Day 7 Post-Op

The Last Horrah...

I know this was gross, but my last meal was a big greasy burger with seven toppings just because I could!

Before Surgery

 

My Wing :)

Ice Packs= Best Idea Ever

Day 2 Post-Op

Day 2 Post-Op

Sitting in the family room during a festive party downstairs. This is really the only thing I remember of this day.

Day 2 Post-Op

Feeding myself for the first time.

First Day Home: Day 3 Post-Op

Drive to the hospital Day 4 post-op

Emergancy Hospital Visit on Day 4 Post-Op

All of the bands fell off that were guiding the bite and we needed them to reconnect so we drove an hour to the hospital in the city, it was horrible. This is were I got the name "Joker" because when they opened my mouth, blood started to ooze from the sides because of the fresh cuts being reopened.

Day 4 Post-Op

 

Post-Op Appendectomy

 This was the first drink I had in 52 hours...it was heavenly 

The First Week Out

Wow....I am going to be honest and say those were the worst three days of my life. I woke up in recovery  after about seven hour of surgery. The best explanation of how I felt was being hit by a semi-truck then another one slightly smaller then that. I was so numb, I didn't even know if I had a face. I found out I had a very weak stomach and couldn't tolerate the amount of drugs they put in my body. To say the least, the next two days, all I accomplished was two bowls full of puke. I know it's disgusting, but it was very real. There were times that I thought I really couldn't make it through this. I was so frustrated with my body, I had wished I had never done the surgery. But now that I am out of that cloud, I can already see it was totally worth it. The only advice I would give to the next patient having this procedure is to think of the worst it possibly could be, then times it by ten. I would also tell them that it is totally worth it, I am already so happy with the results so far. I would also advise them to contact someone who has gone through this before so they can tell you what to expect and what to do with certain problems that arise.  It was only until Saturday that things started to improve. I started to hold things down and begin to feel better. It takes so much time and dedication to this procedure both with recovery and food, something I was unaware of before the surgery and something I wish I had known when coming out of surgery. I can't wait to begin the pureed diet, I am just about done with the powdered milk and protein shakes.  I hope that by Thursday I can begin the wonderful world of substantial food. Sorry it took me so long to update I will post on Thursday with my next consult with the doctor.

a non-gory explanation

Day 6

This Is It!

The time is tickin' and I have nothing left to say but, this is it. I am as ready as I will ever be. It is surprising though because I am a lot less nervous then I had expected to be. Maybe i'm suppressing the nerves simply because I had to. It took my every focus just to get passed this semester which gave me little time to even entertain the thought of my surgery. Quite frankly, that scares me. It's so typical for anything I thought of to turn out the opposite way. I also think it's because I know this is such a God thing. You know, those moments you begin to see God in every event leading up towards the anticipated moment. When you see him that clearly, it's hard to be nervous about anything, really. It's weird to think that in seven hours, my jaw will be completely transformed. that pretty much sums up the feeling right now, just weird. I was unaware that to post a comment you have to sign up for something. If I had known, I would have done a different blogsite. If you would like to comment, you can e-mail me at brynne.willis@gmail.com. Thanks!

When it rains, it pours

Well, it became apparent this week that my body could not WAIT to be in the hospital. So, it thought of the quickest way to get there, and came up with appendicitis. I was planning on not going to school on Monday, which ended up being a really good idea since that was the day it occurred. I had a normal breakfast at eight then started to develop cramps. Thinking they were severe gas pains, I told my mom in a none serious matter then went on with my day of preparing for finals. At about 10 am, I was found myself on the floor with my knees to my chest because of the pain. When I got up to talk to my mom, I became nauseous and couldn't stand up all the way. I then got the chills which made me believe I had the flu, but my mom knew the signs of appendicitis and soon took me to the hospital. Eight hours, one CT scan, and three doctors later, I was diagnosed with appendicitis and planned for surgery at 9:45 the next morning. The next few hours were the worst part. Thinking I would have the surgery then be discharged that day was a big mistake. First we were told the surgery was at 9:45am, then it moved to 1:00pm, then 2:00pm. I didn't enter the surgical room until 4:00pm. With the surgery being so late, I had to stay another night. I became nauseous because of the pain killers and general anesthesia, but after I threw up (sorry for being gross) I felt a lot better. The worst part having to rest. I really would just want to clean my room, do my laundry and go Christmas shopping.The funny thing about this surgery is that I wasn't even nervous at all just because I have been so focused on the surgery next week.
 As annoying as this surgery was, I can't help but laugh at this whole scenario. First of all, I had been looking forward to this week for two years....I'll explain. Because of my disability, my diet is vital towards my ability to stay walking. I am only allowed to ingest 1300-1400 calories per day. Having the caloric intake being so small, I have always been concerned about the calorie content of every single meal. With the jaw surgery not allowing significant caloric intake for seven weeks, this was my stress free eating week. The one week in my life that I can absolutely indulge and not feel any guilt for what I eat. This means ice cream with chocolate, a full burger instead of half, things like that. Not only was I not able to eat or drink anything for a total of 50 hours, but my stomach shrank too so I can't even enjoy the thought of pigging out! I laugh at the thought. Second of all, this is final week for me. Three of my finals were on the fourteenth. Having that be the day of my jaw surgery, I was planning on taking these finals this week. Well, now I am left one day, this Friday, to complete six finals. Seeing that this is nearly impossible, my surgeon insisted on writing letters excusing my finals from being taken. I will still be taking  three finals though just because I can.
Despite all these problems though, I still saw God in every step of this procedure. Had it been only a day later, my jaw surgery would not have been able to occur which is something we have been working at for three years. If I had developed the appendicitis next week it would have been too much to deal with. His timing was perfect timing which is usually how it goes. I was also able to discover any problems I may face with my surgery next week. For example, when I was hooked up to the ventilator, they expanded my lungs too far resulting in chest pain. It was also hard to breath after they took the breathing tube out, which is of reasonable concern when combined with swelling in the back throat for the jaw surgery. Little things like that were concerns important enough to be aware of next week. If I had not had this surgery, I would not have known what to be concerned about: yet another blessing...
Well that pretty much sums up my experience which was not the worst one I have had. I am planning on posting my next update the day before my surgery unless something else arises. Until then!
Brynne Willis

The Week Before

The time is just flying by. I am now starting to feel the jitters, which is not ideal seeing that finals are all this week. Hopefully the business will keep my mind of the nerves. I had a chance to speak to my SMA doctor about my concern of muscle loss this week, and he said the lack of caloric intake will not affect the muscle. Because of the muscle being hypertrophic (10 times the normal size), they will diminish but regain once I begin my personal training again. This was very encouraging to hear and takes a load of stress of my mind. My plan was to start biking as soon as I can to keep the muscle active.  I will still get back on the bike as soon as possible, but now I can make recovery my first priority. My next written post will be the night before the surgery, so until then!
Thanks, Brynne Willis

Side Open Bite

This is the side profile of the open-bite. The upper lip is quite sunken into the face which results in absense of an upper lip. There is also a lack of jaw line probably because of the improper structure, but I am not 100% sure on that. With possible lower jaw reconstruction, this could be solved, though it may not be necessary. If you just look at the lower lip structure, the lip curve is actually perfect in shape and position which is why lower jaw reconstruction may not be needed.

Open Bite

This is mug shot number two, atleast thats what it looks like. I am in a full bite, so that shows how big my open bite really is. My lips are relaxed here, so I constantly try to close that space with the lips resulting is strain.

Smile

This is my smile as of now. You can see the lip tension involved and the and how much of a stretch it is to produce even a tiny smile.

Pre-op pictures

 This is me getting the steel wires wrapped around the surgical wires

A Long Time Coming....

I can't believe it is time. After we found out orthodontic manipulation was not able to solve the apparent open and under-bite problem, we began the surgical process. Since that time at twelve years of age, my jaw continued to spread apart resulting in difficulty in not only talking, but breathing, chewing and swallowing as well. We began the long 18 month process of orthodontic work realigning the teeth in preparation for the surgery. I am still surprised to this day the amount of hardware they placed into my very, very tiny mouth. I had brackets, wires, bands, springs, steel-ties, chains, and hooks, sometimes all at once. This resulted in huge ulcers, holes, cuts, rips, and tears simply because the metal would catch on the soft tissue. I was nicknamed "The Joker" by my mom because of the tears on the sides of my mouth from numerous doctors stretching to get past the hardware in hopes of reaching any remains of a tooth's surface. Chapstick became my best friend that year. To say the least, it was an awesome weight maintenance program, seeing the only way to eat a sandwich was to cut off the part my teeth could not with my thumb underneath the bread. I envied those who could gracefully bite an apple, and longed to clench down on a french fry with the front teeth. Even crunchy things like apples are now painful to chew because of the improper alignment of my jaw resulting in popping and dislocation. Lip straining also became evident with the inability to close my mouth. I am more excited for this procedure than nervous. In fact, the thing I am most concerned with is the atrophy of muscle. An ambilitory person with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (which is almost unheard of) views thier muscle as precious cargo, for without it they would most likely end up in a chair. Though I am no longer afriad of this inevitable outcome, I contine to fight the odds and plan to retire to the wheelchair only when God instructs me to do so. I have dedicated many hours into biking and exersize just to keep walking. Therefore, I am worried about the two week resting period required for recovery in fear of muscle loss because of my diet. Two weeks after the surgery, I am to be only on a liquid diet, followed by a pureed diet for five weeks. Becuase of this, I am worried about muscle loss, which is detrimental to my walking. Through this, God has remained faithful and provided the best surgical team after months of searching. I know some of the hardest months are yet to come, but He will be there with me, as He always is. I am just grateful He has provided me with the opportunity to correct this problem. I will keep you posted, and will put pictures up soon!