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!

Comments

  1. Oh Mary, I love your blogs!! :) You look amzing! I love all the pictures. Congratulations on your success over the past year!!

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  2. You go girl! What a ride it has been, and you've been a trooper through it all as well as a model for all who come after you.

    Love, DAD

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  3. Congratulations!! You made it and you look fantastic! So happy for you.

    Just out of curiosity, has that jaw exercise "clucking of the joint into place" been helping it to stay centered in the joint properly? Is it something you'll have to continue doing for a while or will your joint eventually stay where it is supposed to stay?

    Thanks!
    Dan

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  4. Daniel,
    Thank you! I haven't had to do the clucking to get my joint into place, it seems to be staying put. However, I still cluck when my joint seems to be getting tired, or the muscles are in spasm.
    Mary

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hello there--
    I have commented before, I am also a pt. of Dr. Gunson and have been following your blog a little bit. I have to say you remind me so much of me, that sounds funny but our cases are similar and we both have the "attention to detail/princess and the pea" theme...I still haven't decided if that is a blessing or curse. :)I have a lot of the full-body/arthritis/joints popping out that you also seem to have...I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease 5 yrs ago but that is another can of worms. I am hoping to schedule surgery for Feb. 2011...I would LOVE to talk to you/email you. I understand you are probably moving on and healing and dont want to deal with re-hashing your pain to people, but I would love to maybe ask you a few questions. If you have time, please send me an email. katiejoy80@hotmail.com Best wishes and I hope you get all of the relief and healing you have hoped for! And thank you for being such a good blogger so the rest of us can have a great example to follow--it really has been helpful!
    Katie Call

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  6. Hi Marym!

    I've been reading your blog and it is truly inspiring! I am scheduled for sugery in 2 months' time, have been going through this saga for over 3 years. I too have condylar resorption (in my case it's "idiopathic", meaning they have no idea what's worng with me). I am very scared and anxious about the surgeries (Lefort I and Sagittal osteotomy and possible genioplasty), because the treatment for ICR is so controversial, and the chance of relapse after surgery is so great. I keep reading on the internet that people are having their TMJs operated on, as well as having orthognathic surgery, whereas my OS only wants to do orhto surgery and not touch the joints. I am also concerned about the lack of communication between my orthodontist and surgeon.

    Anyway, as the person above said, you probably don't want to relive your exeriences and just want to move on with your life, but I would REALLY appreciate it if we could exchange a few emails, if I could ask you a few questions - I think it would help me tremendously because I feel quite alone and scared right now.

    My email is babrschm85@gmail.com - please send me an email if you have time.

    Take care
    Barbara

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  7. Came across your blog! also having surgery with dr. gunson in June 2020!

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