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!
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Monday, January 7, 2008
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.
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.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
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!
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!
Monday, December 17, 2007
another adjustment=1 step closer
So today I had another adjustment. I always look forward to them, because it means another step closer to being DONE!!! Of course the girl next to me was gettin her braces off....lucky duck, but i know my day will come soon enough!
So today i got the wires changed. Lower is just regular but goes all the way to the back, where as last time it went to my 2nd back molar. Upper it a little funny, right side is same as last time where it goes to my 2nd last molar, but left side it only goes to my molar. The wire ends there and then theres just bracket. Im assuming he is trying to get my teeth from the molar back to move themselves as they are a good 3-4 mm wider than the lowers, hopefully this will work a tad becasue the word "buttons" was used today....and i have read horror stories from other people that have buttons. But im at the point now that whatever has to be done has to be done...i will not settle for less than 101%. My ortho mentioned how not many of my teeth are touching in the back and hed like to get them at 90%.....90% WHAT, are you kidding me, there will be NO 90% in my mouth, i will not settle for less than 101%...so we are definitely gona have to discuss that, even if it means wearing the braces longer.
I have another new elastic configuration that i can tell my teeth already dont like. I was so nice for the last 4 weeks to just wear then 10 hrs a day, but i shoulda guessed that wouldnt have lasted, lol. Now i have Fred on the left from my 2nd last molar to the molar beside the eye, so over 3 teeth, and lower is the 2nd back molar and the 3rd. That has to be worn 24/7. This is to pull the teeth together more as they arent touching like they are on the right. Im looking forward to this as my right side is getting alot of exercise as im only chewing with it. Right side is just 10 hrs again, so it gets a break and its 2nd last molar to 2nd last molar....or wait a minute, man i think i forgot, i better call the office tomorrow, woops, lol. I knew that was gona happen when they didnt put it on for me, lol.
Anyways everything else is good, next surgeon and ortho are in the new year...hopefully ill have more feeling and eating progress before the new year to update on!
So today i got the wires changed. Lower is just regular but goes all the way to the back, where as last time it went to my 2nd back molar. Upper it a little funny, right side is same as last time where it goes to my 2nd last molar, but left side it only goes to my molar. The wire ends there and then theres just bracket. Im assuming he is trying to get my teeth from the molar back to move themselves as they are a good 3-4 mm wider than the lowers, hopefully this will work a tad becasue the word "buttons" was used today....and i have read horror stories from other people that have buttons. But im at the point now that whatever has to be done has to be done...i will not settle for less than 101%. My ortho mentioned how not many of my teeth are touching in the back and hed like to get them at 90%.....90% WHAT, are you kidding me, there will be NO 90% in my mouth, i will not settle for less than 101%...so we are definitely gona have to discuss that, even if it means wearing the braces longer.
I have another new elastic configuration that i can tell my teeth already dont like. I was so nice for the last 4 weeks to just wear then 10 hrs a day, but i shoulda guessed that wouldnt have lasted, lol. Now i have Fred on the left from my 2nd last molar to the molar beside the eye, so over 3 teeth, and lower is the 2nd back molar and the 3rd. That has to be worn 24/7. This is to pull the teeth together more as they arent touching like they are on the right. Im looking forward to this as my right side is getting alot of exercise as im only chewing with it. Right side is just 10 hrs again, so it gets a break and its 2nd last molar to 2nd last molar....or wait a minute, man i think i forgot, i better call the office tomorrow, woops, lol. I knew that was gona happen when they didnt put it on for me, lol.
Anyways everything else is good, next surgeon and ortho are in the new year...hopefully ill have more feeling and eating progress before the new year to update on!
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Happy Birthday to me, the big 27!
So im finally 27!!! and so glad im lookin younger, care of a great surgery!!!
So things are doing well...i have posted some pics i am at 10 weeks tomorrow...wow time flies. You probably cant note in the pics but there is still a tad of swelling. Seems its down when i wake up but by night i guess after using my jaw all day for eating and talking the swelling returns. Hopefully this will stop into 3 months cuz its a bit annoying.
Eating is GREAT, getting easier day by day. I still cant open too wide, but its getting better the more i practice. I can still only chew on the right side as the left side teeth dont touch, but im sure that will happen soon with braces adjustments. I can say im happy where i am in recovery so far, lets hope it stays this way!!!
I have an ortho appt next monday, well see if hes gona keep trying to get my left eye teeth to touch more or if he will work on closing the back molars...always a thrill to see what's next on the ageda. I dont see the surgeon until the new year so thats good as well.
Talking is getting easier as well, but i still am having problems with R's...did you other fellow post op bloggers experience this? How long did it last. i find like the swelling talking is easiest when i first wake up but by night my words are slurred. Since im over 2 months now i thought this would be normal again but still quite hard.
Dont mind the pics i took i was being a superstar for my b-day and doing my poses, lol.
Happy birthday no Shontell as well, we have the exact same b-days, kewl eh!!!
So things are doing well...i have posted some pics i am at 10 weeks tomorrow...wow time flies. You probably cant note in the pics but there is still a tad of swelling. Seems its down when i wake up but by night i guess after using my jaw all day for eating and talking the swelling returns. Hopefully this will stop into 3 months cuz its a bit annoying.
Eating is GREAT, getting easier day by day. I still cant open too wide, but its getting better the more i practice. I can still only chew on the right side as the left side teeth dont touch, but im sure that will happen soon with braces adjustments. I can say im happy where i am in recovery so far, lets hope it stays this way!!!
I have an ortho appt next monday, well see if hes gona keep trying to get my left eye teeth to touch more or if he will work on closing the back molars...always a thrill to see what's next on the ageda. I dont see the surgeon until the new year so thats good as well.
Talking is getting easier as well, but i still am having problems with R's...did you other fellow post op bloggers experience this? How long did it last. i find like the swelling talking is easiest when i first wake up but by night my words are slurred. Since im over 2 months now i thought this would be normal again but still quite hard.
Dont mind the pics i took i was being a superstar for my b-day and doing my poses, lol.
Happy birthday no Shontell as well, we have the exact same b-days, kewl eh!!!
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
2 months post op!!
So im officially 2 months post op today, yipee! I got to celebrate by seeing the surgeon who said im right on track and everything looks great! I asked about eating, and he said i could eat whatever i could tollerate, but honestly i wouldnt be able to eat everything i want due to things being crunchy and not being able to open wide...but all in time right. I have to see him in 3 weeks again, so just after the new year.
Things are good overall, still a bit of swelling lingering, hopefully by 3 months it will be mainly gone. i took some pics again at 2 months, see if u notice a difference. Honestly i cant wait until the swelling goes away to see the new me, soooo excited.
I also got my results from bloodwork i had done today. I had a little scare there a week ago as my platelets were very low, at 62,000 where they should be 150,000-400,000, so my dr was worried about bleeding not clotting and bruising. The results today found me to be at 141, 000 so better but still not where i should be. I got back in another 2 weeks for another test, hopefully we can figure out whats causing this.
Tomorrow is my cardiologist appt to see about my murmur and racing heart. Will be nice to get that sorted out as well.
So thats about it now, swelling is the same, numbness is the same, lol...cant wait for that to end. Ill post more pics from this weekend, im going out to PARTY for my b-day next week!!!! Should be good times to get out drinking and dancing and back into civilization, wish me luck!
Things are good overall, still a bit of swelling lingering, hopefully by 3 months it will be mainly gone. i took some pics again at 2 months, see if u notice a difference. Honestly i cant wait until the swelling goes away to see the new me, soooo excited.
I also got my results from bloodwork i had done today. I had a little scare there a week ago as my platelets were very low, at 62,000 where they should be 150,000-400,000, so my dr was worried about bleeding not clotting and bruising. The results today found me to be at 141, 000 so better but still not where i should be. I got back in another 2 weeks for another test, hopefully we can figure out whats causing this.
Tomorrow is my cardiologist appt to see about my murmur and racing heart. Will be nice to get that sorted out as well.
So thats about it now, swelling is the same, numbness is the same, lol...cant wait for that to end. Ill post more pics from this weekend, im going out to PARTY for my b-day next week!!!! Should be good times to get out drinking and dancing and back into civilization, wish me luck!
Saturday, December 1, 2007
weekly news
So Im officialy back at work, Im actually here now...work 7pm-7am, and its rough. luckily its only 3 days in a row then 2 off, but it has been quite hard. Im still very tired, and around 2am im beat, and just struggle to make it the rest of the way. Its also hard getting proper food etc at work, but im managing so far. Swelling seems to puff up by the end of my shift, probably cuz im so tired and trying to fight the sandman, but at least when i sleep it seems to be gone again then re-occurs.
Movement in my face is getting better, however speech is still hard...i dont know if im not trying to pronounce things enough, or if im stuck with sounding like Elmer Fudd...you wascally wabbits...lol. Everyone thinks its cute...but i dont really want to be almost 27 and cute, lol.
The few people i have seen on night shifts seem to think i look very different, which is odd becasue i dont. I have been comparing before and after and think there are very minimal differences. Its more a bite difference for me rather than cosmetic and how i look. I think they just see that im still swollen and thats why they think i look different. I will be nice to see what they think in a few months from now.
Jaw wise im in a little pain, well more of a constant ache and stiffness in my jaw from it being used. I also am still quite swollen inside on the left where it has been bugging me for a while. I had a peek in with a flashlight and theres so much bubbly scar tissue and its really rubbing on my braces. I counted 3 canker sores in there...luckily i still dont feel too much, but i feel enough to know they are there and hurting. I have been using salt water rince, this numbing ointment and wax. Seems to be helping a bit, hopefully they will be gone by next week.
I will try to take another picture soon, i have been slacking on taking a weekly picture, so ill try to keep doing that.
Also just wanted to say how jelous i am of Brandy who got her braces off...doenst she look amazing...i can only HOPE my teeth look that great and WHITE when my braces come off!!!!
Movement in my face is getting better, however speech is still hard...i dont know if im not trying to pronounce things enough, or if im stuck with sounding like Elmer Fudd...you wascally wabbits...lol. Everyone thinks its cute...but i dont really want to be almost 27 and cute, lol.
The few people i have seen on night shifts seem to think i look very different, which is odd becasue i dont. I have been comparing before and after and think there are very minimal differences. Its more a bite difference for me rather than cosmetic and how i look. I think they just see that im still swollen and thats why they think i look different. I will be nice to see what they think in a few months from now.
Jaw wise im in a little pain, well more of a constant ache and stiffness in my jaw from it being used. I also am still quite swollen inside on the left where it has been bugging me for a while. I had a peek in with a flashlight and theres so much bubbly scar tissue and its really rubbing on my braces. I counted 3 canker sores in there...luckily i still dont feel too much, but i feel enough to know they are there and hurting. I have been using salt water rince, this numbing ointment and wax. Seems to be helping a bit, hopefully they will be gone by next week.
I will try to take another picture soon, i have been slacking on taking a weekly picture, so ill try to keep doing that.
Also just wanted to say how jelous i am of Brandy who got her braces off...doenst she look amazing...i can only HOPE my teeth look that great and WHITE when my braces come off!!!!
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