#Jaw surgery

[luxjii]

my pj’s when I was recovering from a surgery

[starseneyes]

I Carry You With Me

I knew going into my surgery that cadaver bone would be used to help support the shifts in my upper jaw. In fact, I surprised my surgeon’s office when we first discussed it.

"We’ll be doing a bone graft on the upper jaw." "Oh, where are you grafting it from?" "Oh, we won’t be using your bone." "Ah, dead tissue. Got it." "You really did do your research!"

13 days ago, I underwent the procedure. The plastic splint on my upper palate will come out in another five weeks or so. But the bone up there? That is now a part of me.

And now that it is in me, I realize I am carrying someone else with me for the rest of my life, someone who chose to donate pieces of themself to help others live. I will have a more fulfilled and healthier life because of them.

I will never know their name or their life story. Did they have children? How old were they when they died? Were they loved?

I don’t know if they chased their dreams, or if they were too afraid. Did they love to watch sunrises and sunsets, too? Or did we have absolutely nothing in common?

And now this selfless person who chose to be an organ and tissue donor has given me a better quality of life—one I would not have without them.

I will carry them with me the rest of my life. And I will hold gratitude in my heart for them, too.

And, yes, I am an organ donor! Maybe someday some part of me will help someone else. And that is a true gift.

[fa1ryv]

Hello! not showing my face until I’m less swollen and bruised. 🥺Only 4 more weeks to go and I can eat solid food 😋 until then, it’s liquid meals

[forever-rogue]

hi friends 🥰

i'm having my jaw surgery in a couple of weeks (and i am panicking)! if any of y'all have any tips/tricks/suggestions for recovery please let me know because i am very nervous and the anxiety is high!

[nightowl1556]

Wires removed and here I thought everything would immediately get better. I'm still not allowed to chew. So I can't have Ramen or scrambled eggs just yet...

I can have creamier soups now instead of damn broth, so that's a plus...☺️

[awaywiththewaterr]

“ike, you have to be honest, am i ugly, yes or no?”

bro i know i be talking to myself on here sometimes but big reveal since swelling is almost gone. IM 2 MONTHS POST OP, peek the free nose job too!

[downoutcold-blog]

Adult Dental Transformation

Has anyone had significant dental treatments, particularly as an adult? What prompted the treatments? How was your experience?

[incomingnewsmile]

Favourites

Favourite milkshake: Haagan Daz strawberry shortcake ice cream, Strawberry protien powder, with fresh strawberrys, cream and milk mmm

Or Coconut ice cream with milk and honey. So simple but so good

Favourite protien powder: Huel, Salted caramel meal replacement (also banging with vanilla ice cream blended in for extra calories or just for a yummy treat mmm)

Favourite soup : broccoli & Stilton or butternutsquash

Favourite smoothie: Greek Yogurt, honey, pineapple juice (good for swelling), mango and banana

Favourite yogurt: M&S lemon and lime or cherry Yogurt mmm all of them are amazing though 🤌

Favourite icecream: Haagan Daz - every flavour 😂 all so very cooling on my face too, when eaten... not using them as a mask or anything 🤣

[noelletism]

the way jaw surgery changes someone is magic 🩷

[nina76trema]

After surgery diary #1

Yesterday morning my lower jaw was broken and put back together, slightly longer. On the consent form I signed, the procedure is reported as Bilateral Saggital Split Osteotomy. After this, the anaesthetist thought it would be nice to put down something more understandable and added the crude but effective: bottom jaw forward.

I hear it as it would be said by a Dalek: bottom - jaw - forward!

All this was done to... EXTERMINATE! a dentofacial malocclusion.

To all the people in my life who asked me why I am doing this, why I am putting myself through the ordeal of upper and lower braces for 14 months + surgery + more braces + possibly a retainer at 46 years of age, I said that I want to be finally able to bite for real, to chew correctly, and to save my teeth and gums from the increased risk of cavities and diseases that comes with crooked teeth. All this is true.

What I don't say, is that I want the ability to smile with no shame.

I want to be able to smile with all my face and all my heart. Therapy is not enough, I need to cancel the shame of my childhood from my face too. It is not lost on me that after this I will resemble my mother less. If I had a better reason to do it, I will change my nose as well.

I will be happy enough with the mouth. This mouth that I am liberating. This mouth that I am reshaping with my money, my will, and my pain.

Today, is mostly pain. And ugliness. I'd never been so ugly in my life! I have no bruises or wounds but I am swollen like a rain frog. I wanted the open smile of a character from a short story by Fuyumi Soryo (A Strange Gene, from the collection Taiyou no Ijiwaru. Read it! It's great!) but what I got is...

Now I need the right collar to go with the aristocratic jaw. Amazon? Etsy?

[starseneyes]

Maybe I'm More Than I Know (and maybe you are, too)

I hear it often, "You're Superwoman!" "I don't know how you get so much done." "Rachel, how do you do it?"

I don't say this to brag. To me, you do what you have to do. Yes, my life has a disproportionately long list, at times, and I'm the only person who can tick off the items.

I'm up against multiple invisible illnesses. But so are lots of people, right? To me, I try not to make a big deal of my health issues because I know it could be so much worse. I carry on as best I can.

But there are times I look back and realize that maybe, just maybe, I am Superwoman.

Over the past 24 hours I learned that for the four months since my jaw surgery in June I've been fighting not one, not two, but three separate infections attacking the bone on my left side.

I've been so hard on myself for feeling sluggish, for being tired, for struggling to get through. And while I was busy being hard on myself, I didn't know how much I was up against. I had no idea how hard my body was fighting.

So, okay, maybe I am Superwoman. And maybe that means I need to ease up on myself a little. Even Superwoman needs days off, right? Even Superwoman knows her limits, right?

Alright, Rachel. You're Superwoman. Now that you know that, remember to take super breaks, give yourself super patience, and recognize how badass you are, every now and then, instead of beating yourself up for not being perfect.

Oh, and you? The person reading this? Advocate for your health.

I knew I needed this second surgery to remove the plate early on, and while it took forever, I'm glad I got it. Take care of yourself, loves. You are your best advocate.

And, remember to give yourself grace. Trust me, it's a good thing.

[yourlocalzombie]

I lived bitches

[pioneergirlsie]

Ever since I had jaw surgery four years ago, I’ve been able to feel the weather coming. Snowstorm? Sore jaw and a headache. Rain? Sore jaw and a headache. Wind? Guess what, sore jaw and a headache.

I’m literally that old lady of the village who’s like, “There’s a storm brewing! I can feel it in my bones.”

Through the pain of a thunderstorm rolling in this morning, I’ve been wondering…

[nightowl1556]

Pizza

I want pizza

I want it so bad.

[heartoftxoralsurgery]

If you recently got your jaw surgery and are facing problem in recovery, then read this blog, we have written down the best tips.

[orangechickenpillow]

Met with my surgeon today and I've officially been cleared to eat and do whatever I want. No more activity restrictions! Yay!

Now I can start the slow process of building my muscle back up (and also eat some fucking chips, fuck yeah)