BraceFace Mom

One Year And Still Making Progress...

2010-01-19T08:03:00.000-08:00

Wow...it doesn't seem possible that it's already been a year since my lower jaw was advanced and my chin reduced. Where has the time gone???? I have to tell you after getting my braces off in July I was quite happy with having gone through all the poking, proding, snapped rubber bands, pain etc...it was well worth the journey.

I still have some numbness in my lower lip and chin area which seems to be dissipating ever so slowly. That has been the hardest part of my recovery is the numbness to my lower lip and chin. My oral surgeon referred me to Dr. Day in Phoenix for a consult to see what his thoughts were on the numbness. He felt that I had probably 80% of the feeling back and that I would NOT be a candidate for micro nerve surgery. He felt that it could be a good two years before I get most of the feeling back due to the chin reduction and advancement. So...I am thankful for the little numbness I still do have...although at times it feels like it's NEVER going away.

My biggest concern with the numbness of the lower lip was...how will it feel to kiss someone with a numb lower lip??? Well...I have recently found out and it's a bit strange as I don't have all the feeling there...but my lips are still kissable and I'm able to kiss just like before...well I think anyways...LOL!!! The recipient of my kisses thinks I kiss wonderfully so there you have it... :)

So...all in all I am very happy with having gone through with my surgery at such a late age in life. I turned 49 this year and it's the first time in my entire life I can actually close my lips naturally without forcing them closed around my teeth...it's a beautiful thing I must say! Thank you to everyone who's followed my journey over these past months and for all the encouragement and support you provided me through it all.

God Bless!!

They Are Off...and I am Running!!!

2009-08-02T20:56:00.001-07:00

Wow...it's been since July 15th that I got my braces off and I was so excited showing everyone my new smile...I almost forgot to post so you all could see my final results!! I am BRACE-FREE...and it feels so wonderful! I can tell you it was quite painful getting those darn things off and Dr. Kawakami is NOT a gentle man....I felt like swatting him! :) So, I just went in last week and got them all clean and shiny and a few more trips to the dentist and I will be done with anyone having anything to do with my mouth for a LONG TIME...well...except my dental hygenist...oh...and my annual check up.

I am quite happy with my results and still am working on getting more feeling in my chin area and lower lip. I have noticed improvements and it seems like some days are better than others...or more noticeable than others. It feels wonderful to have my lips close naturally and not have to force them to close, something I always wanted to be able to do!!

So, I am being a good girl and wearing my retainer like a I should...I do take if off occassionally so as to enjoy being bad...LOL...but then I pop it back in. I'd just like to thank everyone who's followed my journey and all the friends I've met along the way. It's been a long road but one that has been well worth the journey. I'll be posting updates on the numbness from time to time so as to keep up to date on that but otherwise I wish you all the best on your journey too, it may be long...but it's worth the beautiful smile in the end!

Three More Weeks & Bracefree

2009-06-29T13:50:00.000-07:00

Here I am today just messing around at work...not real busy today! I went to see Dr. K last week for my impressions for my retainers...YAY!!! Only three weeks before I will be done with my braces and I have to be honest with you...I CAN NOT wait! My favorite assistant Shelly handed me this binder and asked me choose what color I wanted my retainer to be...LOL...I choose Red Glitter with a heart, we'll see what they come up with. I'm just so elated that I am almost done as the last few months have seemed to drag on and on.

Let's see...I am still dealing with some numbness in my lower jaw and chin area. I'm praying every day that this will all come back. It will be six months on June 30th and I'm still hopeful that I will get most of it back. That has been the hardest part in all of this...wondering...will I get the feeling back?? I thought with the screw removal on that right side that would help to allevieate that numb feeling but so far it feels the same. If I was a marrionette with those lines that come down their mouth where their mouth opens to talk...that where I am numb. It's also effected my sense of taste which is dulled quite a bit since my surgery. Some days seems to be better than others where I can taste things really good...other days not so good.

Overall though I am still happy I went through with my surgery even with the numbness and lack of taste and I'm hopeful that it will all heal in time. :)

Lost My Screws...

2009-05-22T16:52:00.000-07:00

I was up and out the door this morning for my screw removal. Dr. Wood removed all six, four of which were poking through under my tongue so they needed to come out. I'm hopeful I won't have that metal taste in my mouth after the numbness goes away. They knocked me out with that funny stuff and I awoke to hear them still working in my mouth...last few stitches...wow...it's a good thing they were just about done as it was a bit painful when they were tugging on the the stitches. The wonderful news was that they were able to remove them from inside my mouth so no more stitches on the outside of jaw so I was so thrilled about that news. I have a bunch of stitches and I'm very sore and they sent me home with some Vicadin so that's helping with the pain. I'm on soft foods again for a few weeks as eveything heals back up and I go back in for my follow up.

It's pretty exciting to be nearing the end of my two year journey, the next pictures I post with be me bracefree!!

Almost There...

2009-05-14T09:36:00.000-07:00

Yay...it's been a few months since I updated you all on what's been happening. Not much really...just have been patiently waiting to hear those much loved words "let's take them off"...yay! I had an ortho appointment yesterday and Dr. K said..."let's do it"! So...who knew it would take two more months to actually get them off but...hey...I'm not going to complain.

With my appointment yesterday they cut the wires right behind the canines and removed them from the back molars. I still have to wear one rubber band on each side until they say so, which is fine. Next visit in June they will remove the molar bands and let the teeth close up from that and they will take the impressions for my retainer. Then my next visit in July I will get them off and be sporting a brand spanking new retainer! Phew....

My bite is just perfect and I'm loving having my lips close naturally together now. That has been 48 years coming and it feels great!! I still have numbness from like my first molars forward on the lower jaw and I have prickly feelings to the touch in my lower lip and just in the middle of my chin area is still numb as numb can be. I'm hopeful that this will all resolve with more time as I've heard it can take up to a year and more to fully get most of the feeling back...so I will put my patient hat on and just wait and pray that I get most of it back.

I will post an updated picture soon but for now that it! Getting excited for the big debracing day!

A Little Feeling on the Left Side of my Lower Lip

2009-02-11T14:34:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted in a few weeks because there really hasn't been much change with my numbness which is really the only thing I've been dealing with. In the picture the blue line shows you where I have some feeling in my lip...and it's just in that blue area, I'm still numb below that blue line and the rest of the lip. This is a major mild stone in the last few weeks and I just noticed it yesterday. It feels really weird when talking with someone because I feel like I'm fumbling over my lip to talk but it's just the numb feeling...no one is noticing but me...LOL. My chin still has swelling in it and I was told that would go down over the first year.

I'm eating soft foods still, although I've been temped a few times but decided I should just be patient until I hear from my doctor. I went in last week to have some brackets replaced and Dr. K gave me triangle rubber bands on the left and two rubber bands stretching back to my back molar and the one in front of it...not sure what they call that one. I've noticed my jaw being tired as I think they really should have given me a splint to help give my back teeth something to bite into...but Dr. K didn't think I'd need it. They're trying to pull my mid line over to the right. I'm not quite sure how the rubberbands all work to do that, but I'm wearing them all the time except when I eat so I'm sure I'll get an "A" with that...LOL!!

New Wires...Rubber Bands and a HUGE Headache to boot...

2009-01-29T16:04:00.000-08:00

Today is One Month and One Day since my surgery. Things are moving right along...LOL...no pun intended! I had two appointments this week, yesterday I went to my Oral Surgeon's office for a check up and he's very happy with how everything is looking. He did that sharp and dull object test again to see how much feeling I have back in my chin and lower lip area...well...I have a little feeling on my "left" and none on the right....yet. This all can take time as anyone who has had surgery knows. I'm encouraged as I've been getting a lot of twinges in my chin area so that tells me those nerves are working to reconnect.

On another note, he asked me about the screw that is poking through under my tongue and I let him know that all THREE of the screws are poking through but two are only poking against the skin and only one is broken through the skin... but you can feel them. He said that he'll have to take them out but it won't be for another six months or so, which is fine. Although I can feel them with my tongue, they're not causing sores or anything...which is a good thing. He also said that my chin will get a bit narrower as it's still pretty swollen.

Today I had an ortho appointment with Dr. Kawakami and my OS thought I should have a splint made to give the teeth that are not touching something to rest on. Dr. Kawakami felt that we didn't need to take impressions for a splint as he felt putting on rubber bands will start to pull them down. I was actually relieved as I wasn't looking foward to getting impressions with the limited range of motion my jaw has right now. So, they took out my surgical wires which was a great celebration...and put in another wire on both top and bottom. I now am wearing triangle rubber bands, two on each side. My teeth are quite sore and my jaw and to top it all off...I have a HUGE headache. So, I have been popping ibprofen today to help with the ache in my teeth and head. I'll be going back in a few weeks to get some new brackets in a few places where they've broken.

I would expect I won't be in braces that much longer...maybe six months more...that's my guess...we'll see what it actually is.

25 Days Since Surgery...

2009-01-25T13:33:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that it's now 25 days since I had my lower jaw advanced 6mm and my chin reduced 6mm. I still have some swelling in my chin and would imagine that will take some time to go away completely. I have been feeling twinges in my chin and lower lip so I think that is probably good news as the nerves continue to work at repairing themselves so hopefully I'll see some feeling coming back in my chin and lower lip.

I'm still eating no chew foods like lots of cream of wheat, oatmeal, scrambled eggs w/ cheese, pasta, chilli, mashed potatoes, yogurt, smoothies, protein shakes, soups, ice cream, pudding and ice cream. I find I'm only eating three meals a day with NO SNACKING as I have not been that terribly hungry.

I also continue to do my lower facial exercises as Dr. Wood suggested by getting some serious movement going. I find I'm very restricted in my facial muscles around the chin and lip area. Elaine posted some great photos of her exercises and I was so impressed with what she could do with her mouth...I tried them but couldn't get my mouth to go in some of the directions she could...she must be double jointed...Hahaha. When I smile it's very crooked still and if I didn't look in the mirror I'd never know it was crooked...but it's seriously crooked!! I know once I get the feeling back it will all look fine...just working on being patient!!

Crooked Smile @ Day 19

2009-01-19T15:58:00.000-08:00

Not much new to post about that's why I'm not posting everyday. I took some pictures today of myself smiling and every single picture my smile was crooked...and looked pretty strange. This one is still crooked but not as bad as all the others. Hopefully all that will work itself out as I get rid of the numbness in my chin and lower lip. Things are pretty much the same, still numb and haven't noticed much change there. Just trying to be patient...

Day 16 Post Op - Look...I Can Talk!!!

2009-01-15T18:48:00.000-08:00

Wow...I've been busy this week with starting back to work and all my appointments. I went in to see my ortho, Dr. Kawakami and I was very nervous as I thought I was there for an impression for a splint but he just wanted to look at how things were coming. Phewww....I left quite happy!!

Yesterday I had my two week follow up with Dr. Wood, my oral surgeon. He was quite happy with the healing and told me I just need to wear two rubber bands during the day and close it all up tight at night like I've been doing which involves about six rubber bands. I was so excited, I can now TALK....and everyone can understand me...Yay!!! He then put my chin and lower lip area through the "pointy instrument' test to see if I had an feeling yet. Everywhere he touched in my chin area I couldn't feel the pointy instrument and my lower lip is gaining a little feeling back. He said to give it time as he didn't severe any nerves so it's just a matter of patience. I have to say my chin feels cold and prickly all the time. I find myself covering it with my hand to warm it up but when I put my hand to my chin...it's warm...LOL...go figure. Dr. Wood was ready to send me on my way for a two week follow up when I asked him about the thing I felt in the way back behind my tongue. I told him I thought it was bone and he was like....what??? So he unwrapped all my rubber bands and got his trusty dental mirror and started to take a look and at first he didn't see it until I showed him it was way in the back by my back molars under my tongue. He then tried fitting his fat fingers into my incapacitated jaw and I thought he was going to break my jaw...LOL...oh yea...it's already broken...well I can say it was hurting and he went back to using the mirror and *drum roll please*...he said...Oh my....it's one of the screws sticking out from my jaw....WHAT???????...I guess it's better than bone which I thought that's what it was...NOPE...it's the screw! He was kind of shocked but tried not to show it...but he said that if it's really bothering me that they'll have to wait for six - seven weeks for my jaw to heal and they could remove it, but he wanted to see if skin would grow over top of it ...so we are just going to let it be for right now and see what happens.

Guess what I ate today???? Shhhh...don't tell anyone...I had Nico's Nachos with French Fries....all the makings of Nachos but with french fries....I chose this because I knew it would soften up the fries enough so i wouldn't have to chew them. I forgot that they actually put steak pieces on top so I had to work my way around the steak but it was delicious. I've lost a little over 15 pounds in two weeks so I didn't think those fries would matter much. It was sinful but oh...so delicious!!!

Day Thirteen Post Op....Scarey!!!

2009-01-13T18:41:00.001-08:00

Ok...don't ask me what I was doing...I look like I've had one too many smoothies! I actually was trying to get rid of my double chin but it doesn't seem to have worked....AT ALL!! I'm wondering if my chin will drop or if that extra chin will go away....I'm a bit concerned as the bottom of my chin seems to be stting high in comparison to my neck...LOL...I hope I don't end up with a double chin and that's it's just the swelling. Enough about my chin!

I started back to work yesterday and it wasn't too bad. I work part time at our church and on Monday's it's very quiet and today it was actually pretty quiet as well. I also am up to walking a mile so that's good and great for getting me out there and I beleive this has helped in my recovery as well. I was looking for full time employment for the past several months and once I can talk without all these bands then I'll start to pursue full time employment!

Feeling great and am very happy with my results. I hope my chin and neck will all resolve itself and it's due to the swelling. I'll be praying...and by the way...I've had so many people praying for me throughout this entire surgery journey and I am so grateful for all the prayers as I know that is why I've been doing so well. Thank you to all those prayer warriors, I'm so grateful for all of you! We serve a wonderful God and I thank Him everyday for all He does in my life and for those special people He's placed along this path we all call life. We serve a truly loving God!

Day Eleven Post Op....Looking Pretty Good

2009-01-11T13:22:00.000-08:00

Got up and decided to go to church this morning. Felt really good to get out of the house and not have to drive too far. Today was pot luck and I was a bit worried thinking I would just sit there and chat as everyone else ate. This pot luck was all about soups, chilis and stews...how perfect was that? I had some chili and smashed the beans up and sprinkled a little cheese on it and I have to say it was very good. I saw some really good looking chicken soup but everything in the soup was cut really big so chilli it was. We got home and just relaxed and watched some football and I fell asleep on the couch for about 1.5 hours...wow...must of tuckered myself right out, eh? Overall a very good day and feeling pretty good overall.

Day Nine Post Op - Still Some Swelling & One Fat Neck.

2009-01-09T19:20:00.000-08:00

Wow...what a difference getting rid of the lower lip tape makes, eh? I still have the tape under my chin and that will be gone tomorrow. There's still some swelling in my chin and neck area...I think that's why my neck is looking a bit bulgy. Today I went out and about visiting a few friends to get out of the house. I had more energy today than I have since my surgery so that's a good thing...I'm on the mend!

Day Eight Post Op...Crooked Smile...Say Cheese!

2009-01-08T20:49:00.000-08:00

A bit goofy looking with my "half stiff smile"...but hey...at least I'm trying to smile. I get rid of the tape on Saturday so that will be one less medical accessory that might allow me to look a bit more normal. Jessi still is wondering why I talk to so funny when I call her.

My chin was hurting a bit today so I'm thinking there's a bit more feeling in that area. I can't feel my lower jaw at all when I'm brushing my teeth and that can be dangerous if you're not careful when brushing. I've caught myself via the pain of brushing to quickly and hitting the back of your jaw...pain is the first word that comes to mind. I'm doing really well with keeping my bands on all the time except when eating. I keep them a bit loser during the day so that when I answer the phone I can be understood.

I haven't been real hungry and although my stomach was growling for dinner I made myself some macaroni and cheese with a roasted cheddar wurst and blended it all together...I ate maybe a quarter of the bowl and felt very full so I put the rest in the fridge for tomorrows lunch. I haven't stepped on the scale and think I've probably lost some weight as I just haven't been real hungry. I know I have to eat and get my calories up for the healing process I'm finding I'm having to push myself to eat. I think some of it is having to blend my food and eating it which gives it a completely different texture...than I am use to eating it.

I've been real good about exercise since coming home a week ago. Everyday I've gotten out to walk. At first it was just around the yard and then I graduated to the end of the driveway and today I would say I walked about 30 minutes and by the time I was coming up my small hill to the house I was ready to sit down. It's hard to breath through having your jaw banded shut...LOL...I can't let my mouth hang open and take in all that fresh air. It feels good to get out and about and especially good knowing I'm getting stronger every day. Plus my dogs love to go for a walk and it keeps them in shape as well.

One Week Since Surgery...Me and My Four Legged Friends...

2009-01-07T14:37:00.000-08:00

Ok...here are my staples as I recover at home. One hand towel and mirror so I can watch myself as I eat and when I need to wipe my chin I see it in my mirror...otherwise I would have no clue I had stuff on my chin. A glass of water that I drink throughout the day, one fruit smoothie with straw. It was pretty funny..I was drinking my smoothie with my rubber bands on and due to the numbness I didn't realize I had all these berry seeds just covering my rubber bands and front teeth until I went into remove them to eat...what a pretty sight I must say...NOT!!!! Vaseline and Blistex have been my most favorite friend since the beginning...I keep it on my lips ALL THE TIME!! It's helped to heal my lips up as well. My cell phone for those people who call that don't realize I can not talk vey good. and my glasses to help see whatever I may reading at the time.

Day Seven, one week today I had my surgery...wow, how time flies by. I have to say that it wasn't at all what I thought recovery would be. I had a few days where I was very achy but overall I have had a pretty easy time of it. I sympathize with those who have had both upper and lower surgery as I'm sure the recovery is much more difficult and painful. That being said...I'm feeling pretty good! I do notice that I get really tired early in the afternoon. This morning I was working online posting my jewelry to Etsy.com (http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6457874) and I spent the entire morning until about 1pm and then it seemed like I hit a wall. The energy just left me and I had to lay down and I zonked right out. Wow...I wish I could sleep like this all the time. :)

Dakota...such the Poser!

Kera Sitting on Her Throne!

Jessi Lou of Liberty Smilin' Pretty

Day Six Post Op...New Chin Tape!!!

2009-01-06T20:23:00.001-08:00

I had my first doctors appointment with Dr. Wood six days post op. He said that everything looked great. He removed the terribly stained tape and gave me some new tape, a piece under my chin and a piece that stretches underneath my lower lip. He wants me to keep it on until Saturday and by the time I got home the tape under my lip was already coming off...and then by the time I ate my first dinner...LOL...it's amazing how much food one can get on ones self when their chin is numb as numb can be. I had to put a mirror in front of me and was amazed how much stuff slopped down my chin...sheeesh...how's a lady to eat properly with a numb chin, eh???? I ended up going to the pharmacy and this was the best tape I could find...it's not clear like the other but...oh well. :)

They removed the one stitch on each side of my lower jaw area where they inserted the three screws on each side and once the Dr. W removed the tape the assistant spent a 1/2 hour trying to get all the goo off from the sticky tape. She used alcohol soaked gauze pads and still wasn't able to get it all off. She thought maybe we could use "Goo-B-Gone"...LOL...but that we'd then be treating surface burns...I kindly declined her invitation...LOL!

They removed my rubber bands and said that everything was healing really well and that he wanted me to go into tighter bands and they showed me how to put them on in the "box shape" and I'm to wear them 23 hours a day. I can remove them when I eat and to brush my teeth and rinse...YAY!!! I couldn't stand not brushing the inside of my teeth so I'm a happy camper right now. I am more tightly banded now with all the rubber bands; I can't not even move my jaw at all. It's taking a little getting use to talking without moving my jaw...I bet I'll be a great ventriloquist by the end of all of this...wow...a new potential career!!!! :)

My diet is still no chew so everything is to be blended which I expected. I had blended chicken noodle soup and a yogurt for lunch and then I had Dinty Moore Beef stew blended...it doesn't look great but it sure tasted just like Dinty Moore Beef Stew. :) I followed it with a small dish of peanut butter cookie doe ice cream. This was the most I've eaten since my surgery.
I'll be making an appointment with my ortho, Dr. Kawakami next week so I can get an impression (not sure how that is going to work as I can't open my mouth very well) for a splint. The splint they had made didn't fit right so we're starting from scratch. Right now my back teeth are not touching and my front teeth are carrying all the weight and until those back teeth can be pulled down they need something in between them. I'm just doing what I'm told at this point!! :)

Day FIVE Post Op - Varying Shades of Yellow

2009-01-05T12:17:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that it's only Day Five as I feel pretty good overall. I tell you I can't wait to get rid of this stained looking tape that is holding my chin upright. That will come off tomorrow and it will be interesting to see what Dr. Wood will have to say about everything else. My lip is still a bit swollen but almost looking like it does typically. I know it does not "feel" normal...LOL...I feel like it's huge due to the numbness. Numbness is still the same, no changes there but that's to be expected so early after surgery. As you see on my neck is developing it's pretty shades of yellow, kind of matches my chin strap...LOL! I felt a snap in my mouth earlier and couldn't see anything or feel anything for that matter and it was not until an hour or so later that I felt something on my tongue and it was one of the rubber bands that was holding my jaw shut...probably a good thing I couldn't feel anything,right?

Food is a bit challenging as my blender is working overtime these days. For breakfast I made a tropical protein shake with frozen bananas, frozen pineapple, milk, a little oj and some vanilla protein powder...I was wishing I had some coconut milk to make a Virgin Pina Colada..yum!!! I find it pretty easy to drink out of a plastic cup which works really well. The Zip n' Squeeze bags are nice but my first one made it through three or four uses and I'm basically just using them for my hot meals now. I'm trying eat or should I say "drink" something every hour or so. I've lost about seven pounds, not that I am trying to lose weight but just part of the surgery. That's not to say that I don't have about twenty pounds I could lose, but now isn't a good time to try to lose to much so that's why I'm trying to keep my calories up so that I heal well.

My spirits are very good and although still a bit tired I feel pretty normal. I obviously like the word "normal"...LOL...whatever normal may be, right? I have had some wonderful friends checking up on me, thank you to all of you!!! You've made this entire process bareable having such special friends both near and far watching out for me.

This morning I thought I was feeling good enough to take my son down to the bus stop which is about four miles from our home so we went out to leave and my car wouldn't start...it had been sitting there since my surgery last week and I think the battery died...that's my hope anyways. I will have someone come over later to try to jump it and see. I had my other car just towed today to the garage because some lovely little critters decided to make their home in my engine and they like to keep those tiny teeth filed down so they chewed my wires up all over the place. Darn critters!!! So, I've had my share of car problems but they will be taken care of here soon, so no worry.

Day FOUR Post-Op...doing well!

2009-01-04T12:07:00.001-08:00

Today, I'm feeling pretty good considering I can't really talk to much still. If you notice you can finally see my bottom lip is looking a bit more normal today...LOL! Still really numb and I find I have to check in the mirror to make sure I don't have any food hanging out on that bottom lip and chin. As you can see, I've developed a some very lovely colors on my neck...pretty yellows, purples and greens...goes nice with my hair don't you think??? I got rid of the chin wrap last night (ace bandage), the doctor wanted me to keep it on for a few days after surgery because he said it was important so that my chin wouldn't droop and look like a witches chin...GREAT....I kept it on longer than I needed because I really would prefer not having a witches chin. The tape stays on until my first visit back to see Dr. Wood on Tuesday morning and then he'll remove that as well.

I actually got dressed today in yoga pants a shirt and sweater and my trusty red fluffy slippers. It felt good to get out for a short walk with Dakota and Jessi. They're always up for a walk so they made good company. I've gotten out every day since arriving home to do a little walking around in the yard but today I walked to the end of the driveway and a bit further and then headed back and walking back up the hill to my driveway made my heart beat a bit fast but I made it up. It's not a huge hill but enough to put my heart rate up which is a good thing.

I made french onion soup with a three onions I had and it turned out really delicious. After sauteing the onions and caramelizing them I added some sherry and cooked it down and then added a bay leaf, two cans of beef broth and one can of chicken broth and let it simmer for 30 minutes. I then drained out the onions, removed the bay leaf and put the onions in the blender with some milk and blended and chopped them up and then added them back to the broth with a little salt and pepper. It turned out delicious. I also cut up some french rolls I had and sprinkled them with garlic powder and Parmesan cheese and baked them in the oven for about twenty minutes. After the bread was done I ladled out some soup into the blender again and put some of the bread cubes with a bit more Parm cheese and blended it all together and put it in my zip and squeeze bag. It made a very good lunch. I was so excited after eating my soup to try to see if I could eat some lemon meringue pudding with my newly acquired baby spoon and it was just the right size to be able to suck the pudding off the spoon through my front teeth...LOL...what a sight, eh? but....OH...so delicious!!

Day Three Post Op...

2009-01-03T07:53:00.001-08:00

OK...today is day three post op and I'm feeling not great...can you tell??? My muscles along the entire jaw are really sore and achy which is causing my ears to hurt. I'm using heat on my face verses the ice and it seems to add some much needed relief. I made them out a pair of socks with white rice and you tie the sock off and put it in the microwave for two minutes and voila...you have a wonderfully heat relief sock which instantly soothes and comfort the sore tense muscles from moving my jaw forward.

I had a nice breakfast through my zip and squeeze bag of cream of wheat cooked and then blended with frozen banana and cinnamon and a little extra milk to thin it out. It took me over an hour to eat but it tasted good. My bottom lip is completely numb and still swollen. When Dr. Wood reduced my chin he went in right below my bottom teeth and lip to do my chin reduction surgery, that is why it's swollen the way it is. I get little feelings of twinges in my chin which tells me all those nerves are working overtime to regenerate themselves.

Schuyler is due home later this morning. He arrived in right on time last night from Albany, NY through Chicago as he called me about 10:45pm to let me know he made it back. He spent the night at my Aunt and Uncles and they'll be bringing him out to the house today. It will nice to have some company and to have him back home again.

Early Morning Day Two Post Op...

2009-01-02T04:12:00.001-08:00

I actually got some good sleep last night. I fell asleep about 11pm after waking from a small nap. I'm now on Tylenol with Codeine so that makes me sleepy. I went to bed around 11pm and slept until 3:30 and got up as my throat had a HUGE frog in it and having your jaws banded shut makes it difficult to clear out. Anywhoo...I got up to have some hot tea which helps a great deal and feels so good on ones throat.

Day One Post Op...

2009-01-01T04:00:00.000-08:00

Here's Day One post op...my fingers tell another story but that could be the meds talking.... and I'm not feeling too bad actually. I've been on an oxygen mask since they brought me upstairs and that helped a great deal with my the coolness of the air that was blowing out. I've been on morphine when I need it which has been about every four-five hours. I have ice on every twenty minutes and off twenty minutes so that's helped with the swelling. The major swelling right now is my chin...it's wrapped in taped and that lovely makeshift chin wrap..to keep my chin from drooping until everything heals up. Let's see, my throat is what bothers me the most right now. It very sore from the nose tube and it hurts. I couldn't talk much the first day at all and what I did say wasn't comprehansible...LOL. Today I'm actually being understood and my upper lip I can feel but nothing on my chin or lower lip. As you can see my chin and lip are pretty swollen.

I'm drinking some juices with great difficulty but I want to go home so I'm drinking as much as I can and it takes me forever. :) The nursing staff have been really great here at TMC and very attentive. I checked out at around 5pm and headed home. My wonderful girlfriend, Maryann took me and picked me up and got me all settled in at home. My wonderful friends Pastor George and his lovely wife, Denise stopped in the day of surgery to see me and pray with me before my surgery...that met the world to me and my surgery went perfectly and I'm not feeling half bad actually. My Uncle Don stopped by the day of surgery and he did most of the talking as he couldn't understand a word I was saying. :) God is good!!

Fresh Out of Surgery...

2008-12-31T03:48:00.000-08:00

Here I am just out of surgery and in my room. Don't remember much about the ride to my room or surgery for that matter. Last thing I remember was being given some "funny stuff" before they rolled me into the operating room and I watched Dr. Wood tearing tape that he would be using on my chin and that was the last thing I recall.

Remember very little about recovery other than my jaw hurting. Surgery went really good...that's what I was told by Dr. Wood. Dr. Wood and Dr. Smith did my operation and I they moved my jaw forward about 6mm and my chin back 6mm and he was very pleased with how everything went. They didn't put the splint in as he didn't like the way it fit...which I'm not going to complain because I was having a hard enough time with swallowing and my tongue being a bit swollen so there didn't seem to be enough room for anything else in my rubber banded mouth. I was happy to see I was just banded with rubber bands but the surgical hooks in the front a few were broken which Dr. Wood wasn't happy about.

12 Hours....oh NO!!!

2008-12-30T17:01:00.000-08:00

Wow...hard to believe I'm just twelve hours from acquiring my fashionable blue and white checked hospital gown and getting a brand new jaw and chin!! Wow...what more can one ask for with the New Year rolling in??!?!?! I'm just sitting here actually looking forward to getting on with this much anticipated event! Yes....I'm nervous, I was actually in tears most of the morning trying to work out all the financial details that were thrown upon me at the last minute by the hospital...but I'm feeling quite better now.

My girlfriend and I went out for "the last supper", actually we ate at Scholsky's Deli and it was deliciouss! I love my turkey whole thank you...not put in a blender so I won't be looking to blend my turkey and mashed potatoes anytime soon...Ha! Ya...ya...that's what I think, right??? Well, I just might have to get use to the look of my turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy and corn all in one quick easy to blend meal after tomorrow...but hey...I get lots of pudding and ice cream, right???

If you don't already know...I take my camera everywhere and it will be going with me to the hospital tomorrow. My girlfriend is in charge of capturing me from the neck up...LOL...no jammy shots please!!! I will be praying and I hope all of you will too that everything goes as smooth as silk and I will be home before you and I know it!! Depending on how much morphine they give me, I just might want to hang out a bit longer...LOL...only kidding!!! I'll post again on either Friday or Saturday depending how I feel. God Bless and see you all soon!!

"Surgery Day" Countdown Begins...

2008-12-28T14:29:00.000-08:00

Wow...three days seems too quick...or not quick enough...wow...it's finally almost here. Am I excited??? Uhmmm..well I wouldn't say excited as much as I'd say a bit nervous right at this point. I've still a bunch of things to get done before Wednesday so I'm writing lists like crazy. I still have to submit some pre-surgery paperwork, pick up a few things at the grocery store so when my son gets home on Friday he'll have something to eat besides pureed soup. :)

I have a wonderfully sweet girlfriend who will be getting herself out of bed at 4am in the morning to come over and pick me up as the hospital is about 45 minutes away and I was told to arrive by 5:30 am with all the other surgical patients for that day. It must be quite a sight seeing all these sleepy people walking like zombies into the hospital to get operated on even before their completely awake...only to be put back to sleep again. Maybe that's why they have you come so early, figuring you're still half asleep and you won't know what's going on and what's to come as soon as they inject that sleepy serum and have you start thinking of being on a beautiful sandy beach with a handsome hunk....or if they think you don't look like a beachy kind of person, they'll have you counting backwards from 10, 9, 8, 7....until you drift into nothingness.. *sigh* wonder if you dream when you're put to sleep??? I'd like to dream about what I'll be able to eat after weeks of slurping down pureed soups, runny mashed potatoes and smoothies. Maybe I'll dream that I never needed the surgery to begin with. :)

Home w/ Tissues, Vicks and Tea...

2008-12-26T07:40:00.000-08:00

I made it home from the great northeast with a nice headcold but having enjoyed my time spent with my family. I was hoping to get through the next two weeks without any sickness as my surgery is on Dec 31st but that didn't happen. I arrived into Tucson with a four hour delay through Vegas so that put me home at midnight Christmas eve. Christmas day my favorite spot was parked on the couch in front of the TV with my quilt, klenex, vicks and chapstick. It was a very quiet Christmas but a well rested one which was just what I needed. I'm staying home from work today and just resting over the next few days before I go back to work on Monday.

Let It Snow...Let It Snow....

2008-12-21T07:33:00.000-08:00

Well it has been snowing up here in upstate New York since my arrival two days ago. This is the first day that is clear with no snow but as pretty as this scene is of my mom's log cabin it was freezing outside...I think it was probably about 15 degrees out with windchill that made it feel below zero. We had probably close to 10 - 15" of snow over the past few days and it sure does look pretty outside.

Off to the Snowy Northeast...

2008-12-18T08:23:00.000-08:00

My son and I are flying to upstate New York today. We're hopeful that the weather will cooperate as we were expecting some storms here in Arizona...ya...I know...snow!! We do get snow in southern Arizona as we're at 5,000 feet but usually only once or twice a season and it's usualy melted by noon time. The Albany area was hit with some ice and snow storms over this past week and it's not letting up. We're traveling on a good day because they're expecting another 7 - 10" tomorrow...and then another storm is coming right behind that one...I just might not make it back to Arizona on Christmas Eve if this keeps up. I'll have some good snow pictures I'm sure so I'll post a few over the next days...cya in N.Y.!!!

Surgery Hooks are Shiny

2008-12-11T17:52:00.001-08:00

Went in for my last orthodontist appointment before my sugery day on Dec. 31st. They put in some very strong wires and can't seem to get rid of those powerchains so they're still part of the scene. Hey...but look at my new hardware, my very own set of surgical hooks on top and bottom...I think they add a bit of bling bling...HA! They sent me home with a lot of wax so I'm ready with my wax but so far not a big issue. I'll let you know how they're doing in a few days!

Mentoplasty Reduction Surgery

2008-12-10T08:43:00.000-08:00

Mentoplasty is actually a surgery on chin reduction. It basically promotes the reconstructuring and the reformation of the mentum of the face. Mentum refers to the most anterior region of the jaw or the mandible. For some people, the jaw region is prominent, this is called macrogenia. If the jaw is somewhat deficient or receding, then the condition is called microgenia. With mentoplasty, the mentum region is aesthetically enhanced to make a better profile to the face.

During the mentoplasty surgery, the surgeon usually makes an incision in one or two possible location. He may either do the cut under the lower lip inside the mouth or under the chin in an inconspicuous location or in both. The procedure uses a bone burr or a drill, which is an electrical instrument, to change the shape of the bone in the chin yet still give it a natural appearance. For problematic fat chins, the same procedure is applied. After sucking or melting out the fat, the surgeon will stitch the incision or apply a tape to suit up the incisions.

I will be having this done when I have my lower jaw advanced. I'm a bit nervous as I would like to see my chin before he finsihes...LOL..so I can tell him whether I like it or not. I also would like to try to negotiate the charges for such surgery. My doctor is wanting to charge me $4,000 for this surgery and I feel that is a bit much for this procedure and for what I've been researching. Has anyone ever negotiated these types of charges??? Let me know because I really can't afford that much and as part of my jaw surgery I think it should be inlcuded with a small fee. What do you think???

My Son is Brace-free

2008-12-09T14:45:00.001-08:00

Just thought I'd post a picture of my son, Schuyler who just had his braces removed less than a month ago. What a beautiful smile. Dr. K did a great job.

Zip 'N' Squeeeeeezzzzzeee.....yum!

2008-11-12T07:29:00.000-08:00

http://www.zip-n-squeeze.com/zns.html
I just placed my order for this wonderful product that others have told me about....Zip 'N Squeeze bags. You can purchase them individually or as a package deal but I just bought what I thought I'd need for the six weeks I'll probably be wired shut. I bought both the liquid and pureed food bags, 3 food and 4 liquid which I'm sure will get me through those weeks. They're washable so that's a good thing. :) Great product because you squeeze them verses having to suck as the doctors don't want you to suck...Hahaha...no really...they forbid you from sucking so this is a great product! Ok...no...I'm not being paid for this commercial but I'm just excited to know that they're available for all of us maxiofacial surgery patients. God Bless!!

Oral Surgeon Appointment

2008-11-08T07:17:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone...wow...time sure does fly by. I am not real good about keeping you all updated on my progress and so the new news is that I had an appointment with my Oral Surgeon this week...yay!!! Anywhoo...he met with my ortho, Dr. Kawakami and they discussed my case and when surgery should happen. Dr. K told him I'd be ready for surgery the end of January beginning of February and I started to panic as I've been tellling Dr. K that I need surgery before the end of the year due to the $4500 we've put into a Flexible Spending account for expenses that would be above and beyond what my insurance would pay for and if we don't use that money before the end of the year...we'll lose it!!!!!!!!!!! That's WAY too much money to be losing and we based this deduction on my ortho telling me that I'd be ready for surgery around May/June and it's now November...so I'm a bit anxious with getting this taken care of before the end of the year.

Part of the surgery is having a sliding genio to reduce my chin that will be very prominent when they pull my lower jaw forward 6-7mm. Right now I have a beautiful chin but that will change when my jaw is moved forward...it will be quite strong and masculine and insurance will not cover that as they see it as cosmetic which my feelings is...yes...but I'm only doing it due to the fact that my jaw is misalligned and once it's where it needs to be that changes my entire facial appearance from what it once was to something that will look totally off balanced. My flex spending that we thought would help us to pay for the genio now we're finding that even with the flex spending account that you can not use "YOUR" money that you've put into this savings medical account pre tax dollars that you can not use it for plastic surgery....I'm FURIOUS! I just found this out and I'm about ready to explode as this is "OUR" money that we put into this account for this specific procedure thinking that we could pay for it because insurance would not cover it...and now we're finding out we can not use it for my genio. I'm going to be spending time calling the insurance company which the flexible spending account is through and having Dave follow up with his human resource department to work on our behalf to help us be able to use this money without losing it. Pray for me that everything will work out.

In talking with the financial person at the OS office I will have to pay about $2100 in hospital fees as well because I have not met my $500 deductible for the year so that's another expense I didn't think about so some of the flex money willl help to cover that but that will still leave over $2.000 in the Flex account to be used. So...there's a lot I need to be working on over the next few weeks so pray for me as I deal with insurance company.

OH...my seventeen year old son has his braces removed a few weeks ago and his teeth look beautiful. I'll post a picture of him soon. He also is having surgery the day after Thanksgiving to have his four wisdom teeth removed as they showed up in his final xrays at the ortho office and they were sitting there pressing against his newly brace-free molars so they need to come out...no more WISDOM for him. :) More pics to come soon.

Surgery Date...Not To Far Away!

2008-09-28T21:00:00.000-07:00

I had an appointment today and will be having my surgery early December. Looks like my travel plans to New York will have to be put on hold as I won't be able to take off that much time. Today they put in a really strong heavy wire on the bottom with power chains all the way around and same on the top. I was comforted to know that surgery will be happening not far in the near future.

Where Have I Been????

2008-08-19T10:23:00.001-07:00

I know...it's been quite some time since I LAST updated my blog and my apologies for the delinquency of my post...life has just been quite hectic for me over the past several months and there's been a lot of change going on in this life for which I won't bore you with the details.

OK...well as you can see I had my lower TPA removed last week and I'm a happy girl! Progress is finally being seen. I wore that thing for a year and two months and I was ready to say "Si-A-NORA"...can't spell but you know what I'm trying to say. It's gone and I'm not a bit sad about it. Although I will say it did a great job and there's quite a bit of difference from when I first had it put in. With the removal of that appliance the wonderful assistant cemented bands around my back molars and put some pretty silver brackets on my eye teeth so I'm quite colorful below.

So now it's just a matter of closing the spaces below between my back molars and the few spaces that have developed from the TPA. Dr. K put in those hurtful POWERCHAINS on both the bottom and top this time around and I could not eat for days...LOL...ok, a little exaggeration there but you know what I mean. My teeth were so sore and today is four days since the inflict of pain and it's just now starting to feel painless. :) The next visit they'll be putting in a strong wire on the bottom to start to move those back molars forward which right now there's a huge gap on my lower right side where food likes to get trapped and my tongue works overtime pushing it out.

As I mentioned in a previous post I have the "OK" from the insurance company for surgery and now there's a rush against time because Dr. K told me last year that I would be ready for surgery by May and it's now August and I HAVE to have the surgery before the end of the year as we had put the maximum we could put into our Flexible Spending account knowing I'd be having surgery this year...so I am getting bit anxious as to it happening this year or else we lose that $4,000 that we have sitting there. It is more for the genio surgery as insurance won't cover it but it needs to happen before the end of the year. Pray that things move along or I'm going to have to insist that they move along...LOL...ya right...well I will, we'll just have to have the surgery whether I'm ready or not because I can't afford to lose that kind of money. Also, my husband may be losing his job so time is of the essence here and we just have to pray that my teeth move quickly to where they need to be for surgery to take place. Thanks for your prayers! More to come soon....this time I won't wait several months before posting again. God Bless!!

Six New Lower Brackets & 1 TPA

2008-01-30T18:11:00.000-08:00

Well today I had six new brackets put on the bottom, things seem to be moving right along. Dr. K wants to keep the lower expander in for now because it's doing such a good job and he's just not ready for it to come out. I can see a bit difference from May when it was installed. See the pic I posted in a earlier post. I did speak with him about surgery and he thinks that by May I would probably be ready but it's hard to say. I just want to get this moving, and I'm happy to see there's progress in my teeth. On my next visit I'll be getting bands around the molars and he'll start pulling everything back so I don't see too much more time before everything is moved before I have surgery. I've waited quite a few years to since my last orthodontics experience to have my jaw in the right position.

I'm in the Power Chain Club!!

2007-12-18T14:46:00.000-08:00

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Well, with the holidays I haven't been so good at keeping up with what has been going on with my ortho treatment. On Dec 6th I went in for my third adjustment since acquiring my sparkling Ovations! Yup...their still sparkling! Dr. K put in a much strong wire this time around and my wonderful ortho assistant asked him if she should put a nice powerchain across the front 4 to close the gaps, and of coarse he thought that was a wonderful idea. I have gone down the powerchain road before so I knew what to expect in terms of soreness. So the lovely assistant asked what color Powerchain I would like...LOL...I was like, I have clear braces for a reason, you really don't think I want a colored powerchain now do you???? LOL...ok...I'll take red so everyone thinks I have been sucking on one of those tablets that reveal plaque. I of coarse choose "CLEAR" and she laughed and thought I just might want to be a bit adventurous and I told her I was being adventurous for the second time going back into braces at 46. :)

So, my teeth hurt quite a bit for the first few days but it wasn't unbearable. I will tell you those powerchains are pretty amazing, by a few hours after having the powerchain on the space that was right next to both sides of my two front teeth was gone! WOW, pretty amazing little rubber bands they are. Because the powerchain is only on the front four I still have a pretty good size space between my canines and the front fours but I'm sure they'll bless me with another Powerchain on my next visit...but you never know they just might do something much more extreme.

I've posted a few pictures that I took today, Dec. 19th, so it's been a few weeks since my visit. I will be making a trip back this week to have them put a fresh powerchain on because they do tend to stain and that's what you see in the pictures. A bit too much coffee and spaghetti...go figure. :)

Just a side note, my son will be getting his braces of the beginning of next year. I'll have to post a picture of the two of us in braces before and after. Have a wonderful Merry Christmas and may the Lord bless you and your families!

Moving Along

2007-11-14T07:07:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been about two months now since I received my new Ovations on the upper teeth and things are moving along. I've had two adjustments between that time and can see my teeth starting to really move. I love the clear brackets and so far they're holding up well. I had a few trips back to the Ortho that first week with the brackets coming off but nothing since that time.

I go back in for a new wire early December and hopefully I'll find out when they think I'll be ready for surgery. I'm not too sure about surgery because that obviously is a huge step of faith but I've been in touch with the OS and I'm just waiting on some referrels of previous clients he's worked on.

My husband and I just had our annual benefits enrollment for his company and we set up our Flexible Spending account for the maxiumum you can have taken out monthly for the surgery. We'll probably have about $5,000 in expenses we'll be responsible for, the chin surgery will not be covered because it's considered cosmetic and then some other fees that we'll be responsible for. All pre-taxed dollars and hopefully that will cover us.

The lower pallet expander is working really well. I see spaces developing in front of my last molar on both sides as well as a small space in the front. I'm not certain when that will be coming out but to be honest I really don't notice it much until I get food caught in it. :)

Life has been pretty quiet with my treatment and so I haven't posted much but I'll be posting more as we move along. I've been doing quite a bit of reading on some Orthgnathic Surgery Forums on Yahoo and you learn a lot from others who have gone through the same experience. Move to come...

Lost My Expander...Gained some Ovations!

2007-09-08T15:56:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I went into Dr. K with a loose molar band on the upper left side of my expander. This was my second visit to the office because this and I knew it wasn't me or anything I'd eaten. My diet has been mostly softer foods because of the pain in my teeth and lack of tolerance for that pain over the past few months. I had also been dealing with a few sore spots on my pallet due to the expander cutting into my pallet.

I wriggled in pain as the assistant tried to get the bar off of the band on that side so she could take the band out of my mouth to reglue it, but finally they decided they'd just have to leave it in and reglue it without removing that bar. They dried the tooth, aired it out, had cotton roles to keep the moisture away from the tooth and then reglued the band. They then had me bite down on the bite stick to push the molar band up and around the tooth. It didn't want to stay and when they saw that it was causing sores because it was digging into the roof of my mouth Dr. K said they were going to remove completely.

Those were heavenly words I must say...but then I began to wonder where that was going to leave my treatment plan he had leading up to my surgery in several months. He said he is confident that having moved my teeth as much as he had that using the braces he'd be able to get the results he wanted prior to surgery so I was comfortable with that. Now the removing process of the expander was another painful story in of itself.

It was quite painful due to the rotating of the teeth behind my incisors which were banded for the expander. Both have crowns on them and on 'my' right side the crown had begun to slip down (look in the picture above you'll see it how low it sits). I was in tears by the time they got that thing out of my mouth. I'm pretty tolerant of pain but I was ready to jump out of the chair as they pulled this thing out of my mouth.

Happy to say, I now have some Ovations on my uppers and they are looking much better than those silver bands I had wrapped around my teeth. My teeth are quite sore and will be for a few days. My bite is way off due to those crowns slipping down so eating is quite a challenge right now for me. It's been really a soft diet since yesterday I can barely even bite down because these teeth are hitting together and they're the ones that are causing all the pain. I'm just happy to be in braces and out of the upper expander.

Before and After Photos of Expander

2007-09-07T07:34:00.000-07:00

Here is some photos when I just got my expanders put in and four months later. There seems to be some widening on the uppers but I'm not noticing a whole lot of the lowers...maybe just a tad wider there too.

A New Adjustment...

2007-08-16T18:53:00.000-07:00

I went for my monthly checkup today and all went well. The plan was to put brackets on the 6's and put a wire from the 5's through the 6's & back to the 7's. There's been a lot of space created between the back three teeth in only just a few short months, it amazes me how much. He's going to start pulling them back with this twisted wire. So, it was pretty uneventful this time around. Took a few things of wax home with me and have had it on to help with the new wire and to keep the inside of my mouth from getting chewed up.

It's funny, but I hardly even think much about having the expander in. A friend of mine just went to Dr. Kawakami with her daughter and she'll be getting a pallet expander too. She wanted to see mine and I think it scared her a bit...she hid behind mom when I showed her...LOL! I told her we could be twins...and she said "no way...she doesn't even want it." :)

Overbite Update

2007-07-29T06:52:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd post a current picture update of what everything is looking like. This view you can see how much of an overbite I really have...pretty, eh? I can notice that my pallet is a bit wider than a few months ago...I'm excited to see just how full/wide my smile will be once the full expansion has occurred. I'm not drooling am I???? sheesh...what's a girl to do?!?!?

To Pik or Not to Pik...

2007-07-27T06:03:00.000-07:00

This week my upper pallet has been a bit sore as things seem to be moving right along. I have a little swelling in the back right quadrant and it's sore because it's pressing against the acrylic of the expander. There's also been this little wire on the lower expander that has been scraping the underside of my tounge which is quite irratating...literally...LOL ...or did I mention my teeth are sore too...wahh...wahh...wahhh...ok...enough crying.

I've been eating a lot of yogurt, mashed potatoes, scrambled eggs and ice cream although yesterday I made myself a turkey and cheese sandwhich on Jewish Rye and boy was it good...but I was "tongue chasing" my teeth and expander because they were packed full of caraway seeds. I find when I try to use my tongue it pays a high price and comes out like it was in battle so I turned to trusty water pik to do the job. I'm always amazed at what those forceful sprays will emit and what a good job it does. I don't know how my son had his expander without one...TWICE...what a terrible mom, eh?!?! He forgives me...LOL...but he says the little thing they gave him to flush out the food worked just fine. It was like a food injector, where you fill it with water and push the end of it and it sprays the water through this long thin adpater thingie...

The water pik I have attaches right to the facet so I can adjust the pressure of it. It works great, I can take it with me and I'm not having to lug around anything heavy...the only downfall is that you have to remove the little filter thingie on the faucet and attach the adapter for the pik before you can actually hook it up. Above you see a pic of the one I have, it's called a RediPik. I prefer the RediPik because of the ability to control the pressure. Just to let you know...I am not a distributor nor do I know who's bright idea this is...LOL...I just know it works and I'm quite thrilled with it.

Appointment for Two...

2007-07-18T17:49:00.000-07:00

My son and I had an ortho appointment today. He is just about ready to get his braces off...if he'd wear his rubberbands like he should. :) Schuyler's (Skylar) teeth are looking good, but there's this little space that shows when he smiles that needs to be closed. I get worn out telling him he needs to be wearing, now I just tell him..."well...if you want to have these things on until your 30, that's your choice."...Guilt...it works everytime...LOL...NOT!

Anywhoo, I went in to see Dr. Kawakami right after Schuyler's appointment and he said everything is looking good. He's happy with how my teeth are moving, if ever so slowly but still the progress is coming along. I will probably be 50 when I get them off, we'll see! My next visit he wants to put on six braces and I'm trying to figure out where those six braces will be going because if it's on the top then my front two teeth will be bare...what a look that they will...I'll look like Jessica Rabbit! I'm just thrilled that the braces will be starting to go on. Surgery is months away, he said probably not for another year...WOW...that seems like forever! We were planning a trip to Europe next summer because we had to cancel it this summer due to my husbands auto accident he had back in September. He's on the mend but still is working on getting to 100%.

Insurance Say's "YES"...

2007-07-02T22:10:00.000-07:00

WOW...I was shocked when I received the call from my OS office today. I had my consultation the beginning of May and we've been waiting to hear back from the insurance. That call came today and the insurance is going to cover my surgery. I was extrememly pleased and delighted because I really was making other plans because I really thought they'd deny it! I prayed that I could stay here in the states to be close to home and loved ones.

I am in "guarded excitment" right now, because the OS office still need to receive the official paperwork from the insurance company and the surgery isn't going to be for another 7-10 months. I will have to pay 20% of the surgery, hospital, anesthesiologist which is about what I would have paid going to Costa Rica for the surgery.

A good day all in all! I'll just keep praying everything works out accordingly.

Almost Two Months and Cranking...

2007-06-26T17:28:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm still cranking away with my wrench...this time in the right direction. My tongue has been having a rough time of it lately with the widening of the expander and the opening it's creating between the acrylic part of my expander.

I find my tongue is doing a lot of work by trying to get food out of all those cracks and crevices and it's paying a heavy price for it's diligence. I carry a portable waterpik and use a stronger one at home but sometimes I just can't use either because I'm out and about so I've made a pact with myself that I'm going to try my best to utilize it more often. When I can't I'm either using a toothpick...now that's a pretty sight, let me tell you...or I just get by using my poor punctured tongue.

I've been doing the salt rinses religiously but it's not helping much and I know it's because I'm not changing the behavior...and now that's it's feeling like a ragged piece of meat I'm reconsidering that change of behavior.

All is all everything is going good. I'm noticing some spaces developing on the upper but not much is happening on the bottom yet. With the uppers I've had to resort to using wax today because my lips keep getting hung up on the tops of the brackets where you'd be putting rubber bands if you were wearing them. Not sure what they call them but I'm going to find out.

It will be two months on July 5th since installations...hmmm...not sure when the braces will go on but not too worried about that at this point and time.

First Pallet Expander Check-Up

2007-06-13T13:19:00.000-07:00

Well...yesterday I was all excited about going into the ortho to see how he thought things were progressing. I knew not to expect to much because it's just been six weeks but you should have seen my face when the assistant went to turn my expander and she did it backwards from what I was shown how to do it...well, when I spoke up she was dumbfounded that I'd been turning it backwards all these last six weeks. I could have misunderstood but I remember vividly the other assistant showing me how the wrench needed to be used and what I had to do. All this time I was doing nothing with my pallet...how depressing that was to hear! She turned my expander four times and wow...I could feel the pressure. I was thinking all of this time that WOW...it doesn't feel that bad at all...well now I find out....SIX WEEKS LATER...I was doing it all wrong! OH Well....whatcha gonna do??? Right!!!

Visit to the Oral Surgeon

2007-05-16T10:35:00.000-07:00

Well I went in yesterday for my consult with an Oral Surgeon...actually there were two of them...they work as a team...one works on the right, one works on the left. LOL...that's what they told me anyways. They confirmed what my orth said and that is lower jaw advancement surgery, they'd like to bring my lower jaw foward about 9mm.

They said I'm quite an unusal case...LOL...but we already knew that one. They said that many with this type II malucullsion have NO CHIN...well I do...and they said I may need a genio to reduced my chin because it just might be too strong of chin for my face. I certainly don't want a strong chin that looks manly...I'd like to keep the femine type of chin I presently have.

Because my ortho didn't send any of my records to this consult, they're unsure of whether I'd need advancement on the top until they can look at all of the records. So until they view ALL of the records and speak with my ortho and see what he's wanting to achieve with the expanders etc will they be able to tell me if it would just be the bottom advancement.

I did have a lot of questions and he was quite impressed by the questions I asked. All the research I've done prior was a huge help, especially the Archwire website gave me a lot of info that was helpful in preparing me for my consult. They answered all my questions with the exception of the insurance part of it. My insurance which is United Healthcare states that Orthognathic Surgery is not covered so this will be an extremely long shot if they say "yes".

I'm prepared for them to deny coverage...I'm not a pessimist but having them write it out in the policy is a huge indicator of what they're going to say. So I've been looking at other possibilities of being able to afford this operation...one is going outside the U.S. to have it done. For right now I'll sit tight until I hear back from them. It just felt good to go in and get all the info on the surgery, and see what they're recommending to give me a better idea of what to expect if I do go abroad for this surgery.

Talking a Bit Better...

2007-05-14T07:54:00.000-07:00

Just an update on my progress since having my expanders put in two weeks this coming Thursday. It's getting much easier to talk which is a really good thing at our church as I answer the phones and I was thinking maybe people were beginning to wonder what I was drinking while I worked. :)

I have had a bit of trouble with turning the key once a week like I was told by Dr. K. I've read where there's many that have done this on their own and I am quite impressed that they can. I can't seem to see that tiny hole for the life of me...even with a magnifying glass! I've had my son turn it the first time but this weekend he couldn't see where the hole was and I tried myself for hours with two mirrors but I couldn't see it either. My husband even tried and he didn't have any lock either...it was quite frustrating for me because I didn't want to have to drive 40 minutes to the ortho's office to have them take two seconds to turn it. Well, finally at about 9:30pm last night I went into my son and asked him to give it one more try and I grabbed a really bright light and voila he foudn the hole and turned that baby twice for me. I was extrememly happy because it saved me a trip into the ortho today!!

I take my son in for his appointment on Thursday, he's towards the end of his treatment if he'd keep those rubber bands on he'd be done.

Under Expansion...

2007-05-04T15:27:00.000-07:00

I am fully operational now...ready to expand the limits. It was quite an unusal evening with my new appliances. Dr. Kawakami pushed and prodded the expanders in between my teeth and said that they fit perfectly. I don't know about "perfectly", I do know they are quite uncomfortable right at this point. As you can see in the picture...excuse the drool but my mouth thinks it has food in there 24/7 and therefore the salivation glands are in working overtime. That will also subside once my body figures out that it isn't my favorite food product and that they are there to stay! I CAN'T wait for that to subside...drooling is so un ladylike!

I will share that having a waterpik is imperative to getting the food out from under the expanders. I brushed and then used my wp and it was like an avalanche of stuff came out so if you're reading this knowing you'll be getting an expander you HAVE to get a waterpik. I have a few sore spots but mostly my tongue is getting the brunt of it all. I have found a "new best friend" in my WAX...get lots of it before you leave the ortho office, you'll be quite happy you did.

It's exciting to finally be on my way, even knowing the next few weeks are not going to be pretty. I like to look at the upside, this may be my new weight management system. LOL! I'm not very hungry and when I do have to chew something my right cheek gets in the way and now looks a bit like shredded beef. I'm doing Campbells all the way for a few day just to give my cheek a rest but I tell you that pizza today at church looked to good to give up so I gave it a try...it took me over an hour to eat one slice...not sure it was really was worth it.

My speech isn't the best, especially with having a job that has me answering phones throughout my day. A few friends asked me what was wrong with my speech and I just told them that I had one too many drinks before I came to work...LOL...ok, not really, because i don't think my pastor would appreciate that! I just explained to them that these foreign appliances in my mouth will take some getting use to and that until I can pronounce my "s's & t's" that I would appreciate their laughter directed on someone else...LOL! You just have to laugh along with them because it really is quite funny.

Separated Again....Ouch!

2007-04-26T20:11:00.001-07:00

Well, I headed back to the ortho today to get the spacers put back in...not a pleasant experience unfortunately. I've mentioned a few posts ago that I've had braces before, I also have worked for an orthodontist so spacers are not new to me. Unfortunately my teeth thought differently...they were so tight that the pour assistant was practically standing on her head to get them in. She had four that she got in part way and just left to sit, she put these on with the pliers...after breaking a few with the pliers and my tight teeth she decided to try an old trick. She took out two pieces of dental floss and laced it through the spacer so she was holding a piece of dental floss in each hand. She then would work it back and forth as she pressed down on the floss to get them to slide right in...not exactly but it did work like a peach...for a few anyways. This trick seemed to go a bit better, she got in about four that way and then decided to go back to the pliers...there were just two spacers left out of 12 when she was pushing so hard to get it down between my molers that it broke and her hand slipped and jammed my face. OUCH!!!!!!!! I tried to hold back the tears but it felt like being punched...poor girl, she felt so bad especially when she saw a few tears trickle down...quite embarassing I must say.

I'm sitting back there with all these pre adolecents and teens and here I am the adult and she makes a big fuss over the fact she made me cry...LOL...I was wishing I were somewhere else to be honest with you...I felt like I was in the ring with Ali by the time I walked out there. She told me that maybe I'd better to to a chiropractor...LOL! One hour later I was up and out of the chair...*big sigh*...and just glad to be verticle. There were two assistants who worked on getting the spacers in and on my way out they handed me two coupons for free ice cream cones...LOL...I was like "thank you, but I think I'll be ok"...LOL...they just felt so bad that they made me cry so they wanted to make it up to me and one hug and two free ice cream coupons later I was on my way out of the door.

I go back next week for the expanders to go in...what fun, I can hardly wait...well...let's just say I'm glad to get started but I'm not looking foward to the expansion and slurring my words together, drooling and having a sore tongue...the price we pay for a nice smile though..eh?!:!

A Good Impression

2007-04-12T18:07:00.000-07:00

Well, today I went back to the orthodontist for the impressions and removal of my spacers.

The assistant leaned me back so that she could remove those awful looking green and blue spacers. My teeth had been quite sensitive the entire week of wearing them so I'm thinking that getting braces again might be a bit more painful than it was the first time around.

Unfortunately having experience in removing spacers in a previous job I knew that there would be some pretty foul smelling food that would come out with them...yuck!! Well, I am no different...she took gauze pads and as she removed each spacer she covered it before she pulled...thank goodness.

She suggested I might like to go the ladies room to rinse and brush and to be honest with you...I couldn't get there fast enough...the taste was horrible and embarrassing all at once. The pre-toothpaste toothbrushes were nothing to write home about either...I'm not sure which was the worse of two evils...but it did feel better to get the taste of old food out of my mouth.

The impressions went smoothly. She did the upper first and then the lower. Before she started mixing the powder with the water she asked me what flavor I would like...LOL...when I did this over twenty years ago there was no choice of flavors and now look...you can have cotton candy, cherry, watermelon, rootbeer, cinnamon and the list goes on and on...I chose cinnamon. I really couldn't taste it really...who could with all of that rubber pressing into every nook and cranny that it cold find. She was sweet to ask though and there was a bit of an aftertaste where it resembled a light flavoring of cinnamon.

That was it...I was done and we made an appointment to come back a week before the appliances come back so that they could put those lovely blue and green spacers back in....can't wait!!

Surgery In Another Country???

2007-04-08T16:09:00.000-07:00

I know many are going to think I'm totally out there on this but it just might be an option. I was on a forum where they were talking about going out of the country for their surgeries and how pleased they've been with the outcomes. You hear the horror stories of people who've done this and it makes one extremely cautious.

I have begun researching this option and I'm taking it slow. I want to make sure that I'm not jumping in over my head and being the researcher I am that is just what I'm doing...Researching the possibilities available to me.

I was given a doctor by the name of Oscar Reiche, DDS, who is an Oral & Maxillofacial surgeon in Costa Rica. The young lady I'm speaking to just had her SARPE surgery by him and she and her orthodontist are quite pleased with the results. She'll be going back for more surgery in several months by him.

I found his website and emailed him a list of questions, let's see when he'll respond.

Consultation w/ Dr. K

2007-03-29T07:53:00.000-07:00

Today I had my consultation with Dr. K and he said that I have a pretty severe overbite. He went over everything with me...all the pictures, models and x-rays. As you can see in the pictures above you don't see my bottom teeth at all when I bite down...except for the sides. I never thought my bite was that bad but when they pull everything back and away...WOW...it's very exposing. :)

Dr. K gave me a couple of options. He said that for me to get the best possible results that I would need to have lower jaw advancement surgery. The surgery would move my lower jaw forward to correct the sever overbite. The treatment would also include upper pallet expander & lower lingual expander. If I decided not to go the surgery route he said that he could get my teeth 50% better than they are right now.

When I had braces in my early twenties this is what I was told as well. At the time I had no insurance and knew there was no way I could afford to do it on my own. Now I have insurance but I'm just not so sure that they would cover this operation.

I really would prefer to do the surgery! Dr. K referred me to an Oral Surgeon but this particular surgeon doesn't take my insurance. I spent the better part of the afternoon trying to find someone who would accept my insurance. I called my insurance company and they had only one doctor in the Tucson area who would accept my insurance so I called. The receptionist said..."oh, yes we accept your insurance, but the doctors here don't do that type of surgery.

I had my husband find out whether our insurance would cover it or not and they will not. Hmmm...now what options do I have???

2007-03-06T12:48:00.000-08:00

Yucko....this was very difficult for me to post...who wants to look at the inside of someone elses mouth???? Yuck! Anywhoo...this is what my mouth looks like today...see all of those crowns and old fillings? I've put a lot of money into my mouth, you'd think it would look better than this, eh? I could make the excuse that I have very soft teeth...which I do...REALLY?!? I guess I should be quite thankful though...I have all of my teeth, well at least the ones that they didn't pull to put my braces on and to make room with removal of my wisdom teeth. There are no secrets here...you can tell me how many fillings I have old and new.

I called my dentist to find out if I should have the two upper crowns replaced before or after my braces and he said after...right now they are the ones that show when I smile and they're old and need to be replaced. I'll just have to wait it out a few more years I guess.

2007-03-02T12:18:00.000-08:00

Here's one of the first pictures that I'll be able to come back to two years down the road and see what a difference going back into braces made. I can see from the picture as Dr. K told me that my lower teeth are all falling inward and my front two teeth really protrude forward although not too terribly bad.

This smile isn't one of the worst smiles I've seen and many of my friends are wondering why on earth I would even think about going back into braces again, they say... "you have such a nice smile". I've thought seriously about that myself. I like my smile too, I just don't like my overbite and the fact that my lips don't go naturally together. The headaches may have something to do with it as well and the clicking in my jaw but most importantly of all, my smile would be ten times...NO....100 times better than it is now!! My smile is very pointy now and I'd like to see it rounded out and that is where the pallet expander will come in on both the top and bottom.

Adult Case for Braces

2007-02-27T19:32:00.000-08:00

Yes...I admit it...I was one of those "thumb suckers" throughout the early years of my life. I remember my parents trying everyting in all creation to get me to stop sucking my thumb. Pepper, Vicks, tieing a mitten onto my hand...you name it...they tried it, but much to no avail.

I had always wanted to have my teeth straightened when I was younger because of the nasty names kids would instinctivly call me because of my protruding teeth. As I got to be a teen I was resigned to knowing that if I wanted it done I would have to pay for it on my own. I remember having quite a bit of jaw problems back in my teenage years. My jaw would only open so far and then it would lock. I didn't get much sympathy at the time but now I know it was due to my misaligned bite and the stress it was under.

I was about 23 years old and a bit naive when I saw a commercial on tv for braces for only $999, what a deal I thought! This was back in the early 80's and maybe that 's what they cost back then but I think probably NOT!

This seemed like a great opportunity for me so I went with it and made my first appointment. I had always wanted them and knew this was my one way of making them affordable. I was living on my own and working and made my first appointment with the orthdontic practice. Upon the consultation with the orthodontist, he told me that they cold certainly get my teeth straight but that I would need surgery to bring my lower jaw forward and my upper jaw back. It sounded good for me, althought I wasn't quite concerned about doing the surgery when it was all over with. I was in braces for about two years and had them taken off when I knew I'd be moving out of state. I probably had a few more months to go before they were ready to come off and so they did as I had asked. I was delighted with the results and the rest is history...

NOT...here I am 25 years later and having problems with my jaw and not happy with how my teeth have moved over those 25 years. Did I mention that I should have been wearing my retainer over all of these 25 years??? Well, I lost it and never had it replace, so here we are back to square one.

I feel like I have a hook tooth that protrudes further than the north sea...LOL...ok, so I'm exaggerating a bit, but it bothers me enough to want to do something about it. Here I am 25 years later and asking myself, "do you really want to do this all over again"?? You're getting old, is it really worth it?? Ok...if you're good at mathmatics you've already deciphered my age to be around 46, although if you were to ask me I'd tell you a firm "29". :)

This past week I set up an appointment with my son's orthodontist. My 15 year old son is just about out of braces...if he would continue wearing his rubberbands, he would have been out six months ago...as parents, we know how that goes. He's been in them twice as well, once when he was about 7 and then again when he turned 12...so much for getting a jump start on preventative orthodonitics. I just pray that his mouth isn't full of white marks all over his teeth because that was another challenge...BRUSHING!!!!!!!!

Ok...I've just climbed off my soapbox and I'll continue more after my consultation.