To Diane (Idaho)

[Guest guest]

Diane!

Your post completely made me laugh.... as in laugh out loud at 2am or

whatever time it was that I read it in the middle of the night!

I love that the receptionist at your OMS office photographed you to

show the surgeon!! That's fantastic! I wonder how many of us -The

Impatients " are really out there. Hopefully there are enough regular

Patients (ha ha, i'm so witty) to balance it out. It's good we are

geographically separated too.... can you imagine a whole group of us

in one town/city, or even seeing the same doctor?! There have to be

enough patient patients out there so there's still time lingering

around for us to drop in at whim and fancy! Don't you agree?

I was laughing about your comments regarding having to incessantly

explain what exactly corrective jaw surgery IS and what it IS NOT,

particularly that it is not an office procedure! At the time of my

surgery, I was working at the front desk at an animal hospital. I

went back to work 3 or 4 weeks post-op. I still had the splint in so

I couldn't speak very well (It was a nice respite from the phones, as

my manager didn't make me answer them until my splint was out and I

could speak more comprehensibly). So, I just had to deal with clients

at the desk in person. I got ALL KINDS of guesses. " oh, did you have

a filling today? " (My thoughts: Yea, and do you get big plastic

things wired to your teeth when you get cavities filled? Outside:

smile as co-worker chokes down a laugh explaining that I had S-U-R-G-

E-R-Y.)This is with the explanation that they BROKE bones in my face.

And round and round it went. Some guessed that I had just had it done

that morning, or maybe I had just had it done yesterday? Or some

other good inquiries included " Did he do it in his office? " " Did they

give you novacaine for it? " " Did you just get your wisdom teeth out? "

The idea that it required a Hospital! and General Anesthesia! was

generally too abstract. It's wierd. Anyway, after reading your

similar tales of woe, I was just laughing because, well don't I know

how that goes!Speaking of explaining everything to my family- My

surgeon thought I would look particularly Horrible after my surgery

due to my fair coloring, so he had me extra-duty prepare my family in

advance to expect that I would look awful. This worked to both my

advantage and disadvantage because I never looked that bad! He was

Shocked at my one-week post op appt by how good I looked already (as

in little bruising or swelling)! Everyone, prepared for the worse,

instead was commenting on how i didn't look that bad after all which

is a boost to your battered self-esteem when you feel like chopped

roasted mutton. But that was a double edged sword because people

(read my boyfriend) thought I felt as good as I was looking. HA HA HA

HA I think it is better to look horrendous because then people treat

you as if you must feel as bad as you look, i.e. you must feel

horrendously! Fortunately, my family was very understanding for the

most part having themselves been through the ringer with their own

medical adventures in surgery and the likes. I did have my problems

making them " get it " before hand. So, I feel for your frustrations,

as they sound more daunting than mine between your mother and

sisters. I will be interested to hear what everyone's reaction is to

you after you have your surgery (which hopefully happens as soon as

possible!)

Thank you for the midnight laugh, Diane! Sorry for my delay in

getting back to you. Take care and I'll continue to look for your

updates on how your speedy progress is going with your braces.

Katja

> > > > > > > I am so disappointed. I went for my consult today

> thinking

> > > > that

> > > > > I

> > > > > > > would be scheduling the braces, but I was wrong.

> > Apparently,

> > > > my

> > > > > > > problems are too significant and I am being sent to

UNC.

> > > > Earlier

> > > > > > there

> > > > > > > were some questions about the program at UNC, so I'll

be

> > able

> > > > to

> > > > > > tell

> > > > > > > you first hand. I hate this. I've been working on

this

> > for

> > > > four

> > > > > > > months and feel like I've gotten nowhere. I went by to

> see

> > > my

> > > > > oral

> > > > > > > surgeon and he says that he will have to conceed to the

> > > ortho.

> > > > I

> > > > > > > didn't realize that my problems were that hard to fix.

I

> > > cried

> > > > > all

> > > > > > the

> > > > > > > way home. Just needed to vent.

> > > > > > >

> > > > > > > Rene`