Rude Awakening

The pain was so intense it woke me up. I sat up in bed, at two o'clock in the morning, half-asleep, and simultaneously fighting the urge the doze off again and the NEED to get some medication to stop the pain in my lower teeth.

I went in yesterday for my first ortho appointment since the surgery. They changed the wire on my bottom teeth and repositioned some brackets to make sure the roots are straight.

Now I can't even THINK straight, the pain is so intense.

Just as I was grabbing two pills from the bottle of Tylenol 8 hours, the nearly empty bottle of cherry-flavored Liquid Tylenol jumped out at me - the life saver from the good ol' days of immediate pos op.

I drank it.

Please let the pain go away.

The Definitive Word on Cheek Implants

Had a follow-up appointment with Dr. Li this morning. He addressed the three burning questions I had:

1. The occasional click in my left jaw joint has returned. Why? Is it cause for concern?

Dr. Li's response: Jaw surgeries don't necessarily correct the clicking. If it's occasional and it doesn't bother you, then it's not a problem.

My thoughts: Whew! The clicking came back about a week ago, and it only happens about twice a day, IF that. It usually happens when I've been relatively still then have sudden jaw movements. It doesn't hurt. That reminds me - my right jaw joint used to click and SHIFT SIDEWAYS to compensate if I had to open wide. It went away completely! :)

2. How's my swelling?

Dr. Li's response: It's minimal. The majority of the swelling is gone.

My thoughts: Yeah, about time! ....OK, I know, I know, I'm an impatient patient. :)

3. Some people get cheek implants when they undergo jaw surgery. My ortho had mentioned it during my first consultation with her. I was overwhelmed and told her no. Should I have gotten them?

Dr. Li's response: Most Asians would end up looking funny with cheek implants. It's because we don't have the high nose bridges to balance them with. I didn't NOT give you cheek implants because you told the ortho you didn't want them. I don't think you NEED cheek implants.

My thoughts: Hooray! Subject closed. :)

Overall, it was a very uneventful (good!) appointment that lasted only about 5 minutes. Dr. Li, as I've said many times before, is happy with the results. I am happy with the results. It's all good!

Oh wait, the ONLY thing is, he seemed slightly surprised that my first ortho appointment isn't until April 5th (my surgery was January 31st). Not sure why my ortho wanted to wait this long to start the braces work again. Dr. Li definitely thinks I'm ready to go. I called my ortho to see if they can move up my appointment. No can do. Oh well. I'll be on a business trip all week next week anyway, so it's not as if I could gain that much time.

My ortho had estimated another six months of braces post op. I'm really hoping to be brace-free by September, so I can have my birthday without looking like Miss Metal Mouth. Well, que sera sera.

Highlights from My 3rd Follow-Up Appointment

Had my 3rd follow-up appointment with Dr. Li this morning. He was very pleased with the results and the progress. Said I only need to wear two rubber bands at night, and can run free during the day. Yay! The remaining swelling, concentrated in my cheeks and chin, is roughly 30%, and will take at least two to three months to completely go away. Oh well.

He addressed all of my questions, namely:

Why did he cut two incisions, one on each cheek? It was so that he could insert the screws at the right angle. Yikes! Screws and plates in my jaws. Yowza!

Will my cheeks deflate? Yes. Unfortunately, as they deflate, so will my seemingly high cheekbones. Grrrr.

Will the slope of my nose revert to its original state? No. It will most likely retain its perky new angle.

I now have permission to eat soft food - fish, really, really cooked noodles, et cetera. My next appointment is in three weeks.