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

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Congrats on the 1 year post-op and thank you for your wonderfully

well-written note. It is so good to hear that you've reaped in such

good benefits from the completion of the treatment and recovery.

All the best!

on

(10 months post-op)

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Congrats on the 1 year post-op and thank you for your wonderfully

well-written note. It is so good to hear that you've reaped in such

good benefits from the completion of the treatment and recovery.

All the best!

on

(10 months post-op)

[Guest guest]

, you tell your story beautifully!

I don't think the surgery is for everybody. But I do think your story

illustrates why it can be so important and helpful for many people.

Congratulations for making it through all those trials, and I rejoice

for and with you in the successes you have experienced!

Cammie

> 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!

>

> -

[Guest guest]

, you tell your story beautifully!

I don't think the surgery is for everybody. But I do think your story

illustrates why it can be so important and helpful for many people.

Congratulations for making it through all those trials, and I rejoice

for and with you in the successes you have experienced!

Cammie

> 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!

>

> -

[Guest guest]

, you tell your story beautifully!

I don't think the surgery is for everybody. But I do think your story

illustrates why it can be so important and helpful for many people.

Congratulations for making it through all those trials, and I rejoice

for and with you in the successes you have experienced!

Cammie

> 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!

>

> -

[Guest guest]

WOW!!!

Congratulations and thanks for this very inspiring story!

Dammit

> 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!

>

> -

[Guest guest]

WOW!!!

Congratulations and thanks for this very inspiring story!

Dammit

> 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!

>

> -

[Guest guest]

WOW!!!

Congratulations and thanks for this very inspiring story!

Dammit

> 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!

>

> -

[Guest guest]

!

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!

>

> -

[Guest guest]

:

Our experiances are very similiar....in fact, my surgery was one

year to the day after yours. I went in on 28 Jan 2004 to repair a

protruding lower jaw (it was long and to the left) and a short upper

jaw. 15mm of movement in all. Mine was a 7 hour surgery. I

rememebr going to the hopsital at 5:45 am but was asleep before I

went into the surgical room. The first IV did a great job. I

rememebr next my surgeon standing over me and telling me that

everything went fine, that I was in recovery and it was 2:55.

They did not put me in ICY, but rather on the 9th floor, just a

regular ward. That proved to be a mistake and almost cost me my

life. They are very under-staffed at the hospital and my nurse did

not check on me on a regular basis. Fortunetly, my wife had decided

to come back from dinner even though it 930 and there were only 30

minutes left for visiting hours. She heard gurgaling sounds coming

from my throat and an alarm going off. She went to the nurses

station for help and the orderly told her someone would be there in

a few minutes. She tried to wake me up without luck.

Finally she went back to the nurses station and said I was getting

worse, that I wouldn't wake up. She was able to drag a nurse back

to my room. She tried to get a pain response from me without

result. They called my surgeons and told them I had " coded. " My

doctors rushed to the hospital thinking I had died, in

reality...just like you, my oxygen levels had dropped. I was below

70%. The nurse was ready to cut my wires to intubate when my

surgeon arrived and told her to stop. They used a nasal PA to open

my airwar and put me on O2. I was then transferred to the ICU. My

surgeon was the first one to wake me up. I saw his face, the other

surgeon and my wife on the right side of my bed. They all looked

scared, which caused me to panic. I realized I couldn't breathe and

saw the NPA in my nose although I couldn't feel it.

They told me I was going to ICU, but that everything was okay. ICU

did not sound okay to me. I spent the night in ICU with one nurse

(much better than the 9th floor where it was one nurse for every ten

patients). She was wonderful and did all she could to make me

comfortable. I was afraid to go to sleep, but was so tired. I

drifted in and out all night, and threw up only twice. Of course,

it was scary both times because it was all blood.

They next morning, even though I was still at 75% O2 sats, they

moved me back to the 9th floor, but this time in a " observation "

room...basically this meant I was the room closest tot he nurses

station. The respitory team and my surgeons visited me again and

told me what was going on. They weren't sure yet if I had suffered

a PE (pulmanry embalism) or pnemonia. They ran test, took x-rays,

sent me to ultra sound. I was exhausted and just wanted to sleep,

but as the day wore on, I was feeling better. Still nasueas, still

unwilling to eat and hating taking the medicine. I grew to hate my

meds nurses. Every 20 minutes trying to get me to open my mouth.

Of course, after all the work I had done, I was wired shut. None of

that plate stuff for me...wires to hold me in place.

Turns out...I had pnemonia in my left lung. Just like your case.

My surgeons said it happens although it was the first time they had

seen it. I personally blame the inattentive care of the 9th floor,

but who knows? They most amazing part is that, while I was to stay

on O2, I hated the mask. I was starting to feel claustrophobic and

refused to wear it. They switched me to a nasal canala even though

I was still below 80%. Friday morning (two days after surgery) my

surgeon came to check on me. My O2 levels were at 80%. He said I

woul be in the hospital for another night probably. Not good news.

I kept fighting with the nasal canala and pulling it off. I wanted

to go home. I started to eat...chicken broth and juice. I was so

hungry. I even started walking around even though it was a bit

difficult (I had a bone graft taken from my hip to fill in the newly

formed gap of my upper jaw). I even got to take a shower at about

1:00.

Then, the second surgeon came to visit. he checked my O2 levels.

98%!!!! They ran some more tests and then -- discharged me!!!! I

was out of the hospital two days after surgery...with no sign of

pnemonia!!! The docs could not explain it....in the morning I had

it...in the afternoon it was gone.

Its been four weeks now. The wires came out two days ago and I am

learning to talk and eat again. i still have that nasty splint in

my mouth which makes it tough to talk and eat, but at least I look

and feel better. Right now, I could not say I would do it all over

again. Its still too early. But, everyday the swelling goes down

more and more and I get a little bit more feeling back in my cheeks

and chin. I love the way it looks. The new me already has more

confidence than ever. Thanks for sharing your experiances. It

makes me feel better reading all these stories and experiances,

knowing that I am not alone, that what I experianced is familiar to

someone else. Thanks!

Tad