Re: five days post op

[Guest guest]

Hi Ann, and welcome to the " other side " as they say here. I am

5 weeks post op but I felt much like you do and had many of the same

questions after the first week. Your question concerning pain meds

might be better answered by others here since I seemed to experience

more pain than most. However, I stopped the narcotics after the

first few days and stayed on Tylenol/Ibuprofen up until this

weekend. I am now only taking an occasional Tylenol, mainly for gum

pain, mouth pain. My jaw is a little tender..found that out when my

lab jumped up and bonked me on the side of my face..owwww. Not sure

what you meant by " abrasion " but the stitches and pain associated

with the cuts in my gumline were kind of tough to handle, but not

the first week. I felt them more as the numbness wore off.

Congestion? Someone put it nicely on this site.. " go fishing " but

GENTLY!! Also lots of warm, steamy showers. And yes, your speech is

difficult to understand, but if you are wired,(vs. banded) probably

more so. The good news my friend, is that all of this WILL improve

and you will feel better as the days pass. I think for many of us

here, two weeks was kind of a turning point. As for when you see

your new " face " ..my opinion is that it will be quite a while, maybe

even a year, before your face has settled into YOU. I hear lots of

complaints about people being frustrated at 3 weeks, etc with their

looks. But think about it, you need to get the braces off, your

muscles moving, bones need to heal, swelling needs to go away..these

things take time. My surgeon begged me to be patient in this area,

and his lack of " quick promises " has helped me see the bigger

picture.

Hang in there, try to stay hydrated and rested.

Alix-- In orthognathicsurgerysupport , " ann "

wrote:

> Hi All,

> I read many posts prior to surgery. They mean a great deal more

to

> me now that I've been through it. I am 49 years old. I had the

> upper and lower osto. and the geoplasty.

>

> The oral surgeon has been incredible and the nursing staff was

> wonderful. It was hard to understand me, so this caused confusion

> when my husband was out of the room. The OS feels that all is

well

> and everything is on schedule.

>

> When will I begin to see the real new face. I'm still very

swollen

> and a bit bruised. I can tell that my profile is different now.

> The post op surgery showed that the airways are much wider.

>

> The first week was rough due to the fact that I had a great deal

of

> congestion. Besides taking dynatap, what can I do about this?

>

> I also have an abrasion on the gum line that is very

uncomfortable.

> Will this take care of itself in time? What did anyone else do

> about this symptom?

>

> My speech is difficult to understand. When will this improve?

How

> long before I can stop the pain meds.? I still need to take them

> every three to five hours to stay comfortable. Will things begin

to

> look brighter after the first two weeks? Thanks for your help.

You

> all have already helped me a great deal via your posts.

>

> Blessings,

>

> Ann

[Guest guest]

--- In orthognathicsurgerysupport , " alix "

> > The first week was rough due to the fact that I had a great deal

> of

> > congestion. Besides taking dynatap, what can I do about this?

> >

Hi Ann,

Congrats on getting through the worst of it. Re the congestion, some

people on this site have gotten relief by discontinuing milk products

for a few days. I also recommend a cool mist humidifier by your

bed. You may also want to try soaking in a hot bath and holding the

warm washcloth over your face.

Try to take it day by day...you'll get through,

Cheryl

[Guest guest]

Alix and Cheryl,

Thanks for your help. It is nice to know that I'm not alone. I will

definitely follow the advice about the congestion. It sounds like my

next goal will be to reach the two week milestone.

What is life like with the splint out? Is it better?

My nose was reshaped a bit during the surgery to enhance breathing.

It's okay just taking a bit of getting us to. I don't have a hook in

my nose anymore. Is this just a result of being swollen?

I know I'll have more questions later. Thanks for the help.

Ann

wrote:

> --- In orthognathicsurgerysupport , " alix "

>

> > > The first week was rough due to the fact that I had a great

deal

> > of

> > > congestion. Besides taking dynatap, what can I do about this?

> > >

>

> Hi Ann,

>

> Congrats on getting through the worst of it. Re the congestion,

some

> people on this site have gotten relief by discontinuing milk

products

> for a few days. I also recommend a cool mist humidifier by your

> bed. You may also want to try soaking in a hot bath and holding

the

> warm washcloth over your face.

>

> Try to take it day by day...you'll get through,

>

>

> Cheryl

[Guest guest]

Alix and Cheryl,

Thanks for your help. It is nice to know that I'm not alone. I will

definitely follow the advice about the congestion. It sounds like my

next goal will be to reach the two week milestone.

What is life like with the splint out? Is it better?

My nose was reshaped a bit during the surgery to enhance breathing.

It's okay just taking a bit of getting us to. I don't have a hook in

my nose anymore. Is this just a result of being swollen?

I know I'll have more questions later. Thanks for the help.

Ann

wrote:

> --- In orthognathicsurgerysupport , " alix "

>

> > > The first week was rough due to the fact that I had a great

deal

> > of

> > > congestion. Besides taking dynatap, what can I do about this?

> > >

>

> Hi Ann,

>

> Congrats on getting through the worst of it. Re the congestion,

some

> people on this site have gotten relief by discontinuing milk

products

> for a few days. I also recommend a cool mist humidifier by your

> bed. You may also want to try soaking in a hot bath and holding

the

> warm washcloth over your face.

>

> Try to take it day by day...you'll get through,

>

>

> Cheryl