Week 4 - It's wearing me down

Another week has gone by and it feels like my progress has been very slow.

Each morning I wake up and the lower part of my face is very stiff. Firstly I reach for the painkillers and sit in bed waiting for them to kick in. I am still taking Panadol & Brufen. Once they've dulled the pain I can start my mouth stretches. It takes a few minutes, but my mouth and cheeks loosen up and I feel like I can face another day.

I am getting more and more feeling back each day but with the new feeling comes new pain. I get little twinges here and there. It is mostly the back teeth and gums. The roof of my mouth still feels very bruised and I still can't open my mouth wide enough to see inside. I also have a sore throat some days. It comes and goes. I still have a bit of swelling along my jaw and across my cheeks. 

I have been having afternoon naps each day. I tend to wear out after lunch. I was expected to loose about 5kg but I still weigh the same. I need to eat something each time I take the painkillers otherwise I get pains in the stomach so I'm actually eating more than I would normally.

The doctor said after week 4 I could start eating what ever I was comfortable with but I think I will stay with mush for a while longer. 

You can see in my photo that one side is still recovering quicker than the other.

I thought I would make a bit of an effort a wear a little bit of make-up for today's photo. I really couldn't be bothered over the past month but now I'm pushing myself to stay up beat.

I have good days and bad days. I'm sorry today is a bad day but I'm getting there :)

Week 3 - So happy

Well after 3 weeks I'm back in the land of  living and so happy with the way it's coming along.

I saw my Orthodontist and he explained that now we had joined the front teeth, the back teeth are no longer touching. So in 3 weeks time, when everything has settled down, he will put elastics on my back teeth to pull them down from my gum.

I also saw my doctor and he is very happy with the progress I'm making. I have to stay on soft foods for 1 more week and then eat whatever I can manage. He also gave me exercises to do. Basically I need to retrain my face muscles, so lots of mouth stretching.

One side of my face has bounced back quicker than the other but it shouldn't take to long to even out. I have another check up in 3 weeks after the elastics go on.

Day 18 - Coming along in leaps & bounds

 

What a difference a couple of days can make. I feel so much better now.

I still tire very easily but I'm more active now. I spent several days just lying around, but now I can do a bit of housework and go for a walk. My appetite is back. Ive put the weight back on that I lost in the initial few days and I can now sleep slightly on my side rather than virtualy sitting up in bed. It just keeps getting better everyday.

The pinkish color has now returned to my gums. I have to say I was getting worried looking in the mirror each morning to see that they were still dead white, but over the recent days I have noticed the feeling coming back to the roof of my mouth although my top gum is still completely numb. The stitches are still there, all along the top gum and all along the bottom. It's quite odd to look at something that you would think was quite painful but in fact doesn't hurt at all. The part that hurts is where the jaws meet, just in front of my ears, but this is getting better each day too. I can only open my mouth enough to fit in a spoon. The swelling around the jaws is stopping it from opening any wider.

I have a lot more feeling in my face now so I'm able to give a little smile or a big smile instead of just trying for anything.

My lips and chin are a bit tingly and numb just the same as they feel after a needle from the dentist. I just need to make sure I check the mirror after Ive eaten or had something to drink.

It's funny to wake up each morning with the thought, "I wonder what I will look like today"

Day 15 - Finally on the mend

I'm still having problems sleeping. I may have a bit of a cold and after everything I went through last week, I'm very nervous. There is no sign of a blood nose. Last week I had brown gunk coming out of my nose continuously. I do feel a bit of a runny nose that honestly, keeps freaking me out, but I'm doing my best not be concerned about it.

I also have a foul taste in the back of my throat. Not sure why. I did swallow what I suspect was a blood clot this morning and the horrible taste went away for a while. Hopefully the clots are now just going straight down my throat instead of coming out of my nose. Sounds disgusting doesn't it but unfortunately true.

There is still quite a bit of swelling but I can see that my face is now shorter than it used to be and the tip of my nose is now turned up. My nose actually looks a bit smaller to me but most likely due to all the swelling around it.

The color hasn't returned to my upper gum yet although I am starting to feel the nerves in my teeth. It still has a lot of white areas. I'm assuming that is due to blood supply.

I don't see the doctor for another week and I have so many questions.

Day 14 / Week 2 - Now I can move my face

2 weeks post-op today. Thank God the worst is over. It was amazing to wake up this morning and feel such a contrast to the past few days. No more bleeding, pain under control and a good appetite.

I finally feel like I have turned a corner. I looked in the mirror this morning and it's as though a lot of the bruising disappeared overnight. I feel like the healing process has accelerated all of a sudden. I'm really happy with the way it's all taking shape.

I still have some very firm swelling across my sinus area and along my jaw bone. A layer of skin is starting to peel from my nose and there are also some numb areas around my nose and my chin. Embarrassingly I have been sitting with food on my chin after lunch and not been aware of it until someone told me.

My lips are still sore and very heat sensitive. Food and drink can only be luke warm otherwise it feels like my lips are being scolded.

I also have more movement in my face now. For a while only one side of my face would move when I smiled. It now feels more even. My jaws are still very stiff and I can constantly feel the muscles underneath trying to pull the lower jaw back.

It's great to be in good spirits and hopefully have the worst behind me.

Day 13 - Going home

Felt so much better today. It's all going well. No more bleeds so the doctors decided to test the situation before sending me home. I had to try anything that might trigger a nose bleed. I walked around the ward a few times to raise my heart rate, had a hot shower for 15 minutes, drank a warm cup of tea had a hot lunch. Still no bleeds. Last on the list...bowel motion. My biggest challenge. The last 2 times I had been to the toilet it triggered a bleed but not this time. Good to go home.

I was a bit nervous going home. I had felt so protected in hospital. My thinking was if it happened, it happened (more nose bleeds), no big deal it all has to come out eventually but now going home it was totally different. I was just hoping the cause was as the doctors described and not something that had been overlooked.

I had a lot more energy instead of just laying there feeling half dead. Still taking it very easy.The doctor put me back on the purée diet for the moment but at least I had the choice of hot or cold foods again.

I did learn one thing today that concerned me. You can actually overdose on Panadol. I had always thought of it as a very mild pain control but as explained to me, if you take more than the recommended dose it can do serious damage and can shut down your liver, then kidneys and possibly death. It's a very painful scenario so you're best off taking a stronger medication than thinking you can just pop a couple extra Panadol each day.

Day 12 - Bleeding tears.

Well, well, well, what a turn. Massive nose bleed last night with several clots. It was running out of my eye and a little difficult to contain. Probably the worst one I've had, yet I felt reasonably calm having been through it before. I ended up back in emergency again. I'm familiar with a few staff members now which made it easier. It was a relatively quick admission procedure to get me back to the ward.

Several people in emergency thought id been in a car accident and others thought I had been bashed. It was a little embarrassing to admit that it was elective surgery. I wasn't nervous but I felt I needed to be at the hospital just in case.

The doctors agreed with me and decided to keep me in under observation. They still believe that it is old blood from my sinuses just being released particularly now there are a lot more clots and I find it smelly and such a bad taste. The bleeding through the eye duct poses no threat to my sight, it's just an overflow.

So here I am again, in good spirits, feeling quite well and being taken care of with no guilt. I felt a bit of a burden at home continuously asking for a drink or something to eat, tissues, glasses etc. I think I wore everyone out being confined to bed so it's all worked out for the best.

Can't believe it's only been 12 days.

Day 11 - Staying cool

I survived the night without a major nosebleed. There were several minor bleeds throughout the day but nothing to be concerned about. The doctor had told me to lean forward during a nosebleed to stop a lot of it going down my throat. This helped immensely as I had previously thought I should have my head back.

I was forced to take it easy and have my mum and husband do everything for me. Every time I walked over to go the toilet or went to pick something up my nose would bleed. There were a lot more clots coming out which I assumed was a good thing.

My sinuses started to feel so clear with a slight burning sensation. It felt like I just took a big sniff of pepper. I was still feeling weak and tired but the worst was behind me now and I could focus on getting better.

I noticed my lower jaw muscles getting quite stiff and hurting. It's almost like they were constantly trying to pull my jaw back to its old position. It felt very tight after the muscles had rested while I was sleeping. At this stage the rest of my face wasn't too bad.

I am missing cuddles from my husband but he is too scared of hurting me if he gets too close. It would be nice just to be held for a little while.

The cold/soft diet has bumped up the texture. See below and it probably doesn't sound very different but believe me, a slightly larger lump in your food makes a huge difference when your trying to swallow it. I'm breaking the bread and cake into the smallest pieces possible and washing them down with a little bit of water. It is difficult to keep food interesting, particularly at the moment while I'm on a cold diet. Still having at least 6 meals/snacks a day although I have dropped another 2kg

Breakfast was a raw egg, milk, nutmeg, banana & honey shake
Morning tea - diced peaches & yoghurt
Lunch - egg sandwich
Afternoon tea - Piece of cake and ice tea
Dinner - mashed salmon, mashed avocado & mashed tomato
After dinner - rice pudding
Midnight snack - mashed banana

Day 10 - Exhusted

Another hard night with 2 bleeds to contend with. The nurses told me not to eat or drink anything until the doctor arrived which made me think I was having surgery. I am under a team of specialists so they consult each other but I have 4 different doctors, being in the public system. Different doctor today but he agreed with what had been done so far although he believes I will just go home.

All my pain medication has been cut except for Paracetamol & Ibuprofen. The doctor said I shouldn't need it any more. That's probably true. Now I feel like I've been hit in the face with a football rather than a sledge hammer. I was getting used to tripping on OxyContin and sleeping all day on Endone.

I found out that my red cell count is down a little. This is causing me to be a little unsteady on my feet and exhausted after the smallest task like showering and getting dressed, so I am still confined to bed and also cold food & drink and cool showers but I can go home.

Day 9 - Damn blood clots!

Today was a better day. I spent all day in bed sleeping on and off but no more bleeds since 4am. I had coughed up a couple of blood clots but I felt like I had a stringy blood clot stuck in the back of my throat. I couldn't shift it. It was so annoying. It stopped me from eating. Previously I had broken up little bits of bread and swallowed them to scrape the blood off the inside of my throat as it went down but this clot wouldn't let anything pass.

The doctor decided to use a nebuliser with saline in it every 4 hours to try and dislodge the clot. Success!! No more clots and no more bleeding.

With everything that has gone on I have neglected to tell you how happy I am with my new jaw. The swelling has gone down substantially and it looks fantastic. Even my daughter said I look amazing. Not that I intended, but it looks like I've had a bit of a facelift. I have no wrinkles and look 10 years younger. I realise there is still a lot of swelling to subside but I love it so far. As I said to the doctor, "I'm so happy with the outcome so far and really glad that I went through with the surgery but if it needed to be re-done for any reason, I don't think I could go through it all again."

I still can't see much of my teeth but I am able to swallow a lot more. The bread is great to keep the throat clear of gunk. I've tried soft stewed fruit but I struggle to swallow it so I've taken it off the menu. I'm loving the custards and yogurts. They are nice and cool going down my sore throat and easily eaten from a desert spoon.

Day 8 - Never ending nose bleeds

This morning I was moved back to the Surgical Specialist Ward that I had just left 2 days ago.

The doctor came to visit and said it's not uncommon for this to happen in the first few days, although a little unusual this far along. He decided it best to keep me under observation for another night and see if the bleeding would get better or worse. We had 2 scenarios. Apparently when they cut along your top jaw, your sinuses fill up with blood and have to eventually drain. At this stage, the doctor is not sure if that's what is happening. A more serious reason could be a bleeding nose artery that needs to surgically closed off.They can do a scan to see where the blood is coming from but it has such high levels of radiation and is very expensive the doctors will only do it in extreme emergency. So we just had to wait and see which way we were going.

I was told to stay in bed with my head elevated, only to get out to go to the toilet. To eat only cold /soft food & cold drinks and keep ice behind my neck as warmth tends to make blood run more. We were hoping that this would stop the bleeding from happening again. I was thinking perhaps I had done too much and not rested enough.

Well it happened again, and again. Another 4 times to be exact, although I was prepared now and it wasn't so scary anymore; each time was shorter and shorter. Down to around 15 minutes now. The last 2 times I was bleeding a little out the corner of my eye as well which seem to surprise the doctor.

Day 7 / Week 1 - Panic stations with blood everywhere!

Woohoo! It's been 1 week and the plaster is off. It's so much better. My face was getting itchy underneath the plaster. The doctor said everything was going well. He was a little shocked at the amount of bruising I have. Some people bruise, some don't. Unfortunately I bruise badly. Now I have the plaster off, I just look like I have been beaten up.

It was fascinating watching in the mirror while the plaster was pulled off. It was like an unveiling. I couldn't stop smiling, well, trying to anyway. I love my jaw line. I just kept touching it. The doctor says now I have a power jaw. I look like a business woman.Even-though there is still a lot of swelling and bruising I can see it is just as I wanted.

They didn't need to remove my wisdom teeth but said when they cut along the top gum, the nose can become wider. They have pinned mine so it will stay where it is. At the moment it looks smaller and a little turned up on the end but again we can't really tell until the swelling goes down.

Today did take its toll. The journey to the hospital and back really shook me up. Every bump and turn went right through my head. By the time I got home I was exhausted and emotional from the pain. I couldn't even think straight but nothing a big sleep couldn't fix.

I still only have control over a few facial muscles. I can manage half a smile but the right side still doesn't move. The colour is good in my lower jaw but my top jaw is still white. It's a little bit of a concern to me but I'm so happy right now, I'm not worrying.

I asked the doctor for stronger pain killers. I wasn't coping with the pain. It hurts all the time but now I can concentrate on other things as well. I still look at myself in the mirror with disbelief at what I've done, but at the same time, excited with the results.

And just when you thought it was going to get boring....

As I said, today took its toll. I was having trouble concentrating to put a sentence together so I decided to have an early night.

I got up to go to the toilet around 9pm and my nose just started dripping blood onto the floor. It wasn't a real surprise but I thought I had been lucky enough to escape the blood noses. It stopped after about half an hour so I took my painkillers and went back to bed.

Half an hour after that, I awoke swallowing something warm running down the back of my throat. Within seconds the flow was getting faster and faster. I sat up and the next thing blood was streaming into my lap from my nose and running down inside my throat like a warm thick shake. I wasn't expecting this!

We drove to the hospital in a bit of a panic not knowing what was happening. I had 2 hands of tissues with blood running down my wrists just concentrating on breathing while my husband ran red lights and doubled the speed limit to get back to emergency.

The staff in emergency managed to stop the bleeding, which had gone on for about 45 minutes. They weren't really familiar with the operation I had so decided to and keep me in ICU for the night and transfer me tomorrow.

Day 6 - What to eat?

My lips are so sore I can't stand anything touching them. My Orthodontist has always said that I have a small mouth. I imagine they stretched it so far during the surgery it's a little worse for wear. I am supposed to be eating from a spoon as exercise but against "doctors orders" I have decided to give my lips a break. Im seeing him tomorrow anyway and I'm talking enough for exercise.

What a wonderful invention the Nutribullet is. I can put anything in it to make a shake and sip it from the rim. The baby food tubes are also good. You can just squeeze them into the smallest of gaps.

Breakfast was a Weetbix with honey and enough milk to make a shake consistency.
Morning tea - raw egg, milk, nutmeg, banana &honey shake
Lunch - peaches, cream, milk & nutmeg shake
Afternoon tea - cold coffee shake
Dinner - homemade vegetable soup, puréed
After dinner - puréed broccoli with hollandaise sauce.
Midnight snack - yoghurt

I'm basically eating every 3 hours with the pain medication otherwise I get a pain in the stomach. I'm yet to sleep more than 2 hours at a time. The pain usually wakes me on the dot if not before.

The doctors told me to expect to lose about 5 kilo over the next few weeks. I've already lost 2 kilo this week, so I'm eating when I'm not hungry now. I just have to stick to a schedule. I don't want to lose too much weight. I'm trying to eat nutritiously with a little bit of fat and sugars to keep up my energy.

I'm not feeling too bad. I've been for my daily walk. Time to rest again.

Day 5 - Bruising at its best

Crashed today. I thought I was doing really well but today I have no energy and my mouth is so sore from talking and particularly when eating with a spoon. The doctor told me talking was a good exercise for my jaw but right now I don't want to say a single word. My lips are all split even though I keep using Vaseline to protect them.

On to some exciting news. My surgeons' office called and scheduled an appointment for 2 days time. I'm still wearing my sticking plaster so I'm hoping this will come off and I can see my new face. My family said the surgery took longer than expected so I'm looking forward to finding out a few more details too.

I have the ability to move my tongue around now and can feel stitches in the inside of my cheeks. Of course I can't open my mouth to see what's going on so I'm curious as to why.I wonder if it's from my wisdom teeth. There is a little bit of numbness and tingling in the lips but it's difficult to tell what's really happening until this plaster comes off.

The bruising has peaked and is starting to subside a little from my chest although now I can see yellow bruising under my eyes and a little bit more bruising creeping out from under the plaster. Can't wait till Friday.

Day 4 - Feeling like a freak

I was allowed to go home today. Pain under control? Check. Drinking plenty of fluids? Check. Eating sufficient amount of food? Check. Emptying bowels? Oh dear. That wasn't going to happen anytime soon. The pain medication binds you up and my anxiety issues weren't helping. We had to come up with a plan of attack. Amongst other things I wasn't allowed to rest very much, just walk, walk, walk to get everything moving.

What I did notice walking around for those few hours was the reaction of others. At this point I had severe bruising down my neck and chest, sticking plaster across my chin and excessive swelling busting out from behind the plaster. It wasn't a pretty sight. I couldn't smile or barely say anything so probably, no definitely, a bit confronting for some. Most people looked down when walking past. Some stared from a distance and a minor few enquired how I was. It was an insight to me.

I felt so lucky that I was getting better. What if I was unfortunate and had a permanent disfigurement like others bear every day? To be treated like a freak was just horrible. I actually used this time to do a little experiment and to keep my self occupied. I just wanted to see different reactions. In 4 hours of walking around the hospital, out of all of the people passing, I had 4 conversations or communications if you like, in the biggest hospital on The Gold Coast. Amazing!

One was a patient that was also walking laps, another was a patient in a wheelchair that was analysing my laps, yelling out "your on a roll now love! You've lost your walking frame!" He made me laugh, which at that point was unfortunately quite painful. A cleaner and tea lady stopped several times to chat but I could see how uncomfortable everyone else was. It didn't hurt me, I just found human behaviour fascinating.

Anyway a few hours later, success. I could go home. I felt fantastic, well compared to the previous days. I stopped to pick up some groceries, with no heavy lifting as instructed by the hospital.

After a long rest, I thought I would really study my face again in the mirror. I opened my lips a little and could see my teeth resting together. I really wanted to smile but it hurt too much. I just kept opening and closing my jaw ever so slightly so I could see my teeth lining up. That's when I thought, " This is going to be great! I love it! I will look amazing!

Day 3 - Can't recognise myself

I'm loving these "New Days". I can see I am improving now. Yeah!!

I managed to drink through a straw and eat from a teaspoon today. It was like feeding a baby. I kept pushing the purée through the little gap in my mouth and it eventually had to go down.

I also decided it was time to see the surgeons handy work. I had photos taken but not seen myself yet. My family had said that they could see a change and I would be very happy with what had been done. So I checked out my photos and looked in the mirror. What a strange thing to feel. It was Me but a different Me.

Taking aside the bruising and swelling it was just strange to only recognise your own eyes but not your face, nose, everything looked different. I looked like a big chipmunk with a big puffy face although now I can breathe without thinking about it.

Oh big sleeps today. It was time to rest.

Day 2 - Oh so swollen

"A new day!" I thought. "Thank god last night has passed. It can only get better from here. The pain control is working. The panic attacks are now subsiding and we can all relax a little." I was now able to drink water through a syringe. The ability to swallow and cough had now returned. It's such a small pleasure we take for granted.

My face continued to swell, which was to be expected but now with my nose being blocked and my lips so swollen, breathing was increasingly difficult. I was holding my bottom lip down with 1 finger to enable enough oxygen. Again the nurses assured me I didn't need to do this but I felt like it was the only option. 

Having a shower was lovely. I could have sat there all day. I have to admit though, now I was feeling calm I didn't want anything to trigger another anxiety attack so I asked my husband to cover the mirror with a towel. I just didn't want to deal with anything new today. My neck started to show bruising. I could only imagine what my face looked like. We weren't quite sure why my neck was so bruised but it wasn't a pretty site. I looked as though I had been strangled.

My poor husband was completely exhausted and had to go home for a sleep, swapping with my mum to watch over me. It seemed as soon as he walked out the door I began anxiety attacks again. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't stop the trembling and the sensation of not enough air. Now it was poor mum exhausted from calming me down.

In another hospital, several years prior, I had been left unattended for long periods due to short staff. I was left having panic and anxiety attacks alone not knowing what was happening. Had I known the nursing staff in this hospital were going to be on top of everything, and be there all the time, it would have made a huge difference but I was petrified of being left alone and just assumed all hospitals were the same.

Day 1- Hit with a sledge hammer

Not a good night. Nothing could have prepared me for how I felt when I woke from surgery. I had, as recommended by the orthodontist and surgeon, googled every YouTube video I could on the subject. I had even watched the actual procedure on YouTube ( which I don't recommend for the faint hearted. I did turn it off half way through! ) I thought I was ready but in hindsight I really don't think you can prepare to feel like you've been hit with a sledge hammer in the face. Too much?? I'm sorry, just trying to give you an accurate description.

I woke up very slowly, drifting in and out. I was however very anxious. This unfortunately was not helping. My entire face was numb. I couldn't move my lips, my tongue. I couldn't swallow and couldn't cough. I was petrified. I felt like my tongue was going to swell up and completely cut off my airway. Originally I thought that I was going to breath through my nose but of course that was now full of blood and proving to be difficult.

The nursing staff were amazing and assured me that everything I was feeling was normal. They were monitoring my air intake which was actually 100 percent, but I was yet to be convinced. I just kept thinking "I will get through this but I am such an idiot for doing this to myself !" I couldn't get past the fact I had made such a silly decision and had consciously done this to myself.

Anyway, feeling nauseous, anxious, upset, in extreme pain, any other emotion you can think of, I was moved out of recovery and into a ward with my very patient and loving husband waiting for me. I just remember seeing his sad eyes.

The trip through the hospital corridors had stirred everything up inside and the next thing, bamm, out comes a spray of blood. It was everywhere. All over my lap, my bed, and probably anyone standing close by. It was strange I wasn't concerned with that happening as I had read that it could be a possibility. Clearing all the blood and gunk that had been accumulating in my stomach actually made me feel better inside. The nausea briefly left and I could breath so much easier. What did concern me was that I had just vomited and my mouth didn't open. Did this mean my jaws were wired shut? The surgeon said that he wouldn't, but I had no other explanation. So of course on came the panic attacks.

At this stage I began writing notes to the nurses. It was the only way I could communicate. If you're having this surgery, remember a note pad and pen. It's an absolute necessity. I asked the nurse if my mouth had been wired shut. She couldn't really open my lips far enough to see inside. She thought that it had been wired shut but now I know she was just looking at my braces.

The nurses allowed my husband to stay so he could keep me calm. I just wanted him to hold me and tell me everything would be ok. I would sleep for about 20 minutes at a time and then wake up struggling to breathe. He was amazing. Right next to me all night just telling me to relax and breathe.

My Surgery

There were a few steps involved in obtaining this new look. Firstly, the braces. Over the next 2 years I wore braces to straighten my teeth. With monthly adjustments my teeth quickly moved into the required position but the braces had to stay on for quite some time.

I was really embarrassed at first to be wearing braces at my age. It's something I thought was really for teenagers but the more I actually looked at other people's smiles, the more people I noticed wearing braces. Braces are so refined these days, not like the old days where you could see them so easily. Working on a reception desk, the braces became almost trendy to me with strangers asking me how it was progressing and commenting on a lovely smile. So many it seamed wished they had have straightened their teeth. Of course there is always the Smarty Pants comments that can be so hurtful but with so many positive and encouraging comments, I knew I had made the right decision.

I have broken my surgery into 3 steps to explain it easier to you. It is all done inside the mouth so there is no scarring. The correct terminology is "Orthognathic Surgery" which actually means "straight jaws".

The first step is Upper jaw surgery (maxillary osteotomy). This involves cutting along the top of the bone above your teeth (below both eye sockets) so that the entire top jaw — including the roof of your mouth and your upper teeth — can move as one unit. The jaw and upper teeth were moved backward and secured with titanium plates and screws.

The next step is the Lower jaw (mandibular osteotomy) In this procedure, cuts are made behind the molars and lengthwise down the jawbone so the front of the jaw can move as one unit. The jaw was moved forward to its new position and also secured with titanium plates and screws.

We, being the surgeon, orthodontist and myself all agreed that if we were going to go through all of this surgery, then while this was being performed, Chin surgery (genioplasty) should be included for optimum results. So the chin bone was also cut and moved forward. Yes, more titanium plates and screws. On an X-ray I imagine I now look like my face is now made out of Meccano.

There was also the possibility of removing wisdom teeth. I had never experienced them coming down from my gum. They had never given me any trouble and were still sitting silently up in my gum. The surgeon thought that they would probably be in the way and would need to be removed but wasn't completely sure until the day of the operation.

surgery should take 4-5 hours to perform and about 2 weeks to heal but 8 weeks to recover. Most 20 something's recover in just a couple of weeks but we need to consider I am over 45 which generally means it takes twice as long.

There are also some risk of complications. The most common is losing feeling or sensation of numbness in your face. This can take a long time to heal. There is also a risk of excessive bleeding and the most rare complication would be for my own jaw to be rejected once it had all been put back together. I have had operations before and the doctors are obliged to tell you these risks so that you are aware of what could possibly happen. Generally nothing out of the ordinary does happen but they still have to let you know.

Let's do it!

Thinking about it!

(You may think I'm smiling in this picture but I'm just closing my teeth as best I can)


I was going to write a short Blog but I really wanted to share so much more it turned into more of a novel. It is a couple of days after surgery but I will bring you up to date.

2 years ago I decided to go ahead and have surgery for an issue that had bothered me for a very long time. I, like many others, had an issue with my bite. For those who have a normal or relatively normal bite, you probably won't understand why someone would go to such extremes just for a nice smile but to me it was more than that.

I had always had an open bite and a receding lower jaw which meant my jaw could never shut completely. My lips generally rested open, which doesn't create the most intelligent looking expression. My two back teeth on each side were the only teeth that were functional. The others were just there to fill up space and to top it off I had a crooked smile which actually wasn't so bad.

I was always embarrassed as a teenager to meet friends out for a meal. I can recount endless times when I have bitten into a burger and been left juggling a mess in my hands and a piece of tomato hanging from my mouth because I wasn't able to bite through it. Biting the topping off a pizza and being left with the crust. Salad sandwiches are worst. There was no way of biting through a slice of ham so it was all in or nothing. It got to a point where I would prefer to just order chips and forget the burger. It was just too hard. I do thank The Lord for cutlery.

The other issue I had was my profile. I had all cheeks and very little chin, which is very cute when your a kid but as an adult, not very elegant or glamorous, which is how I imagined I would be when I grew up. Profile pictures were not something I was a fan of. I would cringe each time I saw a picture that had been taken from the side and pray that it wouldn't be kept by anyone.

So, here I was approaching 50, and my new dentist says to me "have you ever thought about closing that gap in your bite and straightening your teeth?" At first I thought he was joking. No-one had suggested that before and I had gone to a dentist every year. He continued with different scenarios to straighten my teeth and referred me to an Orthodontist.

The Orthodontist encouraged me to google others that had had the procedure but also said he could get a great outcome for me. Now this was worth listening to. They can do amazing things, but for him to say he could give me a perfect bite and "a more aesthetically pleasing profile", I was hooked.

I made the decision to be the best Me I could be. To enjoy flashing a brilliant smile, go out for dinner and select whatever I wanted from the menu, enjoy having photos taken from any angle. Why shouldn't I feel like one of the beautiful girls in the room? Why shouldn't my husband have the best Me he can have.

Some people may call it plain vanity. Maybe it was, but to me, it was a genetic defect, a deformity of the jaw; that I had just found out, after struggling with it for 30 years, I was able to change.