of my size, so if it's needed he may need to wire it shut to be sure it heals correctly. This would mean 6 weeks wired shut, which also means I can't talk at all so I am of course praying that isn't necessary!

My biggest challenge right now is making sure I really have everything done at work before I go! I think once I feel I've finished what I need to do, I'll feel a bit less overwhelmed right now. It's having enough energy to get it done with so much to do! But God is definitely giving me strength and the ability to have some restful sleeps (that is once I can turn my mind off and fall  asleep haha).

20 Days To Go!

Well, the time is definitely going fast! I'm getting so excited for my upcoming jaw surgery on June 23rd. Hard to believe I have been waiting two years for this one day and now it's so soon! This has definitely been something that has been on my mind almost non-stop for past two years. Talk about a long journey, lots of frustrating pain, adapting to talking and singing differently, and not feeling so good all around! I know I still have a long way to go until I feel 'normal' but at least the time is coming! 

I feel pretty well prepared for this surgery, I am anticipating learning to be more patient, quiet and restful for a LONG time as I recover. This is certainly a challenge for me most days. Most of you know I do enjoy talking, obviously singing, and eating, of course eating. lol I feel God will be teaching me some good things while I'm off work and recovering, I'm sure He will...I'm interested to see what I learn!

I am so thankful for my amazing sister Jaelyn who is going to take over my job for me while I'm off!

I know you will do an amazing job Jaelyn! You will love the patients, they are so fun and never a dull moment, it's gonna be fun training you! My parents are also coming up from Sask to stay for two weeks. I'm super excited and thankful they are able to come up for this.

I'm taking some time off from leading in worship at Centre Street as well.  My last weekend is June 19/20th. At this point I'm anticipating a minimum of six months off. I really don't know what to expect as far as singing goes. We'll see what happens! That will be a true test for me, but I know God is always faithful and I'll be singing when it's the right time!

I'll be updating this as often as I can...I'm not the most disciplined blogger but once I have my surgery I'm sure I'll have lots of time to blog. I'll be updating the site with pictures for anyone who wants to check in!

Chat with ya soon!