Getting Nervous

I think being on the blogs is starting to hurt more than help. Since I'm so close I'm starting to get nervous which I was really hoping I could avoid. I might disappear until after my surgery.

I'm worried because I have year round allergies. I have drainage every morning and have to hack stuff up. Gross I know. Sorry! But yeah, I take allergy pills but they don't make much of a difference. I know that the surgery is going to make all of this like 100 times worse and I am worried about not being able to breath. I'm meeting with my surgeon again this week and I'm going to make sure he perscribes me a decongestant. I know I'm going to need it.

2 more weeks

Two more weeks. It's so crazy how fast this year has flown by.

Well, yesterday was a little frustrating. My surgeon had told me he wanted me to get a physical from the hospital because of my asthma, which I was fine by. They said they would set it up for me but the hospital called me the next day to talk financials so I asked them about it and they told me they didn't do physicals and that I should go to my general physician and have them fax my clearance over. I immediately set up an appt. with my doctor and have just been sitting tight thinking I had everything under control. I called my surgeons office yesterday to make sure they had gotten the fax and they were like "What about Doctor Smiley? Have you seen him?" Who the *bleep* is doctor Smiley?! Apparently they do do pre-op appts. at the Hospital and the person I talked to was just an idiot. I'm annoyed because they said they would handle it, and they didn't and then I'm the one who's being put out. I already got my blood work done by my other doctor, I'm not going to do it again. But they still want me to go see this guy; they are going to do an EKG and a Chest Xray. It's all good and all but man I really wish doctors offices could get it together. Has anyone else had a frustrating experience like this? I hate thinking they just forgot about me, and I hate even more how easy it was for them to drop the ball on this! I mean they are going to be cutting into me in 2 weeks time..... *Big Sigh*

Physical was hmmm?

My surgeon was going to do my physical but upon hearing about my asthma he wanted to send me to the hospital. Well, unfortunately the hospital doesn't do physicals so I ended up going to my family practice doctor. She's really nice but she didn't really seem to know what they wanted. She was like, "do I need to fill anything out..." I said no, because they didn't give me anything, they basically just said I needed her to clear me for surgery and that she would know what to do. Well she listened to my lungs, asked if my heart was okay, checked my throat, eyes, stomach etc., and sent me off to get some blood work, and that was basically it. I was surprised there wasn't more questions. What has this been like for other people? Did she cover all her bases? I'm young and I'm sure I'll be fine, but this is my first time undergoing anesthesia and I do have asthma. She just didn't seem concerned. Should she have done some xrays? scans?

Thanks people!

-S

Chances of Relapse?

Alright, so, strangely, the only scary part of all this for me is the chance of relapse. I should have asked my surgeon this. It seems like I have a new question for him everyday. I don't mind going through all this, it was my choice, and I'm not really nervous, I'm actually excited. What I don't want though is to go through all this and then have it not work. What are the odds? Does anyone know? Has this happened to you or someone you know? Also, I can't afford to go through it again, or my parents can't. They are paying out of pocket for this surgery because it is an exclusion on our insurance plan. They don't even consider these kind of surgeries....no matter how much you need it. This means my parents are paying 50 thousand dollars for all of this to go down. They rock. I don't want to go into my surgery with any fears though. I'm the kind of person that thinks a positive attitude and outlook will carry me a long way. I don't want any bad energy in the room the day of. I want to feel calm.

Relapse just seems like such a funny thing to me. I mean, how is this possible really? They are putting screws in my mouth to hold my new jaw in place, so how in the world could I revert back to my old bite? They said the bone would grow over where they are sliding it....but what if it doesn't? Is this when relapse happens? All I know is that I will not be straining my jaw in the slightest, even if I have to be mute! I don't want to take the chances.

Surgery is so soooon

Well, July 22nd, so I still have a couple more weeks to go, but seriously it needs to get here, now! I do have a lot to do between now and then though. I need to go pick up all my prescriptions, get my stuff ready that I am going to want at the hospital, set up stuff for me to do when I get home from surgery-books, movies,CDS, and whatnot, stock up my fridge with things I can actually eat.....

I just had my pre-op yesterday and we covered everything! I met with my surgeon, saw my nutritionist and it got me so excited. I am going to have to wear a splint for 8 weeks, which means, no chewing, sucking, swishing, any of that, for 8 weeks. So, I will be on a liquid/soft food diet for that time. The nutritionist said I should lose no more than 3 or 4 lbs but yeah right, i'm sure I'll lose more than that. I picked out my jaw bra, it's Hawaiian theme :) I still need to go to the hospital to get my physical, because of my asthma they just want o make sure they have all their bases covered, and this is my first time undergoing anesthesia. I'll post pictures and video if I can manage it. Hope everyone is doing well~ :)

One month to go.....

It's hard to believe that in just a month I will have just had surgery, and will be in my first few days of recovery. I can't wait! Well, recovery will suck but it's hard to believe that this is happening. This year has gone by so fast. I had my last cleaning with my dentist yesterday and I meet with my surgeon next week to go over pre op stuff. Time to get my questions ready! What questions do you have? What questions do you wish you had asked?

Here are some of mine:

Will I vomit up blood after the surgery? If so, how much? Will this put strain on my jaw?....because it seems like it would.

How much pain can I expect in the first week, level 1-10?

What are my chances of never getting feeling back in parts of my face?

How long will it take to get feeling back throughout my face?

What can I do to help myself recover faster? Any tips anyone? What helped you get through your first few weeks?

How long before I can eat steak and stuff like that?.....I heard this story about a guy who bit into a steak a little too early and he had to get the surgery again!

What will they use to extend my lower jaw forward?

What will my recovery time look like? 2 weeks? 4 weeks? 6 weeks? .....mostly, when will I be able to go back to work?! I will have to wear a splint....

What will my emotional state be like?

Can I shower right after?

What are the signs of infection?

That's all I got so far!

Detox Starts Today!

Alright party people, today marks day 1 of detox. My surgery is in two months and I am going to be super healthy going into it. Any advice one certain foods I should be loading up on, or certain exercises you recommend? I hear that the better shape you are in going in, the faster your recovery is. I don't meet with my nutritionist until later this month, and would love to show her that I have this covered.

Also, what is brushing and flossing like after the surgery? I'm going to be wearing a splint, not sure for how long but I've been wondering how this will effect my dental hygiene. I go in for a cleaning this month so at least I'll be really clean going in.

And one more question. What was the one thing that happened post-op that you wish you had been more prepared for, or something you would have done differently maybe to help yourself get through it? I'm a little freaked out about possibly vomiting blood after surgery and about feeling like I can't breath.

Hope everyone is well~