To everything turn, turn, turn!

The Byrds had it right - turn, turn, turn!

I turned the appliance in my mouth 2 times a day starting May 27th and the last day I turned it was June 11th! Lo and behold that was just enough to get my jaw as wide as it needs to be! Now the bone can heal! It's a pretty drastic change.

Trying to take pictures of the inside of your mouth is a little challenging, but I tried. Obviously, the top picture is before surgery (pre-appliance, medical x-ray pic) and the bottom picture is my jaw now. Yes, the teeth are supposed to be that spread apart and look that terrible! My front teeth will close back together within the next week or so, creating space for "Fang" to have a place to live; then the orthodontist will apply braces (at some point) and straighten everything up!

 

Some Pictures...

Thought I'd share just a few pictures...no worries - nothing gross to look at. I told you before, if I can't stand to look at it, then I ain't posting it!

This first one is just a few hours after surgery. I cropped it, of course! I asked my friend to take a "thumbs up" picture to send to a few people letting them know I was ok:

The next one is the second day home from the hospital. This is the swelling at it's worst! Not to mention, looking drugged up, too! Not sure why the picture is so "squished" but, you get the point!

 



This is day 4. The swelling is starting to go down, but for a few days when I closed my mouth, my bottom lip went into hiding when my mouth was closed!

 

 



 This one is just for fun. When I got to take a shower I still had my I.V. in so the nurse thought of a creative was to cover and protect it. She just chopped the fingers off and left me with a thumb! She laughed when I told her I wanted to take a picture of it :)

Last picture. This is what I look like right now. My space as of today (Sunday, 6/9) is about 7mm wide. I still have at least 3mm more to go - it depends on what Dr. Mai says when I see her tomorrow.

(Seriously, you think I'd put an actual pic up? I'm not ready yet...)

More Post-Op

The story continues...

I was released from the hospital on May 22nd. The overnight stay wasn't too bad. The nurse (I wish I remember her name!) was awesome. Very low-key, not bossy and patient with me each time she had to give me my medication. By bedtime I was receiving my meds by spoon instead of the I.V., so that was a good thing!

The car ride home to my friends' house was very pleasant, albeit a little warm, thanks to Austin's weather! I stayed at their house the rest of the week and through the weekend. I was so grateful to be able to see my Goddaughter each day before she went to the sitter, and of course when everyone was home after work - being in that environment really helped the healing process begin with ease.

I saw the Ninja on Monday - Memorial Day. The office was closed but he wanted me to go in so I could begin the other thing I was kind of dreading...the turning of the appliance! We met him at 11am (after dodging a train and traffic) and he let us in the back door. He was, as always, his very calm and cool self.

He checked my mouth to make sure everything looked ok and then he gave me a mirror and the key and said to find the hole and insert the key. For a few minutes I could not find the dang hole to save my life. "There?" "No." "There?" "Close...go a little...no." "There????" After several failed attempts, I realized I had my glasses on (mind you, I can't function with the darn things on my face!) and took them off. VOILA! I found the hole! I practiced inserting and taking out the key a few times before he said to turn it. I did it once - that was to activate it - and then after a few moments I turned it again, initiating the process. Two turns a day for the next two weeks. The goal is to make a gap between the two front teeth 8 to 10 millimeters wide. Not bad, I can do this...

Every day since I've been turning the appliance I've taken a picture of myself - well, one of me and then one of my mouth and...

O.M.G.

The Ninja wasn't joking when he said it was going to be drastic. That sucker really has gotten bigger! Last Thursday (May 30) he measured it at 2mm and today, almost a week later, I'm really starting to resemble Goofy! Mind you, I'm not opening my mouth a lot when I talk and I'm avoiding smiling because I'm paranoid. I already looked a little funny with my friend Fang, but now...wow...whole new look!

I'll see the Ninja again tomorrow and then I'll see Dr. Mai on Monday the 10th. It just might be that the turning will be over soon and then Step 2 of this process can begin. Until then I will keep positive and relish in the fact that I - like many others out there - resemble a celebrity :)

2 Weeks ago...

I had the RPE surgery. Two weeks ago TODAY. Crazy! This is the best recap I have. It may take a few blogs, but here goes:

May 21
It was a dark and stormy night...Just kidding. It was a dark, calm morning when my dear friend picked me up (5:40am - aye!) to take me to the hospital. She is such a wonderful spirit - smiling at any hour of the day - so it was helpful to (somewhat) calm my nerves on the ride there. We got to the hospital - I signed what I needed to and then about 10 or 15 minutes later, a very kind nurse came to take me back to the prep area. She asked if I wanted my friend to join me and of course I said "YES!"

Lynn (the nurse) was terrific! She was an older lady and so calming in her speech and how she treated me. The first thing, of course, was to give me my oh-so-fashionable outfit for my visit - you know, the oversized, overly-revealing hospital gown. My favorite part, though, were the socks - I loved these!

As soon as I put them I had to take the picture. I told Lynn that I was journaling the entire experience and she just said do what I needed to. Soon after, the anesthesiologist came in and said that from what he could see, I was very healthy and that he suspected everything to be very smooth. He gave me "The $25 Pill" (this was the loving nickname I gave to one...ONE pill I paid $25 for to help prevent nausea after surgery) and left.

Time ticked on and no Ninja (a.k.a. Dr. Quaroni, the oral surgeon). My surgery was scheduled for 7:30am and it was getting pretty close! My friend looked at her watch at one point and said, "It's only 7:28 - he still has time" and sure enough just a couple minutes later the Ninja came in, said some kind words and left in his ninja-like way. Very shortly after, another nurse came in and off we went! The last things I remember before surgery were:

1. Moving from the warm cozy bed to the cold operating table
2. Putting my arms out and into some arm-hold things
3. Thinking "Oh my God, I'm about to get the anesthesia"

After that, I suppose the surgery happened!

And, it did.

I remember slowly waking up and trying to open my eyes to see a bright room, similar to the pre-op area and looking at a clock that, I think said 10am, or close to that time. The surgery had lasted 1-hour and I had been in recovery for about 2 hours (you can reference this with my friend - for all I know the surgery could have been 2 hours and I was in recovery for one!). The nurse in recovery was Katie. Young, cute (whoo!) and very nice. I remember I started crying (trust me, that was only the first time that day). Katie asked if I was in pain or if I was ok. I gave her a thumbs-up that they were happy tears. Frankly, I was crying because from the day I scheduled the surgery, I was afraid of the anesthesia. You just don't know how the body will react - healthy or not. I was sickened to fill out my Advanced Directive and had so many thoughts in my mind..."What if I don't wake up? What will happen at work? What about my goddaughter?" Terrible, the mind, but I guess that's only a small part of being human. Anyway...Katie started to talk to me and ask if I was ok and carried on a somewhat "normal" conversation. After a while a male nurse came to take me to my room. I remember asking him if he had "a license to drive this thing" (the hospital bed) and of course he said, "no" but he'd be careful.

The rest of the day is a bit of a blur, with some exceptions. Those "exceptions" I'll keep close to me. Not that they are bad, but good exceptions that only I would understand and appreciate.

I was surprised though, that I really didn't have much pain. I felt a lot of pressure in my face (go figure!) but my stylish ice packs did the trick to help. Who knew someone would invent something to help with facial swelling AND keep your drink cold at the same time? :)  I felt like a little Amish girl with those things wrapped around my head, but hey - they helped!

Thankfully, I was never sick from the anesthesia (another fear of mine). I only needed the nausea medicine twice, but those times, I didn't feel bad, only very slightly, so I figured play it safe than be sorry! The steroid medication kept me awake and the pain medication knocked me out! I cried several times that day and slept A LOT.

I ended up staying overnight and going home the next afternoon. Recovery and healing here we come!

Day before surgery

May 20th, the day before surgery...

My "to-do" and "to-get" lists are a little long, but they're doable.

My feelings are mixed...not mixed as in "I still have time to back out," but mixed as in I can't help but to think that the reality of this goal is going to start coming even more alive in less than 24 hours. I'm excited for the surgery, but nervous about the hospital. I've never been a fan of them. I know The Ninja" will do his absolute best; and I know those helping me (nurses, "angels", etc...) will do the same.

I can't help but be a little sentimental and think "today is the last day I'm going to look like this!" Not that my facial features will change, but my smile will. Unbelievable.

So, as I pack today and do the other things I need to, I'm going to keep a positive attitude by thinking happy thoughts and pray.

Not sure when the next post will be so stay tuned!