Re: my experience....one year later!

February 25, 2004

!

Thanks for sharing your story. I am a bit over 1-year postop and

your story brought back a lot of memories that I haven't visited in

some time. It's amazing looking back how much orthognathic patients

go through, but thankfully it's a relatively short time where the

recovery is difficult, for most at least. A note to add to yours

for the others going into surgery, it's amazing how this whole

experience can become a blurred memory. I never thought I'd say

this in the early days postop, but I do look back at my experience

fondly. It was a transformation for me, too ... an opportunity to

leave some insecurities, a bad smile and bite issues at the OR

door.

, I have to add this ... at the risk of being a total

superficial fool ... but your surgeon is adorable! Something

else we share. Mine is, too. Not a bad face to wake up to after

surgery. Mine resembles Noah Wylie so every time I tune into ER and

see Noah in the whole hospital environment, it reminds me of my

surgeon.

Thanks for sharing your awesome story and glad you have no regrets

after such a rough start in the hospital.

Irish!

> To all:

>

> I would just like to share my experience with orthognathic

surgery. I

> was on here a lot before I actually had it done, and you guys

> provided a ton of encouragement that gave me courage and knowledge

> going into it. I'm hoping my success story will encourage those

who

> are going through this as well. Some background: I was 16 when I

had

> the surgery, and am 17 now. I wore braces since I was 11. I had

> double surgery: on a protruding lower jaw and a receding upper.

>

> On January 28th, 2003, I arrived at Holy Redeemer Hospital (scared

> out of my mind!) at 7 AM. I was wheeled into the OR at 8, in

tears,

> of course! Fortunately for me I had an amazing doctor and nurse

who I

> knew pretty well from their office and they put me right at ease

in

> the OR. They started the IV, and then came the liquid cocaine (I

> believe they do this to dry out the sinus cavity on upper-jaw

> surgeries.) I remember crying at this point and fading in and out

of

> consciousness. This is the last thing I remember until recovery.

>

> Unfortunately, I had entered the hospital with a slight sinus

> infection, and sometime during the surgery, so much mucus and

blood

> was pushed into my lungs that it caused a double pneumonia and a

70%

> collapse of my left lung. From what I've been told, I was bleeding

> profusely, my heart rate skyrocketed and my blood pressure

plummeted,

> and my oxygen saturation was as low as 50%, and I came very close

to

> cardiac arrest. I tell this not to scare people; it was one of

those

> freak things that no one in this particular OR had ever seen

before.

> Combined with my background of asthma, severe allergies, and a

> suppressed immune system, it was actually not all that suprising.

> Anyway, I came out of surgery with severe pneumonia and infection,

> which definitely had an effect on my healing and hospitalization.

>

> I awoke in recovery nauseated, dizzy, disoriented, and SWOLLEN. I

had

> a morphine drip and was being given oral (!!!) medications to drop

my

> 103 degree fever and combat my infection. I was supposed to be out

of

> recovery by 11 AM; I was actually in there until about 3, because

> they were trying to get me stabilized before sending me to the

PICU.

> I was a very sick girl, I was on CPAP, and two IV drips. The

weirdest

> thing is, I remember them taking away my morphine drip, and this

was

> the first time I tried to talk. Obviosuly, I couldn't! Finally, I

was

> wheeled out of the recovery room and down the hall, where my

family

> was waiting. I remember seeing my dad and giving him a thumbs up

and

> (trying to) smile. They had been frantic, the last information

they

> had gotten was that I might possibly be on a ventilator the next

time

> they saw me, so they were relieved that all I had was nasal prongs.

>

> The next week was pretty crazy. I was only supposed to be

> hospitalized for one night, this dragged into five nights. They

took

> away my morphine drip in hopes of upping my oxygen saturation, and

> put me on oral codeine, which made me violently sick, so I had to

> deal with the pain. I was unable to sit up walk for 4 days because

my

> breathing was so poor, my oxy-sats were as low as 75% for

prolonged

> periods of time. I didn't eat a thing the whole time I was

> hospitalized. I also had the worst case of swelling my surgeon had

> ever seen. My parents, who were only supposed to leave me at the

> hospital that night and pick me up the next day, were forced to

take

> off days of work to stay with me. One of the biggest helps during

> this period was my family. They were there for me constantly,

doing

> anything I needed to be comfortable and happy. I am so grateful

they

> were there for me.

>

> Finally, on February 4th, 2003, I went home, still swollen and in

> pain. I slept sitting up for 3 weeks afterwards. I lived on

ibuprofen

> tablets and slim-fast. I lost nearly 30 pounds in a month. It took

> nearly that long for me to be able to go back to school due to

> breathing problems.

>

> And yet here I am, telling you to have this surgery if you have

the

> opportunity. You probably think I'm nuts. People look at me like

I'm

> crazy. " You almost died! " they say. But, and I cannot repeat this

> enough, I would do it again in a heartbeat.

>

> Why? Before this surgery, I thought of my self as disfigured,

ugly. I

> didn't smile. I didn't laugh. I had a terrible lisp. I kept quiet,

> because I knew people were laughing at my teeth and my manner of

> talking. If I didn't talk or smile, I reasoned, they'll think my

face

> is normal, that I was normal. I had no self-confidence whatsoever.

>

> Today, one year later, I am a new person. My braces are off, my

teeth

> are straight and well-aligned, and aesthetically I am more

attractive

> then ever before. However, there are more important issues at

hand. I

> now speak very well and have only a trace of a lisp. And I now

have

> the self-confidence and poise to go forward in life. I smile. I

> laugh. I talk. I'm still shy, but the real me is able to shine

> through. The real me is no longer hidden behing a protruding jaw.

>

> This surgery changed my life. Trust me, no matter what you have to

go

> through, it will be worth it.

>

> By the way, if anyone in the Philadelphia area is having this

> surgery, or considering it, I would definitely recommend my

surgeon,

> Dr. Dachowski. visit his site: drmikedachowski.com

>

> Best wishes to all!

>

> -

February 25, 2004

,

What an awesome story. Congratulations on your success and many, many good

wishes to you.

Smooches

my experience....one year later!

To all:

I would just like to share my experience with orthognathic surgery. I

was on here a lot before I actually had it done, and you guys

provided a ton of encouragement that gave me courage and knowledge

going into it. I'm hoping my success story will encourage those who

are going through this as well. Some background: I was 16 when I had

the surgery, and am 17 now. I wore braces since I was 11. I had

double surgery: on a protruding lower jaw and a receding upper.

On January 28th, 2003, I arrived at Holy Redeemer Hospital (scared

out of my mind!) at 7 AM. I was wheeled into the OR at 8, in tears,

of course! Fortunately for me I had an amazing doctor and nurse who I

knew pretty well from their office and they put me right at ease in

the OR. They started the IV, and then came the liquid cocaine (I

believe they do this to dry out the sinus cavity on upper-jaw

surgeries.) I remember crying at this point and fading in and out of

consciousness. This is the last thing I remember until recovery.

Unfortunately, I had entered the hospital with a slight sinus

infection, and sometime during the surgery, so much mucus and blood

was pushed into my lungs that it caused a double pneumonia and a 70%

collapse of my left lung. From what I've been told, I was bleeding

profusely, my heart rate skyrocketed and my blood pressure plummeted,

and my oxygen saturation was as low as 50%, and I came very close to

cardiac arrest. I tell this not to scare people; it was one of those

freak things that no one in this particular OR had ever seen before.

Combined with my background of asthma, severe allergies, and a

suppressed immune system, it was actually not all that suprising.

Anyway, I came out of surgery with severe pneumonia and infection,

which definitely had an effect on my healing and hospitalization.

I awoke in recovery nauseated, dizzy, disoriented, and SWOLLEN. I had

a morphine drip and was being given oral (!!!) medications to drop my

103 degree fever and combat my infection. I was supposed to be out of

recovery by 11 AM; I was actually in there until about 3, because

they were trying to get me stabilized before sending me to the PICU.

I was a very sick girl, I was on CPAP, and two IV drips. The weirdest

thing is, I remember them taking away my morphine drip, and this was

the first time I tried to talk. Obviosuly, I couldn't! Finally, I was

wheeled out of the recovery room and down the hall, where my family

was waiting. I remember seeing my dad and giving him a thumbs up and

(trying to) smile. They had been frantic, the last information they

had gotten was that I might possibly be on a ventilator the next time

they saw me, so they were relieved that all I had was nasal prongs.

The next week was pretty crazy. I was only supposed to be

hospitalized for one night, this dragged into five nights. They took

away my morphine drip in hopes of upping my oxygen saturation, and

put me on oral codeine, which made me violently sick, so I had to

deal with the pain. I was unable to sit up walk for 4 days because my

breathing was so poor, my oxy-sats were as low as 75% for prolonged

periods of time. I didn't eat a thing the whole time I was

hospitalized. I also had the worst case of swelling my surgeon had

ever seen. My parents, who were only supposed to leave me at the

hospital that night and pick me up the next day, were forced to take

off days of work to stay with me. One of the biggest helps during

this period was my family. They were there for me constantly, doing

anything I needed to be comfortable and happy. I am so grateful they

were there for me.

Finally, on February 4th, 2003, I went home, still swollen and in

pain. I slept sitting up for 3 weeks afterwards. I lived on ibuprofen

tablets and slim-fast. I lost nearly 30 pounds in a month. It took

nearly that long for me to be able to go back to school due to

breathing problems.

And yet here I am, telling you to have this surgery if you have the

opportunity. You probably think I'm nuts. People look at me like I'm

crazy. " You almost died! " they say. But, and I cannot repeat this

enough, I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Why? Before this surgery, I thought of my self as disfigured, ugly. I

didn't smile. I didn't laugh. I had a terrible lisp. I kept quiet,

because I knew people were laughing at my teeth and my manner of

talking. If I didn't talk or smile, I reasoned, they'll think my face

is normal, that I was normal. I had no self-confidence whatsoever.

Today, one year later, I am a new person. My braces are off, my teeth

are straight and well-aligned, and aesthetically I am more attractive

then ever before. However, there are more important issues at hand. I

now speak very well and have only a trace of a lisp. And I now have

the self-confidence and poise to go forward in life. I smile. I

laugh. I talk. I'm still shy, but the real me is able to shine

through. The real me is no longer hidden behing a protruding jaw.

This surgery changed my life. Trust me, no matter what you have to go

through, it will be worth it.

By the way, if anyone in the Philadelphia area is having this

surgery, or considering it, I would definitely recommend my surgeon,

Dr. Dachowski. visit his site: drmikedachowski.com

Best wishes to all!

-

February 25, 2004