Re: to all of you that are post op or nearing your surgery date...

[Guest guest]

Any suggestions as far as being miserable and stressed during pre-op?

I am waiting to hear from my OS and Ortho for a surgery date and I

can think of very little else. I am hoping for an early May date, but

the suspense is killing me. It has gotten to the point of obsession

and of course no one around me can understand what I am going

through. I have been told that I think about it too much and to

continue with my life as I normally would. I find that my frustration

and tolerance level are very low and my stress level is high.

I know that all I can do is wait but it is nice to be able to express

these feelings here with otthers who have been through the same

thing.

Marsha

> I have not posted in quite some time. I had upper jaw surgery to

> correct an open bite on October 27, 2003. I also had an elective

> (cosmetic) genioplasty. I am about 19 weeks post op.

>

> I am here to tell you that there is a big bright light at the end

of

> the tunnel. My recovery was also full of struggles and bad moods

but

> it was also full of good humor, lots of laughs and the support of

> family & friends. As I have read here today, it is what you make

of

> it. You can either feel sorry for yourself and be miserable or you

> can try to make the best of it.

>

> I was not wired, but I was still not permitted to chew anything for

6

> weeks. I became very creative with food & the blender. I did not

> consume one boost or ensure. I did try Myoplex as a meal

replacement

> only to find out I didn't like it and had wasted 60$ on a case. I

> prefered to " eat " normal foods, I just mashed them up really well

or

> blended them. The first week I had lots of mashed potatoes both

> idaho & sweet. I also ate lots of mashed up avocados, I mushed

them

> up with a hand blender and added a bit of olive oil, seasoning &

> lemon juice. I spent my time making homemade healthy soups and

stews

> that were easy to swallow. I also drank tons of homemade chicken

> broth for the first 3 weeks.

>

> After 4 days of sitting around my apartment I became bored and

> started having friends over to visit. I even went out to run

errands

> with my sister, totally bruised & swollen. People stared, that is

> ok, I as just happy to be out of the house. I bruised worse than

> most for some reason & was a palette of various colors for about 8

> weeks. I was terribly swollen for the first 7 days and then things

> started to go down slowly.

>

> This is not an easy thing to put yourself through and I know it can

> be depressing & tough. My birthday was during week 5 of recovery

and

> I still wasn't able to chew.

>

> I didn't let this not chewing thing hold be back from anything. I

> went to happy hour at my favorite sushi bar starting at week 3 and

> was able to " eat " thinly sliced fish (Uzuzukuri) by just swallowing

> little bits. I also was able to eat tofu & ginger sauce. This was

> very easy to mush up with a fork. I was with my friends, enjoying

> life, having drinks and doing the best I could. I am telling you,

> recovery is what you make of it.

>

> Anyway to make a long story short, I have no regrets. My open bite

> is gone, I love my new profile and hopefully will be brace free by

> June.

>

> In fact, I just got back from a 7 day Caribbean cruise, and I did

> plenty of eating to make up for the 6 weeks of not chewing.

>

> My photo file on this website got all screwed up but I will try to

> post some before, during & after surgery photos today under a file

> called Florida.

>

> Happy healing to all of you and to those of you still waiting for

> your date, this all will soon be a distant memory.

>

> If any of you want to IM me with questions on AOL, you can get me

at

> Elijahdoll.

>

> Best,

> ~

[Guest guest]

Any suggestions as far as being miserable and stressed during pre-op??

Yep. Come on back here. any story you can tell will have an answer

from someone who required more patience to get through it all.

Do try to relax, however you might be able to do it. Physical

exercise, pre-op, will help (and yes, those who know me would be

ROTFL to hear me say it) but it will. So will eating well, getting

enough sleep and enough water. Remember that your caretakers know

where they're going with this stuff, and that it will happen for you

when it can. You can't hurry it up, and you can't slow it down. It's

just gonna come in its own time. (I reckon it's sorta like waiting

for a baby to arrive, although I've never done that.)

Do what you can to prepare. Read the " get-ready " lists, and stock up

on what you think you might need -- but be cautious about buying lots

of anything before you've tested it out. (You don't need a $60 case

of something you can't put down your throat because it tastes foul to

you!) Listen to those who are trying to help you, ask lots of

questions about things that worry you, and otherwise, try to get done

all the things you think you'll need, in prep. Then go for it, and

relax, get yourself through the recovery, and enjoy what you get in

the end-term result..

Cammie

> Any suggestions as far as being miserable and stressed during pre-

op?

>

> I am waiting to hear from my OS and Ortho for a surgery date and I

> can think of very little else. I am hoping for an early May date,

but

> the suspense is killing me. It has gotten to the point of obsession

> and of course no one around me can understand what I am going

> through. I have been told that I think about it too much and to

> continue with my life as I normally would. I find that my

frustration

> and tolerance level are very low and my stress level is high.

>

> I know that all I can do is wait but it is nice to be able to

express

> these feelings here with otthers who have been through the same

> thing.

>

> Marsha

~

[Guest guest]

Marsha,

I appreciate the frustration. I too am obsessing, but then that's my

way of dealing with things. So, what I do is learn as much as

possible, and plan as much as I can. That's why I created the

checklist that I've posted under the files. Drafting it helped me

think about all the things that I need to take care of, plan for, and

expect. Do something proactive. Plan your work, and work your plan,

but in this case the work is the surgery.

And, come here to vent and question and learn. When no one in your

daily life understands what you're going through, we do. I've forced

my OS and Orthodontist into a date. I needed to lock in something

because of kids activities, vacations, work, etc. Now, hopefully we

will all make that date. But if not, then I adjust my plan.

Dammit

> > I have not posted in quite some time. I had upper jaw surgery to

> > correct an open bite on October 27, 2003. I also had an elective

> > (cosmetic) genioplasty. I am about 19 weeks post op.

> >

> > I am here to tell you that there is a big bright light at the end

> of

> > the tunnel. My recovery was also full of struggles and bad moods

> but

> > it was also full of good humor, lots of laughs and the support of

> > family & friends. As I have read here today, it is what you make

> of

> > it. You can either feel sorry for yourself and be miserable or

you

> > can try to make the best of it.

> >

> > I was not wired, but I was still not permitted to chew anything

for

> 6

> > weeks. I became very creative with food & the blender. I did

not

> > consume one boost or ensure. I did try Myoplex as a meal

> replacement

> > only to find out I didn't like it and had wasted 60$ on a case.

I

> > prefered to " eat " normal foods, I just mashed them up really well

> or

> > blended them. The first week I had lots of mashed potatoes both

> > idaho & sweet. I also ate lots of mashed up avocados, I mushed

> them

> > up with a hand blender and added a bit of olive oil, seasoning &

> > lemon juice. I spent my time making homemade healthy soups and

> stews

> > that were easy to swallow. I also drank tons of homemade chicken

> > broth for the first 3 weeks.

> >

> > After 4 days of sitting around my apartment I became bored and

> > started having friends over to visit. I even went out to run

> errands

> > with my sister, totally bruised & swollen. People stared, that

is

> > ok, I as just happy to be out of the house. I bruised worse than

> > most for some reason & was a palette of various colors for about

8

> > weeks. I was terribly swollen for the first 7 days and then

things

> > started to go down slowly.

> >

> > This is not an easy thing to put yourself through and I know it

can

> > be depressing & tough. My birthday was during week 5 of recovery

> and

> > I still wasn't able to chew.

> >

> > I didn't let this not chewing thing hold be back from anything.

I

> > went to happy hour at my favorite sushi bar starting at week 3

and

> > was able to " eat " thinly sliced fish (Uzuzukuri) by just

swallowing

> > little bits. I also was able to eat tofu & ginger sauce. This

was

> > very easy to mush up with a fork. I was with my friends,

enjoying

> > life, having drinks and doing the best I could. I am telling

you,

> > recovery is what you make of it.

> >

> > Anyway to make a long story short, I have no regrets. My open

bite

> > is gone, I love my new profile and hopefully will be brace free

by

> > June.

> >

> > In fact, I just got back from a 7 day Caribbean cruise, and I did

> > plenty of eating to make up for the 6 weeks of not chewing.

> >

> > My photo file on this website got all screwed up but I will try

to

> > post some before, during & after surgery photos today under a

file

> > called Florida.

> >

> > Happy healing to all of you and to those of you still waiting for

> > your date, this all will soon be a distant memory.

> >

> > If any of you want to IM me with questions on AOL, you can get me

> at

> > Elijahdoll.

> >

> > Best,

> > ~

[Guest guest]

A while back I had one bad day of, " Oh, no, what am I getting

into? " I jokingly told some friends that I had some mild panic.

One of them gave me a 20-minute lecture that boiled down to one

short concept: Stop thinking about yourself.

Now that I'm less than two weeks away from the big day, every time I

feel a little panic I think, " Stop thinking about yourself! " I make

myself think about other people or other things.

If you're a praying person, and if you have a lot of worries while

you're in bed at night (trying to fall asleep is the worst time for

worrying), then instead of actively thinking about what you're

heading into, actively pray for other people. It's a much better

place to have your mind - and remember, most of this battle is in

the mind. Do you post-oppers agree that the mental aspects of the

whole ardeal were the most prominent, and possibly even made the

physical harder or easier to bear?

[Guest guest]

A while back I had one bad day of, " Oh, no, what am I getting

into? " I jokingly told some friends that I had some mild panic.

One of them gave me a 20-minute lecture that boiled down to one

short concept: Stop thinking about yourself.

Now that I'm less than two weeks away from the big day, every time I

feel a little panic I think, " Stop thinking about yourself! " I make

myself think about other people or other things.

If you're a praying person, and if you have a lot of worries while

you're in bed at night (trying to fall asleep is the worst time for

worrying), then instead of actively thinking about what you're

heading into, actively pray for other people. It's a much better

place to have your mind - and remember, most of this battle is in

the mind. Do you post-oppers agree that the mental aspects of the

whole ardeal were the most prominent, and possibly even made the

physical harder or easier to bear?

[Guest guest]

A while back I had one bad day of, " Oh, no, what am I getting

into? " I jokingly told some friends that I had some mild panic.

One of them gave me a 20-minute lecture that boiled down to one

short concept: Stop thinking about yourself.

Now that I'm less than two weeks away from the big day, every time I

feel a little panic I think, " Stop thinking about yourself! " I make

myself think about other people or other things.

If you're a praying person, and if you have a lot of worries while

you're in bed at night (trying to fall asleep is the worst time for

worrying), then instead of actively thinking about what you're

heading into, actively pray for other people. It's a much better

place to have your mind - and remember, most of this battle is in

the mind. Do you post-oppers agree that the mental aspects of the

whole ardeal were the most prominent, and possibly even made the

physical harder or easier to bear?

[Guest guest]

Totally. I was sooo scared silly when I started all this that yes, I

was silly. It was so much easier, from start to finish, than I

thought it would/could be, that now I think I was really pretty

ridiculous. And I wonder what on earth I would be like if I needed

something truly imperiling. I hope I never find out, or that i'm made

of stronger stuff, if I ever have to face that reality.

C.

> A while back I had one bad day of, " Oh, no, what am I getting

> into? " I jokingly told some friends that I had some mild panic.

> One of them gave me a 20-minute lecture that boiled down to one

> short concept: Stop thinking about yourself.

>

> Now that I'm less than two weeks away from the big day, every time

I

> feel a little panic I think, " Stop thinking about yourself! " I

make

> myself think about other people or other things.

>

> If you're a praying person, and if you have a lot of worries while

> you're in bed at night (trying to fall asleep is the worst time for

> worrying), then instead of actively thinking about what you're

> heading into, actively pray for other people. It's a much better

> place to have your mind - and remember, most of this battle is in

> the mind. Do you post-oppers agree that the mental aspects of the

> whole ardeal were the most prominent, and possibly even made the

> physical harder or easier to bear?

[Guest guest]

I'm still trying to get a date, my ortho and OS were supposed to meet

last week and now it is set for tomorrow, (we'll see!) I understand

they both have busy schedules and other patients, but my life is on

hold, I work at a demandining job and I go to college in the

evenings, and I am now unable to schedule my classes for the summer

or commit to anything that involves travel at work until I have a

date.

Very frustrating for me and in turn for the people around me.

Hopefully I will hear something soon!

Thanks for listening!!

Marsha

> > > I have not posted in quite some time. I had upper jaw surgery

to

> > > correct an open bite on October 27, 2003. I also had an

elective

> > > (cosmetic) genioplasty. I am about 19 weeks post op.

> > >

> > > I am here to tell you that there is a big bright light at the

end

> > of

> > > the tunnel. My recovery was also full of struggles and bad

moods

> > but

> > > it was also full of good humor, lots of laughs and the support

of

> > > family & friends. As I have read here today, it is what you

make

> > of

> > > it. You can either feel sorry for yourself and be miserable or

> you

> > > can try to make the best of it.

> > >

> > > I was not wired, but I was still not permitted to chew anything

> for

> > 6

> > > weeks. I became very creative with food & the blender. I did

> not

> > > consume one boost or ensure. I did try Myoplex as a meal

> > replacement

> > > only to find out I didn't like it and had wasted 60$ on a

case.

> I

> > > prefered to " eat " normal foods, I just mashed them up really

well

> > or

> > > blended them. The first week I had lots of mashed potatoes

both

> > > idaho & sweet. I also ate lots of mashed up avocados, I mushed

> > them

> > > up with a hand blender and added a bit of olive oil, seasoning

&

> > > lemon juice. I spent my time making homemade healthy soups and

> > stews

> > > that were easy to swallow. I also drank tons of homemade

chicken

> > > broth for the first 3 weeks.

> > >

> > > After 4 days of sitting around my apartment I became bored and

> > > started having friends over to visit. I even went out to run

> > errands

> > > with my sister, totally bruised & swollen. People stared, that

> is

> > > ok, I as just happy to be out of the house. I bruised worse

than

> > > most for some reason & was a palette of various colors for

about

> 8

> > > weeks. I was terribly swollen for the first 7 days and then

> things

> > > started to go down slowly.

> > >

> > > This is not an easy thing to put yourself through and I know it

> can

> > > be depressing & tough. My birthday was during week 5 of

recovery

> > and

> > > I still wasn't able to chew.

> > >

> > > I didn't let this not chewing thing hold be back from

anything.

> I

> > > went to happy hour at my favorite sushi bar starting at week 3

> and

> > > was able to " eat " thinly sliced fish (Uzuzukuri) by just

> swallowing

> > > little bits. I also was able to eat tofu & ginger sauce. This

> was

> > > very easy to mush up with a fork. I was with my friends,

> enjoying

> > > life, having drinks and doing the best I could. I am telling

> you,

> > > recovery is what you make of it.

> > >

> > > Anyway to make a long story short, I have no regrets. My open

> bite

> > > is gone, I love my new profile and hopefully will be brace free

> by

> > > June.

> > >

> > > In fact, I just got back from a 7 day Caribbean cruise, and I

did

> > > plenty of eating to make up for the 6 weeks of not chewing.

> > >

> > > My photo file on this website got all screwed up but I will try

> to

> > > post some before, during & after surgery photos today under a

> file

> > > called Florida.

> > >

> > > Happy healing to all of you and to those of you still waiting

for

> > > your date, this all will soon be a distant memory.

> > >

> > > If any of you want to IM me with questions on AOL, you can get

me

> > at

> > > Elijahdoll.

> > >

> > > Best,

> > > ~