Surprise, No Loose Screws

It came as a big surprise to my husband that I don't have a screw loose. He's just sure there's another one in there that's causing me to be so weird. I told him to just wait until he has a procedure and I'll tease him.

Today at 11:15 I walked into the OR to get my plates and screws removed just on the left lower jaw. I have to tell you, it was a piece of cake. They did give me gas to put me to sleep and a half trachea tube, and an hour later I was in recovery drinking apple juice. The doc did say the screws weren't loose, so that wasn't what caused the infection. He said a piece of food or some bacteria probably just got in the screw/plate. He said because of the infection the bone started to lay down more bone to cover the infection and he had to scrape the bone down.

I woke in recovery in pain which made me think the pain would only get worse, but it didn't. Actually, I feel fantastic now! I am still swollen in that spot, but I think removing the infection has already made me feel better. Or it could be all the Vicoden I've been taking. :-)

I've already taken the dog on a walk, made dinner(simple one) and cleaned the kitchen.

I am restricted to a cold liquid diet for 24hrs then I can progress to a soft diet for about 4-7 days depending on how I feel. Oh yea and I should feel good enough to go to the Bronco's game on Sunday! So excited. Anyway, you guys are all just awesome. Thanks for all your thoughts, prayers and comments.

Plate and Screw Removal Tomorrow

Hi all. I had my appointment with the surgeon on Tuesday and he wants to take the plate and screws out. Actually, so do I. My surgery is scheduled for tomorrow at 11:15. It will be done at his surgical suite in his office. He kinda freaked me out when he said that an anaesthesiologist will be there. I thought he was going to just put me to sleep with an IV, but I guess he changed his mind. I know it will be nothing like my last surgery so I guess I'm not really scared, just a little . He said it would take about an hour. He didn't recommend me doing the other side because it wasn't bothering me. So, thanks guys for your input! You were all right. Once he's in there he should be able to tell what caused the infection. He also may have to shave the bone down slightly if I had some overgrowth. Sometimes that happens with an infection.

I asked the nurse how often this happens and I didn't get a very straight answer. She just said "not that often". Anyway, your prayers are always appreciated. Hugs!

The Infection is Back

Well as the doctor expected, my infection is back. I've been off the antibiotics for about 3-4 weeks now and my jaw started to get tender a few days ago. Over night it swelled up. It's kinda weird because the swelling is really hard, not soft like I expected it to be. It's right along my lower left jaw. In the picture it's on the left (looks like my right). The picture is reversed. Anyway, I called the doc today and he's going to put me antibiotics just to get me through the weekend. He wants to see me Tuesday. Looks like the plates and screws are going to come out. He said he would give me the option of removing the other side. The only draw back besides extra pain is he will have to put a hole in my cheek to remove the last screw. I'm not sure what to tell him. Does anyone have suggestions? Thanks so much.

Appointment with OS about Infection

Hi all. I've been very busy lately because of a new midlife crisis purchase. Instead of a really nice Audi R8 I decided to get a Whoodle. What's a Whoodle you ask? Don't worry, I had never heard of it before either. You know how they come up with all these weird sounding dog breeds. A Whoodle is a mix between a Wheaten Terrier and a Poodle. She looks like a Labradoodle. She's super cute, friendly and soft. She's taking up a lot of my time lately. Her name is Sophie.

Ok, on to ortho stuff. Thank you guys for asking about how my appointment went. I really appreciate it. Anyway, I saw the surgeon on Wednesday and he took a look at my teeth and said we "hit a home run". I'm not sure, but I think he's complimenting himself. My lips are getting closer together too as the swelling goes down. He told me that women should have between 2 and 4mm lip incompetence. I guess that's ok then.

As for the infection, he thinks it will probably come back and if it does he would take the screws out. He said that once bacteria get in there it's hard for your body to fight it off and you just have to remove the screws and plates. He would do it in his surgical suite in his office. He would just put me to sleep with an IV and cut along the same original surgical incision. The last screw is hard to get out without putting a little hole in my cheek. Well, that doesn't sound too bad. He was going to wait and see if the infection does indeed come back. I forgot to ask how long that might take. That's all for now. Off to bed.

Infection?

Hi all. I have been a bad blogger. I haven't posted anything for weeks now. School has started for my kids and with that comes all the business of planning, driving and studying. My last post I think I mentioned that my left side was somewhat swollen. Well, within the last couple of days it has really swelled up. It is starting to hurt and look funny. I called my OS and he put me on antibiotics and wants to see me next Wednesday. I wonder if he's going to say we need to remove the screws. I guess I will find out. What's funny is that my lips close better now with the "infection". Weird. I don't think things are quite right yet.

Here are some pictures. It probably is hard to see the swelling, but it's on the left side of the picture. It is reversed, so it looks like my right side.

3 Months

It's been about 3 months and I am feeling great. The feeling in my chin is almost 100% back. I still have a tiny bit of tingling when I touch it, but not much. The feeling in my palate and gums is coming back, just slowly.

At about 2 months I went through a period where I thought I looked really funny and fake. I felt like the doctor hadn't taken enough out of my upper gum and that he hadn't pulled my upper teeth back far enough. That was the first time in my recovery where I felt depressed. I felt like I had made a big mistake by not making it clear exactly what I wanted. I thought I might have to do the surgery again to get it "perfect".

Well, I think I have turned the corner on that. I finally had to compare my old pictures with my new ones and after that I remembered there was a hugh difference. I guess I couldn't remember exactly what I looked like. Weird, huh? I like the amount of gum that shows when I smile. I like my new chin. My lips do look better than they did. My smile is wider. (See, I have to remind myself.) Also, my swelling has gone down a little bit more so my lips almost touch. It's still not perfect, but better. I still have what looks to me like chipmunk cheeks. I'm hoping the swelling goes down on that. The surgeon did notice that and said sometimes the bone grows back thicker than before and they can shave that down. I don't think so! He wouldn't make that decision until after a year out. My left side is more swollen than my right side and sometimes it hurts when I push on it. Yea, I know...don't push on it.

I hope you all are doing well at whatever stage you're in. It really is all worth it!

9 Weeks Out

Hi all. It's been awhile since I posted. It's kind of nice to not be obsessing over my teeth so much. I told my husband that I don't want to talk about my teeth unless I bring it up. haha He said, "That's weird. That was all you wanted to talk about for the past year". Yep, he's tired of this too. We have been busy though. We went on vacation to visit family and I had my 47th birthday. Forty-seven and I still have braces on. Yuck.

It's been a year since I got my braces on. I remember the first thing I did after my braces were on was to ride the COG Railroad up to the top of Pikes Peak. I have already decided that will be the last thing I do to finish off my braces journey. That will be like a round trip up and back from the Peak. Symbolic in a way.

Things have been going really well. I still have some tingling in my chin, but the feeling is continuing to improve. I am eating quite a few things. It's still hard to get my teeth and tongue working together and my mouth opening wide enough. I still have to push food between my teeth to get it into my mouth.

I will see my surgeon this Wednesday. I haven't seen him since about 3 weeks after surgery. I am planning on asking him about my lips not coming together. I think they are closer together now, but still not perfect. I did notice my top lip was very thin for awhile and it's getting fuller now. That helps.

I was feeling my head the other day and I noticed I have a big dent from where they cut my bone graft. It's probably 1" x 4". I sure hope that fills in. It doesn't hurt though. I'm only wearing 2 rubber bands at night only. My smile is now looking a little more natural. I don't find myself covering my mouth when I smile like I did before surgery. That is so awesome. I just smile real big and show my teeth braces and all without being embarrassed. That in itself makes this surgery so worth it!

I hope everyone is doing well!