Sprint to A Splint-Free Day

It's 6:42 am, I felt groggy until a thought sparkled absolute excitement and just... made my day. Why? Because I came to the sudden realization that this is the first day, per Dr. Li's orders, that I can 1. remove the splint during the day and wear it only at night, and 2. wear two rubber bands, as opposed to four. Yipee!! I wonder if my jaws would feel tired by the end of the day, as I've found the splint oddly comforting. But, I'm willing to give freedom a shot. :)

Out and About

This marks the first day where I spent a large portion of the day outside of the house. Had lunch in Berkeley with my younger half-brother, Sam, and his girlfriend, Gina (who's visiting from New York). They had pasta, and I had a yummy peanut butter and chocolate milkshake - which I drank from the cup directly. God it tasted so good! It feels so much better now that I no longer have to use the syringes. My zip 'n squeeze packs still haven't arrived. I wonder how much longer it'll take?

As soon as he saw me, Sam said that my face is still very much swollen. "If I didn't know you, I'd probably think that's just how you look. But I KNOW you. Your face is still puffy. Plus, you've lost so much weight, so it's even more noticeable since it's a bigger head on a smaller frame." I showed him my chipmunk photo to prove that it's a LOT better now. He exclaimed - "Wow, I wouldn't have even guessed that it was YOU!"

By the way, the photo of me in pink WAS over-exposed. Sam thinks I look more swollen than that, and I agree.

The photo on the left was from Thanksgiving last year. See the difference? :)

Sigh. I can't wait to deflate completely. It's a long wait. Some articles online say it could take up to 6 months. Six months!!

But, I suppose as time goes by, this would weigh less and less on my mind. After all, there are plenty of other things to focus on - for instance, simply living a life. Work. Social events. Friends. Museums to check out. Books to read. Cities to visit. Food to savor. Oops. I'm back to square one.

The World's Dorkiest Smile

I'm smiling more now because it doesn't hurt my upper gum anymore.

Another day without pain killers, not even Tylenol.

Spent two hours in Berkeley this afternoon. Bought fresh raviolis, salad, and a slice of tres leches cake for Doug, and some rice pudding for me. Got a new pair of jeans at Anthropologie. Woohoo! All the store clerks were super nice to me, and extra friendly. Surprisingly, I never had to repeat myself - they all understood me perfectly even though I was mumbling through rubber bands, a splint, and clenched teeth. The only time anyone really couldn't "guess" what I was saying was when I ordered the tres leches cake. The poor guy had to come out from behind the counter to see exactly what I was pointing at. Tres leches! LOL. The only person that asked what's going on with my face was the cashier at the Italian deli. He said - "Why did they bind your jaws?" "Oh, I had jaw surgery." I said. For a split second there was a hint of horror in his face, which quickly disappeared when I smiled - and he smiled back. Coolio!

Doug and I stayed at home for Valentine's Day dinner. I boiled the raviolis for him, and he made a delicious milkshake for me, with rice pudding, vanilla ice cream, and a banana. I drank it from a bowl (no more syringes!!). Just perfect.

Milestone: Two Weeks Post Op

Two weeks post op falling on Valentine's Day. Just perfect. I'm so happy that the surgery and the hospital stay are over. Breathing remained difficult for at least a week, though I've learned some remedies to nasal congestions first-hand. My face continues to deflate, which is a very good thing, as Valentine's Day provides ample opportunities for photographs, and certainly no one wants to look like a chipmunk in those. :P

Can't believe I'm showing you all the photo on the left, taken the day after my surgery, almost two weeks ago. OK, laugh all you want. :D This was my swelling at its absolute worst. I looked like Miss Chipmunk-Piggy (hyphenated last names are so cool). No make-up (of course!), no jewelry - nothing but a big 'ol pumpkin head/chipmunk face. Everything felt painfully swollen and stretched to the max starting from right below my eyes. Dr. Li laughed when he saw me, as did Doug and Isabelle. Hmmmmmmmm.... I WONDER WHY. Note to self: do NOT run this photo when I campaign for public office. ;)

Today, thankfully, I look somewhat normal again, as seen in the photo on the right, from yesterday. I've definitely come a LONG way. Still noticeable swelling in my face - however, the rest of me has definitely deflated - as in, I've lost 15 lbs since the operation. My clothes fit better now, and they hang loose. Don't worry, my BMI is a healthy 21.1, right where it should be.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Wanna Kiss?

Happy Valentine's Day! I've always found this david & goliath mint tin amusing. Go Miss Metal Mouth! ;)

ArchWired has an interesting poll for February: How has wearing braces affected your love life? View the results here, or vote (it's in the upper right corner of the page).

No Pain, No Gain

The day came and went without much ado. Highlight: NO pain killer taken yet today, not even a single drop. I feel very happy about that. For the past week or so, I've been taking liquid Tylenol at least twice a day - once during, and once before bed. If I don't feel miserable before bedtime tonight, I'd consider that a milestone. I look surprisingly "normal" in the photo to the right, taken 5 minutes ago, even though my cheeks are still very much swollen. The photo's a bit over-exposed so you probably can't tell. Was going to dash out to Safeway to pick up some catfood, so I put on blush to look somewhat presentable and not scare any innocent fellow shoppers. But, I feel exhausted, so the trip will have to wait till tomorrow. It felt odd to put on makeup, however minimal, since I hadn't done that in two weeks. When the brush skimmed over my still swollen cheeks, it tickled a little bit. What an odd feeling!

My roommate just came home and told me we have a whole container of catfood in the pantry, so we didn't run out. Yay!

Oh, now the "no gain" part - I've lost 15 lbs since the surgery on January 31st. It's not as bad as it sounds. Because.... well, I knew I'd lose some weight so I pigged out for two months prior to surgery, and gained 10 lbs. So by now I've given all those back, and then some. :) I'm not wasting away, folks (fat chance!). At 5'7" and 135 lbs, I'm practically the poster child for good health.

Sayonara, Syringes

Woohoo! I just discovered that I CAN, as a matter of fact, drink from a cup, if I'm careful and do it slow, and if the liquid is thin enough. Absolutely wonderful! Sayonara, syringes! I finished a whole mug of diluted cranberry juice in NO time. Funny how a little thing like this can make me so excited. :)

I'll learn how to talk again.

The photo on top shows my natural bite/jaw alignment as of November 2005 (I didn't start braces until February 2006). The photo below shows my bite today. See how the lower jaw has been pushed back to create an optimal overjet? One of the things I've learned from fellow orthognathic surgery patients is that there's a misconception out there thinking this is a cosmetic surgery. It is not. Gosh I hope I won't have to explain to my friends and colleagues that no, I didn't take weeks off to get plastic surgery. But, que sera, sera. *I* know why I did it. Words that start with the letters "d", or "s", or "t" (think "two", "delta", etc.), used to be problematic for me, and I compensated with tongue thrusting. I imagine a speech therapist would be helpful since I'll need to learn how to talk the right way. Recommendations, anyone?

Necessary Evil

Dr. Li said I could brush my teeth now. As soon as I got home from the appointment, I proceeded to remove the four rubber bands binding my jaws together, and carefully opened my mouth just wide enough to remove the splint. Freedom! I had no idea I'd find teeth-brushing so enjoyable. After about a minute though, my lower jaw started feeling, well, suspended, and sore. I actually missed having the splint - having something to bite down to and rest on. What a necessary evil! It almost feels like a pacifier, in a weird way. LOL. I was saddened and relieved when all the rubber bands and the splint reported back to their posts after the brushing. Very limiting, yes, but they also provide the much-needed support right now. Oh well. C'est la vie.

Straws Suck

I bought 200 straws prior to surgery, thinking they'd come in handy during recovery. NOT the case. As a matter of fact, sucking through straws is neither recommended, nor possible (without hurting). Straws suck! Zip 'n Squeezes rock! Thanks for the tip, Brandy! ;) I ordered the hospital pack tonight - hope they arrive soon!

Look at all the references!!

Look at the long list of references on Class III Malocclusion studies. Of course this is way beyond my understanding.... but it's very fascinating. Nice to know they've been studying this for at least decades, dating back to 1957, if not earlier.

Progress Since Last Week

The photo on the left was taken a week ago on Monday, right after my 1st follow-up appointment with Dr. Li. The photo on the right was taken this morning, right before my 2nd appointment, exactly a week later. It's comforting to know that even though it feels as if it's taking FOREVER for the swelling to go down, it IS happening, slowly, but surely. Patience is never a virtue of mine.... but in cases like this, what CAN you do but to wait it out? ....Um, any ideas, fellow surgery amigos?

All Clear!

The follow-up appointment with Dr. Li went really well this morning (the photo was taken right before we went into his office). He said my lower jaw is, in fact, NOT crooked. The fact the lower teeth appear to be misaligned is precisely why I need further orthodontics work. He showed me the model they took of my bite prior to surgery and moved the upper and lower jaws to demonstrate their alignment, and how that affects how the teeth meet. Thank God I don't need to go in for a Take 2!

He was pleased the swelling has gone down - "We're not quite there yet, but this is much better than the chipmunk look." Ha. You can say THAT again. He said my chin looked more defined now, and asked if I were happy with the way it looked. YES! Yes I am. :) He's a brilliant surgeon!

Unfortunately I'll remain banded shut for the next two weeks. The good news is, I'll only have to wear the splint around the clock for another week - after which it's only required at night. That would make it so much easier - the splint is my least favorite thing! It's annoying and ever-present. Tick tock. Just another week....

Horizon Organic Chocolate Milk

This stuff rocks! The best part is that even though it comes with a straw, you don't need to suck through it. Just squeeze and drink! I bought a whole case of it at Costco yesterday.

Numbness

• Glad the swelling seems to be going down today, though I don't FEEL that way. The bruises under my eyes have disappeared. The cheeks are still swollen, of course, and numb to a certain degree, but not as badly.

• My lips seem to have deflated a little as well, much to my disappointment. ;) Upper left has 100% feeling; upper right maybe 80%; lower left 80%, and lower right 30%. Everyday it comes back a little more.

• See how my hair is up in a ponytail? Yay! I used to HATE ponytails. Still not my favorite.... but they're not something I avoid anymore.

Blueberry Milk Shake!

Dulce de leche ice cream, whole milk, and lots of blueberries. Blend well and warm up. Doug made the yummy concoction for me, and I'm ready to drink it up! Tomorrow at 11 am I'll have my 2nd follow-up appointment with Dr. Li. Have so many questions for him! #1: Is my lower jaw crooked? It APPEARS to be crooked. What is going on? :(

Until then - I'm hungry like you wouldn't believe. Time to finish the blueberry milk shake!

Plain Vain

God I miss my lipsticks! Also, my cheeks are peeling a little as a result of all the stretching/swelling. Don't repeat my mistake - apply lotion to your cheeks liberally after the surgey. I think that's safe.... yes?

Bitter Sweet

The liquid Tylenol has apparently worn off. Sleep has been elusive this morning. My jaws feel like they've been filled with lead. The splint between my upper and lower teeth is cutting into the side of my tongue whenever I attepmpt to "talk" through clenched teeth. So I don't.

Not sure whether this one's good or bad - but my laugh line (yes, I have only one) has promptly returned after a 10-day hiatus, because the swelling in my face has finally deflated enough to allow it. Life is....bitter sweet, sometimes.

Rambling Thoughts

Pretty tough day today. Maybe it's because I over-extended myself by running around all morning and didn't get home almost 3 pm. Thank goodness Doug drove - in the rain, no less.

I have a follow-up appointment with my OS, Dr. Li, on Monday at 11 am. My burning question? Well, I noticed that my lower jaw appears to be slightly crooked. It's not in perfect parrellel to my upper jaw. Does that make any sense? It's almost as if the lower jaw needs to be slightly rotated, again. I know it was one of the problems my OS and ortho wanted to address via asymmetrical set-back (yes, problems, not issues. George Carlin made a good point: Isn't it strange how no one uses the word "problems" anymore? Instead, we skirt the "issues" and have "concerns". But problems? Nooooooooo.) But, I digress. My lower jaw was slightly "crooked", as you can see from the photo hours before surgery. However, that problem seems to have persisted, though to a lesser degree. I have to ask Dr. Li about this! Please, please, don't let me go back to surgery again. And, IF, in the unfortunate event that I have to, please, please, don't make me wait a long time (I know he's fully booked through the end of March). Sigh. I suppose the fresh x-rays on Monday will tell the story. We shall see.

Since there's nothing I can do between now and then, I'm going to put down the mirror, push this to the back of my mind, and focus on the positive.

• For starters, no more breathing problems! It's SO NICE to not have to HEAR yourself breathe.
• Second, the swelling has gone down quite a bit.
• Third, the pain is still there, but I only need liquid Tylenol about twice a day - once during the day and once before bed. Not bad!

Doug just came in with a bowl of warm Chinese food while I was writing this. String beans and sesame chicken. Yum. I've been craving Indian food (garlic naan, curry chicken, and lamb) and sashimi for the past few days. Sadly, warm, liquified ice cream and blended porridge make poor substitutes. I've lost 13 lbs since the surgery and my jeans are loose. As much as I love food, the effort of working the giant syringe effectively deflates my enthusiasm. Oh well. Until Monday. Wish me luck!

Summer!

Went to see my friend Anna. She and her husband have a 10-month old daughter now, named Summer. She's got such piercing blue eyes! A cute bundle of pink - a joy to behold. :)

Before: Smile and Laugh

Boy, did I show some gum when I smiled. These photos were from about a year ago, when I spent Christmas in Vancouver (December 2005). Two months later, I got braces.

My main objective was the lower jaw set-back. I didn't even think there was anything wrong with my upper jaw. Funny how if it's something you grew up with you learn to accept it. My gummy smile did not bother me at all. When both my ortho and my OS brought it up that they could minimize my gummy smile, they caught me off-guard. Huh? So what if I showed some gum when I laughed (a "dynamic smile" was what they called it, now I see their point)? Long story short, Dr. Li cut off a horizontal slice across my upper jaw, 6 mm, to be exact, to make it shorter. He also brought it forward 1 or 2 mm to work better with my lower jaw. I'm so fascinated with the whole thing! Can't you tell? ;)

Still Round

My friend Anna came to visit and brought some really yummy ramen noodle soup. She also gave me a lentil dal recipe she tried yesterday. Maybe I'll give it a shot too sometime. As far as lunch today, I scooped out the ramen, blended the broth and the seaweeds, fish cakes, and boiled egg, and drank half of the mixture through a giant syringe. That tasted so good! Thanks Anna! :)

Anna's deciding between using Blogger or Vox for her blog. Does anyone have experience with Vox? Is it good/bad/easy to use? I recommended Blogger to her because: 1. it's a breeze 2. it offers mobile blogging and 3. it's popular and versatile.

It's raining hard in San Francisco. Very gloomy day out there. Couch time!

Still haven't taken a single drop of pain killers yet today. Now that's a good sign.

The Super Sticky Gum

Had a dream two nights ago that someone gave me a piece of chewing gum, which was sooooooo unbelievably sticky and strong that it binded my jaws together. I tried and tried but couldn't "chew" it because it simply got stuck between my teeth. I tried to stick my fingers into my mouth to get it out (I know, gross!).... and woke up. Thank God my jaws are already "wired" shut so I couldn't reach into my mouth anyway. But wow, that was surreal.

Good Thing My Birthday's Not Coming Up Anytime Soon

Obviously, there are quite a few things you simply can't do with your jaws wired-shut. Here's a funny one - I lit a scented candle the other day, only to realize later that I couldn't put it out. Had to ask for help with that one. Haha. Also, yawning and coughing are hard to do. I cradle my chin when I do it, which helps.

Watch Surgey On A Skeletal Model

I'm sorry I saw this video, but I'm happy that I saw it AFTER the surgery, not before. Is this what my OS did to my face? (Gasping for air.) Ignorance IS bliss sometimes.

Ideal Facial Proportions

Interesting! Ideal facial proportions. 1/3, 1/5, lines here, there, and everywhere.

Class III Malocclusion

Found a case study on Class III Malocclusion. It says Class III represents a very small portion of the total malocclusion, and it's most prevalent in Asian populations. Its etiology is generall believed to be genetic. Hmm, interesting. Both of my parents have perfect teeth and jaws. But, according to my mom, one of her brothers does have a bite problem. I barely ever see him so I don't know for sure.

Food Cravings

Daniel (a fellow blogger from the Yahoo Support Group) asked me what I craved when I was at the hospital, enjoying the fine cuisine of clear broths and juices. The truth is - nothing. My throat hurt each time I swallowed. Because of all the meds and the breathing difficulties, food was the last thing on my mind. In fact, I still don't have muh of an appetite. Ate a can of Campbell's chicken noodle soup for lunch (pureed), and found it WAY too salty. Warmed up some French vanilla ice cream and mixed it with whole milk (I know, it sounds disgusting) - but my appetite disappeared while I waited for it to cool off. Then late in the afternoon I blended an apple with some cranberry juice - and just ended up dumping it.

If you went through the surgery as well, what did YOU crave during your recovery? Got any interesting recipes to share? I'd love to hear from you and get some ideas. :)

Wanted: Pain Killers!

I've been weaning myself off of the prescription pain killer Dr. Li gave me. It's hycet, 10 to 15 ml every four hours. As soon as I checked out of the hospital and came home on Saturday, I decided to take it only as needed. Doug bought some liquid extra strength Tylenol for me as a substitute. For the past two or three days I've only taken Tylenol once during the day and hycet right before bed time. So far it's been working fine, except the little moments in the late afternoons where I got these dull, heavy headaches/jaw aches, and I just have to calm down with some hycet. But by then it's almost time for bed anyway. :)

Ha, "Chunky" No More!

Before, and after, of the pureed Campbell's Classic Chicken Noodle Soup. Mmmmmmmmm!

Soup Galore

I bought a bunch of canned soups this morning. Enough of the clear broths and juices. I w a n t m e a t !

Feeling Much Better

Still looking chubby, with lots of light green colored bruises in my cheeks, but I feel so much better today, folks! :)

Swelling Be Gone

Someone from the Yahoo support group shared this tip with me - Bromelain can help with the swelling. I'll let you guys know how well it works. Someone else told me yesterday that after the first few days, warm packs work better than ice packs - and she is right! Applied warm packs to my cheeks overnight, and I do look less puffy this morning. Thanks for the info!

Brace Face!

I love this Paul Frank brace face t-shirt so much I have it in both pink and red. Funny thing is, I bought the pink one two years before I even had braces. Pure coincidence.

Google "Paul Frank brace face t-shirt" if you want to get one, too. Heck, why not? I wore mine to my first ortho appointment to get the braces on. That added some chuckles to an otherwise humorless day. ;)

One Week AND One Year

A week post op. Doug took this photo tonight with my BlackBerry Pearl while we were in the living room downstairs (yep we have our matching Pearls, haha). I'd decided to get out of the bathrobe and dress somewhat normally. I'm sick of being a patient! Two nights ago I woke up crying at 3 am. It also happened to be time to take the pain killers again - so there I was, tears streaming down my face, with a giant syringe in hand, squeezing the medication into the back of my mouth. Pretty pathetic.... felt like a big baby. Poor Doug. He had no idea how to console me. The crying wasn't from the pain, really. I think I was really emotionally exhausted, and had to just let it out. It's not cancer, of course, and I'm very grateful for that. But it's been just emotionally and physically draining. The bright side is - it's getting better everyday, slowly, but surely.

Spent some time tonight looking over the profile photos and paperwork my ortho gave me right when the braces started. That's when I realized that the braces went on exactly one year ago, on February 7, 2006. In fact, I got the upper half done on the 7th and had to go back for the lower half on the 14th, Valentine's Day, because I was late for my first appointment and they ran out of time. So, newly crowned Miss Metal Mouth, on the night of Valentine's Day 2006, I went out for drinks with two girlfriends to commemorate the event (see the photo to the right). Gosh I was so bummed out thinking the braces would effectively end my dating life - and that couldn't be good for any single woman, let alone a single woman of age 29 (I'm 30 now, and heck, 30 feels great!). But, as it turned out, that wasn't the case. ;)

A Week Ago Right Now

.... I was on the operating table under the knife.  YIKES!  NOW I'm freaked out.  Thank God it's over.

Chin Chin Chin :P

See how my chin stood out in this picture (dated July 2006 in Hawaii)? It made my neck disappear. Sigh.

11 Days Before Surgery

Doug sent me this yesterday, which was taken on the 20th of January, 2007, just 11 days before my surgery. He said, your nose and chin look so different now. Hmm. We shall see.

Daniel's Blog

Daniel had facial osteotomy on January 25th. He's one of the people I've been talking with from the Yahoo Support Group for orthognathic surgery patients. He started a new blog at metoposcopist.blogspot.com. High 5 Daniel! :)

Good Luck on the 8th, Kim!

Hey Kim, thanks for the comment. I wanted to write you back but I don't have your e-mail address. So here it goes:

1. Yes I do have a splint. I have a plastic piece between my upper and lower teeth.... my surgeon says he'll remove it on Monday.
2. No I'm not driving yet. Mostly because I've been on pain killers. I don't plan to drive in the next couple weeks... just to be on the safe side. If I had to, I defnitely could, though.
3. Yes in the past week I slept quite a lot. Dozed off a lot at the hospital. Since I've been home I sleep about 7, 8 hours at night, and maybe two more hours during the day. That's a lot for me - since I usually need only about 6 or 7 hours on average.
4. I felt reasonably well on the outing yesterday (stopped by a pho noodle house on the way home from my follow-up appointment, and had clear broth). It was a total of four hours, from the time we left the house (a friend drove me) to the time we came back. I felt exhausted, though, and fell asleep in the car. After we got home, I had to take another nap to recover from all the excitement.

What time is your surgery on the 8th? Get plenty of rest the night before and think positive thoughts. Relax your mind. Other tips:

1. Ask your husband to get a dry-erase board or notepads ready for when you wake up.
2. Drink as much fluids as you can post-op. I'm sure your nurse would tell you the same thing.
3. Do what your body tells you. If you're tired, get some rest. Don't push it. I think our bodies are pretty smart... so just listen to them. ;)
4. Have a good mindset. When people asked me if I felt nervous in the days leading up to my surgery, I always replied - "No. Why should I be nervous? My surgeon should be the one nervous. Hahaha." All you need to do is relax, let the meds kick in, and let your doctor and the anesthesiologist do their thing. Just another episode in the adventure that we call life. :)

I'm sure all will go well on Thursday! Take care Kim.

New Kid on the Block

Introducing the newest member of the Cabbage Patch Kids - yours truly. ;) The swelling has gone down quite a bit... and the bruises are shining through. I've had friends asking me if that's some kind of yellow healing creme on my face! Hahahaha. Um, no. Just old fashioned bruises.

Why I Did It - Medical, Not Cosmetic

As more friends of mine read my blog, I'm starting to get questions and comments such as "wow you made yourself look different". Yes, that is true. But I do want to clarify that while an improved physical appearance is certainly one of the benefits, it was not the primary reason why I decided to get orthognathic surgery.

In my medical chart, they'd stated that I had "...significant skeletal deformity. Class III.". What does that mean? In laymen's terms, it means that my upper jaw had a retrusion and my lower jaw had a protrusion (see photos of my natural bite above), which negatively impacted speech as well as chewing functionalities. I had a serious malocclusion, and excessive wear and tear on my teeth because the contact surfaces were abnormal. Over the years I'd noticed my lower teeth slowly advancing forward, to the point that it formed a gap between my upper and lower front teeth.

I'd asked my orthodontist and surgeon what would happen if I chose NOT to proceed with any treatment at all. They said my bite would continue to worsen, and my chewing less effective. Clear speech would become more of a struggle. Also, my jaw joint pains would likely become more frequent and severe (I used to get jaw joint pains whenever I felt tired).

So folks, these were the MEDICAL reasons why I chose surgery, and why they'd labeled me a Skeletal Deformity Class III. I'm glad these problems would go away now that surgery has been completed. And if I happen to look different as a result - icing on the cake! :)

God, all I can think about now is FOOD. :)

Progress

Slept through most of the night, woke up only twice. Breathing has become easier - not 100% there yet, but it didn't bother me enough to wake me up. :) Also, my nose isn't bloody anymore. Big improvement, considering how it's been bloody evern since the surgery. Also, the pain no longer becomes all-consuming as soon as the pain killer wears off after four hours. I tell myself not to take it unless I really NEED it. No point getting psychologically dependent on that stuff.

8 mm

6 mm off across my upper jaw. The lower jaw has been tilted differently so there goes another 2 or 3 mm. Net - Dr. Li says my face is now 8 to 9 mm shorter. That's about 1/3 of an inch! W h o a. Funny how our hands have memories. When I touch my face I could tell - without looking into the mirror - that there's less of a chin now and the slope of my nose has changed.

Over the Hump

The few minutes Dr. Li spent suctioning my nose felt like Nirvana. I hadn't been able to breathe that completely in almost a week. He cut off the super-strong rubber bands "wiring" my upper and lower jaws together, and replaced them with four little vertical ones, two on each side, leaving my front teeth exposed and free. He gave me some replacement rubber bands to take home, in case I needed them, and they were, very fittingly, named "bummers" on the envelope.

Dr. Li noted once again how he'd never seen anyone swelling up as much as I did throughout his entire practice. Hmm. I wonder if there's an award for that? ;) In any case, he said the swelling in my face, as well as in my sinuses, would gradually go down in another 10 days or so. I am now officially "over the hump". As far as the "before & after" picture I so eagerly showed him, he dismissed it with a smile - said it was too early to tell the exact differences. I got the sense that I should prepare to see the precise, and final results after the swelling disappeared. Come what may.

On the way home, Elaine treated me to two big bowls of beef broth at a pho noodle house. I triumphed with the giant syringe in hand, until, in a moment of over-enthusiasm, I over-extended the pipe, so the broth came dripping down on one end; and as I shoved it back into the tube instinctively, it quickly sprayed out the other end. It was like a one-two punch. You'd have to be there to appreciate the not-so-subtle humor of the situation. In any case, Elaine and I had quite a laugh about it.... and I'm sure this one will go down in history in its full glory. ;)

Grateful

Did a lot of research on orthognathic surgeries on Google this morning. One website caught my eye when they said that when you first find out from your orthodontist that 1. yes, something IS wrong with your jaws and 2. yes, there IS something you can do to fix it - it is an overwhelming feeling. Yet, we should thank God because lots of people live their entire lives knowing they have a problem, but can't articulate it, or find a solution for it. In that sense, I am very fortunate, indeed.

My dentists have always said I have "beautiful teeth". Ironic, isn't it, that I'd never felt proud of them? Not that I'd purse my lips in photos, but boy, I always knew, if there's one thing I could change about my physical appearance, my face would be it - the profile, especially. Wouldn't you say that's a pretty big deal? My FACE. Not my ankles, or my tummy, or my breasts. But, my face. Our faces are our IDs in this world. I am, yes, grateful, that things turned out the way they did and I was given the opportunity to make an improvement and boost my self-esteem. Thank you, God.

Support Group

I'd completely forgotten I'd joined this Yahoo Group for Orthognathic surgery patients and their families. It's very much alive, active, and informative. Check it out at http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/orthognathicsurgerysupport/.

Miracle Formulas for Clearing Your Nasal Congestions

Serious nasal congestions would have to be my biggest complaint in all this misery. If you plan to undergo orthognathic surgery as well, OR if you catch a nasty cold next time, keep these things handy just in case:

• Vick's VaporRub - This stuff ROCKS! Dab a little under your nose, or better yet, mix a smear of Vick's with a glass of hot water and steam your face with it. It does WONDERS.
• Vapor Inhaler, nasal decongestant. It's levmetamfetamine. You can literally feel this stream of fresh air piercing through each of your nostrils. Much, much needed in times like this!
• Hot showers - the tried and true. Honestly, I had my doubts. And honestly, even though it does help, in my opinion it doesn't work as great/fast as the two above.

Day 6

Showered. I've been taking showers almost daily since the surgery. While in the beginning it made me dizzy to remain standing for more than minutes at a time, hot showers definitely do wonders in clearing up my nasal congestions. I feel alive again.

Elaine's picking me up in two hours go to see Dr. Li for a follow-up appointment. These are going to be weekly until mid-March.

Breathing Through A Wet Sponge

This has been such a long, long night. I'd fall asleep from absolute exhaustion, only to wake up from my ever-diminishing breathing capacities. Jaw "wired" (rubber-banded), with a serious nasal congestion. It's one of the worst feelings I've ever experienced. It's as if your world is closing in.... and you're trapped in the middle with less and less oxygen.... and the light just dims. I feel this cloud of congestion hoovering right up in my sinus, between my eyebrows. It's like - breathing through a wet sponge.

The nurses had suggested to sleep with my head elevated to help reduce the swelling in my face. I've "slept" all night sitting up in my bed, with lots of pillows propped up behind my back. It's not exactly pleasant, and while it didn't promote the swelling, it didn't reduce it much, either. Off I go to get more ice packs from the fridge.

A Walk in the Park

Literally. Doug and I took a slow walk in the park this afternoon to get some exercise. Laughing hurts at this point.... it pulls the gums in my upper jaw with such a strong force. I'll stick to drama for now. ;) If you click on the photo to enlarge it, you might be able to see the bruises forming on my lower jaw.

Turtle-Necks and Pony-Tails

The swelling isn't completely gone yet. But, I don't have anything on my dance card. I can wait.

In the meantime, I decided not to look like a patient anymore. Got out of the cozy bath robe, put on a long-sleeve t-shirt, jeans, and a puffy down vest to keep warm and match my puffy face. ;) Put my hair up in a pony-tail - which I used to hate, 'cause it highlighted my less-than-perfect profile. Now I love it! Plus, I just realized minutes ago that hey, now I can wear turtle-necks, too, without worrying about how they'd emphasize my prominent, over-sized chin. All these little details and constraints that I'd learned to accept and get used to.... no more!

1st Before & After

Click on the photo above to enlarge it. Before.... (before the braces even started, about a year ago), and after (this morning, as we left the hospital). My cheeks are still very puffy, but you can probably trace the new profile already. Bonus point? I lost 8 lbs in 4 days!

On the Other Side

After much jitter, and anxiety that the surgery might be postponed due to the cold I happened to catch just three days before, now on this day I proudly and safely stand on the other side. It's done! And might I add - fabulously done! Great job Dr. Li! Thank you so much.

The surgery proceeded as planned on January 31st. My friend Mark and I stayed at a hotel in Palo Alto the night before so that we didn't have to rush in the morning. At 8:15 am we reported to the Stanford Ambulatory Surgery Center 15 minutes early. Miraculously, my cold symptoms had lessened sufficiently. Even Mark, who'd spent 10 years as a medic in the US Navy, and worked as a nurse, was convinced that I should be ready to proceed. We did all the paperwork (one of the questions on the form was, in so many words - "in case of a medical emergency, would you choose to die gently, or be kept alive as a vegetable?". What a question for that early in the morning, huh?). Then I changed into a hospital gown and we waited in the pre-op area for almost two hours until Dr. Li and my anesthesiologist each came to check on me. The anesthesiologist I could barely remember. He'd called me the night before. That morning he showed up, listened to my lungs, checked my pulse, and said - ah, when it pounds that hard, you must be nervous! I'll give you something that will calm you down. Well, calm me down it did, alright! After he injected whatever it was into my veins, I barely stayed awake during the short trip from the waiting area to the operating room. The last thing I remember was Dr. Li asking me to scoot over to the operating table. I did, lied down, and blacked out promptly - after thinking "wow the operating room looked pretty crammed!", and "not as dark as I'd seen on TV!"

When I came to I was coughing/choking just a little. The first thing I sensed was Dr. Li calling my name and wiping my face, saying - "Kristen! You did very well! It went perfectly." Huh? What? That was it? How long ago was it? My thoughts had no lucidity. I felt extremely groggy and wanted to figure out how much time had lapsed before I regained conciousness. Four hours - it turned out that I'd been in surgery for four hours. They wheeled me to the ICU and kept me there for about an hour or so to make sure I remained stable. Then they wheeled me off to my private room where I stayed for three nights.

As they wheeled me to my room I heard Mark's voice nearby in the hallway and felt immediate relief. It helped so much to have a friend close by! I felt oddly energetic and stayed awake so we chatted for a while. Well, correction - he talked, and I motioned and listened. My jaws have been "wired" shut with rubber bands so I couldn't talk and risk moving my jaws prematurely. Mark bought me a notepad and a pen, AND a cute teddy bear with roses. :) At 8 pm he left when my friend Elaine arrived. She brought me tabloid magazines to help pass time and ease the pain. Elaine spent the night with me and slept in a chair - very uncomfortable! Plus, she woke up every time the nurse came in at night to give me pain killers and antibiotics. Poor thing!

In the morning Elaine left for work and I braved the day alone until Doug came at 5:30. Elaine had told me how "swollen" I'd looked before she took off, but I didn't appreciate the intensity until Dr. Li paid me a visit at 2 pm. As much of a veteran surgeon as he is, even HE chuckled when he saw my face. And after commenting on how I appeared to be more swollen than most people he'd treated, he broke into a polite, but hard-to-surpress laugh. Um, thanks! Oh well. I never fault a comical situation.... even if it's at my own expense. ;) On the flip side, Dr. Li reassured me that the surgery went just perfectly, and he was very happy with the results. That provided some great relief.... even though somehow I never doubted it would be a success.

The day shift wasn't exactly up to par, however. For instance, I'd press the nurse call button, they'd ask via the intercom - "What do you need?", and of course with my jaws wired I couldn't say anything except make noises - so they'd simply hang up on me, perhaps thinking it was a fluke. Argh! And all this happened even though I'd asked the nurse from the night before to make a note that I couldn't talk. It's funny in retrospect, sure, but at the time, it was infuriating. The only thing that brightened the day was the flower arrangement that Jackie sent me. She's such a sweet girl!

When Doug came that evening everything got easier. :) He was just such a great, caring friend! Well, a little groggy himself, perhaps. Because for some unfathomable reason, he'd thought he was taking me home that night! No way. I wasn't due for a discharge until Friday morning - and even that was delayed a day because of my condition. Silly Doug!!

However, he was a real trooper and stayed almost three full days through thick and thin - er, or maybe through gross (me, with a serious nasal congestion) and smelly (him, through three days of no showering). My friend Isabelle visited Thursday night and the three of us chatted for quite a while. She's the one that had recommended this surgery to me in the first place (she went through it herself about five or six years ago). We had a great time "partying" in my hospital room. As soon as she left, though, I felt the wind taken out of me and just crashed.

It was too much to see poor 6'4" Doug cram himself into two chairs and suffer through the long night. Luckily neither of us is overweight, so I invited him to share the tiny hospital bed with me. We managed not to crush it! Thursday night came and went without much ado.

Friday was a different story. After the quick shower in the morning, I felt dizzy and sick in the stomach, and had to lie down immediately after coming back to my room to let it pass. Dr. Li came to check on me again, and suctioned my nose because I began to have trouble breathing through it (and my jaws were "wired" shut!). Unfortunately that problem came back with a vengence at around 7 pm. Breathing became so unbelievably difficult, because my nose was terribly congested and my jaws wired shut, that I experienced my very first panic attack, and thought I was going to die. To be perfectly fair, the two nurses there were not very helpful. The student intern was alright. But the other one was patronizing, telling me that my oxygen intake was at 97% so there was no serious concern. How dare she!! Could she not see how much struggle I was going through just to get some air? I held Doug's hand and before I knew it, tears came running down my very puffy cheeks. Long story short, after about an hour of fear and struggle, my breathing became easier. But, I suspect it'd be a long time before I forget about this particular night.

At 2:30, or 3:30 in the morning neither Doug nor I could sleep so we took a stroll in the hospital instead. It was of course very quiet.... and even serene in a way. We looked through all the paintings on the walls.... and walked through the different corridors. I knew I was getting stronger because standing for an extended period of time didn't make me sick and dizzy anymore.

So this morning we packed and left for home! I had no idea how good it would feel to be home again. But it was definitely relaxing... and helped ease my breathing. How ironic that even though I had JAW surgery, my nosal congestion and breathing became the #1 issue and concern in the immediate recovery period.

I took some snapshots of my face. It is still very swollen.... but the swelling has gone down quite a bit. Spent some time doing before and after comparisons.... which you'll see very shortly!

Heading Home!

I am going home! Finally checking out after three nights at the hospital.

Posing with the Monkey

Face deflating just a bit. The skin didn't feel as tight and stretched as the night before. I could spare some to squeeze out a smile now. ;)

Comfort

Jackie sent the flowers, Mark gave me the teddy bear, and Doug brought the monkey. Thank God for friends!

Bunny Ears!

Ice ice baby! I looked and FELT tired and resigned.

Hand in Hand

Doug took this photo while I was under the influence of pain killers. He has been such a caring man and an extremely patient and thoughtful friend to me throughout this entire ordeal. Thanks Doug!

Beauty & the Beast

My friend Isabelle came to visit. She's the one that told me about orthognathic surgeries in the first place. She laughed upon the sight of my very swollen face. Oh well. What can you do? ;)

Self-Rising Dough

Look at my puff-pastry cheeks! I was surprised to see how swollen I'd become.

No Glamour Shot

See the tiny incision on the side of my cheek? There's one on the other side, too.

The Rise of the Chipmunk

I scared myself looking at this photo. Apparently I'd turned into a chipmunk overnight. But wait, it gets better!

1st Picture of My New Profile!

I HAD to see it. How do I look sideways?

1st Night

I felt oddly lucid, considering all the pain killers they were pumping through the IV.

Fresh Out of Surgery

Viola! Mark waited for me as I underwent surgery. He gave me this cute teddy bear as the nurses wheeled me into my room after it was all done. Those were ice packs against my cheeks.

Giddy and Ready to Go!

OK, I made it to the pre-op waiting area. Scared silly, yes, but I was ready to go!

Surgery Day! Waiting....

8:41 am, PST. Waiting at the Stanford Ambulatory Surgery Center for the nurse to call me into the pre-op area. Uh oh. This is for REAL.

The Plan

This is essentially what the surgery's aiming to accomplish.

A Pleasing Profile

Is this what to expect?

http://www.drbonine.com/large_lower_jaw.html
http://www.craniofacialcenter.com/book/Orthog/Orthog_1.htm
http://craniofacial.stanford.edu/OrthognathicPAGE.html
http://www.universityoralsurgery.com/proc/proc_ortho.html
http://www.aaoms.org/corrective_jaw.php (good photos)

Wow. Now I want cheekbone implants. :P

Aetna, Rock Star!

Just read my last post in 2006, where I complained about Blue Shield. Thankfully, things have taken a turn for the better since then. The company I worked for got acquired, and the new company is bigger and has much better benefits. As a result, I now have Aeta, whose "reasonable and customary" fee for this type of surgery closely approximates my surgeon's quote. Net, my out-of-pocket has dropped to about $8,500, instead of the whopping $21,000 I'd have to pay if I stayed with Blue Shield.

Aetna is the way to go, if you can't have Kaiser.

Tick, Tock

My surgery is coming up in 5 days.

It's scheduled for Wednesday, January 31st.

Friends and colleagues ask me if I feel nervous. I don't. My surgeon is the one that should feel nervous! :)

All jokes aside, I trust Dr. Li. He's obviously very experienced, and more importantly, very thorough. I like doctors that don't take chances!

For those of you out there going through the same thing, here's what to expect:

• NO painkillers for 10 days before the surgery, except Tylenol. You don't want to thin out your blood.
• NO food or drinks for 12 hours leading up to the surgery. Nothing in your stomach, nothing to throw up.
• Ice ice baby. ICE your face as you recover. It helps keep the swelling down.
• No, they don't wire your jaw shut anymore. Instead, they just put rubber bands between your upper and lower teeth to help "cradle" your jaw.
• The recovery period is 4 to 6 weeks, with weekly visits to your surgeon.
• Buy lots of straws! Liquid diet, doctor's orders. ; )
• Up your Netflix subscription. Heck, when else are you going to have this much time to watch movies?