3 Years Post-Op



Wow! Has it really been 3 years? It's very exciting to me to think of all of the progress I have made, and continue to make, yay! I am very happy I had the surgery, and my life has forever been changed for the better. A lot of positive changes have happened in the last year, Sam and I are engaged and getting married next summer (WHOOHOO!), I've changed schools and grades (4th grade!), my brother has had twins, and I'm sure there's more I am forgetting. So much to smile for!

This morning Sam and I celebrated my 3 year anniversary with bagels!


Mmmmmm....
In the past year I have gone through a lot of testing for my joints. As I have posted in the past, I have pain in many of my joints. It is a daily battle for pain management. In the Spring I had an MRI for back pain. They found that I have a couple herniated disks in my low back, and I have dural ectasia. Dural ectasia "is a widening or ballooning of the dural sac surrounding the spinal cord usually at the lumbosacral level. It is one of the major manifestations of Marfan syndrome." This causes a lot of pain. Because of this discovery with the MRI, I was officially diagnosed (through genetic testing) that I do have Marfan Syndrome. This diagnosis is a comfort to know what is causing my joint pain, and how to treat the joint pain. It also explains why my body takes a long time to heal. Dr. Mac likes to call it "marfan-ing" when it takes longer for me to heal than the average person. While this currently does not have a great impact on my jaw/jaw surgery, it does help me understand why my recovery was so difficult. 

Pain Management: Physical Therapy 1-2 times a week, with at home exercises including yoga. Clonazepam (.5mg) before bed to help my muscles relax. My jaw still likes to tense up, especially when I am stressed. 

Recent Mouth/Teeth Work: Over Columbus Day weekend I went to see Dr. Mac to have gum surgery. Due to the massive amount of movement my jaw had, when my gum tissue healed there was some excess gum tissue/gum tissue that wasn't formed correctly over my new teeth location. To prevent gum disease Dr. Mac reshaped the gum tissue. I had this pink putty stuff put over the stitches, and I was back to a post-surgery diet for a couple of weeks. 

Ohhh look at that awesome bite! (You can see the pink putty used to protect the stitches.)
Dr. Mac came to my orthodontists office the following weekend to take out the stitches. Lucky enough, Dr. Gunson was there, too! Dr. Gunson and Dr. Chira observed while Dr. Mac took out the stitches....both ooo-ing and ahhh-ing over the amazing new look of my gums. That was a pretty great feeling; to know I had to have this gum surgery and the results not only would prevent gum disease, but look awesome, too! 

Nerves: The nerves in my lower lip only twitch when I am really exhausted or stressed (same as 2 year mark). I have all of the feeling in my chin and lower lip, but it doesn't bother me. I have all of the feeling in the rest of my face. 

Swelling: I still have days where my face puffs up a bit when I have chewed or talked too much, but it goes down when I get a good nights rest (same as 2 year mark).

Plate and Screws: I still feel vibrations when at a concert where there is feedback from the amplifiers, so I try to stay away from concerts with a lot of feedback. Whenever I have a cold the screws near my nose get a little sore, but it goes away when my cold goes away. With the gum surgery my plates were irritated a little bit more, but they are back to my "normal". 

At this 3 year mark, I am so happy at the progress I have made, and continue to make. Below are some pictures that show my progress, and where I am now. 

On the left, me a couple hours after surgery.
On the right, me at a wedding this summer.
Above: Sam and I after he proposed- April 17, 2012

Below: Sam and I at a wedding rehearsal- Aug 2012
 

My friend Cam and I at a wedding in June.
Left-Right: Dr. Mac, Me, Dr. Chira, Dr. Gunson
These are the doctor's who are brought me to where I am today! Thank you so much for all of your support, knowledge, and teamwork, without you I would not be where I am today!



To those of you just starting out on the jaw surgery trip...hold on tight! It can be a frustrating and exhausting process, but it was one that improved my quality of life in a way that nothing else could. There is nothing that can replace the ability to chew your food, and smile with confidence. 

 Smile On Jaw Buddies!

Comments

  1. Hey Mary,

    I am so happy to hear that you are doing great. I was extremely happy to have found your blog a few months ago. I am 29 y/o and I too have Marfan's. I have recently become interested in correcting my dental issues and will need SARPE to do so. I'm a little worried about surgery especially since I have never had any major medical procedures or surgery. Reading your blog made me feel a little more at ease. I'm hoping to begin the process by mid-2013, I'm waiting until I finish grad school to ensure that surgery does not interfere with my classes.

    I hope to read more of your blog. Thanks for it.

    - Jenny

    ReplyDelete
  2. You look so happy!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Mary,
    I hope you are still doing well! I am post jaw-surgery myself, but have had some complications and will need to have more surgery. I am seeing a dentist who has me wearing a MAGO splint, and I am wondering if this is the same type of splint that you had? I can find very little information on it, but if it is something that Dr. Gunson approves, I would feel better knowing that, since he is so highly regarded. Thank you!
    Ellie

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Ellie,

    I did have a MAGO. From what I understand, you must be seeing a Bioesthetic dentist. That is the treatment approach that Dr.McClendon (my periodontist who works closely with Dr. Gunson) teaches and implements in all his patients. I hope this helps!

    Best Wishes!
    Mary

    ReplyDelete

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