How long will it take for me to recover from double jaw surgery?
A continued outline of my recovery from Christmas day 2011- February 2012.
Twitter @jawandface
- Christmas Day – I was able to eat most of my Xmas dinner minus the turkey and meat. I enjoyed a prawn cocktail. I was still not chewing very well but I was managing to eat a relatively normal diet. I had a lovely day but my swelling was quite bad today. Pain levels were not too bad.
- Boxing day...day 126 my mouth was really sore and my gums hurt. My teeth are sensitive from wearing the retainers all of the time. I was not eating much as I would have to remove and clean the retainers before placing them back into my mouth. My teeth also had to be brushed after every meal or drink. This was a real pain and restricted me from eating out with friends over the Xmas period. I purchased a box to put the retainers in whilst I was not wearing them. I was going away on a spa break and did not want them to become damaged. My mood was low as I was fed up of being different and not being able to eat properly. I was fed up with the retainers and wearing them 24/7 and I wanted to be normal and have feeling back in my lower jaw and lip. I was still numb on my lower jaw and still had puffy days. I found it hard to talk for a sustained period and I would often find it painful. I am still having issues with my sinuses and the feeling of pressure build up. The cold weather would hurt my face and the plates would play up, causing pain on my lower jaw mainly.
- Day 133 still having serious issues with lower jaw pain and pain in my neck and shoulders. This would get worse if I was tired or spoke for a lengthy period.
- New Year’s Eve I went to the cinema. I struggled to sit for the 3 hour film and my neck and shoulders were really uncomfortable.
- 1ST January 2012 – I was still going to work for 3 days a week. I was applying for jobs and receiving interviews. I was on a low dose of pain relief. However I am still having episodes of swelling. Still in pain when I over do it.
- 6th January 2012 – I got another cold. Nose is clicking and my plate sites are stinging. I have a sore throat and a high temperature. I have weird sensations around my plate areas. Very run down and tired.
- 9th January 2012 – pain in my face, head, jaw line and teeth. I had a stinging sensation inside and outside where my upper plates were.
- 10th January 2012- pressure around my head and face. My ears and nose were blocked. I was finding it difficult to breath. The pain was so severe I started taking 30/500mg co-codomol the higher dose of pain relief.
- 12th January 2012- I had a nose bleed. Lots of bloody gooey clots coming from my nose. I tried to have Vicks inhalations and I was taking Sudafed. Nothing was helping the pressure and pain. Unable to go to work. I was taking my asthma inhalers as my chest was tight and very restricted. Muscles were really painful and I was stiffening up again.
- 16th January 2012- I had to visit King’s hospital for an appointment. I was prescribed 2 weeks of antibiotics and karvol capsules to help my breathing.
- 19th January 2012- I had my first session of physiotherapy for my painful muscles. The physiotherapist had never come across a case like mine. She said she will be conducting more research before our next session. The main areas of concern are my lack of neck and shoulder movement.
- 24th January 2012- still on antibiotics and feeling generally very unwell. Unable to work and in a lot of pain. I have noticed I am clenching my teeth in my sleep. This made my facial muscles tense and sore to touch. Bottom lip and chin still numb. Hair is still falling out. Having trouble sleeping and facial pressure is still bad.
- 1st February 2012- my second session of physiotherapy. It is making my muscles more tense and tight. I am trying to keep up with the exercises I have been given. This was making my jaw pain worsen.
- 2nd February 2012- I went to the doctors as my asthma was playing up and I was finding it difficult to breathe. They prescribed me a preventer and gave me another reliever. My hair is still falling out. The doctor believes it is stressed caused by the trauma of the surgery. I have most of my facial feeling back but not my lower chin or lower teeth and lip. I am still sleeping on 3-4 pillows and having limited sleep every night. My periods have been regulated by the combination contraceptive pill. The weather seems to have a really negative impact on my pain levels. Wind, damp and cold weather are making the sinus infections worse and the pain also gets worse in the whole of my face. It had started to snow this week and even using a scarf did not seem to help protect my face from the cold. The lower plates are very sensitive and painful. I am eating better but have stayed away from tough or chewy foods.
- 18th February 2012- I had another physiotherapy session and was left in a huge amount of pain. I could hardly walk and the physiotherapist had put strapping on my back to help my posture. The muscles were contracted and I was really worried that my old facial pain was returning. I began to notice the plate screws were visible externally. My swelling was largely improved but now the screws were noticeable. They looked like a perfect line of red spots along my lower jaw. On inspection my lower plates and screws can be felt internally and externally.
First outing near Christmas
Puffy face on Christmas day
First Christmas after jaw surgery
Massage time on my spa break
Physiotherapy after orthognathic surgery
Heat packs after jaw surgery still
Face starting to take shape 6 months after orthognathic surgery
Hair loss after orthognathic surgery (happened every time i washed or brushed my hair)
Blood clots after orthognathic surgery
Bleeding and sinus infections after jaw surgery
My face 1 year after jaw surgery
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Lots of love always,
Steffie
x.x.x
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