My "after" pics

Hey all,

I completely forgot to post my 'after' pics when I got my braces off in October so here they are:

So so happy with the result and it was totally worth all the hassle. Final comments are:

• In January 2018 (18 months after my first surgery) I am finally heavier than I was before my op.
• I also still have total numbness in my top gums above my front teeth but that is the only place.
• I get a lot of headaches - I think because I carry a lot of tension in my jaw now.
• I still cant stand the sight of soup.
• and finally (don't laugh) I am absolutely traumatised by watching jaw/face/teeth things on TV. I'm talking panic attack inducing hyperventilating sweaty FEAR. I know this may seem really stupid, but it happens more than you think.

Thank you to everyone for your lovely comments and support through this long process. 

So, my face is fat again

Hey guys,

I'm sure you're all pleased to know that yesterdays surgery was a breeeeeze compared to the last one. Everything was totally fine and I was out and home by around 3pm. The only slight complications were that in the morning my surgeon and his team weren't entirely sure which plates were coming out (a bit worrying) meaning I had to have an emergency x-ray before they started the surgery delaying things a wee bit. They decided to take out 2 of 4 plates just to be on the safe side. The anesthetic this time was a lot better and I didn't feel at all sick afterwards which was such a relief. The only negative side affects yesterday were a bleeding nose for a few hours after surgery and extreme fatigue (to be expected). I napped for about 5 hours after coming home and woke up feeling like myself. The only painkillers I had were ibuprofen and paracetamol and the stitches all seem to be neat and tidy with hardly any bleeding etc.  Eating and drinking were all completely fine - I've just been eating soft foods but haven't needed to puree anything which is nice. Today I'm looking pretty swollen and have limited movement in my mouth. My jaw joints are pretty sore from where they were propped open during the op but its nothing unbearable.  Here's some super cute photos of the swelling..

I'm probably not going to update again unless something super dramatic happens because I'm sure you're all as sick as I am of my bloody jaw. Anyone that needs a few jaw plates out I wouldn't worry at all about it - they promised it wouldn't be nearly as bad as the last one and they were right.

Love meg

Round Two

Hi guys,

Thought I'd do a quick update as loads has been happening over the last few months.

1.Jaw movement/ General Jaw stuff
Although movement in my jaw is still slowly improving its still pretty rubbish. I rarely struggle with eating but occasionally opening my mouth wide enough for burgers etc. is a problem. Also, in the last month or so I've developed a disgusting crunch/pop on the right hand side of my bottom jaw. It sounds a bit like cracking your fingers or something but I swear i can feel the bones moving - disgusting. I'm not sure if this is normal or not, it seems fine it's just a bit gross. The only other notable thing is that the cold weather is giving me serious pain in the bits they broke. I think this is pretty normal for bones that have been broken but its a pain in the bum. Usually a scarf helps but sometimes I've had to whack out the trusty old heat pack.

2.  Infected pins (its as nice as it sounds.)
I'm having a small second operation tomorrow to remove the pins in my upper jaw as (through nobodys' fault) they became infected at the end of October. Signs to look out for are inflamed/bleeding gums and incision sites, a white residue on gums that doesn't come off with brushing(yum), and sharp pain when eating and drinking. After what felt like months on a whack-load of antibiotics my surgeon decided its probably easier to just take them out (although they don't seem to be causing me any hassle right now..typical.) They've promised this op isn't going to be nearly as bad as the last one and I should only be on soft food for a matter of days rather than months. Guess we'll find out tomorrow.

Wish me luck!


Megan

Update

Hello,

The last couple of weeks have flown by and life is well and truly back to normal. Main updates are:

 I saw my orthodontist a few weeks ago and he removed a lot of my stitches which was (honestly) the worst part about this whole experience. He also took off my surgical hooks which is making it so much easier to clean everything.

I saw my surgeon last week and he is so happy with how everything has gone he says he doesn't need to see me again until my 12 month post op clinic (yay). He said I still really need to work on gaining more weight now that I'm eating properly again but not to stress myself out about it and that it is more important I am eating well than eating lots. I'm back up to (just under) 7 and a half stone so hopefully over the next month or so I can get back up to my start weight of just over 8 stone. Warning to any fellow upper jaw surgery victims - wile they were examining me at the clinic they grabbed hold of  the roof of my mouth and gave it a really hard wiggle just to see that it felt "firm" again. I'm honestly surprised I didn't hit him.  It felt so unnatural to let him do that after trying so hard to protect and look after my poor little jaw for the last few months. So just a warning to anyone at their 6 week appointment - maybe sit on your hands.

I've been back to work full time for a month and my energy is completely back to normal. As well as this my jaw doesn't get sore if I've been talking too much anymore which is nice.

Every day my jaw is getting stronger and its becoming easier to eat. After the 6 week post op milestone I was encouraged to try and eat as normally as possible again. I started off with things like meatballs and rice, salmon and boiled potatoes etc. In the last week or so I have now been eating an almost normal diet including sandwiches, bread rolls, curry (this was still quite difficult and took me ages to chew because of the chicken), all kinds of pasta...and the big one was that I managed a very squishy slice of pizza. Chewing is still slow and a bit clumsy,I am biting my tongue a lot and it takes quite a lot of concentration but over all I'm so happy with how things are progressing.

My swelling is almost completely unnoticeable now and the scars from where I had my drains in are getting gradually fainter. Inside my mouth - now that most of my stitches are gone - I can see the scars on my lower jaw where the incisions were. They're a lot bigger than I expected (maybe 2 inches long on each side. Obviously they cant be seen from the outside and there's nothing to be self conscious about I just wasn't expecting them to be that big.  The one on my top jaw is so hard to see because it is exactly where my gum meets my top lip but it all looks like its healed well.

I still have some pain behind my nose when I touch it. I spoke to my surgeon about this and he said there was nothing to worry about and that this would gradually decrease in time but to come in and see him again if I had any concerns.

The only thing that still needs doing is the final few months of orthodontics. I am back to my 6 weekly appointments and they have said hopefully by next June I will have my braces off. (I cannot WAIT)

Week 5

Hello loves,

Progress is so slow now its barely worth writing about. I still have most of my stitches although they are becoming much looser and starting to hang down around my teeth which looks LOVELY. I'm too scared to try and take them out myself but I'm hoping they don't hang around for too much longer.

My numbness is almost completely gone in all areas. I still have the smallest amount of numbness (about 0.5cm square) on the left hand corner of my mouth and I still don't have full sensation on the left hand side of my nose but that's it, everything else is back and feels great!

Ive piling the pounds back on (thank F) in the last week. Its probably due to the mahoooosive baked potato with about a kilo of tuna mayo I've been having for lunch every day. I'm able to eat much bigger meals now which I think is mostly due to me being able to have bigger spoonfuls meaning meal times aren't such a drawn out mission anymore. I'm also able to open my mouth a lot wider now which is also making things easier. So (drumroll please) I'm back up to about 7 and 3/4 stone :)

Last night I went out for dinner for the first time with my friends. Obviously I didn't ask the restaurant to puree my food for me so I just cut up my pasta into really tiny pieces (I mean REALLY tiny) and either swallowed them like that or very gently and slowly chewed them. Although chewing is really exciting its also a bit scary. I'm so scared I'm going to damage something and undo all the good that's been happening over the last few weeks. It also feels really different than how it did before the op so that's going to take a bit of getting used to. 

(this is how wide I can open now with my bands on, with them off is slightly more)

The only complaint I really have is that I've been getting some pain around my nose/sinuses. I think this is pretty normal because in my surgeons words they've been "pretty messed around" and I think this is them just settling back down. It doesn't hurt continuously only when I touch my nose/under my eyes and the pain is probably no more than a 1.5/10.

So yeah, life is pretty sweeeet.

Day 20 - 24

Hello my loves,

This week has again been slow on the progress (hence my lack of posts) but everything is heading in the right direction!

This week I returned to work pretty much full time. My pre op hours were 8.30-5 and this week I've only been working 9-5 as everything is still taking a wee bit longer in the morning but I still think that's not bad considering I'm only 3 weeks post op - go me! I have found it more tiring than usual but I think that's probably just because I'm out of the habit of it than anything else. Its amazing (and hilarious) the amount of people who have asked me if I have just had my braces put on - despite having had them for the last 3 years - and they all seem completely shocked when I tell them about the surgery. I guess that means I don't look too horrible and/or traumatised right?

I have also seriously re discovered my love of baked potatoes this week (I'm talking 5 or 6 in the course of three days). I haven't had to puree them or anything because they're so soft anyway and there's something seriously satisfying about eating normal, unpureed food.  I've just been having them with tuna mayo for a bit of protein and some grated cheese - loooovely. I've been able to open my mouth a lot further this week (maybe 1.5 fingers width) so I've upgraded from a baby spoon to a tea spoon. Disclaimer: smashing metal against your teeth because they're in a different place than they were a few weeks ago is flipping painful.

I saw my orthodontist this week and he seems happy with how everything is going. He said if my stitches were getting too annoying I could try and take them out myself with a pair of tweezers but to be honest I'd rather be annoyed by them for a few more weeks than remove them myself - blergh.
 He also told me to put my elastics on a slightly different way than what I've been doing since I got home. My bottom jaw lies slightly to the right of my top jaw (maybe 2/3mm) so he's using the elastics to centre by bottom jaw. Its a bit of a scary thought that one teeny elastic band can move my jaw within the space of a few days but apparently its just because the bone in my jaw isn't healed yet and it won't be like that forever!

You can see my squint elastic that's correcting my jaw placement.

There's barely any noticeable change in the swelling now but it has at least got to the point where I resemble a human more than a chipmunk. The numbness across my nose and cheeks is also decreasing. Its still numb but the feeling is less "dense" if that makes sense? The only area where I still have complete numbness is the top left side of my lips.

Another huge milestone this week is that I have completely come off painkillers *waits for applause to die down*. I've sill been using my heat pack at night ( I swear the £4 I spent on that is the best £4 I have ever spent) but I've not taken paracetamol or anything else since Wednesday.

Day 17, 18 and 19

Afternoon all,


The last few days have been really good. I had an appointment with my surgeon on day 17 and he seems to be really pleased with my progress. He really stressed the importance of oral hygiene as apparently all plaque is bacteria and I'm still in the time from to get an infection around my "wound sites" as they call them. Although he did say that anyone with braces tends to have significantly better oral hygiene than people who don't (go us!). I weighed myself again before the appointment and seem to have gained a few pounds since I last checked - although he didn't ask anything about my weight at the appointment. He also stressed the importance of getting a good variety in my diet in order to get enough vitamins and minerals to heal properly - especially calcium for bone growth and healing. The only bad news of the appointment was that I'm still to be on blended/very soft foods for another 3 weeks *weeps internally*. This takes me up to the week before I move to university which is less than ideal but it's not really like I have any other options. The thought of eating this kind of food for another few weeks is kind of soul destroying. My surgeon said my stitches (which are very annoying now) should dissolve in the next week/few weeks. He suggested upping my water intake to help them dissolve slightly faster.

Day 18 was a really busy and fabulous day. Jake and I went to a small zoo/farm during the day and had a nice day out. I had an amazing hot chocolate in the café (I can only dream of how many calories were in it). I didn't manage the marshmallows.

It was also my best friends (and life partner forever) 20th birthday so Jake and I had a wee night out with her to celebrate. It felt so good to get dressed up and wear makeup. I feel like I've definitely got my groove back - it's amazing what a pair of tartan trousers and gold shoes can do for your mood!

Day 19 had involved not much of anything. Last night has tired me our quite a lot so I did try and nap for a few hours in the afternoon, I've been trying hard to drink more today so my stitches dissolve faster as they're really bloody irritating now. I've also had fish pie for the third day in a row and I'm still not sick of it yet. Anything with cheese sauce is my favourite thing to eat at the moment.

Day 14, 15 & 16

Evening guys,

Its been a few days since me last update but my progress is slowing down so daily updates seem a bit unnecessary now!

This week has been really good. Being back to work has been really good and has given me a reason to get up in the morning (at a semi reasonable time!). I have only been working two hours each day but I've been feeling really good after it and I definitely feel like I could be doing more hours - although everyone keeps telling me I need to take it easy and not over do things.

In terms of food I'm still very much eating baby food but I'm managing to have a slightly thicker constiency and slightly less pureed things. I'm drinking less milkshakes,smoothies and juices and I'm eating a lot more actual food. This week I've had blended curry & rice, blended cheesy pasta, blended leek and pea risotto, blended chicken and potatoes...lots of blending - you get the picture. I also am still loving mushed cake and custard. The last few days for breakfast I've been having Weetabix and hot milk which is nice as it doesn't require blending!

Ive still been having trouble sleeping at night but I've managed to find a routine that seems to be working. Ive still been taking codeine, paracetamol and ibuprofen at night but I find that taking Ibuprofen a few hours before bed time is making a huge difference in how quickly I fall asleep. I'm still using my heat pack religiously. Ive taken away a few of my pillows so I'm less propped up and I'm just using my big maternity pillow now. Ive also found that going to bed slightly later (we're still talking about 10 oclock) is helping me fall asleep faster. Although, later nights are meaning I'm wanting to sleep in in the morning which isn't like me at all. Pre op I never slept in later than half eight but now I could easily sleep until eleven. I guess I must need the sleep but its making me feel really unproductive (is that a word  - who knows.) I'm now starting to ween myself off codeine - Ill let you know how it goes.

Another thing I've been finding this week (which may be slightly tmi) is that since coming off my contraceptive pill after my op my hormones have been going CRAZY. Ive been so irritable and unfortunately I've been taking this out on my kind and caring mother who has been so good to me the last few weeks. (I'm sorry for being unbearable this week Mama). Gossip girl is apparently the only thing that stops me being a crazy b&^*h.


Okay, swelling update. Not much is changing now and the changes that are happening are so small theyre barely noticeable but anyway - here is my face at the end of day 16.

Day 12 & Day 13

Day 12

Today was a big day as I moved back upstairs to my own bedroom! It feels so good to be back in my own bed and, although its making my mum a bit nervous that she cant be with me with a seconds notice anymore, I think the move is best for everyone. I slept really badly the previous night and was feeling a bit mopey during the day. I decided to try and be productive to keep me from feeling too sorry for myself so I had a clear up of my room and a clear out of my makeup. My friend and her boyfriend also came to visit which cheered me up so much (thanks guys - you da best). I also had the most DELICIOUS meal. After having anoher cup of lentil soup for lunch and being reduced to tears mum made me a lovely dinner. I had the spag bol which was left over from yesterday (although less blended so it had a bit of texture which was amazing) followed  my mushed up syrup sponge pudding and custard which tasted SO GOOD. I could have cried with happiness. Bed time is becoming a bit of a disaster as well as it is so sore and distracting. No matter how much pain relief I take it doesn't seem to make any difference. Its so frustrating as when I'm trying to sleep is genuinely the only time I have any pain but its such an intense pain I'm really struggling to sleep - as well as waking up about 5 times a night. Apart from that minor issue everything else is on the up.


Day 13

Today I went back to work! (Admittedly only for a few hours and mostly just for a catch up with my boss as she goes on holiday next week). I didn't find it particularly tiring however I'm only going to go in for a few hours each day this week and ease myself back in slowly. It felt so good to be doing something again. I also had more visitors today who bought me a very funny Mr Potato Head doll (hilarious guys real funny). It was great to see them and really cheered me up. The combination of cake and custard is a new favourite (still delicious) and I had that for pudding again today. I also had my first full sized main course since the operation - as I'm doing more my appetite is definitely increasing again which is great as its much less of an effort to eat when you're actually hungry!

Swelling is down again:

I've done a wee edit to show you all where I still have complete numbness. Although I'm less numb than I thought I would be I'm numb in the opposite places to where they said I would be. (they said I should be completely numb in my lower jaw, lip and chin and this is where I have the most feeling). Ach well here it is:
The shaded bits are where I'm still numb

Day 11

Evening all,

Today is much the same as yesterday. Swelling is down some more,im sick of soup,my talking is getting better every day. I drove for the first time since my operation today which was a bit scary but felt good to be independent again. Ive still not attempted a shower (I have been bathing I promise) as Im apprehensive about putting my head under the water for some reason - maybe ill give that a bash tomorrow. Its also becoming less scary to hug people which is nice!! I spoke to my boss today about going into work on Monday for a few hours to ease myself back into the swing of things!

Not much else to update you on,life is slowly but surely getting back to normal..(or maybe im just getting used to this insanity)

Day 10

Morning all,

Not much to report today as my progress seems to be slowing down quite a bit.

I managed to go into town today and do a wee bit of shopping. (gold shoes were purchased for anyone interested). I managed to walk around for about two hours without any major disasters. We bumped into a few people Jake knows and I did feel a bit embarrassed talking to them but I tried to swallow my pride and get on with it - hey at least they can understand me now.

Sleeping was again not the easiest last night it took me forever to get to sleep and when I did I probably woke up about four or five times during the night. The right hand side of my face is the sorest (this is where I have the least numbness) and the place where they broke my lower jaw - right next to my ear - is so achy and painful at night. Paracetamol and codeine along with the heat pack are still my best friends.

I thought I would make a list of everything I am "eating" in a day for anyone that's interested:

Breakfast
Raspberry Crusha milkshake (250ml)
Yoghurt (peach, Activia)
Smoothie (200ml, the innocent "energise" one)

Lunch
Cream of chicken Soup (1 small cup, home made)
Chocolate mousse (I've found one that has 285 calories in it which is amazing)
Left over smoothie from yesterday (200ml, home made with yoghurt, milk, strawberries & blueberries)

Snacks
Lucozade orange (500ml)
Chocolate milkshake (200ml, Tesco's value chocolate milk - this has been a total life saver as its not too sweet)
Raspberry milkshake (200ml)

Tea
Lentil soup (1 small cup, home made)
By this point in the day I'm usually so done with liquids that I don't eat much more after tea.

(You can finally see my chin again!)

Day 9

Evening all, (Spoiler alert: a slightly more positive blog tonight) Again swelling down and talking is becomjng easier every day. Im drooling a lot less (i even left the house without tissues today) and movement in my jaw is increasing daily. The mouth opening exercises feel weird but hopefully are doing some good. I feel less miserable today (mostly thanks to Jake) and have tried to not think about how skinny i am - i have now accepted that this is fixable and a long,not short,term goal. Jake and I tried to go to the cinema in the evening (hindsight not a good idea as this is generally when im in most pain) and made it as far as as the car park but my jaw was too sore. I had crazy pins and needles all over my face. I knew I wouldnt have been able to concentrate on the film so we just came home (following many tears and “Im sorry”s).Do we get points for trying? My pain at night was much less severe tonight and I managed with just codeine,paracetamol and my heat pack. It still took quite a long time to fall asleep (getting comfy is becoming a real issue) but once I did I was out for the count and managed a solid 9 hours. I also had fewer headaches during the day. My mouth bleeding is getting slightly worse every time I brush my teeth. Its still not scarily bleeding but definitely worse. I cant quite tell where its coming from but I don't think its because im knocking a stitch. The only other thing is Im becoming quite self conscious that my top lip has shrunk quite a lot during the surgery. It probably just looks that way because that of my face is quite swollen but im a bit scared that its not going to come back and ill be lipless forever - it doesnt help that my bottom lip is slightly bigger at the moment. Its not a huge deal and hopefully it will sort itself in time but its just something im becoming more aware of. Anyway,in general im feeling a lot better about life today despite the cinema blip - hey at least i tried to get out the house!

Day 8 - Post op appointment

Evening,

Another gloomy post today (I'm trying not to make this a theme I promise).

Positives - swelling down again, nose still clear, I have more energy than I have had since the op. Jake and I made it down to the river in my village today to enjoy the sun. I had a hospital appointment in the afternoon where I got x-rays and photographs taken (they still used the forcep-type things but they were very gentle with them this time). My orthodontist is on holiday so I had to see a different lady however she said everything is looking good. I have been recommended to try and exercise my jaw a wee bit just by gently opening and closing it in an eating motion. She also said she could remove the stray stitch if I wanted but that it would probably be quite sore - I declined. I'm seeing my surgeon next week anyway so if its still bothering me I'll get him to remove it then.

Negatives - Since knocking my stitch yesterday every time I have cleaned my teeth/taken my bands out/put my bands in/ mouth washed there has been blood in my mouth. I feel like an advert for bloody gum disease. I'm not too worried about it but I guess its something to keep an eye on. Also general jaw achiness during the day now as I'm "eating" and talking more. Its not painful just uncomfortable - maybe this is a sign that I should shut up. Pain is increasing daily now. Usually its bearable during the day but at night it is SO sore (maybe 7/10). It feels like really horrific earache, plus a big tension headache plus toothache in every tooth and I can feel the bits where they have broken my jaw pulsing (sounds weird but I don't know how else to describe it). I had to take codeine, ibuprofen and paracetamol before bed last night combined with the new love of my life (the heat pack) and it still took me a couple of hours to get to sleep. I was doing yoga breathing to help breathe the pain out of my face (again probably sounds weird) and although it didn't help much it at least gave me something to concentrate on. Also I have taken to listening to the Harry Potter audio CD's before bed which again gave me something to focus on. I also woke up during the night several times feeling preeeetty drunk. The pain meds had obviously kicked in by this point but it still took me ages to go to sleep.

Here are some photos of the day before everything went downhill again:

one week!!

Evening guys,

It has finally been one week since my surgery!

I don't want to sound like I'm whinging because I do feel so much better than I have during the last week but Monday was a really hard day. I'm so sick of "eating" liquids and can barely find the motivation to force myself to eat. Don't get me wrong I'm not in much pain, my swelling is down again, I can breathe and talk and walk and do most normal things ...I'm just fed up. I'm dreaming about chips 'n' cheese.

Positives of the day included managing to clear my other nostril using warm water and cotton buds - disgusting but oddly satisfying - and walking as far as my local shop. Although this was no more than a 15 minute round trip it was the first time I had had to interact with people that weren't medics, my family or friends. It was scary and I felt really self conscious but I mananged and came home scarred but clutching some chocolate milk, strawberries and an actual heatpack (my makeshift one was rubbish). Another positive of the day is that I manged a second small bowl of my dinner. (pureed mac n cheese for anyone interested). All I seem to want to eat at the moment is carbs and cheese which is unfortunate since I'm living mostly off Lucozade, milkshakes and fruit juice.

Apart from being bored and feeling rubbish the only actual 'setback' today has been that I knocked one of my stitches when I was cleaning my teeth. It looked like it was bleeding really badly but it was probably just the combo of blood and spit (yum). It didn't hurt so I've just left it as it is.

Today has also been the worst day in terms of headaches/jaw pain. I think because I've regained feeling in most parts of my mouth jaw (still nothing on my nose or cheeks) I am able to feel the pain I have more clearly - that's to say I don't think the pain is getting worse. I had to take an extra dose of painkiller at bedtime (on top of the codeine I have already been taking) because the pressure in my head was like nothing I have ever felt. It came on really suddenly at bed time and it did (thank f@*&) lessen once I had taken the extra paracetamol.  The heat pack also really helped.

Anyway, here's a grumpy selfie of my massive tattie heed:

Day 6 - Sunday

Afternoon all,

Today was a mixed bag. Swelling down and movement of my jaw has increased again. I FINALLY MANAGED TO CLEAN THE BACK OF MY TEETH EEEEEEEEEH. (with a baby toothbrush for about 2 seconds before my jaw got too sore and I had to close it again - but we'll count it as a success). Also would say that the majority of my right nostril is clear of gunk and blood and that I can breathe easily through it again. The other disgusting thing to report is that there are huge flakes of dry skin coming off my lips (I mean huge). I have been applying liberal amounts of Vaseline but obviously not enough!! Today the "food" I ate was: chocolate milk, some creamy soup, a McFlurry, butterscotch mousse (at a whopping 200 calories per pot) and *fanfare please* a small bowl of pureed chicken curry!! It felt so good to eat something that wasn't soup. I didn't manage very much and it made my jaw really achy to "chew" it but my god it felt - and tasted - good.

Other positives of the day included my boyfriends mum coming to visit (thank you Sarah - the flowers are beautiful!), nearly being able to sing along to Hairspray, being able to have a wee cuddle with Jake without fear of breaking my jaw again, and finally, nearly being able to smile again.


Excuse the gunk around my mouth - no matter how often I wipe I cant seem to ever have a clean face - but this is my smile. I'm so happy with how my bite looks and the movement in my face/lips/cheeks/everything is massively increasing each day. Laughing and yawning are painful but smiling, for the moment, seems to be alright.

I'm experiencing the most horrendous pins and needles in my cheeks and across my nose which will not go away - I swear they are unhinging me. I had a bath last night and applied a make shift heat pack which seemed to help a wee bit but nothing has stopped them completely. They definitely are getting worse towards the end of the day.

To round off the day I managed to choke on my entire dose of codeine and drool it all down myself. I could have cried. I found it really difficult to sleep and this is probably the first time since leaving hospital I was in some pain (maybe 3/10).

Day 5 - Saturday

Good afternoon :)

Saturday was yet another significant improvement from the day before, things seem to be mending a lot better than anyone was expecting - to the point where I'm slightly worried they didn't do something properly during the op! I know I shouldn't be complaining as I'm finding everything much easier than I thought I would but I guess that's just the kind of personality I have.

Today I would say I have fully mastered drinking from a cup meaning drinking upwards of one litre is easily achievable. Before I left the hospital they recommended a minimum of 2 litres a day and 2000 calories but so far I have gotten no where near that. I'm probably averaging between 1 and 1.5 litres and at most 1000 calories (although hopefully my new mad cup skillZ will help me with this). I have also really improved with using a spoon today - as I still cant open my mouth very far a lot of food does still end up on front of my teeth rather than behind them but as the movement in my lips and face improves this is getting better too.

Cleaning my teeth also got significantly easier and I can ALMOST fit the toothbrush far enough inside to reach the back of my teeth. I'm dreaming of the day as right now my mouth is feeling pretty disgusting - I don't even want to think about how disgusting. Removing/applying the elastics is also becoming a lot easier. Although I am only managing to get one pair on instead of the recommended two I think by Monday when my mouth can open just that wee bit more I should be able to get the two sets on.

Im still really struggling with headaches and fatigue. I have most energy in the morning and over lunch time then from about 4pm onwards I'm exhausted. At this point my speaking tends to become less understandable and I tend to speak a bit less. Drooling also increases a LOT as the day goes on. I'm still getting crazy pins and needles in my face - to the point where I'm now struggling to sleep because of them. Most of the stuff I have read said you usually get pins and needles from around week two but I guess having them now just means my face is waking up a bit faster. They're especially tingly over my nose and cheeks as well as over where my top jaw sits.

I have been waking up each morning with a bloody nose and really thick gloopy (I'm sorry) saliva coating my throat making breathing pretty unpleasant. I think this is just because I'm obviously not drinking through the night and everything is becoming a bit congealed. As soon as I have a drink these symptoms become bearable but don't fully go away until I have cleaned my teeth and used the antiseptic mouthwash. My neck bruises are slightly bigger and more yellow today and they're also moving upwards onto my face - tres attractive! My swelling is down a wee bit but not as much as I was hoping It would be but I think that's due to the fact I slept less upright on my pillows last night. I haven't got photos today as theres really not much change and I'm sure you're all very sick of my face by now!

I managed to get in three small walks today which helped loads with my energy and since coming home on Thursday tea time Jake and I have now finished all eight Harry Potter movies! I cant believe the difference in how I feel between coming home and now. I feel like a completely different person.

Day 5 - Friday

Hello,

Friday was a really good day. I did wake up with a trail of bloody drool running from the corner of my mouth (lovely) and apparently my snoring was quite something to behold but I managed a bath in the morning (the shower is still a bit scary in case it goes on my face), breakfast (milkshake) and lunch (runny soup with a baby spoon) all without too much hassle.

Getting my bands on and off to eat is also becoming much easier along with eating, breathing (my nose is beginning to clear and the swelling in my throat is going down). I am starting to get quite sore headaches behind my eyes and very weird pins and needles in my cheeks - I'm assuming this is just my nerves waking up. Pain is still minimal and all I'm taking is one dose of codeine before bed. Swelling is slowly reducing .

Jake (my boyfriend) took me for a wee walk around my garden in the afternoon and - although it was tiring and the last thing I wanted to do - I felt a lot better after it! I have slight yellowy bruising on my neck now from the surgery and I look really thin, I know this was to be expected but when I weighed myself last night I have lost a stone between Sunday and Friday evening. I know it will take time to build myself up again but looking in the mirror isn't exactly fun right now. I'm really pleased with how everything is progressing.

The hamster cheeks are getting a bit old but they are slowly starting to go down now.

Post OP!

Hello everyone,

Okay so it's only day four and I have already slacked with the posts. Today I'm just going to do a  wee recap of the last few days and then tomorrow hopefully I can get on with the daily (ish) updates as things seems to be moving pretty fast

Day zero - Surgery Day

Went into hospital for 7:30am . Before theatre I  was asked to sign a consent sheet as well as being quizzed about my general health/any current meds etc. Just before I was called to surgery I was given
some (sexy) surgical stockings to wear that supposedly help minimise the risk of blood pooling in your legs - yum. I walked round to the anaesthetic room and was very quickly put to sleep. I remember waking up in recovery and being moved from the recovery bed to my ward , being sick and then falling asleep. The rest of Monday evening was spent being sick ( they did give me meds to help this although they didn't help too much) and very liberally dispensing my morphine drip.
From what I can remember there was very little pain and hardly any swelling. My surgeon was really pleased with how everything had gone. After surgery I had no bands in my mouth - only the wafer they used to see if everything had been measured properly. This helped getting liquids into me for the first few days.

This was taken a few hours after my surgery - as you can see I have hardly any swelling. The most annoying parts from day 0 were that I had two drains in each side of my face (these have now left a small scar on each side) to drain blood and saliva from my face. These were useful but annoying in terms of moving about as the wires kept getting tangled when I tried to move.  I didn't manage to eat much on Monday ( a few syringes of yoghurt) but that was to be expected. I slept pretty much all night.













Day one - Tuesday.

I cant really remember much from today as I was so doped up. Swelling was a bit worse than Monday but not much. The anaesthetist prescribed me some arnica which I think has helped massively with the swelling. The doctors told me I was doing well and that they would try and remove my wafer on day two. Again I didn't eat much today (maybe one or two syringes of soup and some apple juice). My nausea had mostly gone by this point and one of my drains was removed. One of the nursing team managed to get a swab into my mouth to give it a bit of a clean (I kept my eyes closed at this point) but it felt so good afterwards. The most inconvenient thing so far, and the thing that is making me reluctant to eat/drink is that there seems to be a thick coating of saliva/mucus coating my throat (as if it wasn't already swollen enough) which made swallowing anything thicker than water a complete nightmare.

Excuse the blood/drool (I accidently pulled on the drain) but as you can see my swelling was pretty good. The pain was also much better than expected and I only had codeine before bed as well as a few doses of ibuprofen throughout the day.



















Day two - Wednesday

The wafer got taken out today by my orthodontist and his team which was incredibly painful - they did dope me up beforehand but OUCH. They also managed to get a set of elastic bands around my braces to help my bite "come together". They also removed the second drain which meant I was able to move around a lot better - although still not a lot. I probably got up three times that day (once to pee, once to shower and once to see my orthodontist).

I managed a shower and to wash my hair that night which was exhausting but worth it. Again I slept a lot of Wednesday but the positive of the day was that I was assured that if I could eat something I would be allowed home the next day! Today was the first day that I even really had the energy to check my phone/ listen to music/anything. Definitely an improvement.

Day Three - Thursday

I was allowed home today after a very painful (and exhausting) lesson in how to remove my own bands in order to eat. The walk from the ward to the car completely knocked it out of me but once I was home I felt much better. The only painkiller I had today was one dose of codeine before I went to bed. Thursday was a really good day and I started to feel a lot more human. My drinking and eating has dramatically improved today:

I had some porridge from a baby spoon in the morning, a few syringes of soup at lunch and when I was home I had some icecream and blueberries blended together with some milk. This felt AMAZING. I was drooling a lot less as well as I am regaining some sort of resemblance of feeling in my lips. I did try some runny mash at tea time but that was perhaps a bit overambitious.

Must say it feels amazing to be home and thanks to everyone who has vistited,messaged me and wished me well <3

Before Photos

Afternoon!

I'm just back from my final (actually final this time) hospital appointment. They sorted everything out that was wrong yesterday and now I am good to go for Monday. My surgeon has suggested I have a quiet weekend and has downright forbidden me to go to TITP!! Earlier I took some awkward "before" photos. Because I have an open bite and a slight over bite as opposed to a severe over/under bite there's not much to see on the outside of my face but the photos are probably useful to compare to afterwards to judge the severity of my swelling.

Anyway, enjoy my awkward face...

"Last" Pre Op Clinic (T-5 days)

This afternoon I had my "last" pre op clinic. In theory this should have been a quick and simple appointment as all they needed to do was check my "wafers" (small bits of plastic that have been moulded into the shape of my teeth to ensure the correct positioning of my jaw during surgery) fit. The wafers should have needed some minor adjustment and that should have been me done HOWEVER there had been a mix up with some of my wafers/moulds when my box (not just a file anymore #longtermpatientproblems) of notes, moulds, impressions, photos and all that other lovely stuff got transferred to the hospital where I will be having my surgery. It was all very long and convoluted but from what I could understand the surgeon and his team have the wrong moulds of my face for the pre and post op of how my jaw will look. Not to mention they have the wrong wafers meaning that they don't know where to cut/break/bash my jaw on Monday - less than ideal and less than reassuring so soon before my op. This means that tomorrow I have to go back to my original hospital where hopefully they can get the right moulds/wafers and get everything adjusted before the weekend. All I can say is thank F my appointment wasn't on Friday. I have to say they were all very apologetic and that they have all gone out of there way to be able to come to my original hospital tomorrow to sort everything out.

After the disastrous appointment my mum and I went shopping to get a few bits for my recovery.

• Prune juice (need I say more...)
• Smoothie Maker
• Dried milk to add to shakes/soup etc to add calories
• Vaseline
• Saline spray for my nose when its blocked and gunky.
• Tissues - and lots of them. I'm going to be drooling for Scotland for the next few weeks.
• Button up pyjamas so I don't have to pull them over my head when I'm swollen and sore.

Obviously when I get let out we will stock up on fresh fruits and veggies and make soup by the bucket load but it feels good to be prepared.

Anyway, here's hoping tomorrow goes slightly better.

Megan