Re: timing of first words

[Guest guest]

I was yelling at the nurses in the recovery room - I know I

said " Hot! Hot! " and " Change tape! Change tape! " (you'll have to read

my surgery story to find out what I was talking about) - then went

back to sleep when I could hear they'd taken care of things. I do

know they said " what's she saying? " Then when I was wheeled back to

my room, I said to my husband " I did it! I made it! " and gave him a

big thumbs up. It wasn't until later that I found out that I was

really mostly mumbling. As the tissues swell up inside the mouth, it

does get harder to enunciate, having bands on makes it pretty hard.

I've always been good at talking without moving my lips, though, so I

had a bit of an advantage. I made a lot of use of the whiteboard for

weeks, though. Talking is extremely tiring.

My husband did compare someone else in the surgeon's office to me at

that stage - she was unable to talk and her mom did all the talking

at the receptionist's desk. I was quite able to speak for myself on

that visit. So everybody's different.

Good luck!

> Hi all. Just wondering how long it took after surgery before (1)

you

> could speak and (2) people could understand you. My surgery was a

> week ago and I'm thinking it's not going to happen before they

change

> the bands next Monday. Any word from the veterans out there??

>

> Thanks.

>

> Fran

[Guest guest]

Right out of the operation, I tried to talk, but I don't know if

anybody understood me. I took immediately to writing everything down.

When I was home (the next day), I talked more, but mostly my husband

said he couldn't understand me, so I kept up with the whiteboard for

another week. In my second week, I guess the swelling of my lips went

down enough to mumble more clearly. My daughter (2 1/2) said " You can

TALK! " So now (2 weeks out) my husband and kids can understand me when

I speak slowly, but other people can only understand SOME of what I

say. I don't really use the white board much anymore, but I'm a stay

at home mom, so it might be different if I was at or school.

Soo

> Hi all. Just wondering how long it took after surgery before (1) you

> could speak and (2) people could understand you. My surgery was a

> week ago and I'm thinking it's not going to happen before they change

> the bands next Monday. Any word from the veterans out there??

>

> Thanks.

>

> Fran

[Guest guest]

Hi I am not a veteran as my upper jaw surgery was only 5 days ago

also and I am finding it very frustrating that i cannot speak

clearly because of the splint and that i will have to go back to

work like this (I just cannot see how I can manage to work like

this, I don't think speaking will get any clearer for me until the

splint is out of my mouth, which will be six weeks so I'm told!)

How was your surgery experience? I am feeling better today now that

I am home. I was in the hospital for 4 days (i know the US is only

one or 2 days, I don't know its done!) My head is fuzzy and my ears

blocked and i have numbness in the upper part of my face. I have

swelling and bruises in the lower part of the face. I have 2 bands

to keep my teeth together but can take them off to eat. I was

wondering how long most people are banded for (upper surgery) as I

did not get very many bands to take home with me. I look and feel

really strange and am hoping this goes quickly! Any other info

would be appreciated.

thanks

> Hi all. Just wondering how long it took after surgery before (1)

you

> could speak and (2) people could understand you. My surgery was a

> week ago and I'm thinking it's not going to happen before they

change

> the bands next Monday. Any word from the veterans out there??

>

> Thanks.

>

> Fran

[Guest guest]

I had to come back to work while still splinted too, but I worked

things out with my employer to minimize my talking post-op. They

let me change my voice mail greeting to say that I would not be

taking calls until early May and that if they wanted to get a hold

of me, they should either e-mail me or leave their e-mail address

for me so that I could reply. I forwarded my incoming calls

directly into my voice mail. It worked out relatively well.

Funny story - when I was less than a week post-op, I found out that

some of the sales guys at work wanted copies of a certain piece of

literature. Even though I wasn't " working " , I still had to get

copies made for them, so my mom translated my instructions to the

print shop on the phone. She did such a bad job at it that I had to

take the phone and patiently mumble my way through. Thank God the

person I was speaking with was patient as well.

At any rate, I couldn't really speak or be understood until I was a

week post-op and my doc swaped the four tight rubber bands with four

looser ones.

> > Hi all. Just wondering how long it took after surgery before (1)

> you

> > could speak and (2) people could understand you. My surgery was

a

> > week ago and I'm thinking it's not going to happen before they

> change

> > the bands next Monday. Any word from the veterans out there??

> >

> > Thanks.

> >

> > Fran