3 Days Post Opt Update

[Guest guest]

Well, hello everyone!

I am now 3 days post opt and happy to be here. My surgery lasted just

3 hours and basically I had the upper moved forward, up and split (to

widen it), lower moved forward and chin reduced and moved forward. I

have a splint and 4 elastics. My mouth and chin are about three times

the size they would normally be.

I went to the hospital at 10 a.m. on Monday morning. I was

immediately taken into an interview room where a nurse took my weight

and temperature. She asked me several questions and asked me to

change into my hospital clothes. I then waited until 1:15 p.m. and

was called in to the OR area. I was asked to sit on a bed in the hall

and soon the anestegioligist and OS came by and asked me several more

questions. Within minutes I was asked to walk into the OR. Now this

was really weird for me. There was music playing and everything

seemed so clean. A nurse asked me to lie on the operating table and

he attached several bandages to my shoulders etc. Then the

anestegioligist came in and put two q-tip thingies in my nose, he told

me it was cocaine without the addictive qualities that cocaine on the

street has. It numbed my nose and soon the anestegioligist inserted

the I.V. He told me that I would soon feel like I was ready to go to

a party. He was right, and I was out like a light.

3 hours later I was woken up in the recovery area. I remember

instantly squirming around because I felt like I couldn't breathe. I

think I felt like that because I still had my stomach toob in. The

nurse removed it and I felt much better. I stayed in the recovery

area for 2 hours and finally arrived in my room at 6:30 p.m. The trip

to my room made me feel like throwing up but luckily, I didn't. My

husband came to visit me but I really wasn't good company, I was

sooooo sleepy. He took a few pictures of me and stayed with me until

visiting hours were up at 8 p.m.

The nurses in the ICU were awsome. I was in a room with one other jaw

surgery patient and the nurse was by our sides all night. She gave me

several injections of codine mixed with gravol to help me sleep.

Sleeping was difficult because the nurse kept checking my vital signs

and temperature.

Day one, I woke up at 7 a.m. and my OS came in to see me and the

patient I was sharing my room with. He told us that everything went

well and that I could leave the next morning. The other patient was

able to leave after just 24 hours but he only had his lower jaw moved

forward.

Day two, I left the hospital at noon and spent the rest of the day in

bed. My only complaints are that I can't breathe well (I also have

asthma) and I wish the swelling would go down.

Day three, I woke up at 6 and had a bath. That was the best thing I

could have done so far. I washed my hair and removed the bandage from

my chin. Everything looks great. My lips are peeling a lot today but

I keep treating them with vitamin E oil. I have already lost 8

lbs...I was shocked. All I have is about a cup of juice and water

each day. I hate the soup (beef broth and chicken broth). The

antibiotics and liquid codine I am on taste aweful. I don't have much

pain so I won't use the codine unless I am desperate.

Thanks for listening. Things are good, I will keep you updated.

Kari