Advice on Surgery and Things to Eat Post-Op

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I'm new to this site. I will be having upper jaw surgery on Oct.

8th. They will be expanding my upper pallette to make my upper jaw

wider. Yesterday, they put in a HYRAX appliance...Joy Bells. I've

been reading everything I can to prepare me for surgery. The

anticipation of it all is very overwhelming. Would anyone have

suggestions about questions I need to ask for my final visit before

surgery?? Also, any suggestions about post-op food?? What is the

norm for staying out of work?? Has anyone had experience with this

kind of upper Jaw surgery?

Would appreciate any kind of advice.

Danyelle

[Guest guest]

Hey, Danyelle...

I'll be getting the same exact thing done tomorrow... I'll keep you

posted! By the way, what's a Hyrax?

Anyway, my surgeon hasn't gone into great detail about what

foods to eat post-op, however he did say soft foods would be in

order for the first couple of weeks. I ordered lots of Zone shake

mix and shakes in cans, zone pudding mix (which all arrived

today, just in the nick of time), and went to the supermarket last

night and got soups, applesauce, etc.

Best of luck to you!

> Hi,

> I'm new to this site. I will be having upper jaw surgery on Oct.

> 8th. They will be expanding my upper pallette to make my

upper jaw

> wider. Yesterday, they put in a HYRAX appliance...Joy Bells.

I've

> been reading everything I can to prepare me for surgery. The

> anticipation of it all is very overwhelming. Would anyone have

> suggestions about questions I need to ask for my final visit

before

> surgery?? Also, any suggestions about post-op food?? What

is the

> norm for staying out of work?? Has anyone had experience

with this

> kind of upper Jaw surgery?

>

> Would appreciate any kind of advice.

> Danyelle

[Guest guest]

> Hi,

> I'm new to this site. I will be having upper jaw surgery on Oct.

> 8th. They will be expanding my upper pallette to make my upper jaw

> wider. Yesterday, they put in a HYRAX appliance...Joy Bells. I've

> been reading everything I can to prepare me for surgery. The

> anticipation of it all is very overwhelming. Would anyone have

> suggestions about questions I need to ask for my final visit before

> surgery?? Also, any suggestions about post-op food?? What is the

> norm for staying out of work?? Has anyone had experience with this

> kind of upper Jaw surgery?

>

> Would appreciate any kind of advice.

> Danyelle

Hi Danyelle...

I recently had both upper and lower jaw surgery about 3 months ago.

It was an 8 hr surgery which yours most likely wont be since you are

only having your top jaw done. After I was wired for 7 weeks. I wont

lie to you, I was horrible but totally worth it!! I went back to

school to start my senior year of high school a few weeks ago and

some people didnt even recognize me! The compli I didnt lose much

weight either, only about 12 pounds. Breathing was really hard at

first. The drs told me to drink plenty of ensure, boost etc but i

didnt drink any of it bc i didnt like the taste. Instead I bought and

made lots of diff soups, put them through the blender and strained

out any pieces. Also, liquified mashed potatoes were good lol. I know

it sounds gross but if you put a lot of milk and blend them they

werent too bad. Also, any kinds of pasta and sauce liquified. If you

have any other questions feel free to write me back.

-Liz

[Guest guest]

Danyelle,

I had the surgically assisted Rapid Palatal Expansion on my upper jaw

last June. I took off work for a week. It was a little hard going

back all day at first because I just did not feel as though I had

lots of energy.... Just make sure you are eating enough. I drank a

lot of ensure (I liked the taste of it best), soups, mashed potatoes,

applesauce, jello, puddings... you get the idea. I could not chew

anything for over 6 weeks and then had to start off with a lot of

soft stuff. As far as final questions to ask, you may want to make

sure you know how to " activate " your expander and when and how often

you need to do it. Will you have to stay in the hospital over night?

You will do just fine. Some other things that may help you out...

Have lots of pillows to prop yourself up when you sleep. Make sure

you have a humidifier. Have plenty of food on hand for when you get

home. When you have tough times with recovery, just remember it will

all be worth it!!

If you have any other questions, feel free to email me or post them.

-Harmony

> Hi,

> I'm new to this site. I will be having upper jaw surgery on Oct.

> 8th. They will be expanding my upper pallette to make my upper jaw

> wider. Yesterday, they put in a HYRAX appliance...Joy Bells. I've

> been reading everything I can to prepare me for surgery. The

> anticipation of it all is very overwhelming. Would anyone have

> suggestions about questions I need to ask for my final visit before

> surgery?? Also, any suggestions about post-op food?? What is the

> norm for staying out of work?? Has anyone had experience with this

> kind of upper Jaw surgery?

>

> Would appreciate any kind of advice.

> Danyelle

[Guest guest]

Danyelle,

I had the surgically assisted Rapid Palatal Expansion on my upper jaw

last June. I took off work for a week. It was a little hard going

back all day at first because I just did not feel as though I had

lots of energy.... Just make sure you are eating enough. I drank a

lot of ensure (I liked the taste of it best), soups, mashed potatoes,

applesauce, jello, puddings... you get the idea. I could not chew

anything for over 6 weeks and then had to start off with a lot of

soft stuff. As far as final questions to ask, you may want to make

sure you know how to " activate " your expander and when and how often

you need to do it. Will you have to stay in the hospital over night?

You will do just fine. Some other things that may help you out...

Have lots of pillows to prop yourself up when you sleep. Make sure

you have a humidifier. Have plenty of food on hand for when you get

home. When you have tough times with recovery, just remember it will

all be worth it!!

If you have any other questions, feel free to email me or post them.

-Harmony

> Hi,

> I'm new to this site. I will be having upper jaw surgery on Oct.

> 8th. They will be expanding my upper pallette to make my upper jaw

> wider. Yesterday, they put in a HYRAX appliance...Joy Bells. I've

> been reading everything I can to prepare me for surgery. The

> anticipation of it all is very overwhelming. Would anyone have

> suggestions about questions I need to ask for my final visit before

> surgery?? Also, any suggestions about post-op food?? What is the

> norm for staying out of work?? Has anyone had experience with this

> kind of upper Jaw surgery?

>

> Would appreciate any kind of advice.

> Danyelle

[Guest guest]

Harmony,

What a beautiful name. Thank you soo much for your message. It

truly helped a lot. It's a great feeling to know that there are

other people out there who KNOW what your going through. I have made

it a point to only talk and discuss what's going on with people who

will have positive things to say to me about my surgery because I

can't handle hearing any negative words about how I shouldn't do this

etc; right before surgery. I have prayed and thought about this for

a very long time and I feel that the outcome will all be worth it. I

know its not going to be easy and it will be uncomfortable but it

will all be worth it for the end result and to be able to talk and

eat like normal people do; it will be such a blessing.

I will be taking off a week to two weeks. I'm going to try and come

in after a week and work half days until I feel like I can work a

full day. My job is very accomodating and understanding which helps

out a lot!!! Thanks for all the food suggestions. My only problem

is that I'm allergic to dairy products so that limits a lot of what I

can have. I have found some Health Supplement drinks like Oxy Nectar

that have nutrients/vegetable ingredients to help with giving me what

I need. I don't look forward the eating part AT ALL especially since

having the HYRAX appliance installed and having a hard time adjusting

to eating with it in. (I've had the HYRAX two times before and I

know that eventually you do get used to it). They tell me I will

have the HYRAX for 90days after surgery......I'm not going to count

on those 90 days but just be patient and know that it will come off

when it comes off. Thanks for the questions suggestions. I will

definitely ask about that.

Yes, I will be staying in the hospital defintiely for one night; for

two, I don't know for sure yet. Did you have a gap between your

front teeth and if yes, how long was it before they started closing

it?? Did it hurt a lot when they expanded the HYRAX after surgery?

Did they use any plates or screws? What did it feel like on the

inside where they expanded your pallette? I promise my last

question.......Could you tell any physical differences/changes on the

outside after surgery??

I will be following this surgery up with lower/genio surgery in about

4-5 months. Its almost like there making a whole new person...haha.

Again, thank you for all your advice/suggestions and comments.

Danyelle

> > Hi,

> > I'm new to this site. I will be having upper jaw surgery on Oct.

> > 8th. They will be expanding my upper pallette to make my upper

jaw

> > wider. Yesterday, they put in a HYRAX appliance...Joy Bells.

I've

> > been reading everything I can to prepare me for surgery. The

> > anticipation of it all is very overwhelming. Would anyone have

> > suggestions about questions I need to ask for my final visit

before

> > surgery?? Also, any suggestions about post-op food?? What is the

> > norm for staying out of work?? Has anyone had experience with

this

> > kind of upper Jaw surgery?

> >

> > Would appreciate any kind of advice.

> > Danyelle

[Guest guest]

Lizzy,

Thank you soo much for your encouraging message. That's wonderful

that your getting the positive reactions. I can't even begin to

imagine the change that awaits me. Thank you for all the food

suggestions, they will come in very handy. I will definitely miss

eating something but I guess the final outcome will be worth it all

and knowing that one day I will be able to eat anything I want

without having pain or jaw complications will be icing on the cake.

Oh, I can't wait to have a normal functioning mouth.

Good luck with your senior year and enjoy every moment of it!!!!

Again, thanks for your message.

Danyelle

> > Hi,

> > I'm new to this site. I will be having upper jaw surgery on Oct.

> > 8th. They will be expanding my upper pallette to make my upper

jaw

> > wider. Yesterday, they put in a HYRAX appliance...Joy Bells.

I've

> > been reading everything I can to prepare me for surgery. The

> > anticipation of it all is very overwhelming. Would anyone have

> > suggestions about questions I need to ask for my final visit

before

> > surgery?? Also, any suggestions about post-op food?? What is the

> > norm for staying out of work?? Has anyone had experience with

this

> > kind of upper Jaw surgery?

> >

> > Would appreciate any kind of advice.

> > Danyelle

>

> Hi Danyelle...

> I recently had both upper and lower jaw surgery about 3 months ago.

> It was an 8 hr surgery which yours most likely wont be since you

are

> only having your top jaw done. After I was wired for 7 weeks. I

wont

> lie to you, I was horrible but totally worth it!! I went back to

> school to start my senior year of high school a few weeks ago and

> some people didnt even recognize me! The compli I didnt lose much

> weight either, only about 12 pounds. Breathing was really hard at

> first. The drs told me to drink plenty of ensure, boost etc but i

> didnt drink any of it bc i didnt like the taste. Instead I bought

and

> made lots of diff soups, put them through the blender and strained

> out any pieces. Also, liquified mashed potatoes were good lol. I

know

> it sounds gross but if you put a lot of milk and blend them they

> werent too bad. Also, any kinds of pasta and sauce liquified. If

you

> have any other questions feel free to write me back.

> -Liz

[Guest guest]

Danyelle,

I eventually got used to my appliance too. It did take a little

while though and I felt like I talked funny. I hope you will be able

to get yours out quickly too... I got mine put in the morning of

surgery and it finally came out about a year later. I guess my docs

were worried about a relapse or something. Also, after about 6

months of surgery, I had to start expanding again. I don't this

happens very often.

I did have a gap. It was about a 1/4 " between my front teeth. I

hated that. It made me uncomfortable with my appearance. When I

did " activate " the expander, it did not hurt. When I had to do it

again after the 6 months, it was a tiny bit uncomfortable when I did

it. What actually hurt the worst was when they started closing the

gap. I guess they starting putting power chains up on the top to

close it at about 4-6 weeks. Sorry, I don't remember exactly. They

waited because they wanted to make sure the bone was strong enough to

handle it. Make sure when that time comes for you, take tylenol or

advil before going to the ortho for adjustments.

I didn't have any change in appearance from this. The inside of my

mouth feels bigger which is nice. I can feel like a seam, for lack

of a better word, in the roof of my mouth down the center. It is not

bothersome in any way nor is it noticeable when I open my mouth.

The questions are no problem at all. When I found out I had to get

this, I found someone who had it done and it helped me a lot. She

made me feel much more at ease with it and I am glad to help too. If

you have more questions let me know!

Your surgery will only be a few days after mine. I am going to have

lower and possibly upper on Oct. 2nd. Good Luck to you!

> > > Hi,

> > > I'm new to this site. I will be having upper jaw surgery on

Oct.

> > > 8th. They will be expanding my upper pallette to make my upper

> jaw

> > > wider. Yesterday, they put in a HYRAX appliance...Joy Bells.

> I've

> > > been reading everything I can to prepare me for surgery. The

> > > anticipation of it all is very overwhelming. Would anyone have

> > > suggestions about questions I need to ask for my final visit

> before

> > > surgery?? Also, any suggestions about post-op food?? What is

the

> > > norm for staying out of work?? Has anyone had experience with

> this

> > > kind of upper Jaw surgery?

> > >

> > > Would appreciate any kind of advice.

> > > Danyelle