no buttons for me!!!

Oh how i loved to hear those words, NO BUTTONS FOR ME...what a relief!

My teeth are really coming together! Thats what the ortho says, yipee. So 24 of the 28 teeth in my mouth are contacting...not perfectly, but they are touching at some point. Its amazing, i never thought this would be possible again, i can already feel that big juicy steak im gona eat once im healed more from the surgery, man its been years!

Anyways, so 24/28 not bad right. The last time i had elastics i only got to wear them for 2/4 weeks as i was in sever pain. But the teeth moved together so well on the left side even at that. The elastics must have worked overdrive, and it also helped that the wire didnt go all the way back, allowing the teeth to settle more, and come back into place. They were too wide on the upper jaw after my jaw was widened. I thought i was gona have to wear those nasty buttons, but the teeth seem to have settled.

So this time the newest mission for the next 4 weeks is elastics again, but on the 7's, so the VERY back teeth. The ortho wants me wearing the strongest possible elastics, fred's again, but he gave me medium as well so we dont run into the same pain as last time. I have been using the heavy at night, but im not quite up for the daytime ones yet, but i think ill try starting wed as my teeth have setted from the adjustment, which is a story in itself.

OH MAN i am not looking forward to the next one if its anything like this last one. My teeth werw super sensitive, so bad i was almost crying from the elastics going around the brackets to keep the wire in place. Its good cuz feeling is coming back but it was HORRIBLE!!! I dred 4 weeks from now:(

Massage went well, got the kinks outa my neck. 3 weeks from now were gona try acupuncture on my face and neck. The massage therapist thinks it will work wonders as it stimulates the nerves, which im my case are damaged or are regenrating, so i think it will help give them a slight kick! Well see.

I see the surgeon on friday so i still have to ask about the physio if he thinks it would be beneficial and ill ask about the acupuncture, just to be on the same side.!

But i can finally say the bite is coming along very nicely, just wish the numbness would go away, the animation to my face would return faster, this damn swelling thats lingering would just leave me alone and i want more range of motion dammit, Subway is calling me!

physio and concerns

So I had my physio consultation on Monday there. The ideas are good, seems she wants to do some guiding, where she will stand behind me, stick her hands in my mouth and guide my jaw open, to stretch the muscles and joints. Felt weird, and was hard for her cuz im so still she could barely get her hand in there, lol. Also she wants to use popsicle sticks and stack them, then u go to the max, leave for 20 secs, etc, that supposedly helps to open. Now there would be some pain and discomfort, but i guess its supposed to help the joints, as mine are very stiff. The physio said that she usually only sees jaw ppl that DONT have surgery, shes never seen anyone post op? So the plan is to go ahead, why not its covered through my benefits, but we have to get the ok from the surgeon first.

That was supposed to happen tues, but my appt was cancelled as he had a family emergency, so i dont see him until the following friday, almost 2 weeks later, no biggie though, i still have a massage booked for friday, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, and ortho on friday as well.

So my question is this...........maybe this pain im feeling is normal now. Id definitely was not before, nut that issue was addressed by not wearing elastics for a bit to help my jaw...but now the pain im feeling, maybe its normal, so i ask you all do you have pain...maybe im just over-complaining, thinking i shouldnt have any pain u know...i just had MAJOR surgery, i guess there would be some pain and disconfort, but mine seems a little more than tollerable, so anyone ahve any suggestions?

Lastly im slightly worried about my ortho appt friday as i havent really been wearing elastics recently, well i do at night as im sleeping with my jaw at a weird angle and open so i need the elastics so i dont wake up with a really stiff sore jaw and a migrain..., but i wonder elastic wise what he will do....hopefully not the thickest again, i definitely dont want to go through that again. More pics added, and one of my mouth opening, which u can see im in a bit of discomfort, anyone else?

TING

So pain is still lingering, but its moving around. The left joint seems to be ok again now, THANK GOODNESS, however i get this weird ting feeling just under my ear, where the jawline goes down to the chin. I have been trying to figure out how to describe it and thought i would stick with my candy reference like the last one with the chocolate toothpaste. This one however is more of a sour reaction. Like when you are sucking on sour balls and you get that TING sour taste in your joints..thats what its like...its not bad, just like a quick zap.

The newest REAL pain is actually on the right now, but inside. Its on the roof, near my back molar and i get it when i chew, so its really annyoing trying to eat. Not sure what its from, but the pain is at its worst when i open to the max i can. So i havent been exercising too much, and eating has slowed again cuz i cant open more than a finger without it hurting. Hopefully in a week this one too will dissapear and could relocate.

But due to all this pain ive been gettin i decided to call a physiotherapist. I have done 3 back/shoulder/neck massages and they arent really helping too much. So im gona try jaw physio. I know the surgeon recomended it before, but im just waiting to hear back if its ok at 3 months, or if i should wait a bit. The surgeon appt is tuesday and the physio will call me back tomorrow. Hopefully that will offer some comfort

Other than that, things are good, im back in the gym, swelling still lingers a bit, but u can only notice it from certain angles, like a 45 degree angle....ppl at work say im storing nuts for the winter, haha, right. CUTE

Anyways, thats about it for now...hope everyone is enjoying their new year so far!

Learning experience

So I have finally come to realise this whole surgery recovery thing is definitely a learning experience. Every day offers something new and exciting, not necessarily in a good way.

I have been off my elastics now, like the ortho and surgeon suggested and really don't have that much pain relief. I dont think the medication is working much either...I'm pretty much taking it AND Tylenol on a regular basis. The pain is not severe anymore, but it is definitely still there, but I'm living with it. Wonder what it could be since its not the elastics. I'm still wearing them at night, as i sleep with my mouth open so it offers comfort.

I almost feel like my jaw is shifting though, sideways. Hard to describe, but when I'm sleeping i think I'm moving it left or right, because the bite feels off, so the elastics i think are holding it together...wouldn't that be awful if my jaw upper or lower moved to the side...OMG. Don't even want to go there.

Range of motion is improving, but its still only at about 2 fingers width is max i can open, hopefully this is normal. The only other thing that could be causing problems is eating because after i eat im quite sore, so i might be overdueing it, trying to eat normal again...maybe i should still eat softer stuff...ill try that, but really I'm SICK of softer stuff, aren't we all at this stage.

I see the surgeon next Tuesday then the ortho on Friday so hopefully the pain will have stopped by them or there will be some answers. Honestly the 2 don't seem that concerned, but they aren't feeling this pain, right...but to put it into perspective, id rather have the 1st week post op annoyance again, even the breathing problems, rather than this pain in my left side....!

More pics to come on wed.

Joint pain sucks

So I havent posted in a while, been very busy with the holidays, as i work shift work and we dont get that 10 days off like most people. I have to continue with my regular shifts, so all days off have been madness with trying to fit everything in.

I have however been in quite a lot of pain recently, id say since the 23 or 24. It's my left joint that is very sore. It was tollerable but for the past 2-3 days it had been unbearable, pretty much stopping me from everything, eating, talking, even sleeping offeres no comfort as i get woken with severe pain. I was holding off on calling the surgeon as i was seeing him today, Thank goodness.

So he says its probably due to my elastic configuration. I have Fred on my left side 24/7 and when imsleeping he also visits my right side. So Dr. T saw him on the left, where the pain is and asks " did the ortho give you this elastic" Me being in the grumpy state im in was about to say back " no i really like fred being a pain in my @%*, but felt it was more appropriate to say "yes" So he says that elastic is way too thick and strong to be wearig 24/7 by itself on one side, and i should wear "bear" now, which is at least half the size of fred. He also gave me Toradol, which is a mild pain killer and anti-inflammatory, to take 4 times a day for 5 days i believe. But honestly ive taken 2 and i have no relief...well a bit cu zits tollerable again, but i knw as the day progresses ill be in great pain as i get more tired.

SO i have had the elastics out since my appt at 11, trying to offer some relief, which is IS, however not as much as id like. My ear, is killing, my neck, all the way down to my back that the whole left side is complete knots. Its also giving me a constant headache, switching to a migrain occasionally. Im on nights now tonight and tomorrow and i can tel lu if it wanst for my 8 hrs stat im gettin from the 1st, i WOULDNT BE HERE....its not much fun. I now have to see the durgeon in 2 weeks to make sure this pain is gone and that its the elastics causing it and not something else...yeah for another possible 2 weeks of pain

So i think it best tocall the ortho tomorrow to fill him on and make sure what the surgeon says is ok....its hard cuz u dont know who to listen to right...but considering this is the braces possibly causing this pain i think it best to see what the ortho says.

So other than that not much new....not eating too much due to pain and talking has goten slurred again cuz of the pain...PAIN overall, and yes it SUCKS....sorry for being so grumypy and unpositive here but i really am not seeing hte benefit of this surgery thus far. Sure my bite is great, but i still cant eat properly, im SICK of the slight swelling and numbness, and lastly the joint pain SUCKS!!!!

Hope everyone else is doing better and had a good NY, Happy 2008....and i PROMISE ill be beter for my next entry!