6 week post-op report and some questions

October 15, 2002

Well here I am, just a couple of days short of six weeks post-op from

upper and lower. I had the rubber bands removed last week. Already

the movement of my jaw has improved quite a bit. Plus, I don't seem

to have any of the constant clicking and popping that I had before

the surgery. I have a decent amount of swelling on the right side of

my face, but the left side is almost back to normal. I would estimate

that 85% of the numbness has gone away as well. My surgeon told me

that because my nerves were healing so quickly he's confident I'll

get 100% of the sensation back in my lower jaw and lip. As far as the

result from the surgery, I have mixed feelings right now. My jaw

looks great. It finally looks in proportion to my face(I had an

underbite and long face). Also my upper jaw was moved upward 4mm and

that seems to have greatly improved my gummy smile. However, my lip

competency problem doesn't seem to have improved much yet. My upper

lip still sits fairly high on my teeth and I still have to strain to

close my mouth. My surgeon keeps telling me that I have to wait for

the muscles to adjust and heal. However, I'm just not seeing a lot of

improvement in that area. Anyway, I'm trying to be patient... I know

it's still a long road ahead.

Just a few questions for the other surgery vets out there:

My upper lip still feels very tight and " stretched " ? Is this normal?

Could it be a result of the upper jaw advancement? My jaw movements

weren't as dramatic as some, but they certainly weren't small. My

upper jaw was moved 4mm forward and 4mm upward. My lower jaw was

moved 2mm backward and 3mm to the right.

My surgeon told me I could start slowly on solid foods after our

appointment this upcoming Thursday. However, I see a lot of people on

here who are still on a liquid diet 10 or 11 weeks post-op. What

accounts for the large difference in time?

The inside of my mouth is very tight too. I'm still using the baby

toothbrush to clean my teeth. I can't get a regular toothbrush to the

back teeth yet. Is it normal for swelling to persist this long inside

the mouth?

Hmmmm... I guess that's about it for now. Sorry about the long

message. After this surgery you always have a lot to write about:)

Thanks,

Recommended Posts