DEBRACING DATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Went and saw both my orthodontist and my surgeon last week. I saw the ortho first and he asked my how I felt about my teeth. I told him I was very happy and he said 'well, if we did anything more it would just be tinkering so I think its time to get them off'!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SO IM GETTING MY BRACES OFF ON THE 8TH OF APRIL!

I can't believe the journey is nearly at an end! The ortho brought Dr Ellis down (the woman who will be eventually fixing my veneers) and they've decided that I'll get a general tidy up, clean and polish at the start of May (just in time for my graduation ball) then they'll be looking into veneers after that! SO EXCITED!

My surgeon was also very pleased and didn't even take an x-ray of me, he said I just have to see him annually now for five years! BEST. NEWS. EVER.

Day 28 (FOUR WEEKS!)

Another ortho appointment today! He said I was still healing well. I was a bit corncerned as I woke up on Christmas Eve morning and - to me at least despite reassurance from my stepdad - my bite had shifted a lot. However, my orthodontist said although it had moved it was by the tiniest bit and I still only have to wear my elastics at night :) I also told him I still feel I look swollen and he was all 'really? I think you look great!' but reassured me that it's only been 4 weeks since the op and there's still plenty of time for swelling to dissipate.

In regards to my treatment the next step is to reposition some brackets on my top teeth so they're moved up, which will make the gumline more aesthetically pleasing. When he was talking about this he was saying 'final tooth positions' a lot which makes me think I could have these braces off soon! I was too scared to ask though in case I was dissapointed with the answer! I'm going to ask next time (in two weeks) and as long as he says we're still on track for June I'll be very happy! also said he'd talk to the dentist concerned with my veneers (see my previous posts if you have no idea what I'm on about) to see what is going to happen after the braces come off. 

I'll do eating updates etc on my one month post op blog on Sunday!

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!

Dates and some more info

I went to the orthodontist yesterday. My mam came with me as she had a lot of questions (her main concern being how much time she needs to take off work).

I have two appointments with my surgeon, one on the 23rd of this month and one on the 3rd October. This is to determine exactly how my jaw will be moved during the operation. I also need to be measured and fitted for wafers which will guide my surgeon as to the position of my teeth during surgery.

I also have a final pre-surgery appointment with my ortho to fit surgical hooks onto my braces, and this is on the 26th November. I'm being admitted to hospital two days later, stopping overnight on the 28th ready for my operation on the 29th.

After my op i'll need tlc for 10 days minimum (as estimated by my ortho). However, he thinks i'll bounce back rather quickly which I hope is the case! I'm missing the last four weeks of university before Christmas but should be able to return in January. He also said he can start doing orthodontist work again six weeks after the operation.

My orthodontist estimates about 6 months in braces post surgery. During my recovery period I'll also be seeing my prosthodontics dentist who will be fitting me with a shiny new set of veneers once the braces are off. I'm going to Florida on the 23rd June next year so I think i'll be pushing for this whole episode to be done and dusted with by then!