- Pain: 2/10
- Inconvenience: 12/10
According to my surgeon, swelling peaks at 72 hours and stays at that point for anywhere up to a full week, at which point your face begins to return to normal. Tonight at 6:00 marks that 72-hour mark–thank God. My face is slightly fatter than it was yesterday, which makes it slightly tougher to eat, drink and breathe.
A few things I noticed this morning:
- My breath smells a little smoky, like there’s been something fermenting in my mouth for the past 3 days.
- I’m still completely numb from the bottom of my eyes down to the bottom of my chin–no feeling in my lips, nose, or half of my cheeks.
- My butt hurts much less today, and I’m regaining feeling in it. I can now sit down and feel fairly comfortable about it.
- I weighed myself this morning and have already lost 10 pounds since Monday. That’s 5.2% of my bodyweight, gone already.
On the bright side, I had a shower so I feel much cleaner now. I was also able to get a child-sized toothbrush in my mouth to brush the outsides of my teeth, so my breath is a little bit fresher. Not much, mind you. I can also move my mouth a bit, so I can now close and part my lips at will! Oh, the sheer control!
I’ve decided to start eating and drinking a little more today. For breakfast, I had an Ensure drink (335 cal) and 0.5 L of water, all by syringe of course. Then I took my meds, which included 2 shots of nasal spray per nostril (2x daily), a decongestant (2x daily), an anti-biotic (4x daily) and some medicated mouthwash (2x daily). Once this is all over, I think I’m going to slow my eating down and enjoy each bite a little bit more. I feel like lab rat having to take everything by syringe, like I’m some animal in a cage who can run up to take a drink from a tube whenever I’m thirsty.
The one thing I miss most about the hospital is the suction tube. Ya’know when you’re at the dentist and they give you the tube that you can spit into to get rid of all the nasty that’s in your mouth? I had one of those at the hospital, and it was wonderful. However, I don’t have it here at home, so the only way I can clean my mouth out is to either:
- Take a syringe of water and try to swallow everything down along with the water, or
- Take a syringe of salt water, tilt my head back and forth to swish it around as best I can, then go hang my head over the sink and let everything run out.
Disgusting? Absolutely, positively, repulsive.
I spoke with my friend from the hospital today, the girl who only had 1 jaw operated on. She told me her swelling is already decreasing, so apparently double jaw surgery is much, much worse. I’ve spent most of today wheezing away trying to get enough air.
Anyways, I’ve decided that I’m not going to waste these days away. I’m going to spend a few hours every day reading, a few hours relaxing, an hour walking the dog to get some fresh air in these lungs, and a few hours on web development, just to continue learning. Why waste any time, right?
That’s not to say I’m not going to hook my laptop up to the big screen and surround sound at some point and play Batman for a little while too…
Thanks to everyone who has offered to drop by with the following (some of these made me chuckle):
- Liquor
- Women
- Movies
- TV shows
- Books
- Baking (how am I supposed to eat this stuff?!)
- Time to chat (but… I can’t talk, remember? I communicate with my parents by using a computerized voice on my laptop, like Stephen Hawking.)
- Jello shots (I’m almost there!)
August 12, 2011 at 10:09 pm
Not a problem, Bruce! I’m glad my recollections of this entire ordeal are proving to be useful to others. Stay happy, my friend!
August 12, 2011 at 9:09 pm
Just a note to let you know you’re my hero. 🙂 Your assessments are spot on. The docs were very vague about what to expect, but so far you’ve nailed it. I realize that not every surgery is the same and that each person heals differently but your blog continually educates, entertains and encourages me. Thanks so much!
August 7, 2011 at 5:42 pm
Hey Mike!
Good on you for drinking all that water. It’s so frustrating how everything requires so much time and effort, right?
I still remember how dirty my mouth felt with that splint in. It will be a good day when they remove that behemoth and you can brush and floss again.
I also completely understand the need to vent. I talk way too much on any given day, so being restricted in speech was certainly a lesson in communication (or lack thereof).
Take care, pal!
August 6, 2011 at 5:19 pm
Hi Graham,
I’m finishing up my 3rd day after surgery today. I’ve been slamming water like never before, but I don’t feel hungry at all. I’m about to have my mom pick me up a smoothie to see if that starts up the ol’ appetite.
I will be SO pumped when I can finally get this splint off. It feels like all of the mucus in my mouth congregates right where the splint meets the back of my throat.
The pain has mostly been tolerable. My lower lip and chin are all numb, so I don’t notice much.
Not sure why I’m rambling like this. I guess I’m still not used to being able to talk as much as usual, and just wanted to vent. Thanks again for all of the great insights and advice.
July 20, 2011 at 9:11 am
Hi Abby,
Pain should be expected–I just lucked out and was numb enough that I missed most of it.
If you find you can’t handle the pain, I’d call your surgeon and ask for a better prescription. The last thing you want right now is to spend all of your energy dealing with the discomfort you’re feeling.
Best of luck!
July 20, 2011 at 7:52 am
Hey Graham!
I just got single jaw surgery on monday and I’m on my third day right now. I had a horrid experience coming home yesterday b/c the pharmacy took too long to give me my pain meds when i was attempting to leave ouch!! i’m surprised you didn’t have as much pain as I do! I had my upper jaw done and some work on my chin , but the amount of oxycodone they gave me barely covers the extent of pain I have! Any suggestions?
May 11, 2011 at 8:01 am
shabana, you can read about the medicine I was taking post-op at this post.
I took ibuprofen to suppress my swelling.
May 11, 2011 at 5:42 am
hi, ive had a double jaw operation. my sweelin went bad when i put ice pack in hospital. im just massaging wit almond oil at the moment. is there anything to drink so the swelling goes down??
January 30, 2011 at 7:26 pm
I didn’t use any medication for swelling, no. My surgeon recommended hot packs over ice packs, but I can’t quite recall why. Sleeping with heat on your face is much more comfortable anyway!
Two months sounds like a long time right now, but it’ll fly by once you’re back to eating normally and getting out there again.
January 30, 2011 at 6:34 pm
Two months?! That’s a pretty long time 🙁 I’ve been icing my face at night, so maybe I should switch to hot packs instead? Did you try any medications or ointments like bromelain or arnica? I hate this process! Sorry for the depressing comment lol
January 29, 2011 at 9:02 pm
Hey Jen,
I’m not sure if you can actually cause the swelling to go away any more quickly than it is, but you can definitely deal with it by using hot packs on your face at night. I slept with one on my face for almost 2 months!
The swelling will float around for the full 3 months, unfortunately. You’ll probably look substantially different once it goes away.
By the two-month mark, your swelling should barely be noticeable by anybody but yourself. =)
January 29, 2011 at 7:05 pm
I had double jaw surgery on the 6th and so this thursday will officially make it 4 weeks. My face is still swollen. Any recommendations as to how I can make this swelling go down as soon as possible? 🙁
January 8, 2011 at 11:08 am
I remember the swelling well. It made all of the little things so difficult. Eating, drinking and talking were almost out of the question.
The next week will be the worst of it. After that, everything will start healing really quickly and you’ll be a bit happier each day!
January 8, 2011 at 10:51 am
Hi! Stumbled upon this blog and it makes me feel so much better. I’m on day 3 of double jaw surgery (plus wisdom teeth out plus they pulled out my chin some), and I woke up to worse swelling today – so much so that I don’t want to eat. I am numb as you were but more so in my left nostril than my right. I’m trying to keep them clean with the spray and qtips. I can’t wait for the swelling to go down.
September 1, 2010 at 2:11 am
Hi Ruth!
I like the comparison to Kenny. 🙂 I couldn’t talk clearly for about a full month.
You’ll learn to talk with the splint in, but your speech will definitely clear up in a big way once the splint comes out.
Cheers!
August 31, 2010 at 12:13 am
Thanks for posting this blog! I love the humor in it, and knowing that my ridiculous experience hasn’t just been a fluke 🙂 Quick question – how soon were you able to talk? I had surgery 6 days ago and still sound worse than Kenny on South Park. Does it have anything to do with the splint?
May 16, 2010 at 4:03 pm
Hey April,
You’re almost a week in! You’ve officially finished the 6 toughest days. 🙂
I actually went online looking for some kind of suction tube contraption, but now I realize that’s totally ridiculous. You’ll stop drooling after 2 or so weeks and then you’ll start to feel human again!
To be honest, I’ve been drinking the same smoothies for the past 8 weeks several times a day. Somehow, I haven’t grown tired of them yet (don’t ask me how). Once you graduate from syringes to drinking from a cup (probably at the 2-week mark as well), you’ll be able to drink way thicker soups and smoothies and you’ll feel a lot better!
Keep me posted with your recovery! So far, everyone I know is regaining feeling and the ability to eat more quickly than I did. So hopefully you’re part of that crowd as well, for your sake. =)
Graham
May 16, 2010 at 2:27 pm
Hey Graham,
I just found this blog while googling smoothie recipes, and so far, it has definitely lifted my mood. I am on day 6 of the same surgery you had – double jaw surgery to fix my severe underbite. There are several differences between the technicalities of your surgery and mine, but I have to say that one similarity is that I can’t agree more about missing that suction tube from the hospital. I remember thinking, “Why can’t they sell these in Walmart?” It would cut my ‘drooling over the sink’ time down immensely. At this point, I am desperate to find something more interesting than fruit to put in my blender. Also, I’ve been craving pizza to the point where when I get my hands on some, I am willing to attempt to liquify it with some milk and try it out of pure curiosity. If you have found any successful concoctions for some non-fruit smoothies, I’d love to hear ’em.
I’d say that your blog makes me laugh, but I am incapable of laughter right now so really it just makes my lips move about a quarter of an inch in an attempt to smile 🙂
Can’t wait to keep reading!
March 26, 2010 at 2:41 pm
Hey Judy,
Hmmm… I think you’ll be okay. It does make you feel quite claustrophobic, but remember, the 1st week is going to be the worst because of the swelling.
My nose is pretty plugged, yes, and I’m not allowed to blow it, but I can still breathe through it with the help of the spray and medicine. You just have to regulate your breathing sometimes, mostly when you’re eating. You can’t eat very fast because you have to fit breathing in there as well. So just take everything slow. 🙂
And my teeth are stuck in position, but I can still breathe through my mouth as long as I’m not eating. When the splint is in, you can’t really move your mouth much though. My teeth aren’t touching at all–they’re actually held apart.
And the complication I had was just that he couldn’t fix my occlusion completely because it was too severe, so we have to use braces to turn my teeth a little bit to fix the rest. Mine was *really* bad though. I don’t know how severe your bite is, and they’re usually able to fix it completely.
My advice is just to expect 1 week of complete hell. It will all pay off though. Mouth surgery is probably one of the worst out there because it inhibits your breathing and eating, right? You’ll be able to do it though, as long as you know you have to devote a week of your life to focusing on those 2 things. =)
March 26, 2010 at 11:26 am
wow graham, you are amazing! i will try to keep an upbeat attitude like yours! i have been having panic attacks because i am very claustrophobic and am imagining i wont be able to breath when i have my surgery. i have been practicing plugging my nose and clenching my teeth and trying to breath calmly!
so i have 2 questions…
1. is your nose VERY plugged, do the nasal spray and decongestants help???? and
2. are your teeth clenched right together, or is there a space with a splint in between the uppers and lowers?
i can’t wait to see your progress, when the swelling really starts to come down and you get a good sense of how this has changed your appearance. it will help me to see what i have to look forward to!
oh, i guess one more thing, so this would be a third question, what was your complication during surgery all about?
keep getting well orthognathic surgery buddy.
judy