6 months post-op/etc.

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone. I'm one of those post-oppers who has sort of faded off

of the board, but felt a need to return today. I have been reading

some posts semi-regularly, but have just not been able to keep up

with reading them or responding. Please bear with me.

Here's my story: 6 months post-op from upper (4-piece segmental) and

lower; had braces for 4 1/2 years until I could find a surgeon to do

it at the same time that I had insurance to cover it; got my braces

off at 4 months post-op; just received my retainers today. I had a

serious open bite which has been replaced by what I consider an

almost-perfect jaw alignment. My bite is great. It was a really

slow, gradual process, but I can now eat corn-on-the-cob, most meats,

most veggies, and most other foods cooked to a normal consistency (no

more need to overcook everything).

Swelling has never been a real issue for me. I still have some weird

tingling sensations, mostly when eating and brushing, on both sides,

upper and lower. I also have a sensitive area on my upper left, near

one of the surgical cuts. I still have a ways to go on being able to

open as wide as before, but have been doing the tongue depressor

thing per my ENT's instructions, for the past 6 weeks. I don't know

how wide I could open pre-op, but I'm now at 23 tongue depressors or

about 34mm. I'm seeing an ENT because I've had trouble breathing

through my nose since the jaw surgery. The ENT told me that I had a

severely deviated septum and needed surgery to correct it (and that

he was surprised that everyone who has this type of surgery doesn't

end up with a deviated septum). However, I don't remember anyone

else on the board having this complaint. Anyway, my nasal septal

reconstruction was scheduled for 3 weeks ago, but was cancelled the

day before due to my blood work. I've been to my primary doctor, had

more blood work, and was told that I have iron-deficiency anemia. It

doesn't seem like a big deal, but my ENT won't do the surgery until

my Hematocrit is in the normal range. I'm taking iron and go back to

my primary doctor in 4 weeks. No one would even give me an estimate

of how long this could take (I asked my ENT and the nurse at my

primary doctor's office). I still haven't been able to figure out

how I was able to have the jaw surgery, when I know that I had iron

issues back then because I was not allowed to donate blood two weeks

before the surgery.

So, I guess I'll continue to check in here, as I feel that I have not

yet " graduated " from the surgery and the need to be in touch with

others who have gone through this experience. If I can be of any

help to anyone out there, I will certainly try.

Good luck to everyone who is pre-op or post-op or who is in the

process of deciding whether or not to undergo this surgery. Despite

my current situation, I must say that I am still very glad that I had

the surgery and would do it again. Sandy

[Guest guest]

What I'm wondering is why they didn't fix your septum while they were

in there... or is this something they think happened as a result of

the surgery?

In regard to the blood donation and iron: Here, at least, the Red

Cross standards are more demanding than the doctors' standards... I

forget what it is exactly, but the Red Cross uses a scale on which

39, I think, is the cut off, while my doc has been perfectly

satisfied with a 38.

I would imagine that changes, though, if you're gonna have surgery in

those very vascular tissues around the nose, simply because you

could possibly lose a lot of blood in the surgery. That's a guess.

Do they know why you're anemic? Did you lose lots of blood in the

surgery before?

I have been anemic occasionally before, and within a month of taking

some serious iron I was back up to snuff. (Warning: Take iron tablets

with prune juice. They can have, um, an unpleasant side effect that

prune juice will remedy.)

> Hi everyone. I'm one of those post-oppers who has sort of faded

off

> of the board, but felt a need to return today. I have been reading

> some posts semi-regularly, but have just not been able to keep up

> with reading them or responding. Please bear with me.

>

> Here's my story: 6 months post-op from upper (4-piece segmental)

and

> lower; had braces for 4 1/2 years until I could find a surgeon to

do

> it at the same time that I had insurance to cover it; got my braces

> off at 4 months post-op; just received my retainers today. I had a

> serious open bite which has been replaced by what I consider an

> almost-perfect jaw alignment. My bite is great. It was a really

> slow, gradual process, but I can now eat corn-on-the-cob, most

meats,

> most veggies, and most other foods cooked to a normal consistency

(no

> more need to overcook everything).

>

> Swelling has never been a real issue for me. I still have some

weird

> tingling sensations, mostly when eating and brushing, on both

sides,

> upper and lower. I also have a sensitive area on my upper left,

near

> one of the surgical cuts. I still have a ways to go on being able

to

> open as wide as before, but have been doing the tongue depressor

> thing per my ENT's instructions, for the past 6 weeks. I don't

know

> how wide I could open pre-op, but I'm now at 23 tongue depressors

or

> about 34mm. I'm seeing an ENT because I've had trouble breathing

> through my nose since the jaw surgery. The ENT told me that I had

a

> severely deviated septum and needed surgery to correct it (and that

> he was surprised that everyone who has this type of surgery doesn't

> end up with a deviated septum). However, I don't remember anyone

> else on the board having this complaint. Anyway, my nasal septal

> reconstruction was scheduled for 3 weeks ago, but was cancelled the

> day before due to my blood work. I've been to my primary doctor,

had

> more blood work, and was told that I have iron-deficiency anemia.

It

> doesn't seem like a big deal, but my ENT won't do the surgery until

> my Hematocrit is in the normal range. I'm taking iron and go back

to

> my primary doctor in 4 weeks. No one would even give me an

estimate

> of how long this could take (I asked my ENT and the nurse at my

> primary doctor's office). I still haven't been able to figure out

> how I was able to have the jaw surgery, when I know that I had iron

> issues back then because I was not allowed to donate blood two

weeks

> before the surgery.

> So, I guess I'll continue to check in here, as I feel that I have

not

> yet " graduated " from the surgery and the need to be in touch with

> others who have gone through this experience. If I can be of any

> help to anyone out there, I will certainly try.

> Good luck to everyone who is pre-op or post-op or who is in the

> process of deciding whether or not to undergo this surgery.

Despite

> my current situation, I must say that I am still very glad that I

had

> the surgery and would do it again. Sandy