Update-four years out

Hey Ya'll!

So I know its been a long time, but I figured I would update you on some things!

Things have JUST been settling in with my jaw and mouth, and I mean within the last six months. About a year ago, I was having extreme jaw pain and clicking when chewing. I would also experience my jaw "catching" on the joint sometime and would have to push it back in to function again. I was also still having a hard time opening my mouth very wide because of the back tendons being so tight. I talked to my surgeon again and he referred me to a TMJ specialist.

Turns out that the disc in my TMJ joint was slipping out of the joint which contributed to my feelings of the jaw "catching". He gave me a mouth guard which actually maneuvered my jaw to the position which the disc would not slip out. That was about one year ago. I have been wearing that every night since, and have not have catching, slipping, or any other jaw pain since.

I would recommend going to a TMJ specialist if you experience these same issues, as it is common post-surgery because of the dramatic changes and your mouth trying to settle. I can chew anything now and open my mouth regularly. Pain free finally!!

Here is a recent picture of what my face looks like, I know the post surgical ones didn't reflect a very good image because of things still being swollen and still settling down.

The Final Word

Well, I think it's about time I sum up this chapter of my life. It was absolutely worth it and I strongly encourage anyone thinking about having this surgery to do it! It is by no means easy though. It takes a lot of time, seeing that I still have some swelling and being eight months out. You need family support as well. I don't think I would have made it without my family helping me. I still think I have a little muscle weakness on my left side because of the nerve loss that is still apparent. I am beginning to feel the roof of my mouth, and hopefully the rest o the feeling will follow. I can do simple things now like bite through foods, sleep with my mouth closed, and smile with confidence!

Before and After: part 3

Before and After: Clenching down

Before and After: Part 2

Before and After: Relaxed Side Profile

Before and After Pics Part 1

After: Relaxed position

Before: relaxed position

After: Smiling

Before: Smiling

Week Six Update

 I went in last two Thursday's ago for a follow up and left without a splint. As exciting as this was, I still could not go back to eating normally because we encountered another problem: I could not open my mouth more then 2 centimeters. Since I had my wisdom teeth pulled in conjunction with the jaw surgery, the skin healed the wrong way. Having my mouth closed for two weeks caused the skin to grow over the joint that allows the jaw to open and close. Though I am stretching this 2-3 times a day with popsicle sticks, I do not see any improvement within the last three days. If I do end up going under for corrective surgery, it will not be as extensive, which I am thankful for. This is in no way anything the doctor could have prevented seeing that I had three surgeries in one (Lefort 1, Bilateral Sagittal Split, and Wisdom Teeth Removal). Other then that I feel great. My strength has almost fully returned, there is low nerve pain, and almost all sensation is back in the cheeks. There is absolutely no sensation in the chin and lower lip, but he said it should return within 18 months. I still am not touching on the left side, but the orthodontics have helped it close more. I am confident that it will close with the manipulation of ortho.

Week Four Post Op