Day 365: ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY

Today's Pics:

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(This post coming to you from LONDON!)  Today marks the ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY of my jaw surgery!!!  It is hard to believe that one of the biggest days of my life thus far is already a year behind me... and I couldn't be happier. :)

My incisions have healed up nicely...

 

And the hair that was shaved near my ear has grown long enough to now tuck behind my ear...

 

 



As exciting as it is that I no longer have a sideburn, all is not 100% perfect yet.  I still have some numbness in my lower lip and chin; however, I can eat and speak just fine, so it's not too much of a hassle. 

 

 

I think I have slacked somewhat on my face exercises and massaging since moving to London, there has just been so much going on with getting settled here (excuses, excuses).  Starting today though, my flatmate has sworn to make me do my exercises and massages while we watch our favorite Netflix binge show... 24.  If I want this numbness gone, then I need to do something about it, right?!

Day 255: Released to London

Today's pic:

 

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Updates:

 

1) It has been 8.5 months since surgery.  Healing is still going on in my face, so I feel and see changes occurring all the time.  Currently, I have most of my feeling back; however, my bottom lip and chin still only have about 50%, but I can tell this is getting better all the time.  I am looking forward to the day when I can feel 100% again (or very close to that).

 

2) On March 18th, I went to see Dr. Turvey for my "one year check-up".  (I know it has not been one year yet; however, I am leaving the country on April 13th, so we wanted to get the one year appointment in before I leave.)  He is very happy with my progress to date.  However, there is still a ways to go.  Currently, I am unable to move my lower jaw forward farther than my upper jaw.  Also, I cannot move my lower jaw to my right much and when I open my mouth, my lower jaw strays to the left a bit.  He said this is typical for someone who has had a left condylectomy, but can be corrected with continued face exercises.

 

3) After getting my braces off, I had to wear my retainer 24/7 for the first 6 weeks.  On March 31st, I was told I could start wearing it just at night.

 

4) Lastly, on April 8th, I had my final gum graphs post-op appointment.  Dr. McKenzie was very pleased with the results and therefore has released me from his care.

 

With all this good news, I have been released to head across the pond over to LONDON!

 

 

 



Day 211: Gum Grafts

Today's pic:

 

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Yesterday I had gum graft surgery.  Everything went well, I have good meds to keep the pain at bay, and I have been sleeping a lot.  In the pic above you can see that my lower left cheek is swollen.

 

My periodontist is Dr. Sheppard McKenzie IV (http://www.raleighperio.com/mckenzie.php).  He performed 2 types of grafts: a Connective Tissue Graft on my lower left molars and a Free Gingival Graft on my lower front teeth.  The tissue for the grafts was harvested from the roof of my mouth, where I now have a stent to cover the wound.

 

 

A Connective Tissue Graft (CT) takes tissue from under healthy gum tissue in the palate (roof of mouth), which may be placed at the area of gum recession.  This procedure has the advantage of excellent predictability of root coverage, as well as decreased pain at the palatal donor site compared to the free gingival graft. The connective tissue graft is a very common procedure for covering exposed roots.

 

A Free Gingival Graft (FGG) is a dental procedure where a small layer of tissue is removed from the palate of the patient's mouth and then relocated to the site of gum recession.  It is sutured (stitched) into place and will serve to protect the exposed root as living tissue.  The donor site will heal over a period of time without damage.  This procedure is often used to increase the thickness of very thin gum tissue.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gum_graft

 

Got the laughing gas going here.

Torture devices.

Meds are good.

The white strings are the stitches.

The white gummy looking material is "packing" over the FGG.

Lots of blood.

 

As far as post-op recovery goes:

- Use an ice pack to reduce swelling

- No physical activity for the first 48 hours

- Cold soft foods for the first 24 hours, after the first 24 hours the diet restriction is to just keep to soft foods

 - No brushing teeth, use mouth rinse instead

- Wear stent to protect the harvest site at the roof of the mouth

- Take medications as prescribed: I have 2 different pain meds (hydrocodone & etodolac), an antibiotic (arithromycin), and a mouth rinse (chlorhexidine gluconate).  The pain meds are to be taken alternating every 4 hours, the antibiotic is to be taken once per day, and the mouth rinse is to be used twice per day - morning and night.

 

The meds.

The stent.

 

My post-op appointment is set for Wednesday, March 5th at 8:30am.

 

Day 209: No More Braces!

Today's Photo Montage:

 

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In case you could not tell, I had my braces removed today - after almost 1 year and 8 months!  This is probably the happiest day I have had since my surgery.  I was recently asked (by several people), "Will you miss your braces?".  What?!?  Are you kidding me?!!  There was one day when I had to ask a 12-year-old little boy if he had any wax to spare while riding roller coasters at Carowinds.  The look he gave me... well, let's just say it was a low point in my life.  So, no, I will NOT miss my braces.  I am so excited to finally be at this point in my jaw/mouth saga!

 

Before:

 

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Tomorrow is another big day for me - I am scheduled to have gum graft surgery.  I know I have been through worse, but I cannot help but be nervous.  Say a prayer for me!  Will provide more of an update post surgery with all the details.

 

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Last Tuesday, on February 18th, I had my hair cut and highlighted for the first time since surgery (about 7 months ago).  I finally felt comfortable letting someone touch my head around the area where the bone graft was taken from (I like to joke that this area is my "soft spot" since it feels like a large crater.).  And my hair sure did need it!

 

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It is nice to be feeling more normal now.  Another month and this (braces, jaw surgery, gum grafts) should all be behind me, with just a few post-op check-up appointments left in my future.

 

Day 186: Six Month Update

Today's pic:

 

 

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I have lots of updates today!  First of all, I am sure you are wondering about this glamour shot above.  To celebrate 6 months post-surgery, my lovely and talented friend, Emily Sexton (you previously saw her pictured visiting me on Day 5), convinced me to let her photograph me.  I was really nervous about seeing close up pictures of just my face since I still have numbness of the bottom lip and chin and am still working on being able to move my mouth symmetrically.  However, I think the results speak for themselves:

 

 

 

(Shout out to Em Grey Photography!  http://www.em-grey.com/index.html#/home/)

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Another mile marker (13.1 mile marker, to be exact) for me recently was completing my first half marathon in Phoenix, Arizona on January 19th.  My goal was to run the whole time and to run it in under 2 hours and 30 minutes, both of which I accomplished.  My official time was 2:27:34.  And to think that I did this less than 6 months after major surgery.  I couldn't be prouder of myself.

 

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Back in November I was feeling sluggish and tired, so I scheduled a physical appointment with my GP.  She ran some blood tests and told me that my iron levels still aren't back to the normal level since surgery.  So, I am back to taking iron supplements on a daily basis.  Since taking the iron again, I am back to feeling much better, which is good since I had that half marathon to train for!

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Finally, I can announce that my health insurance (I won't mention any names) has settled up on my medical expenses. It took some effort on both mine and UNC Hospital's part to make this happen.  It was weeks, no, months of back and forthness and providing additional information and proof of medical necessity.  Sadly, I am convinced that health insurance's response is always to reject.  And this was after I had already had the surgery pre-approved THREE times prior to surgery, including the pre-approval that was required on the actual day of surgery.  Luckily, UNC Hospital deals with this type of drama all the time with health insurance companies and they took care of dealing with most of the stress involved with it.

All in all, the jaw surgery, including braces, cost me $7,793.79 out of pocket.  However, it doesn't end there.  I GET MY BRACES OFF ON FEBRUARY 25TH (YAY!) and then I am scheduled to have gum graph surgery on February 26th, which will cost me an additional estimate of $785.00.  I will be so ecstatic when I no longer have people poking and prodding around in my mouth. 

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I know I mentioned on Day 78 that my next appointment with Dr. Turvey would be at the 12 month mark; however, I am now scheduled to see him on March 18th because I just received a verbal job offer (fingers crossed that the official paperwork all gets approved!) which would require me to MOVE TO LONDON at the end of March!!!  Therefore, BLTs with Mom at Merritt's will have to be moved up as well. 

 

 

Day 123: Four Month Update

Today's pic:

 

 

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It has been 4 months since my surgery and so much has changed in such a short period of time! 

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I only have numbness in my lower lip and chin now.  I can tell the feeling is starting to come back though since it is a little itchy and tickly (yes, this is a word, I looked it up.).  The only area that still has a lack of movement is the right side of my nose (left side in the picture below).  I don't seem to be making any progress here.  I can feel the hardware under the skin, so I wonder if this is the reason for the lack of movement and if it will be a permanent result.

 

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I can get 11 popsicle sticks comfortably in between my teeth now, and 12 at a stretch.  I am trying to make it to 14 by the end of the year.  My goal is to be able to finally eat a sandwich again!  Even though I am not able to open my mouth wide enough to eat a sandwich yet, I can pretty much eat anything now as long as I can squeeze it in my mouth.

Thanksgiving dinner #1:

  

Thanksgiving dinner #2:

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! 

Day 78: Three Month Check-up

Today's pic:

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I traveled to UNC hospital two days ago (on Tuesday) for my three month check-up.  Dr. Turvey and Dr. Brookes were very excited about my progress.  I still have a ways to go with movement and numbness, but they don't see any reason why I won't have a full recovery as long as I continue with my exercises and physical therapy.  At this point, I am able to get 10 sticks in my mouth between my molars.  I am to continue until I can comfortably get 14 sticks in.  I also need to continue massaging my cheeks and around my mouth, nose, chin, and incisions.  Retraining my facial muscles is a big deal now if I want to gain back symmetrical movements on both sides of my face (as of now my smile is a bit lop-sided and I can only scrunch one side of my nose).  To do this I need to sit in front of a mirror while making exaggerated expressions and forcing my facial muscles to react the same on boths sides of my face.

As far as food goes, I have worked my way up to pretty much anything I can cut into pieces and fit into my mouth, as long as it's not too hard or chewy.  Steak and sandwiches are still off the table, but pastas, tender meats, and even pizza are options for me now.  It's nice to not have such limited options.  My jaw still gets fatigued at times, but that means I am getting stronger!

Next appointment with my surgeons is scheduled for the 12 month mark!  That will also be the day Mom and I eat BLTs at Merritt's Store and Grill.  We made a promise during my last appointment pre-surgery to eat BLTs for my one year post-surgery celebration!  P.S. If you haven't eaten a BLTs at this place before... It's worth the drive, so make it happen!

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Today was my second appointment post-surgery with my orthodontist.  Dr. Vanderwall is also extremely pleased with my recovery thus far.  I asked him today when he thinks I will be able to get my braces off, I prefaced by saying that I am by no means trying to rush perfection.  He is hopeful that I will be braces free in March 2014!

On last thing to mention... I no longer have to wear rubberbands all day every day (including at night).  I now only need to wear rubberbands at night.  And my rubberbands were changed from a square on my farthest back molars to a triangle around my eye teeth.

Before:

After:

Day 63: Daily Physical Therapy

Today's pic:

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I know it has been quite a while since I last posted an update.  The first week or two after surgery, there are obvious changes from day-to-day; however, as the weeks go on the changes have become less and less obvious.  I think my recovery is now going at a snail's pace.  I've been told that it could take up to 9 months post-surgery before I gain back all my feeling and movement.  Until then, I have to put myself through daily physical therapy.  Some of it feels soothing and relaxing (the warm towel around the face), while most of it feels uncomfortable and painful (cranking large Popsicle sticks up and down between my molars).

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I dampen a hand towel and then put it in the microwave for a minute to make it nice and toasty...

Wrap it around my head...

Then wait for about 5 - 6 minutes until it cools...

Now it's time for some Popsicle stick exercises.  Getting 8 sticks in between my molars...

(I started with being able to get 6 Popsicle sticks in comfortably and 7 at a stretch.  I need to be up to 10 - 12 sticks by the next time I see Dr. Turvey on October 15th.)

There, got them in...

Crank up...

Crank down...

Other side...

Squeezing a 9th stick in...

Get in there!

Nailed it!

Going for 10...

One final shove...

Help!

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Since the right side of my face is lagging a bit behind the left side of my face in terms of numbness and movement, I do some extra stretching on the right side.  The stretching should loosen the scar tissue and allow for additional movement.  Nothing can be done about the numbness, that will just come back with time (fingers crossed!).

Stretching up...

Stretching out...

Stretching down...

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Also, please enjoy the incision update photos below!

Neck incision:

Head incision (with flash):

Head incision (without flash):

Ear incision (with flash):

Ear incision (without flash):

There's that beautiful sideburn growing back!