Am I dreaming?

October 10, 2015

Am I dreaming? Did I really just undergo corrective double jaw surgery? Did it really get moved forward? Did it really happen? Yes, Yes and Yes. Finally after what has felt like a lifetime of waiting I have final received my corrective double jaw surgery to create a normal bite. Around the age of 10 I found out that I would need surgery in the future to correct me underbite and when I turned 18 my treatment began! Finally after constant delays in my treatment, either because my teeth weren’t ready or because of a lack of surgeons/resources I finally got my surgery after some honest letters being sent to a number of different people.

Things happened pretty fast to be honest, one week I had a phone call from the National oral health office saying that there was s new surgeon taking on my case, the next week I met that surgeon and received a surgical date and then a week later my surgery was moved forward by two weeks! Needless to say I was pretty excited but when Tuesday morning came the nerves were in full swing! An hour in the car thinking about what was due to happen was enough to have me on edge, getting admitted and changed into a gown only increased my nerves and finally when it was time to go down to theatre I was crying! Crying not just because of fear but also because of happiness, shock that this was about to happen and relief that it was finally going to be all done and dusted in just 3 hours.

I went asleep after informing everybody to make sure I was in fact asleep before the surgeon did anything to me and then woke up attached to machines and drips and feeling pretty good. It was a few hours later that I was walking around and I even began drinking through a syringe that night and what topped it all off was that I was able to talk! Things went great and I was so happy to finally have it done! Tuesday was a good day and Wednesday was a better day, up and about, taking more liquids orally and even beginning my liquid diet I was feeling great! While my days were good my first and second nights were a bit more challenging, with pain being somewhat of an issue and just in general being very uncomfortable but nevertheless I made it through with the help of the nurses and some morphine of course!

It was expected I would be in hospital until Friday but that was not the case, with my great progress the nurses were happy to tell my surgeon I was good to go home and to be honest I was in complete agreement, Wednesday night had been emotionally challenging, getting used to the change and finally realising that it was done. With the aim to get home a day earlier in mind I worked hard to talk to the nurses and surgeon about how I was feeling, stayed out of bed and moving around and ensuring I didn’t need the use of the IV. It was a rough two days but on Thursday my surgeon, Mr Frank Brady, brought me back down to theatre to remove my elastics and put looser ones on, it was the first chance I had to see my new bite and it was pretty amazing, I still get teary eyed thinking about that moment.

With elastics changed and pain meds on board I was ready to go home! Thursday night went great however Friday night was a bit more of a struggle seeing me spend the night in A&E hooked up to IV fluids and medication! It was a long night but worth it to end up feeling some more like myself come this morning when I was free to go home! Today has been tough, tiredness is creeping in and getting the better of me, the numbness is beginning to become annoying and the pain around my gums rather than my jaws is something which is quiet irritating. I even had a moment where I questioned was having surgery worth it only to be reminded that I have normal bite with a glance in the mirror.

It’s been hard, it’s been uncomfortable, it’s been painful and it’s been challenging but I am doing ok! I have another 5 weeks left of my recovery but I feel that I am beginning to get over the hardest part, the first week! My doing so well at the moment cannot be all put down to my physical health although it has certainly played a huge roll but also to the staff at Saint Francis Private Hospital, Mullingar who were exceptional, they really did go above and beyond what I ever could have expected. Between holding my hand, listening to me, doing everything possible to keep the pain at bay, sitting with me after surgery, reassuring me and comforting me the nurses where truly one of a kind and I will always be grateful for their care and support! The surgical team did a fantastic job and they too must be thanked because without them I would still be living with an underbite, something that I am not so sure I would have been able to live with for much longer. And finally my family and friends have been fantastic and their support has been exceptional and I cannot thank them enough.

For now though I will leave you with some pre and post-surgery pictures.

Pre Surgery