7 Days Post Op

Well 7 days have come and gone since surgery. Its funny how last week I was itching time to fly by and honestly it has. Pretty soon I will be sitting in the doctor's office for my 2 week follow up. There aren't any major changes other than decreasing the amount of meds I have been taken. I currently take ibuprofen in the morning and then before bed. I am also not having much TMJ pain anymore but I still have the right ear ache which I can do without. I still do not have feeling in my chin and lower lip. I also have some numbness at the tip of my tongue but it feels like my tongue is very slowly getting better. I honestly do not mind the numbess. I am more concerned about getting looser bands and being able to eat foods other than smoothies. I have been thinking that the swelling is going down but I think I am just getting used to the look of puffy cheeks. Feels like the swelling is going down on the right and very slowly on the left. I still ice through out the day but I think I may incorporate some heat soon. Walks at night seem to be going well. I still feel tingling through out my chin and lip when walking. I am noticing that I am able to control my bottom lip a little bit better as my smile is improving. I tried wrapping my face but I notice that it irritates my jaw after a few hours then my teeth become sore. I even tried to wrap lightly and this only produces the same results. But still my biggest complain in all of this is not being able to brush my the inside of my teeth. I even looked at my bands to see if I could get away with taking them off, brushing, then replacing them. But looked like a rocket scientiest placed the ones on my molars so I don't even dare. LOL

Well I hope these days fly by as I am ready to have a nice juicy steak. I am excited because I have already decided to buy a bbq grill. Im not buying it yet because I don't want it taunting me from my balcony LOL

Are things looking up? 6 days post

So when the doctor first put on the rubber bands and saw the pain in my eyes, he said that the pain would last about a week. I thought to myself, THIS PAIN WILL LAST FOR 7DAYS?! How would I be able to handle that for such a long time?! Well at least I had meds.

So today I awake and notice that my TMJ wasn't hurting as much. Honestly it wasn't really hurting at all. I was surprised and worried. So I went back to sleep as I thought I was only dreaming. I finally get up and notice that it was 9am. I was well passed my next dose. So I took some ibuprofen with a grape juice chaser. I have to be honest, my meds do not taste terrible but I think I am getting sick of the taste. Out of all the juices that I have, I find that grape juice goes well with both Lortab and the ibuprofen. I also take a look in the mirror and I want to saw that the swelling is slowly going down but I think its just my eyes. Well tomorrow with be 7 days post op and I will take some pics then to compare.

Prior ro surgery, my friends were worried about my potential weight loss. I am not the heaviest person around so losing so I could see where I should be worried about losing a ton of weight. Before surgery, I weighed in at 145-146 but yesterday I was at 140. The doctor did say that the more in shape you are the less weight you may lose. I just hope that I do not go past 135. I haven't weight that since undergrad and that was like 10 years ago.

Now if only I can get rid of this knot in my left shoulder blade I would be on cloud 9...

Rubber bands, headaches, and hot flashes...Oh my!

So it is now day 5. This is the dreaded day that everyone told me to watch out for. I thought I would be ok but that was not the case. I had a good day yesterday and even discovered that Butter Pecan Ensure is actually pretty tasty. I also noticed how badly I would like to brush the inside of my mouth/teeth but alas I can't. I am pretty anal when it comes to the hygiene of my teeth and this is killing me lol I pray that I will be able to brush the inside of my mouth/teeth at my adjustment. If not, I will beg. So I had company over and they were surprised at how well I was able to talk and how not too swollen I was. I go through bouts of pain but usually in the middle or near the end up my dosings of meds. I tried to wean myself off the Lortab and used mostly ibuprofen yesterday. Well once my company left, I became exhausted. So I opted to shower and head to bed...er...recliner...instead of going for a walk. I took my meds and headed off to sleep. Well this was the worse sleep since surgery. My right TMJ was sore, I couldn't get comfortable due to a sore shoulder muscle, and random hot flashes. It was pretty miserable. At one point I felt a pop in my mouth and I knee something was wrong. I also noticed that my right TMJ wasn't sore anymore. So I got up and looked in the mirror to see what is up. Well of course one of my bands broke and I stood there thinking how in the world will I fix this. This particular rubber band is in charge of shifting my midline over. And not only that, this band is double banded on itself. In other words, this one thick rubber band is flipped on itself and placed on hooks to form a tighter fit. So after fighting with several bands, I managed to get the band on after 30-40min. I know I did it right because I immediately experience intense pain in my right TMJ. Since it was time for my next dose, I opted for the Lortab and attempted to get some rest which was useless. I did manage to sleep 4-5 hours after that. For breakfast I tried a pinneapple juice, oreange juice, banana, strawberry yogurt, and a little dash of pomegranate/mango juice smoothie. This actually turned out really well. Since my jaw was still sore, I opted forthe syringe instead of a straw. I did my usual of updated friends and family, checked email, and watched some tv. Eventually, I grew tired and feel asleep. I awake and notice I was sweating. It was strange since I had the AC at the same tempt since I returned home and the temp outside wasn't any hotter. I touched my head and noticed a pool of sweat and that my head was hot. Surprisingly my cheeks were ok considereing. I have been icing like mad since surgery. I think the swelling has stabilized for the most part. So I am either getting used to my cheeks or I think I am actually getting better. I doubt the latter. So at this point, I feel really hot and have an intense headache with the TMJ pain. I felt miserable. I also felt helpless since I had like 4 hours before I could take my next dose. I managed to get through it after a couple hours of rest and take some ibuprofen and I immediately feel better. I turned the AC up a little and a fan. Crazy I know but it working. I need to take my temp to make sure I am not running a fever. Later on I take my temp and notice it is only 97.1F but at this point it is much later than when I experienced most of my sweating. I think it was due to all the swelling in my face which made me hot. Well if it was a fever, at least it broke. I did go for a nice 30 minute walk. Unfortunately, it wiped me out. So I drank an ensure, showered, and went to bed. I made sure to take some ibuprofen before bed instead of the Lortab as it seems to work longer and better. Went to bed at one and slept comfortably until about 9am. Thinking back, aside from being reubber banded for the first time, this is by far the worst day. Dreaded day 5....

My Poor Mouth...

So last night, I decided to go for a walk. I felt like I needed to get out for a bit. The walk was really nice. The interesting thing was that my chin and bottom lip, that has been numb since surgery, started to tingling with intensity. I think I am slowly getting feeling back into my lower face which would be nice. My biggest complaint in all of this is the being banded so much to move my midline of my lower jaw. I go through bouts of pain which tend to mainly occur at night when I am trying to sleep. I went to bed only to wake up at 3am with intense pain. So I took some Lortab and went back to bed which helped. I can't wait for my follow up because I do not know how much more I can take of this pain. I am told it will last about a week but my follow up is in 2 weeks. I am also having pain in my TMJ on the right side which I am sure is due to the rubber bands. Well I have been told that around day 5 is the worst. I hope I am going through the worst now cause I can't imagine things being any more painful.

The good thing is smoothies have been going well. The smoothie book has come in handy as a good guide. The thing that I did not anticipate is my craving for savory foods. I do have some tomato soup where I add sour cream and parmasean cheese. Yesterday I wanted something different so I opted for the chicken broth until I noticed it only has about 20-30 calories which would make me hungrier. So I just added the broth to the tomoato soup and it turned out pretty well. I have been trying my best to stay hydrated which the dr said is one of the things his patients forgets. He suggested 80oz of fluids. I pretty much hit this mark but it does feel like a lot. I think I may have to pick up some bananas so I can try some of the other smoothies. I am loving the magic bullet its definately a great buy. Now id only the head wrap I bought would come in then I would be all set.

Trial and Error

So last night was the first night that I slept through the night. I didn't have any nurses or techs constantly checking my vitals nor random lights, voices, waking me up. I was really tired so I took a brief nap and woke up with an intense pain in my jaw on the right side. Thanks to the bands pulling my midline into the proper position. Since I took a Lortab 4 hours ago I had to wait 2 more hours before my next dose so I decided to set my alarm and wait. I toss and turned until 11:15pm. My alarm was to go off at 11:30pm. So i went ahead and had my next dose and drank some water with it. Huge improvement. I also wrapped my face and iced. Went back to bed around 12:30am and slept through the night until 8:45am. I ended up taking the wrap off as I feel as it my face is being squished to death. LOL

So I woke up looked in the mirror to see the chipmunk cheeks still there so I decided to shave my head and face since it was getting a bit scruffy. I notice the tip of my tongue is still numb but slowly getting some feeling back. My lower lip and chin is still numb but I am still feeling random sensations so hopefully the feeling will come back soon. I noticed that there was some twitching in my chin which I think is a good sign. I touch around my lips and on the left corner, I can actually feel pressure. Its funny how the littlest things gets me excited. I took some orange flavored liquid ibuprofen and started to look up some food. I wanted something with fruits but instead I thought I would make something without using a book. I pull out some chocolate Ensure, peanut butter, a little Nutella, coffee yogurt, and a liquid multi vitamin. I whip out my Magic Bullet and go to town. I take the first sip and nearly gag. I think it was way too many ingredients and the multivitamin was over powering everything else and I come to learn it tastes like crap. Looks like thats $30 thrown down the drain. So I start to feel a little nauseated from the drink and decided I should have went with my first instinct. Something with fruit. So I whip out my new "Juices and Smoothies" book by Hamlyn and start searching. I found an easy recipe that called for frozen strawberries, pineapple juice, and strawberry yogurt. So I wizened up and added one of my Centrum multivitamins to blend. Cranked up the magic bullet and voila a good tasting shake. I had to add a couple packages of splenda to make it a little sweeter. So in hindsight I learned to just stick to the recipe book, avoid liquid vitamins, and customize much later once I find out what goes with what. LOL

Surgery and Home Again

July 24th:

I had a lot to get accomplish before my scheduled arrival time so I left the apt at 9am to take care of last minute errands. I return home just in time to shower and get picked up by my friend Harold who works at the hospital. I arrive at the hospital around 10:50am (a cool 10min before my scheduled arrival time) One thing I noticed is the surgery waiting room is PACKED. To be U of M Hospitals, this room was pretty small. But eventually I find an open seat and wait. Harold stops by to check up on me and give me some last minute words then heads off to work. Around noon, I see my oral surgeon walk down the hall for I guess his lunch break and then I realize that his surgeries will be pushed back. To my surprise, a few minutes later, I am called back to pre op. I go through all of the usual pre op stuff. Met with nurses, anesthesiologists, fellows, residents, and my oral surgeon. It was pretty cool seeing him. I was referred to him at the last minute and had only met with him once for like 5min. Seeing him in the pre op relaxed me a bit as he seemed pretty eager and comfortable with my procedure. He planned that I will be done in 1.5 hours. My surgery time was 1pm but they didn't take me back until 2:15pm. Didn't matter to me much because I was in no rush. I was staying overnight regardless. They wheel me in and I go from the rolling bed to the skinniest surgical table known to man. come to think of it, the table for my knee surgery was just as small. There were people in the room getting ready then all of a sudden, I am told I am about to receive the shot in my IV which will knock me out.

The next thing I remember is waking up in recovery. I was told surgery went as scheduled and the doctor came by to tell me that everything couldn't have been better. First thing I noticed is that my lower lip, tip of my tongue, and chin is completely numb. Seemed pretty routine which made me happy. I was told I would only be in recovery for no more than 2 hours but the hospital was pretty crowded. My attending nurse kept saying they are waiting for a bed since I was ready to leave. He was shocked that I wasn't in any pain but the only thing I wanted was water so I was given some. Harold stopped in to check up on my and said I looked pretty good. He said he noticed a difference. On his way out he picked up my cell phone from security so I could contact people. Eventually I get word that they have a room for me and I would be on the same floor that my other friend works on.

I am taken to my room and I meet Teressa and Calvin. Teressa would be the nurse taking care of me for the night and Calvin was filling in for Steve who was the tech for the night. Everyone was really nice and friendly. Everyone got a kick after learning that I am an athletic trainer for the university. I even had a good heart to heart with Teressa who wanted to be a PT but didn't like clinics which was the same for me. She was awesome and took really good care of me. She didn't really know how to handle my case very well but it was good that I know a few things about this surgery so I asked for ice to help with the swelling, the doctor wanted me to drink a lot of water and so I did. I drank so much water that I was taken off the IV after my third trip to the restroom and my third 32 oz cup of water. Between the IV and the water, I never urinated so much in my life. They had to keep track of all my fluids too so I would lose between 300-500ML. In the morning I lost upwards of 550-600ML. I was given morphine shots a couple times, IV drips of an antibiotic, and anti nausea meds. I slept at random bouts for 1-2 hours. Since I had to sleep at a 45 degree angle, I would snore once then wake up then go to sleep just to snore once again. This was repeated thru out the night/morning.

The staff change over occured at 7am and I met Peggy (nurse) and Raymond (tech) Breakfast is served and its cream of wheat, orange juice, milk, and custard. I hate cream of wheat so I ate some of the custard. I was first greeted by my friend Kyle who is a 10min walk away. It was good seeing someone I know who was visiting. He was surprised at how well I was talking and how different I looked. Much of the swelling haven't kicked in yet either. He left to go to work and Harold stopped by briefly. Again I noticed the nurse was a little worried about my case as she didn't have experience with lower jaw surgery. Both Peggy and Teressa have asked why would I need such a procedure which I explained to them. Steve thought I was hit upside the head and had a skull fracture lol. Well Dr Edward's residents and fellows come up to see me and are happy with my status. All I would need is to be heavily rubber banded then xrays and then I will be discharged. He even said he has written the paperwork already. Around 9am I am taken down in a wheel chair to the oral surgery clinic. I noticed that the place was pretty busy. A couple of the physicians I knew and have met the past 2 weeks stopped and said hi and how good I looked. So first come the dreaded rubber bands. First the fellow tries to band me up but has problems with my bite since it was slightly off. Dr Edward's resident comes in and does the banding. This was the worse pain I have every felt through this whole process of being braced. It was very uncomfortable. Once I was banded I had to wait 15min to see if my bite would adjust. Well my muscles didn't like this very much and I relapsed. So I was banded tighter and then waited 20min. Still this wasn't enough then I had to wait 30min. After this time I did not know what to do. The pain was nearly bearable. I felt dizzy and nauseous at some points. My happy mood changed immediately as I was centered on the pain. After 30-40 min, xrays were taken and the resident and the xray tech were amazed how the change in my bite. I tired to get excited but the pain took control. Next I was wheeled up by one of the guys who was with the girl who wheeled me down. He immediately noticed a change in my demeanor and how I couldn't talk very well. I told him what I just went through and he was speechless.

Back on my floor, I ran or wheeled into my friend who is a nurse on the floor. We caught up for a bit and he hung around my room until he was paged. He informed me that I shouldn't be on this floor. I told him about how the hospital was booked and he explained to me that the nurses on this floor do not have experience with a case like mine. Then I realized how Teressa and Peggy reacted when they saw me. It was sad to see Teressa go. In a way I had hoped I could have stayed as she was returning tonight. Both Peggy and Teressa said it is not often where they get a healthy person in after surgery. Around noon Kyle returns with some soup, gatorade, and a starbucks energy drink for me. He didn't realize that it was a energy drink and Peggy pointed out that I could not have that type of drink in the hospital nor would I want one but it was a nice gesture. For lunch there was creamy tomato soup, chocolate ice cream, apple juice and something else I couldn't remember. Kyle eventually leaves. I was not hungry but Kyle and Harold felt otherwise. After a few evil texts from the clowns I drink some OJ and Apple juice. At least it was some calories. Soon I begin to notice that I am talking much better. I also notice that I am bleeding a little bit more and swelling has increased big time especially on the left side. I then notice that one of my rubber bands (the one causing the most pain) had come undone. I tell Raymond who gets Peggy. Peggy tries to get the rubber band on but when she sees the blood she freaks a little and then pages my doctor. She informs me that I am being discharged and that I need to call the person picking me up. She also says that the dr wants to see me before I leave to fix the rubber band. Harold comes up within 10min with my bag from security. but being discharged takes over an hour. I was so frustrated at this point. Harold tells me how U of M patient's biggest complaint is how I was treated with a lot of waiting and not knowing whats going on. So finally I get discharged then I ask Peggy to call down to let my dr I am on the way. I wait in the waiting room for over 40min (Harold goes back to work) Another dr who I knew fixes the rubber band. At first he couldn't see what the problem was since my jaw already adjusted to my new bit but he tried anyway to get the rubber band on which he frustratingly did. He was a real trooper.

Then it was off to the hospital pharmacy to get my drugs of Lortab (Hydrocodone and Tylenol) and liquid ibuprofen. Well my insurance did not cover the ibuprofen so the Lortab was filled. We headed off to CVS to pick up some last minute stuff like peroxide, the liquid ibuprofen, and straws. I finally make it home by 5pm. Sad that after being told I will be discharged by 9am, I am not discharged until 1pm. At this point, I am just happy to be home.

Right now feeling in the tongue is better and I am starting to feel sensations in the lower lip and chin like tingling and itchiness. After a quick shower, I take some meds, and prepare some tomato soup and add some sour cream. I also add a nice big cup of water. I have to stay hydrated. Now that I am home, I hope that I will not be going to the restroom ever 3omin LOL

D Day!!!

Well the food has been purchased, appointments well attended, and work has been called off. The countdown has finally ticked to zero. At 11am, I will check into the hospital and prepare to have surgery which is scheduled at 1pm. We'll see if they are actually on time. If its anything like my knee, I will be waiting an hour or 2 later. But it will be ok. I am no big rush. As long as the surgery happens tomorrow then I am good. I am at the point where I just want a normal bite and this will get it for me. My main concern now is good night's sleep tonight. I want to be well rested for tomorrow. My achy body say otherwise. LOL But my sleepiness wins in the end. So with that said its time for bed...

Nightmares!?!

So Im an avid dreamer. I dream most nights and they are usually detailed. I started to keep a dream journal since my dreams were all over the place. My dreams are pretty random. Sometimes they have to do with whats going on in my life or maybe something to do with the last thing I was doing before bed.

Well last night, I had my first dream regarding my oral surgery. It was very freaky. So I went in to the hospital so they can start prepping me for the surgery. As I laid on the bed, I began dreading this process since Ive been through it for my knee surgery back in december. First the nurse comes in and prepares the IV. I told her not to use the veins in my hands because the last nurse who tried spent 30min trying to and was very unsuccessful. The nurse for my knee surgery, eventually noticed my forearm veins and hooked up the IV in less than 5 min. Sadly, my hand was bruised and swollen for almost 2 weeks. So as I am explaining this the nurse says "I am done" then leaves the room. I look at my hand and the IV is through my hand. I was frustrated since she didn't listen but at least she was able to get it on the first try I guess. Then its time for the waiting game. Some nurses come in check my vitals then leave. Eventually the doctor and his fellow come in to explain everything and makes sure we're on the same page then they leave. The anesthesiologist comes in and go over her role in the surgery and tells me what she will be using. I had no idea what the drug was but I asked her to use the same thing that was used with my last surgery. She smiles then leave injects some meds to make me drowsy into the IV. Suddenly I get a little anxious and start freaking out but there was nothing I could do. My whole body felt heavy and I felt like I couldn't move. I tried to talk but nothing was coming out of my mouth. Slowly I am being wheeled to the operating room. I see random people moving about then everything goes dark. It felt like the darkness lasted an eternity. Suddenly I feel something tapping my left shoulder then I hear a faint voice which is inaudible. Then suddenly I sit up and I feel myself gasp for air as if I was breathing for the first time.

It was at this time that I actually woke up. I noticed that I was breathing heavy from the dream as it felt so real. I look at the clock and notices it was 4am and I had at least 4 more hours left before my alarm would go off. Needless to say, I didn't sleep well the rest of the time. LOL

Hooking It Up

So yesterday, I had surgical hooks placed on my brackets in preparation for surgery next week. I was actually dreading getting these things on. I heard how they can chafe the insides of your mouth and cleaning them when food get caught. More of an annoyance than anything. After they were placed, you can really feel there is something taking up your mouth but it isn't as bad as I expected. I was told to avoid moving them around as they can break. I was also told that I can push them back if they get in the way or annoy my mouth. First thing I did when I got into the car was to look into the mirror and check it all out. Didn't even look bad but I started to push the hooks back as some were already poking.

Its been a full day so far with them and I have to say its truly not bad at all. Now if only I could speed up the next few days then I will be a happy camper.

Food Glorious Food

So one week left until surgery. Crazy to think I only have 7 days to prepare for this day. You can kind of say I have been waiting half my life for this. Being told I needed this surgery when I was 16 to now is crazy to fathom. But can't deny that its almost here. I am thankful that my last 2 weeks are filled with busy things for me to do such as work, appointments, or different outings with friends. My schedule is pretty hectic but I like it. It keeps me from thinking about surgery too much.

So today was kind of my non busy day. I purposely slept in but didn't think I would sleep for over 10 hours, which I did. I headed to target first to pick up a dry erase board, baby toothbrush and some other junk that I didn't necessarily need but hey its Target. LOL Then I headed off to Sams Club for the essentials. I bought things from applesauce, pudding, ensure, broths, soups, oatmeal, orange juice, fruit chillers, yogurt, peanut butter, hershey's chocolate sauce, frozen fruit etc. I plan on buying some fresh stuff such as bananas, eggs, milk, etc next week. I just want to be as prepared as possible as I do not want to leave my apartment for the first week. I will walk around for exercise but I want to make sure I have all I need.

I picked up the magic bullet today that was waiting at the rental office and awaiting the jaw bra. Im pretty excited to get these things accomplished. My friend Harold will be dropping me off on surgery day then picking me up to take me home when I am discharged. My stepsis confirmed that she will be in town on the 28th and not sure if my dad and stepmom will make it. Well the good thing is I will have friends and family around if and when needed. Next I will start to gather recipes for smoothies and such. I am trying to think of everything or at least most things and I think I have most covered. I am sure there will be some hicups along the way but thats ok.

Tomorrow I get to have surgical hooks put on, taking harold to lunch, and the annual Ann Arbor Art Far Pub Crawl. Getting all the fun out my system before surgery LOL

Relief....well somewhat

So today I had my surgical work up for BSSO oral surgery. I have been covering a volleyball camp at work which requires me to be at work from 845am-830pm so I was a little concerned about the time. So last week I called the OS office to see how long does these appointments take and I was told about an hour. I would go to my appointment at 7am and head to work early and get things set up. So it was all figured out with a great plan.....or so I thought. Well I check in at 7:05am and no one but myself is waiting in the waiting room. After 10min, I glance at the receptionist who smiles at me. I smile back but little does she know its 7:20am and no one has called me back. Finally a second later a tech calls me back.

Ok I must interject. I am so not a morning person. Not even remotely close to enjoying the morning. It used to be so bad that my old roommie from college would be too scared to wake me up in the morning for anything due to my grumpiness and I guess evilness? LOL But yeah I get pretty grumpy in the morning and the earlier I have to get up the worse.

The tech knows he is late getting me but he seems a bit out of it too which annoys me even more and tries to make up with random convo. Like how am I doing and where do I live? He assumed that I wanted to get and be wired shut for 6 weeks. I told him of the 2 procedure I was told I could chose and I opted for BSSO. He was a little shocked and explained to me about the possible nerve injury and loss of feeling to my chin. I told him that I was told this and I explained that I do not want to be wired shut for 6 weeks. LOL Well these random questions occurred at the weirdest moments and wouldn't relate to any of the current convo. Poor guy, well at least he tried. So first we start with digital pics. He takes full face, 45degree, and profile pics. All with relax jaw and with big smile. Then more pics of my upper and lower arch using the mirror and my "fave" the pics with the forceps. He takes a bunch of measurement of my face, jaw, nose, teeth, mouth, lips, any and everything LOL It was interesting at how many measurements were taken. So after this, I am sitting in the chair wondering whats next but then I smell smoke from matches and him mumbling to himself about nothing working out right today. Sadly there is a big clock staring at me in the face and I sigh as he works some torch. The room begins to reek of expired matches and I am slowly becoming more and more agitated as precious time ticks away.

So 740am rolls around and I think to myself, well I should be done in less than an hour so I will be ok. It only takes 5-10min to get to work from the hospital. So he gives up with the fire and starts fitting me for the bracket that will house the molds. Well the molds they had were too small and he comments about how large my arch is and does not fit their molds. In the back of my mind I was thinking "Is this an indirect way of saying I have a big mouth?". Well it made me laugh for a sec. And got my mind off of the clock for a sec. So we finally finds a bracket that fits my upper and lower arch. Then starts up the fire and is happy to have it working. He molds one bracket and it fits perfectly.

So he fits my upper arch first but when he pulls it out, the mold stays on my teeth and the bracket comes out without the molds. So he cleans the tray and tries again. And this time he pulls it out way too soon and the mold is a mess. He gives up on the mold for a sec and moves one to this wax thing that I had to bite into. I guess its to see where my teeth are now touching. Well something was wrong with the first one so a second one was done. Then he returned back to getting the mold of my upper arch. While the mold is in, he apologizes for the delay and asks when I have to be at work. I tried to tell him but when you have the big tray with the molding in you can't really talk. He pulls it out and states that it was better. Then he starts on the bottom. Well after 3 tries he gets it. Mind you through all of this, I have this molding caught in between my teeth and brackets and all over my lips. It was a mess. I felt like this was a nightmare.

So now its 825am and I pretty much need to leave now so I can get to work on time. He informs me that I will need xrays and then I will be done which shouldn't take long. Suddenly, he goes back to mixing something and from behind me he produces another tray with molding to do the top arch AGAIN! I about lost it. I couldn't believe this was happening. I just wish I knew this a head of time so I could have prepared for it all. But alas, I am stuck there. He pulls out the tray and states that this is the best one. I would had hope so after the 4th try. He states he will put me on the list to see the xray tech now.

He leaves to sign me up for xrays and comes back. Dr Edward's fellow comes in to meet and talk with me. He did a short visual eval, observed my bite, etc He asked which procedure I wanted and I told him. He gave me the same lecture of possible nerve injury with a 10% risk with BSSO and a 1% risk for the VRO. I told him that I knew the risks but I would rather have rubber bands. He said the bands would be similar to be wired but then I stated but at least I will have movement after a few weeks which he agreed. He went over the usual things like I would have to stay in the hospital overnight and that I could it could take up to 2 days. He asked if anyone would be around to take care of me and stated yes. He also inquired about my next ortho appointment for the surgical hooks which is this friday (July 18) He asked if I had any questions (which I did) but my mind was so tired and brain dead that I was able to thing. He smiled, shook my hand, and said see ya next week. LOL I can at least saw that I really do like Dr Edwards and the fellow. They both are really nice.

So its 835am and there's no way I will make it to work. I become a little desperate and try to think of what to do. The thought of leaving my appointment cross my mind many times LOL I should have suggested on coming back later or a different day. The tech comes back and take a few more measurements with a tool I can't even begin to describe. Some metal tool with wings that I had to bite down on and I had to hold up with my thumbs. I think it was to see the level of my teeth? I ask him how much longer and he states very soon.

Suddenly I remembered my student helper and I decided to call her but guess what? I have no cell reception and there is no phone in site. I realized I am in the basement of the place. So I leave the room and head outside to make the call. Its a good thing the ER exit/entrance was close by. I call up my student and the coach in charge to let her know my situation. Fortunately, my student is able to cover for me. Great something comes through for me.

I head back to the room and I sit down slightly relieved and a little agitated. Its 9am and the xray tech calls me ready to go. A panorex, frontal, and profile xray are taken. After the pics, the tech had me wait until everything was printed properly. The fellow comes into the room and looks through some charts. I then remembered a few questions. I asked him about a splint and to my delight he said I wouldn't need one. I also jumped for joy. Then I asked about follow ups which are 2. 4. 6 and 8 weeks. then after that its 3 and 6 months. He said I will also be seen prior to being debanded but I am getting invisalign to finish off the last bit so I might be out of braces sooner.

The xray tech hands me printer copies of my xrays and I head back to my exam room. I wait 5 min before the original tech comes in and is shocked to see me there. He states that I was done after the xrays. I simply smiled, said thank you for coming back, and left the office ASAP

So now I plan on doing the bulk of my shopping tomorrow for food at sams club. I will also pick up my magic bullet that I bought a couple days ago and is waiting at the rental office. Time is flying by and pretty soon I will finally have this surgery behind me!

Worried.....

Well of course Im a little nervous about surgery next week but I am more nervous about my pre surgical work up tomorrow. Well the problem is when I met with the OS last month with the molds my ortho made, he said I was ready for surgery. But 2 weeks ago I noticed that my right central incisor was being pushed back and a small gap was formed. So I called my ortho's pffice but due to the holiday I couldn't get seen until last week. Come to find out there was a small bend in my upper arch which was pushing the tooth. This is so frustrating as I spent all year getting this gap closed (took about 11 months!) I was even off of power chains in June! And now a small gap is back and I am back in power chains. I am nervous that the OS may feel I need to wait until this gap closes or that my upper arch isn't ready. Granted the gap is very small but you just never know. And even worse is if I can't have surgery next week, I will have to wait until december to have surgery. Everything has been planned around work.

I know some people people have to wait longer and I shouldn't jump to conclusions until I have the appointment but I just needed to vent.

Genesis

Well its been a long road to reach this point. I can't believe in less than 2 weeks I will have oral surgery. A surgery that was recommended to me when I was 16 but was too scared to get. I thought that if I forget about it, that it would go away. Little did I know "it" would rear its ugly head. LOL But first a little bit of background....

I moved to michigan August 2001. So after 2 years, my dentist recommended I see an orthodontist as my bite is off and only would make matters worse the older I get. Considering that I like having teeth I think its time to bite the bullet. So I was given 3 names/numbers of orthodontists around the city. Well I chose Dr Eric Brust to visit first. As soon as I set foot in the office I knew this is where I want my treatment. Everyone from the techs, insurance coordinator, secretaries, to even Dr Brust himself made me feel at home.

Well, several xrays later, I was ready for my consult. I was told that I did not qualify for invisalign due to my Class III bite and that I would need surgery. Funny how this news continue to scare me. But I knew it must be done so I can have a proper bite (and keep my teeth). My estimate was over $5k and since I did not have that kind of money I had to do some thinking on how I would pay for it. Luckily, there were 3 options. Pay in full, payment plan with a down payment, and financing program. My workplace offered a Flexible Spending Account too which is my best bet. Since it was July 2004, I would have to wait till October to sign up for the FSA and start treatment January 2005. Well September rolls around and its time for my annual eye exam. After being in contacts for over 10 years, my eyes were not having it. Every pair of contacts did not agree with my eyes. So after 2 months I gave up and looked into getting Lasik. Since this is an expensive elective surgery I decided to postpone my orthodontic treatment to take care of my eyes. So I payroll deducted my Lasik surgery which I had December 2004.

In the back of my mind I always had braces and oral surgery on my mind. So October 2006, I decided to look at FSA. I played around with calculations online as my workplace moved all benefits online. I set an amount but saved it as a draft. Needless to say that work picked up and I became really busy. I let the open enrollment deadline pass without fully saving my worksheets. So I thought I would start orthodontic treatment in another year. Well around January 2007, I get the nice little credit card for the FSA with my spending limit. Looks like it was saved after all but I was not prepared for braces let alone surgery a year into treatment especially when I was told my insurance would not cover the surgery.

Since it was over a year since I last seen Dr Brust, I had to have another consult. Nothing had changed in the past 2 years so the price was still the same. I opted to start treatment near the end of my busy season in May. So May 2nd 2007, I get braced up with ceramics and made my down payment. Within 30min, my first of many brackets pop off my upper right front tooth. I used to keep count but after 10 I stopped LOL.

Well since I needed oral surgery, Dr Brust felt I should get moving on finding the surgeon. He recommended 2 surgeons. Dr Upton at U of Michigan hospital which accepts my current insurance but Dr Hitchcock at St Joes Health System didn't. Sadly Dr Brust really liked working with Dr H but I went to Dr U. I ended up liking Dr U and he pretty much painted the same lovely picture that I have been told all along. He took the liberty of adding things which I thought I didn't have. Things like: Speech issues, cross bite issues, Class III bite, 3-4mm under bite, and some other jargon that I have no idea. (and I work in the medical field lol) So he said he didn't think my insurance would cover the procedure. Lucky for me I called my insurance and inquired about this and they said that as long as a physician within the system orders the surgery that I would be approved. Well Dr U wasn't very optimistic but said he would process it anyway but he recommended I change insurance at the next open enrollment.

After a series of adjustments, broken brackets, and emergency archwire clippings, I get my surgical approval in December 2007 but my insurance was being bought out by Blue Cross of Michigan. Good thing this is the insurance I switched to. So I get my first molds done in January and Dr Brust is happy with the progress and states I am getting close to surgery.

After several more adjustments and only a couple more broken brackets, I get molds taken in May 2008. Dr Brust finally feels I am ready and tells me to schedule an appointment with Dr U for oral surgery. Dr Brust makes surgical molds for Dr U. So beginning of June 2008, I meet with Dr U and he tells me some good news, some bad news and even more bad news.

Bad News: Dr U is retiring in July (next month!)
More Bad News: Oral Surgery is backed up till August!
Good News: Im ready for surgery

So Dr U refers me to his protege Dr Edwards and says he's taught him everything he knows and trusts him. I meet with Dr E for a brief moment to have a look at my case/mouth. So I leave the appointment floored and hopeless. I was told that I would receive a call in a few days to schedule a surgery date. This sucked because I planned for everything to revolve me getting surgery this summer. I even planned it around my work. Now I am being told I would have to get surgery during the busy part of work or wait 5 months. So I do what any normal person would do. Become frantic and find some way of getting surgery ASAP LOL So I call Dr Brust office to get the number to Dr H. They inform me that he is also backed up through August but I make an appointment for a consult for July 16th. After a week I call Dr U's office to see how my approval went and this lady wasn't very helpful. She even said that approvals take 3 months when I knew that my insurance did not require a prior approval for this procedure but I was asked to wait another week. So I am even more frustrated as I have all of this wasted time.

Now its the last week in June and I haven't heard any thing yet. So I decided to call Dr U to see the status of the approval. I end up talking to the nicest person ever. She tells me how I was approved just a day prior and she was making the rounds of calls and that I called just in time. She also tells me about surgeries booked through August. I tell her my story and she empathized with me. She tells me that Dr U just agreed to do 3-4 surgeries a month for the rest of the year to help with the patient load. She also understood my situation and was willing to work with me. Well she found one opening for July 24th and I about jumped for joy. Its 2 weeks prior to when I need to start work and gives me sufficient time to recover. So we set my pre op and history appointments.

June 25, I go in for adjustment and I inform the tech of my surgery date. She proceeds to tell everyone and they all seem to be very excited for me. Since my gaps were all closed, the power chains were removed. But a week and a half later, I noticed that my upper right front tooth was beginning to tip back too far and creating a gap between my 2 front teeth. I call for an emergency appointment. Unfortunately there was a small bend in my upper archwire that was forcing the tooth back. So the wire was fixed and was put back in a power chain.

So that has been the just of this ordeal. Now I am 11 days away from surgery and slowly reading up as much as I can on bilateral sagittal split osteotomy (BSSO) and pre paring check lists for all the things I will need. I feel so unprepared but I am a little worried about this little gap might set me back. I do not have a lot of time to play with. Well at least my lower and upper arch looks good. My first appointment with the oral surgeon for molds/history is July 16th so we'll see what happens.