i started my journey towards surgery when i had my first consultation with the maxilliofacial dept of Kettering General Hospital. i'd told my dentist a few months before that i wanted to get my teeth straightened, (this was something i'd always been unhappy with & i'd decided it was about time i did something about it, i was then 36).
imagine my surprise when i met the consultant & he explained that the underlying problem was how my jaw had developed & that i had 2 choices, braces (which would straighten teeth but that would be all) or braces then surgery to move my jaws into the correct position, (this would also mean that my bite would be better as well as my profile which was very flat with an overbite & 'weak chin').
after some thought i decided on the surgical route, if i'm gonna do this then i'm gonna do it right. course my husband couldn't understand why i wanted to put myself through this when he thought there was nothing wrong with me, how could he understand having perfectly straight teeth?
i got my braces fitted on 14th May 2008, i needed 3 teeth removed first, 1 wisdom & 2 bottom front. it took me a while to get used to my new braces & the first few months were quite painful.
it was quite weird getting braces when i was almost 38 & i became quite a talking point at work for a while, but at least i was now on the road!
flashforward to September 2009, i had a consult with the surgeon to discuss how things were going & possible dates for surgery, everything seemed to be going as planned & a date was set for 3rd Feb 2010!!!
as the date got closer i became both excited that it would soon be over & nervous, (i had chosen to have both my top & bottom jaw realigned along with genioplasty to give me a new chin & some work on my cheeks to puff out my profile), quite a major operation, i would then have my jaw banded shut for 6 weeks while it healed meaning a liquid diet. what had i let myself in for? still i had come this far!!
the morning of the op approached & i had to be at Northampton General for 08.00, i was up at 04.30 as i wanted a last coffee & wasn't allowed any drinks after 5.00 + i was supposed to bath before being admitted.
after being checked in & saying goodbye to my husband i went down to theartre at 08.45, i had my iv's put in & then drifted off to sleep almost straght away.
i woke up at 15.00 in the recovery room attached to a fluid drip, a morphinre PCA (Patient Controlled Analgesisia) & an oxygen mask. the pain wasn't too bad, but i think the morphine helped.
i was in hospital for the next two nights, i hate hospitals & couldn't wait to get home, i managed to fool the staff into thinking i was drinking more than i was so they would let me go, i know i shouldn't of done but i thought i could look after myself better at home, they really didn't have much of a clue & actually discharged my with my medication in tablet form when i could only have liquids!
i had a splint in my mouth which made drinking very hard & had to use a syringe to squirt liquid into my mouth, i lived on complan for that first week & a bit.
i had the splint removed on day 8 post op & OMG what a difference, i could now drink from a cup, still only liquids but nice to have a hot drink, cuppa soup etc.
i am now day 11 post op & am feeling better day by day, fed up with liquids & am trying anyway i can to force food through the gaps in my teeth, not easy when you are banded shut. hopefully when i have my next out-patients appointment i will have the bands loosened a bit & can start to eat some soft foods, i'll keep you posted.
below are some pictures prior to surgery:
this is me pre braces in August 2007, its a rare photo as i'm normally the one taking the picture & am rarely in them especially showing my teeth!
this is me on holiday in Spain about 4 months after my braces were fitted, if i am in a photo this is usually how i would look, closed mouth, hiding my teeth!
a rare sight, me smiling in a photo, as you can see i have quite a gummy smile. this was taken in October 2009.
next post i'll add pictures post surgery
thanks for reading xxx
