1 Year Post-Op!

Day 365 Days Post-op - 11.4.2010

This was the fortune I got the week before my surgery. I decided to keep it as my good luck charm.

Before and After Profile

Here I am, 1 year post-op and smiling on! It's hard to believe it has really been a whole year since surgery. In the last couple of weeks I have been getting those same feelings I had last year before surgery (stress, anxiety, fear, etc). PTSD of sorts perhaps? I am so incredibly glad that I do not have to mentally and physically prepare myself for such an intense surgery this year! It was 100% worth it, but as my other post-op jaw buddies know, it is very stressful!

Besides recovering from the enormous surgery over the past year, I have also been getting back into teaching! I could not be more happy or excited! :) I am currently a cooperating teaching a local kindergarten classroom. We have the greatest class, and it is great to finally be doing what I love! 

My ROM (range of motion) is at 35mm which is in the "normal" range. I can chew anything I want, BUT not all the time. I bit into an apple for the first time recently and it was incredible! It is not something I do often because it did leave my jaw muscles and joints sore for a day or so. Some days my joints are just tired and I choose to eat food that are less stressful, like yogurt instead of toast for breakfast.

Nerves: The nerves in my lower lip still twitch on a daily basis, but I now can control them enough to stop them. I do not have full feeling in my chin and lower lip, or my gums. The feeling in my gums comes back more and more every day.

Swelling: Gone. I think where I am now is where I'll stay. I still have days where my face puffs up a bit when I have chewed or talked too much, but it goes down within a day or so.

I am getting over a bad head and chest cold. My face was very angry from blowing my nose so often! I could feel the plates and screws vibrating. I used a nasal spray to try to limit my nose blowing time. My jaw joints were sore from coughing so much. I think these are things that will just become part of my "norm" as time goes on.

Plate and Screws: In general I do not notice them. I can feel them if I touch my face, but they say you have a greater risk of infection if you poke at them, so I leave them alone. On very cold days (40deg. or below) my face tends to be quite sensitive in the areas where the plates and screws are. If I go to a concert where there is feedback from the amplifiers then my face tends to feel it, so I try to stay away from concerts with a lot of feedback.

My current doctors visits (Rheumatologist & Genetic Specialists)  have been discussing the hyper mobility and pain in ALL of my joints. We have ruled out rheumatoid arthritis and are exploring my family history of Marfan Syndrome (a connective tissue disorder). It is possible that I fit into a category of people who have unexplainable joint pain and hyper mobility. This is frustrating to me, but I am glad we are exploring ways to help the pain. I still see a physical therapist once a week to help all of my body with the joint pain. I see my osteopath about once every 3 weeks to help in the healing process from surgery.

On Sunday I fly with my Mom to Santa Barbara for my one year post-op appointment with Dr. Gunson's office on Monday. I am excited to go back to Santa Barbara and get away from the chilly weather here in the Northeast. Dr. Gunson (surgeon), Dr. Mac (periodontist), and Dr. Chira (orthodontist) are all at a conference today and tomorrow to discuss my case and make sure everything is in great shape and no more work needs to be done. I anticipate still needing some work done on my back teeth as they are still a bit worn down, but we'll see what they say.

I am ecstatic to have hit the one year mark! I have come a long way in the last 12 months. I feel I am still making progress.

Here are some pictures from when I was in the hospital- 11.4-11.5 2009

11.4.2009 1 hr. before surgery. Texting Sam & Listening to Mix CD's he made me :)

Blood Circulation Tights and Fall Risk & ID Bands

Pep Talk from Dr. Gunson minutes before surgery.

11.4.2009 After coming out of recovery several hours post-op.

Yummy.

11. 4. 2009 Please note the container with blood on the right...that was what I was coughing up. Awesome.

11.4.2009 In a morphine coma.

11.5.2009 Waiting for Dr. Gunson or partner Dr. Arnett to come look at me.

11.5.2009 Dr. Arnett came to "clean me up" in the morning. I left the hospital in the afternoon.

Below are pictures of my progress through the last year:

 

Nov. 2 2009- 2 Days Pre-Op

11.7.2009 - Day 3 Post-Op

11.21.2009 - Day 17 Post-Op

12.22.2009 - Day 48 Post-Op

4. 19. 2010 - Day 166

September 2010 - Official School Photo

I'm not going to say this is going to be my "last" blog post because I will always be here to answer questions, and use the blog to vent about any future jaw news. However, I am no longer going to worry about blogging or feel guilty about not posting :)


To all  jaw buddies- if you have an questions or need support please don't hesitate to ask! This is such a huge process, and much too overwhelming to go through on your own.


Thank you to all of my family and friends for your support. I could not have gotten through this without you! THANK YOU!

Tonight Sam is taking me out to dinner for my one year jaw surgery celebration! He is the greatest! We are going to a fancy local Italian restaurant I have always wanted to go to, but have never had the occasion. I am going to gnaw on so much yummy Italian food, and I cannot wait!


A Smile Connects Us You and Me! Smiling On!