11 days post-op

[Guest guest]

Hi y'all,

This is my first time back on the computer after surgery (bilateral

TMJ reconstruction). The surgery went pretty well. On my left joint

I had previously had a temporalis muscle graft which had healed

well. The condyle was already gone (from arthritis) all my surgeon

had to do was smooth out the bone, make a 45 degree cut through the

mandible and place the distractor. The right side was more

difficult. Part of the condyle was still there but the bone was very

ratty and there was no cartilage or disc left. The joint was

essentially fused. He removed the remainder of the condyle and did a

temporalis muscle flap to replace the cartilage and then placed the

distractors.

My recovery has been more difficult this time around. I guess after

4 jaw surgeries in 16 months, my reserves were down. I ended up with

a kidney infection day #2 so I spent 4 nights in the hospital

instead of two as planned. When I finally left, I was still throwing

up and unable to keep a lot down but I really wanted to go home.

Luckily I have a good friend who is a nurse and came to my house

every day for a week and gave me IV fluids.

We started the distraction 4 days ago. I have screws hanging out of

my cheeks that have to be turned twice a day. It's torture. Just

when I think the pain is under control, it's time to turn again.

Each turn expands the bone 1/2 mm. We've gotten 5 mm done out of the

15 that my surgeon estimates I need. This is the second time I've

had to had this done so at least I know what to expect.

This surgery is different than my orthognathic surgeries in that

early range of motion exercises are very important. I have to do

stretching exercises all day long to improve mobility. I can now

open about 2 finger widths - a huge improvement over pre-op but I

still have a long way to go. I wear bands when I'm not stretching to

keep my bite in place.

I'm still on a liquid diet. Since the surgeon removed the condyles

and coronoids, the rest of my lower jaw is basically floating. If I

try to bite down on something, I can just feel the bones shift

around. It feels really weird. By using precise turns of the screws

and bands, the surgeon can put my lower jaw into a perfect bite

again (like after surgery #2). I can't wait to see the final results.

Thank you for all your good wishes pre-op. Good luck to those with

upcoming surgeries.