Day 20

Some stuff to report in the last 10 days:

• I am now changing my elastics myself - the ortho said once a day but i'm doing it twice (i.e. when I brush my teeth). I wear one on the right side and 2 on the left during the day/3 at night. I'm just using a pair of tweezers to hook them on and its become easier the more I do it
• Saw my surgeon yesterday and i'm not allowed out on New Years Eve in case I get my face hit :( I suppose I was being rather optimistic as i'll only be a month post op then - but i'm a party girl and I'm really starting to miss going out! I can drink just not head to a crowded club, which makes sense. On the plus side i'm saving money by not spending it on alcohol (ha)
• He also didn't give me a straight answer about when I could start going out (drinking) again, and just said it takes 3 months before you can do contact sports again. Hmm.
• I think most of the 'surgery' swelling has gone now but I definitely still have some residual swelling there.

And the rest...

Eating: 

No changes - i'm still on soft food. Was supposed to ask my surgeon yesterday when I can start chewing again but I was too distraught about not being able to go out! I'll be asking my orthodontist tomorrow.

Sleeping:

I don't need to update on my sleeping anymore as its completely back to normal :)

Medication:

Again, no more updates on this section as I am medication free! I take two ibuprofen if i'm in pain (rarely)

Numbness:

Before I fell asleep last night my lower lip was tingling for the first time! I was so excited. I still can't feel my upper chin/bottom lip but i'm used to it now. I have tingling/burning sensations around the numb areas 24/7 which is promising. I can also feel the surgical hooks digging into my bottom lip again so the wax is back on which makes my lip look way fatter than it is

And just a quick question: if you're post-op when did you start exercising again? I'll probably leave it until I go back to uni (when I'll be 5 weeks after) and i'm hoping to get back to the gym. Thanks :)

Day 0/Day 2/Day 7/Day 14

Day 19 (in my dressing gown AGAIN)

Days 1-3 post-op and MY 21ST

Following from my last post, my night in HDU wasn't the best sleep i've ever had. I was given morphine and a pain button so I could self-administer and I woke up every single hour of the night. My pain wasn't too bad but the morphine helped me drift back off to sleep so I kept using it.

When I woke up properly at about 6am I remembered it was my birthday! So when my mam and auntie came to visit at 11am the nurses came over with a cake and sang Happy Birthday to me!

The nurses in this unit were the best. As soon as I woke up they asked me if I wanted to try and sit up which I definitely took advantage of. The only thing they took out was my catheter so I was still wired up to morphine, saline, heart monitor etc (hence the wires).

After this photo I was asked if I wanted to try and eat something and since I didn't have elastic bands on at this point I enjoyed chopped up lasagne and I EVEN ATE SOME BIRTHDAY CAKE! That was a proud moment for me. I was transferred back to the ward at 3pm where I opened my presents and cards from family.

Days 2 and 3 were basically the same with limited mouth movement and a lot of painkillers. My surgeon came to see me yesterday morning to check all was well - apart from my 'rubber bones' the only issue is my second molar on the left hand side hasn't got much support from the jaw anymore so I might lose that but everything else went well. The bands went on on day 2 and I have NOT been enjoying those, but I've been preserving with a plastic spoon and mushed up anything food wide because I think I might throw up if I have any more soup! Other than that I've been trying to stay hydrated and positive which is hard when even the smallest actions tire you out.

Some photos to recap:

Just after I got my elastics - this was day 2 I think

Side view and NO OVERBITE!

Day 3 smile attempt!

I am like a human pin cushion after my stay in hospital :(

Day 3 - relaxed face and lopsided mouth! 

I came home last night which was a godsend but more about day 4 (today) later :) I'm getting there!

RECAP: SURGERY DAY

Hello everyone!

Sorry for the lack of posts, I only got discharged from hospital at about 6pm last night.

I'm now day 4 post-op but i'll make another post about the three days following surgery.

So, where to begin? My stay in hospital began on the 28th (last Thursday). I checked into my ward and was sent straight to the maxillofacial department (max-fax from here on) to meet with my surgeon. To be honest I got upset as soon as I saw the wards full of people in hospital beds - I was completely overwhelmed with everything that was happening. Anyway, I saw my surgeon and he completely reassured me, for some reason when I see him he always cheers me up! He checked that my wafer fitted (it did) and sent me on my way. Why I had to stay in hospital that night I have no idea. I got no sleep and my last chewable meal was a hospital chicken dinner - absolutely disgusting!

The next morning was surgery day. My dad came in at 9am with my mam following shortly after. I was told my operation was scheduled for 11.50am. However, my surgeon had decided I would be put straight into high dependency (aka HDU - a step below ICU) after the op for one night as he'd been working around my airway to make sure I was being checked on constantly (you get one nurse to every two patients). We waited and waited (and waited!) and 11.50 came and went and I remember not being nervous at all - I just wanted the bloody thing done with! Finally, a ward nurse came over at about 1pm and said a bed was ready for me in HDU and that I could get ready for theatre. I stripped off, gowned up and I was ready to go!

The surgeon had told my parents the op should only take about two hours. Instead, it took four. Apparently people with amelogenesis imperfecta can also have 'rubbery bones' which are more difficult to fracture. My mam and dad didn't actually get to see me until 7pm so they were relieved to finally see me!

I don't remember much after waking up to be honest. The first thing I remember is being wheeled down a corridor, then nothing until I was picked up and moved to the HDU bed from my stretcher. Then nothing until I threw up a load of blood down myself (attractive). I was completely gone - look at my eyes on this photo!

This was about 2/3 hours post-op when I had all kinds of wires and tubes sticking out of me. My mouth looked like dracula at one point but they gave me this suction tube which I could use to get all the goop out of my mouth!

T-3 days!

Today I got my surgical hooks fitted! I HATE them it's like having braces for the first time all over again (ulcer city)

This is truly the worst photo of me ever :') but it's the only one I got and now I'm just heading off to bed!

In other news my mam got me some new sets of pjs and slippers for the hospital as well as a washkit containing miniatures of all the essentials :)

I still can't believe I'm having my surgery on Friday! I'm being admitted to my ward on Thursday afternoon so my guess is the operation is first thing the next morning. So exciting/nerve wracking!