What to expect from upcoming surgery?

[Guest guest]

Hi All,

I just discovered this group. I'm becoming extremely interested in

this topic since I will be having surgery on Thursday (1/15). My

orthodontist works with an oral surgeon in Dallas, so I will be

traveling there for my surgery. I understand about the food prep,

but I've read many statements about drooling, difficulty swallowing,

difficulty opening my mouth, etc.

I am curious about just what to expect from a patient's point of

view. I am going to have the procedure for the upper and lower jaws

and genioplasty to correct an overbite. The insurance will cover

this, so at least I have that part out of the way. However, the

doctor has explained to me about the adapted diet, but I have a few

questions for post op patients:

1. Will I be able to swallow?

2. I have another chronic pain condition. Will I be able to take my

medication?

3. When will I begin to see my facial muscles come back?

4. When can I expect to be able to chew soft foods?

5. When will the tightness in the jaw diminish, so I can open my

mouth wider?

6. Will I be ready to teach a one night a week night course by the

time that I am three weeks post-op?

Thank you so much for this information. My doctor, Dr. Wolford, is

very up front and has taken the time to answer detailed questions,

but I always seem to have more.

ann

[Guest guest]

Although many of these questions are best asked of your surgeon, I'll

try and give you my take based on my upper/lower experience:

1 - You should not have any difficulty swallowing. I won't say that

you will not have problems, but it's not likely that you will.

2 - Depends on what type of medication you are taking. Most docs

seem to send home Lortab, which is a liquid version of Vicodin, with

their patients. You may be able to crush your pills and dissolve

them in water, but do not do any of this without discussing all

medications with your doc. You doc should be well aware of all

medications (prescription and OTC) that you are taking long before

surgery.

3 - Your facial muscles should all still work after the surgery,

though numbness often makes it feel like they don't work. If you are

splinted and banded or wired, it might not matter how well the

muscles work because both fixation methods limit mobility.

4 - Most people are able to chew soft foods by six weeks post-op, but

this can vary from doctor to doctor on what is advised.

5 - I had tight muslces on my left side before surgery. These didn't

bother me while recovering. The only limited opening period that I

had was after my splint came out and I was working on getting back to

life as normal. I wouldn't say that it's a tightness in the muscles,

but rather just a matter of getting them used to working again after

not doing much of anything for six weeks. I was able to open 22 mm

when my splint came out, but my doc said most are able to open 10 -

12 mm. Before surgery, I was at 47 mm. Now, nine months or so

later, I'm around 30 to 33 mm. I will never get to 47 ever again,

though my muscles all feel fine. It's just because of my new bone

structure.

6 - Depends on your fixation and how much talking you have to do and

how much you trust your students to be patient in dealing with your

short term limitations. I was able to talk understandably after a

week - once my surgeon losened my rubber bands, but I got tired

easily. My father-in-law had lower surgery over 20 years ago and

taught at a local techinical college. We was back at work a few

weeks after his surgery. I think he used a microphone and spoke

slowly as he was wired. He said it worked just fine.

Best of luck to you.

> Hi All,

> I just discovered this group. I'm becoming extremely interested in

> this topic since I will be having surgery on Thursday (1/15). My

> orthodontist works with an oral surgeon in Dallas, so I will be

> traveling there for my surgery. I understand about the food prep,

> but I've read many statements about drooling, difficulty

swallowing,

> difficulty opening my mouth, etc.

>

> I am curious about just what to expect from a patient's point of

> view. I am going to have the procedure for the upper and lower

jaws

> and genioplasty to correct an overbite. The insurance will cover

> this, so at least I have that part out of the way. However, the

> doctor has explained to me about the adapted diet, but I have a few

> questions for post op patients:

> 1. Will I be able to swallow?

> 2. I have another chronic pain condition. Will I be able to take

my

> medication?

> 3. When will I begin to see my facial muscles come back?

> 4. When can I expect to be able to chew soft foods?

> 5. When will the tightness in the jaw diminish, so I can open my

> mouth wider?

> 6. Will I be ready to teach a one night a week night course by the

> time that I am three weeks post-op?

>

> Thank you so much for this information. My doctor, Dr. Wolford, is

> very up front and has taken the time to answer detailed questions,

> but I always seem to have more.

>

> ann

[Guest guest]

Although many of these questions are best asked of your surgeon, I'll

try and give you my take based on my upper/lower experience:

1 - You should not have any difficulty swallowing. I won't say that

you will not have problems, but it's not likely that you will.

2 - Depends on what type of medication you are taking. Most docs

seem to send home Lortab, which is a liquid version of Vicodin, with

their patients. You may be able to crush your pills and dissolve

them in water, but do not do any of this without discussing all

medications with your doc. You doc should be well aware of all

medications (prescription and OTC) that you are taking long before

surgery.

3 - Your facial muscles should all still work after the surgery,

though numbness often makes it feel like they don't work. If you are

splinted and banded or wired, it might not matter how well the

muscles work because both fixation methods limit mobility.

4 - Most people are able to chew soft foods by six weeks post-op, but

this can vary from doctor to doctor on what is advised.

5 - I had tight muslces on my left side before surgery. These didn't

bother me while recovering. The only limited opening period that I

had was after my splint came out and I was working on getting back to

life as normal. I wouldn't say that it's a tightness in the muscles,

but rather just a matter of getting them used to working again after

not doing much of anything for six weeks. I was able to open 22 mm

when my splint came out, but my doc said most are able to open 10 -

12 mm. Before surgery, I was at 47 mm. Now, nine months or so

later, I'm around 30 to 33 mm. I will never get to 47 ever again,

though my muscles all feel fine. It's just because of my new bone

structure.

6 - Depends on your fixation and how much talking you have to do and

how much you trust your students to be patient in dealing with your

short term limitations. I was able to talk understandably after a

week - once my surgeon losened my rubber bands, but I got tired

easily. My father-in-law had lower surgery over 20 years ago and

taught at a local techinical college. We was back at work a few

weeks after his surgery. I think he used a microphone and spoke

slowly as he was wired. He said it worked just fine.

Best of luck to you.

> Hi All,

> I just discovered this group. I'm becoming extremely interested in

> this topic since I will be having surgery on Thursday (1/15). My

> orthodontist works with an oral surgeon in Dallas, so I will be

> traveling there for my surgery. I understand about the food prep,

> but I've read many statements about drooling, difficulty

swallowing,

> difficulty opening my mouth, etc.

>

> I am curious about just what to expect from a patient's point of

> view. I am going to have the procedure for the upper and lower

jaws

> and genioplasty to correct an overbite. The insurance will cover

> this, so at least I have that part out of the way. However, the

> doctor has explained to me about the adapted diet, but I have a few

> questions for post op patients:

> 1. Will I be able to swallow?

> 2. I have another chronic pain condition. Will I be able to take

my

> medication?

> 3. When will I begin to see my facial muscles come back?

> 4. When can I expect to be able to chew soft foods?

> 5. When will the tightness in the jaw diminish, so I can open my

> mouth wider?

> 6. Will I be ready to teach a one night a week night course by the

> time that I am three weeks post-op?

>

> Thank you so much for this information. My doctor, Dr. Wolford, is

> very up front and has taken the time to answer detailed questions,

> but I always seem to have more.

>

> ann

[Guest guest]

Hello ann and welcome. I can answer a few of your questions.

Yes, you will be able to swallow but your throat might be sore after

surgery. You'd have to clear it with your doctor about taking any

other meds than what he prescribes, and if you are banded or wired

shut, it might need to be in a liquid form for a few weeks. My oral

surgeon said the muscles in your jaw start to " come back " two weeks

after you have been continuously chewing. Which in my case, will be

after my splint comes off, and it will be on for a total of 6 weeks

following surgery. People differ here... As for tightness? Not

sure.. some others here are still struggling to open three fingers a

year after surgery. I am a little over two weeks postop and I cannot

get a finger in there. Teaching a class three weeks postop might be

a tad difficult, mainly because you are tired, and if you are

wired/banded shut, I can't really imagine it. Could just be me, (and

a few others I know who had this surgery recently,)but I'm pretty

much still dragging my tail. This isn't a minor surgery by any

means. Good luck to you! Alix

> Hi All,

> I just discovered this group. I'm becoming extremely interested

in

> this topic since I will be having surgery on Thursday (1/15). My

> orthodontist works with an oral surgeon in Dallas, so I will be

> traveling there for my surgery. I understand about the food prep,

> but I've read many statements about drooling, difficulty

swallowing,

> difficulty opening my mouth, etc.

>

> I am curious about just what to expect from a patient's point of

> view. I am going to have the procedure for the upper and lower

jaws

> and genioplasty to correct an overbite. The insurance will cover

> this, so at least I have that part out of the way. However, the

> doctor has explained to me about the adapted diet, but I have a

few

> questions for post op patients:

> 1. Will I be able to swallow?

> 2. I have another chronic pain condition. Will I be able to take

my

> medication?

> 3. When will I begin to see my facial muscles come back?

> 4. When can I expect to be able to chew soft foods?

> 5. When will the tightness in the jaw diminish, so I can open my

> mouth wider?

> 6. Will I be ready to teach a one night a week night course by

the

> time that I am three weeks post-op?

>

> Thank you so much for this information. My doctor, Dr. Wolford,

is

> very up front and has taken the time to answer detailed questions,

> but I always seem to have more.

>

> ann

[Guest guest]

Hi ann - Here's a few more thoughts on my experience. You

should definately go over each of the pills you normally take with

your Doctor before surgery, so he can let you know what to do. My

doctor went over all my meds I normally take, and I was able to take

them after surgery without any problem. One was an anti-

inflammatory, Bextra, which I think probably helped my swelling.

I had upper jaw surger only and was banded shut, not wired shut (my

surgery a little over 2 weeks ago). I was able to open wide enough

to get pills in (sometimes just barely) (so I'm not sure if that's

considered tightly banded or not). However, I did have a little

trouble swallowing, but I managed. My throat got messed up because

I was sick on my stomach a lot (which doesn't happen to everyone) -

I tend to have lots of trouble with anesthesia. I also had some

problems with blood clots getting caught up in my throat, which may

have been part of the problem too. I did have some liquid

prescriptions too, but I preferred the pills even if they were hard

to swallow.

Everybody is different on how soon they can chew - my doctor allowed

me to begin chewing only very soft things & small things that don't

require any pressure on your teeth - like eggs, spaghettio noodles,

even hamburger if cut into tiny pieces. I've been afraid to be too

adventursome, because I don't know how much is too much chewing, so

I'm still mostly blending food. But of coarse, if you're wired,

you'll definately be blending everything until the wires come off.

My doctor also has me doing some gentle stretching exercises (not

forcing anything) as far as opening my mouth. His post-op pamphlet

(which assumes you are not being wired shut) he gave me says you

should be able to open your mouth as much as one finger 10 days

after surgery, and two fingers by four weeks. By the 8th week, it

says 3 fingers. Before surgery, I was at about 2 1/2 fingers, which

was about 30-34 mm. (which is slightly below normal, but I could

live with fine). I asked if this surgery would decrease my opening,

as I was concerned since I've had previous TMJ problems & TMJ surgery

(which maybe makes a difference). He said he's seen it go both

ways - sometimes increasing your opening & sometimes decreasing your

opening. A nice non-answer. By the way, I'm at about 1 1/2 fingers

right now, which is ok at this point.

I wish you the best of luck. Just make sure to ask these same

things to your doctor, because everybody's situation & everybody's

doctor is different!

> Hi All,

> I just discovered this group. I'm becoming extremely interested

in

> this topic since I will be having surgery on Thursday (1/15). My

> orthodontist works with an oral surgeon in Dallas, so I will be

> traveling there for my surgery. I understand about the food prep,

> but I've read many statements about drooling, difficulty

swallowing,

> difficulty opening my mouth, etc.

>

> I am curious about just what to expect from a patient's point of

> view. I am going to have the procedure for the upper and lower

jaws

> and genioplasty to correct an overbite. The insurance will cover

> this, so at least I have that part out of the way. However, the

> doctor has explained to me about the adapted diet, but I have a

few

> questions for post op patients:

> 1. Will I be able to swallow?

> 2. I have another chronic pain condition. Will I be able to take

my

> medication?

> 3. When will I begin to see my facial muscles come back?

> 4. When can I expect to be able to chew soft foods?

> 5. When will the tightness in the jaw diminish, so I can open my

> mouth wider?

> 6. Will I be ready to teach a one night a week night course by

the

> time that I am three weeks post-op?

>

> Thank you so much for this information. My doctor, Dr. Wolford,

is

> very up front and has taken the time to answer detailed questions,

> but I always seem to have more.

>

> ann

[Guest guest]

Hi ann - Here's a few more thoughts on my experience. You

should definately go over each of the pills you normally take with

your Doctor before surgery, so he can let you know what to do. My

doctor went over all my meds I normally take, and I was able to take

them after surgery without any problem. One was an anti-

inflammatory, Bextra, which I think probably helped my swelling.

I had upper jaw surger only and was banded shut, not wired shut (my

surgery a little over 2 weeks ago). I was able to open wide enough

to get pills in (sometimes just barely) (so I'm not sure if that's

considered tightly banded or not). However, I did have a little

trouble swallowing, but I managed. My throat got messed up because

I was sick on my stomach a lot (which doesn't happen to everyone) -

I tend to have lots of trouble with anesthesia. I also had some

problems with blood clots getting caught up in my throat, which may

have been part of the problem too. I did have some liquid

prescriptions too, but I preferred the pills even if they were hard

to swallow.

Everybody is different on how soon they can chew - my doctor allowed

me to begin chewing only very soft things & small things that don't

require any pressure on your teeth - like eggs, spaghettio noodles,

even hamburger if cut into tiny pieces. I've been afraid to be too

adventursome, because I don't know how much is too much chewing, so

I'm still mostly blending food. But of coarse, if you're wired,

you'll definately be blending everything until the wires come off.

My doctor also has me doing some gentle stretching exercises (not

forcing anything) as far as opening my mouth. His post-op pamphlet

(which assumes you are not being wired shut) he gave me says you

should be able to open your mouth as much as one finger 10 days

after surgery, and two fingers by four weeks. By the 8th week, it

says 3 fingers. Before surgery, I was at about 2 1/2 fingers, which

was about 30-34 mm. (which is slightly below normal, but I could

live with fine). I asked if this surgery would decrease my opening,

as I was concerned since I've had previous TMJ problems & TMJ surgery

(which maybe makes a difference). He said he's seen it go both

ways - sometimes increasing your opening & sometimes decreasing your

opening. A nice non-answer. By the way, I'm at about 1 1/2 fingers

right now, which is ok at this point.

I wish you the best of luck. Just make sure to ask these same

things to your doctor, because everybody's situation & everybody's

doctor is different!

> Hi All,

> I just discovered this group. I'm becoming extremely interested

in

> this topic since I will be having surgery on Thursday (1/15). My

> orthodontist works with an oral surgeon in Dallas, so I will be

> traveling there for my surgery. I understand about the food prep,

> but I've read many statements about drooling, difficulty

swallowing,

> difficulty opening my mouth, etc.

>

> I am curious about just what to expect from a patient's point of

> view. I am going to have the procedure for the upper and lower

jaws

> and genioplasty to correct an overbite. The insurance will cover

> this, so at least I have that part out of the way. However, the

> doctor has explained to me about the adapted diet, but I have a

few

> questions for post op patients:

> 1. Will I be able to swallow?

> 2. I have another chronic pain condition. Will I be able to take

my

> medication?

> 3. When will I begin to see my facial muscles come back?

> 4. When can I expect to be able to chew soft foods?

> 5. When will the tightness in the jaw diminish, so I can open my

> mouth wider?

> 6. Will I be ready to teach a one night a week night course by

the

> time that I am three weeks post-op?

>

> Thank you so much for this information. My doctor, Dr. Wolford,

is

> very up front and has taken the time to answer detailed questions,

> but I always seem to have more.

>

> ann