Braces coming off soon.

Well another couple of months have gone by. I can't believe it has been 7 months since my surgery. So much has happened, good and bad. Mostly it all seems like a blur; where does the time go? I have been healing so so. I clench at night, which seems to have slowed down everything. I've been having pain on the right side of my jaw that I just can't seem to shake. I also can't open my mouth as wide as I should be able to by now. I'm heading into physical therapy to address these problems. I probably have another year left of recovery but it's not so bad. Once I get these braces off I will feel much better about it all I am sure. It's just a frustrating day every now and then...nothing I can't handle.

Hope you all are well. Expect a post soon, brace free! :)

Pictures!

Time is flying by....

Just Some Photos!

It's been a while! Missed you guys!

Hello! Sorry it has been so long. What a crazy month it has been. I got back into my job full swing and was going through a lot of relationship stuff. Boy and I broke up which is for the best but it's got me so distracted lately. I've been trying to keep busy! I've been having trouble gaining weight back from my surgery. I've actually somehow managed to keep losing weight! It just tough because with the way my surgery was done my bite doesn't really come together yet. My teeth touch now in the front which they never used to but the back teeth are still working on coming together. I've been in rubberbands for a little over a week now and I wish they were tighter so they would get the job done faster! But, I guess I'll just have to be patient. I'm still healing and eating can be frustrating but things are still continuing to get better. I actually bit into a burger tonight!


Check out the profile! You can see that over the past month my swelling has really gone down. It's pretty exciting. I've been so caught up with things that I've really stopped looking at my progress so these pictures were a wonderful surprise! I hope you all are doing well. I just got over a week of illness. I had bronchitis....yuck. It's going around and of course I get it.



I'm getting a new supervisor this week which I am a little nervous about, especially since I only have a few more months left at this job. Then on to bigger and brighter things! Let me know if you have any questions! Also, I would like to give a shout out to my friend Lisa who just had this exact same surgery this past Thursday!

Jaw Exercises

Does this look painful? Well it is. I went in for a check up today with my surgeon and told him how the right side of my jaw has been giving me no problem but that my left side still aches and I have spasms every now and then. He gave me this jaw stretching tool to help. He says I just need to stretch it out and then it will feel better. I hope so! Is it weird that only one side of my jaw is having problems? Literally the right side never gives me any problems.

Anywho, so that's something I will have to work on. He was going to see me back in 6 weeks but he decided to make it three. He says he wants me to be able to fit three fingers in my mouth! Wooza that sounds daunting but I will do my best to stretchhhhhh.

On another note, bad allergies right now here in Texas and they are attacking me hard. I had a trip to the ER last night because I had literally thrown up everything I had eaten that day. I thought I might have pnuemonia or something but apparently it's just really really bad allergies. I got myself a nelli pot, sudafed, claritin D, Musinex D, I went crazy at the drug store. I just want no more drainage! Is that too much to ask world?

I am going to the beach this weekend and this stupid cold or whatever it is isn't stopping me.

Hope you all are doing well. I'm exactly 8 weeks post-op today and its been one week without my splint! My bite hasn't shifted soooo so far so good.

Now I just gotta work on the stretching and get myself well.

Love,

-S

Hooray for no Splint!

Seriously getting the splint off is the best most wonderful thing! It makes you feel like you are fully recovered; it's easier to eat now; I don't have to spend a half hour brushing my teeth. And I love just looking at my new bite. It's quite an emotional experience. I know it sounds silly but just hearing the clicking sound of my new perfect bite. It's awesome.

Things I'm still dealing with:

Swelling. Some days I'm puffier than other days. It gets better by the end of the day but then I go to sleep and It's like I'm starting all over again. I know it will take a few months for it to really fully and completely subside but I'm getting impatient! I want to see the full results, ya know?

I can't really chew...The way they did the surgery, since I had such a bad overbite they wanted to focus on making sure they brought my front teeth together, so my back teeth don't actually touch yet and it's kind of hard to chew with just your front teeth....especially since I've never been able to do that before!


I don't have full feeling back yet. My chin is still a little numb, as is my lower lip and around that area but it's not that bad and the nerves ARE waking up; it's just going to take some time. I can now feel cold/hot sensations on my chin, where as I couldn't before so yes all good things.

I still can put my lips together comfortably. I tried practicing by holding a poker chip but with the braces and all it's kind of hard. I'll keep working on it though!

Profile love :)

GUESS WHAT??!!

MY SPLINT IS OUT! I cried when they took it off. They kept asking me if it hurt but that wasn't it. I was just so incredibly happy and overhelmed to have made it to this next step. I immediately went to my orthodontist and he took off all the surgical hooks. No rubber bands for a few weeks. They want to see what my bite does. I will most likely need some rubber bands at some point though. I go back to see my surgeon in a week and my ortho in 3-4. He thinks the braces will be coming off around FEB/MARCH! wohooo.

The only thing is, I can't bring my lips together yet. My ortho gave me poker chips to practice 30-60 min a day. He says we need to train my muscles to accept lips closed as the RELAXED position.


Now I have to go to work, when all I want to do is bask in the sun, drink Champagne and celebrate this day. I am so happy. Thank you to everyone who has helped see me through these past few weeks. Your comments are so greatly appreciated. And know that I am hear for you. Wherever you are in this process, I am thinking of you.

Here is a profile shot. :)