A little over 7 months… Braces are OFF!

Well, I don't really have time to get down to the exact day I am post surgery, but I do know its a little over 7 months. Things are going great. I have minimal pain and tension. I have been headache free since my surgery. I do have some strange popping in my right side, but it is different than before, and it is not something I feel every time I eat. It comes and goes…so I am hoping eventually it will go, and never come back. One can hope right?

I did start feeling some major neck pain in my left shoulder and I thought my neck pain was coming back with a vengeance as it started hurting horribly bad last week and was progressively becoming worse. I scheduled an appointment with someone who does deep tissue massage/neck stretching and deals with people with chronic neck pain this past Tuesday and the day of I was still incredibly sore, but now 2 days later NO pain what so ever. I am going back to her in 3 weeks for a follow up to help loosen my muscles even more.

The most exciting thing is I got my top braces off about 3 weeks ago, and this past Monday I got my bottom braces off! It feels amazing to have that part done and over with. I forgot what normal teeth feel like, which is totally amazing, white, and slimy. No more coffee stained braces! Yay.

I do feel like they could have made my chin a little more defined, and I know they brought my bottom jaw as far forward as they could due to my facial structure they couldn't go as far as they would have liked to without doing way more work than I wanted. I didn't want a whole new face, just teeth that touched, and a bite that was functional, which I got! : ) Looking back it was worth it all, and wasn't sooo bad. On the bright side I had a month off of work last summer, and it taught me that I should take more time for myself. I plan to take a few weeks off this summer and enjoy life! I will post some before and after pics soon! Back to work I go! : )

Hope everyone is doing amazing out there! I have been keeping up with your blogs here and there, and you all look amazing!

5 1/2 months

Well, I started post at 5 months and never got around to finishing it. So here it goes.

The most exciting thing to report is I get the top braces off in T minus 4 days. I am ecstatic. After our New Years Eve party and everyone letting me know when I had food in my braces, I am just ready to be done with them. I really haven't been super bothered or really cared about how I looked in them, but well they are a huge inconvenience. I also feel that I will be able to eat more naturally once they are off. At the moment biting into this is a tad strange, and I know that it's partly from surgery, okay most likely its all from the surgery, but I feel the need to blame the braces as well.

I can open 3 fingers wide now, with out a pop or anything, so that is exciting. However, I am not sure if due to the colder weather or my jaw just adjusting from the changes but I have been experiencing a clicking on my right side of the jaw. It doesn't really hurt, it is just annoying and a little uncomfortable after awhile. Other than this slight set back I feel great. I notice my jaw is a little tight in the morning, and by the evening it feels much better. I am wondering if I am grinding my teeth at night and that is causing tension. Something I am going to discuss with my orthodontist on Monday.

Hmm, what else... Life is great, and I am ready to begin a new year with my new and improved jaw, and hope that everyone reading this has a fabulous 2014!

5 months

I can't believe it has been 5 months since I had double jaw surgery. I feel great, the only problems I have had is due to me being so busy I forget to do my jaw stretches so my jaw has become pretty tight again. However, I can still open it pretty wide it is just really uncomfortable. Once I stretch it out it feels fine, no popping or tightness. : )

I have my appointment scheduled to get my top braces off. YAY, I can not wait for Jan 6th! Great way to start off the New Year, with a new smile! The bottom braces should come off a couple weeks after.

I was just looking back at pictures and I even though those first two weeks were super rough, it doesn't seem all that bad now… of course that is easy to say now that I am eating pretty much anything I want, and can open wide!

I love my smile, and face. My smile can still be gummy when I get really smiley, but it is different. It is not as gummy. My chin still feels a little strange when I see it in pictures other people take. When I do my selfies for this blog I like it, when i see it in other pics it looks huge!

I will finish this post up later tonight! Need to get back to work.

149 Days!

Wow, it has been a long time since I have posted anything. Most days I have some what forgotten about the huge ordeal that happened back in July (the double jaw surgery). However, I am still pretty tight, but I can squeeze two knuckles in my mouth which was my goal. It's not fun to do, but I can do it. lol

I am still numb on my chin, but I can feel when it is touched. It's not 100% feeling, but it's something which gives me hope that eventually it will come back. Chewing is no problem now. I am eating everything I want. I haven't bitten into a whole apple, but I still have braces. Pretty sure that would be a terrible idea while I am wearing these stupid things. Yes, I am so done with the braces. I am ready to move on… and eat and not worry how much food is still left in my teeth, most likely my entire meal. So annoying.

ON the bright side, it looks like I will be getting them off in just a few weeks. He was hoping to get them off before Christmas but he wants to tweak one little thing, so looking more like the first week of Jan. I am soooo excited. I will probably throw myself a party!

Anywho. Writing this post incredibly fast as I have to start teaching voice lessons in 2 minutes, but really wanted to get a post up since I have been so terrible at it!

I have loved reading everyones posts, and so glad you all are doing amazing!

Heather

Day 97 :: Normalcy

Day 97:

Life is almost is back to how it was before surgery, except less painful. My jaw rarely hurts or aches at this point, and I have had no popping like before the surgery. The jaw is still a little tight and I am not quite at 3 fingers or two knuckles, but I am getting closer every day. I am eating pretty much anything I want at this point. Let's be honest some things are still difficult to chew; nuts, hard vegetables, tough meat, BUT I can chew it. Also, still can't take crazy huge bites of food due to limited opening, but who needs to take crazy huge bites? Not me. : )

I saw my orthodontist yesterday and he was surprised at how fast things were moving into place and is weaning me off the bands I have been wearing in hopes that before Christmas I will be scheduling an appointment to get my braces off!! I am praying for a Christmas miracle that this happens and I can have a Christmas sans braces! Best gift ever in my opinon. So that is my exciting news, not that it is set in stone, but just to hear those words that this chapter is almost over is so so so wonderful!

I am getting more comfortable with the changes in my face, I think at this point I am the only one that really notices anything everyone else is used to it and doesn't seem to be phased at all by the slight change in my nose, chin, and profile (which I LOVE now).

Hope you are all doing well, and back to normal life as well!

Day 78: My weird feelings are starting to vanish

I am sure I have mentioned the weird sensations I have been experiencing that well make me cringe inside. I feel like I am touching cotton balls, or there is chalk all over my hands, or biting down on foil all the worst sensations balled up into one where my teeth and hands, and I just shiver thinking about it. I touch things and I feel it in my teeth. It is the weirdest thing to explain to people, but I have been feeling it constantly for the past 7 days or more. Today I finally had a few hours where I didn't notice that sensation AT ALL! Thank GOD! I seriously was worried this would never go away, and I was going to be put into a straight jacket, because the sensation was about to drive me insane. While I feel the feeling a little, it's no where near what I was feeling prior. Praying tomorrow it fades even more, or is completely gone, I am okay with that too! ; )

My mouth is opening wider since my last post which was 3 days ago. I have been making myself eat really chewy things, like dried fruit, and powerberries and larger pieces of meat. I think the chewing is helping to loosen the muscles. It is a little uncomfortable, but I know it will only get better then more I work it so I might as well suffer through the aches I get at night, which really are not that bad. It's better than the aches and pains before surgery.

Thats they other thing my jaw has not popped once since the surgery, and I no longer get migraines weekly. My jaw seems to be loosening up, and I think once its opening all the way it will be better than ever. My neck still hurts a little, but no where near like before surgery. I guess I hold all of my stress there, I should just go get massages more often. Poor me : P

I got my hair dyed today, between my new lower jaw and smile, and now the hair I might be feeling a little overwhelmed. I wanted a change... well I got it. It's growing on me. If I decide I hate it I will just add some blonde in there to lighten it up. I can't tell if it looks unnatural, since I have always had light hair.

Well happy October! I can't believe fall is here, and 2 months and 1 week have passed since my surgery! Crazy!

Hope everyone has an amazing week!

Day 75: Another appointment with the surgeon

So for those of you that are preparing for your upcoming jaw surgery, I will tell you that looking back the worst of it all came and went so quickly. I am now 2 months and one week post surgery, and I can do and eat pretty much anything. My only limitations at this point is biting into hard or tough foods, chewing to much causes a few issues, and opening my mouth wide.

I had an appointment with my surgeon this past Thursday, he said my swelling looked to be almost completely gone and was impressed with my bite. It hasn't shifted or moved and all looks good. Which is good news, as when your teeth are moving, and your bite seems to be changing constantly due to braces I worry daily that something is going wrong. Like oh no my teeth don't touch like they did yesterday. It's all part of the process I guess. It's good to hear that things look good.

He gave me another exercise to do to help stretch the muscles, as they are still extremely tight. He told me to place the tip of my tongue behind the top front teeth and open until you can feel the pull and hold the stretch. Also to continue prying my jaw open. He is much stronger than me or maybe I am more afraid of hurting myself, because when I pry my jaws apart it doesn't hurt nearly as bad as when he does it. I will have to get more forceful as my end goal he said is 2 knuckles wide, and I am shooting for full range by November. That gives me 5 weeks. I can do this. I also bought tongue depressors and I stacked them all together and put them in and hold it there feeling the strain. 

I was having problems with my right jaw hurting and feeling an uncomfortable pain when yawning and things that required my mouth to open slowly or over and over again. My surgeon looked at that, and from my description and where the pain was coming from it was my lower jaw muscle. He said that my right side wasn't opening as far as the left and felt much tighter. So to continue with the exercises, and not to baby the jaw. He said I can work out like normal, but in moderation, and I can chew/eat anything in moderation. Though some things would be hard due to my mouth opening being one knuckle. I had sushi last night, and I could not fit it in my mouth so I had to cut it in half and squish it down. It was messy. So glad we brought it home! : )

It also seems like that was my last appointment with the Surgeon he said I am now in the hands of my orthodontist, and to message him with updates with the jaw opening. Of course if I have any issues I will be going back to him, but he said at this point everything looks good, and I just need to work my jaw more. I am free to do whatever I feel up to doing.

I had an orthodontist appointment today, he was impressed with the way my teeth were moving and I was told to only wear my bands every other night! Yipee, a little more freedom. I forgot to ask him if he has an idea of how much longer I will be wearing these wonderful braces for. I think I am afraid to hear the answer so I don't ask. I would LOVE to have them off by Christmas, that will be the best Christmas present ever. 

Numbness is slowly going away. It's weird I don't feel a ton of tingles any more but the area feels more normal. I can feel somethings better than others on that area. For instance warm things I can't really feel, but cold things I slightly feel. I don't care, as feeling anything on the chin at this point gives me hope that I will gain full feeling in my chin.

Pictures from the last few days:

I still see swelling under my bottom lip. 

I make this face constantly to help break up scar tissue.