Recovery Timeline

Following is a brief timeline of important events regarding recovery from double jaw surgery. If you only had a single jaw operated on, your recovery will be much quicker than this.

Keep in mind that every person recovers at a different pace, and also that every surgeon has their own agenda during the recovery process. This is simply the sequence of important events that took place during my personal recovery.

Day 0 (Surgery)

  • You’ll be eating/drinking through a syringe
  • You’ll be unable to sleep very much
  • You may be freezing all night long due to the ice packs wrapped around your face
  • You’ll feel extremely weak
  • You won’t be able to talk
  • You will drool constantly (but you’ll have the suction tube in the hospital to take care of that)
  • Lots of blood will be churning up inside your nose, mouth and throat
  • Your jaw will randomly spasm (and it will be painful)

Day 1

  • Swelling will begin

Day 3

  • Swelling will peak
  • Your bowels will start working again around this time

Day 5

  • Feeling will begin to return to parts of your face
  • Swelling will start to decrease

Day 7 (1 week)

  • You’ll be able to move your mouth a bit easier, so your talking will become more understandable
  • At your 1-week appointment, you’ll be able to brush your teeth, both inside and out (and it will feel amazing)

Day 10

  • Drooling won’t be as rampant any longer
  • You’ll regain slight control over your lips

Day 14 (2 weeks)

  • Most of the swelling will be gone
  • You’ll be able to start drinking from a cup (although it may be messy at first)
  • You can probably remove a few of the elastics clamping your teeth together, so talking will become infinitely more simple
  • Sleeping through the night should no longer be a problem

Day 15

  • Your elastics will start snapping daily, due to your rapid increase in speaking

Day 18

  • Your breath will become bearable again, due to the fact that you’ve been eating different foods and brushing more often

Day 21 (3 weeks)

  • Your energy will start to come back. Take advantage of it! Go for walks and take your bike out for a spin.

Day 22

  • You’ll be receiving substantial feeling back in your upper lip and cheeks. Your nose, lower lip and chin, however, will remain completely numb.

Day 28 (4 weeks)

  • Talking will hardly be an issue any longer. If you have a splint/bite plate in, you’ll sound ridiculous, but people will be able to understand you.
  • Your desire to be social and spend time with people will return in full force. Make sure you take advantage of it, and remember that your friends are not judging you.

Day 29

  • Feeling will begin to return to your lower lip and chin. That feeling will come in the form of pins and needles, but you’ll appreciate it regardless. If no feeling has returned to these parts yet, don’t worry. Surgeons say that it make take up to 90 days for feeling to begin coming back.

Day 31 (1 month)

  • If your elastics are off, you’ll be able to speak quite well by now
  • You won’t drool or spill any longer while eating

Day 32

  • You’ll have most of your normal energy back by now
  • You’ll begin to feel like you’re ready to take life on again. Be warned though: you’re not quite there yet. Give it another month before you go crazy.

Day 38

  • More patches of feeling will return to your chin and lower lip
  • You should no longer have to wear elastics during the day

Day 42 (6 weeks)

  • You should be able to drink through a straw quite easily by now

Day 45

  • Most of your stitches should have dissolved by now

Day 49 (7 weeks)

  • If you had a splint in, it should definitely be removed by now
  • Be prepared to readjust back into the world of orthodontics

Day 56 (8 weeks)

  • You should be able to eat with a small spoon or fork again
  • Licking your lips should be no problem at this point

Day 58

  • You’ll most likely be allowed to blow your nose again. Be gentle, though, because you don’t want to pop a blood vessel.

Day 70 (10 weeks)

  • If you haven’t been able to eat solid food yet, start now. Even if the task of eating involves mashing soft food up against the roof of your mouth, do it anyway. You’ll never gain your strength back on liquid alone.

Day 84 (12 weeks)

  • You should enjoy the freedom of eating just about anything you want by now
  • Consider practising whistling in order to break up the scar tissue that’s sure to be keeping your upper lip from enjoying its full range of motion

Day 90 (3 months)

  • Your three months have finally come to an end! Enjoy eating, breathing and smiling to their full effect.
  • Changes will be fairly slow from this point forward. The results you find yourself with at the 6-month mark will most likely be the results you’ll live with for the rest of your life.

Want to connect with other jaw heroes?

Recovering from jaw surgery can be lonely. That's why many of us hang out in a Facebook group where we support each other leading up to surgery and during recovery. There are hundreds of people from all over the world chatting right now and it's free to join.

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(example of a recent conversation)

1738 Comments

  1. HI Graham

    I’m 6 days post op & every morning I wake up sad and depressed. It gets better as the day goes but every morning it’s the same. It’s holiday season and many people are off & having fun so I’m really bummed out about why the recovery is taking so long. Did u feel this way? Also was sleeping uncomfortable for u? Slightly pain but mostly discomfort not knowing where/how to place ur head?

    My lips are really really swollen ESP the bottom one. Any way to reduce that?
    When can I go back to normal life routine – waking up getting dressed heading out to run errands etc? I’m not very bothered that I can’t eat much solid (at the moment) just bummed that I look this way & can’t exit the house. WHEN DOES IT GET BETTER???

    Thanks so much for ur blog. I wouldn’t know where else to turn to otherwise!

    • Hi Lene! First off, you can rest assured that what you’re experiencing is perfectly normal. Many of us have been through similar frustrations.

      One of the most important things you can do during the first 2 weeks is to keep yourself occupied. Watching TV shows and going for several walks outside each day will help pass the time. It’s quite a miserable situation to be stuck at home, unable to speak, and swollen up like a balloon, but I promise it will get better within the next couple of weeks.

      Sleeping is difficult during the first month. You can try placing a hot pak on your face at night to soothe you to sleep, but you likely won’t be able to sleep through the night for a little while longer, unfortunately. (It’s glorious when you finally can again, though!)

      As for swollen lips, this is just a game a patience. Make sure you’re applying lots of Vaseline (or something equivalent) so they don’t crack, as that can be quite painful.

      Overall, try to keep yourself busy. There’s no shame in lazily watching movies for the first 2 weeks… it’s one of the only ways to cope with the situation!

      Take care for now and let me know how you’re feeling over the next few days. 🙂

      • Hi Graham! Thanks for taking ur time out to give such a long reply 🙂 I truly appreciate it!

        It’s Been about 8 hours since I wrote that msg to u and suddenly my motivation came back as I realised I was able to finally be (kind of) understood when I spoke! And I was able to use a small spoon, feed myself through the syringe and use a straw today! So much improvements in such short hours!

        And my swelling went down as my doctor advised me how to massage the lips! So I’m feeling much happier just afraid of waking up depressed. Every morning is hard. Thanks again for ur response. You’re such a wonderful person.

        Will msg again soon! 🙂

        Sending lots of love from Singapore

        Harlene

        • Hi Lene! I’m glad to hear you had a better day. It’ll be like that – up and down; better days and not so better days. That’s normal and over time you’ll find you have more and more better days.
          As for mood – it’s also normal to feel depressed at times. Some medications and anesthesia can cause that as well as just going through the trauma of surgery. I like to offer what helps me: watch comedies, listen to music that brings you up (for me that’s dance music) and I fall asleep at night repeating over and over that I have a strong healthy body and am healing quickly. If positive thoughts are the last thing on your mind when you fall asleep hopefully they’ll stay with you thru morning.

        • Happy to hear you’re feeling better today, Harlene!

          Also, I’m going to be in Singapore on Tuesday for a few days (I live in Thailand right now). I’d say we should meet for lunch, but that’s probably not an option for you at this point, hehe. Small world, though!

  2. Hi,
    I am having double jaw surgery on the 11th December. I was just wondering at which point you all returned to work?thanks

    • I am on day 10 after my surgery and I feel pretty good. I’ll probably return to work on day 13 or 14. I would for sure take at least 2 weeks off of work. Everyone is different though. Good luck to you! 🙂

    • Tanya, I returned to my job as a programmer after 2 weeks, but was still unable to speak and did not have enough energy to work a full day. I would recommend taking 3 weeks off if you can handle your job without speaking to people and 4 weeks off if you’re required to talk to people at work.

    • I took 10 days off then worked half time for one week then back full time as accountant. The first two full time weeks were rough but I took breaks and laid down with hotpack as needed.

  3. Day 94 and not happy with being able to get my mouth to maintain opening. I currently can open 28 mm and the goal is 45-50 mm’s. Curious to know how others have done with regaining range of motion.

    • Don’t lose hope, Kim. Even after 3 months of recovery, there is still swelling and scar tissue present, both of which will make it difficult to open your mouth as wide as before.

      Dealing with the swelling is simply a waiting game, but you can help break up the scar tissue by whistling several times each day.

      I assure you that your full range of motion will return, but it may take another month or so. 🙂

    • Kim I would also try chewing gum frequently to help strengthen in the muscles in there as well. Also, try asking your doctor for ways to exercise your jaw.

  4. I wanted to share my jaw surgery story for people like me who were regretting their surgery, IT GETS BETTER I PROMISE!
    I am 25 years I had a bimaxillary osteotomy geneioplasty (or jaw surgery involving breaking both the upper and lower jaws a repositioning and chin repositioning) due to TMJ and lopsided jaws causing clenching, lock jaw, and severe migraines. The surgery was 3 weeks ago on Nov 4th. It lasted 2.5 hours, I was not wired shut just elastics to hold everything in place.

    The first week of my recovery was absolutely brutal, I ended up back in emerg twice, the first time was severe swelling in my throat and nose causing me a lot of trouble breathing, that also gave me a panic attack (they gave me a steroid to stop he swelling and a puffer to help with breathing at home.) the second time was 5 days after surgery, I had not been able to eat much and what I did I wasn’t able to keep down, I lost 16 lbs in that time and starting off only weighing around 127 that is a lot in5 days. I was also severely dehydrated. Not for lack of trying to chug water but it just wouldn’t stay down. I could barely walk without feeling woozy. My heart beats per minute had skyrocketed and every vein they tried to find would collapse so it took 6 times to start an IV. Turns out the tube down my throat in surgery had givin me bronchitis and the amoxicillin I recieved to prevent infection combined with the awful post nasal drip was what was making me so sick. I was so regretting my decision for this surgery. It hurt, my nose looked crooked from all the swelling and the movement of my jaw,I cried to my mother asking her if I would ever be pretty again. I was looking up regret stories from other people and thinking why did I ever do this to myself……

    Then about 10 days after surgery I started getting better! I had stopped the amoxicillin which really helped with nausea, my swelling started to go down, and I no longer looked like Marlon Brando! I tried putting makeup on for the first time since surgery and people were complimenting me on my new jawline saying they could tell it looked much better. My stitches were all dissolved and gone but we’re still tender. I could eat a lot of yummy stuff still using only a baby spoon like pasta (lasagna was my first attempt at solid food and went really well) yogurt and smoothies for breakfast, mashed potatoes and pulled pork, meatloaf. Totally got my energy back.

    At the three week mark now I am feeling almost back to my regular self, and I feel a lot more normal! Bruising and swelling are all gone! I still have no feeling in the left side of my chin and in the tip of my nose, The left side of my lower lip only has a pins and needles feeling so far but I massage it all the time trying to regain blood flow there and stimulate the nerves to grow. It is still tender where the made the breaks in my upper jaw especially when I go out in the cold but the pain is maybe a 3 which is totally manageable! I can now chew more (YAY) just nothing too too hard but have been able to eat crackers, popcorn, pretzels, basically anything that can fit through my elastics, still have to eat most things with a baby spoon, which gets a little embarrassing to bring to restaurants but you get used to eat and start making jokes with the servers about it. I hate the elastics cuz they cut into my lower lip a lot and cause discomfort but again it’s manageable.

    In a another 3 weeks my elastics and hooks and front braces are coming off and the last road with my incognito braces will start! So excited!

    Tips: seriously try to drink the water they recommend, I know it’s hard but that dehydration was The WORST! Baby spoons and cloths are a life saver, I would sit there with a warm wet baby cloth (the super soft ones) over my mouth and nose almost 24/7 for the first week, it felt really nice to breathe through because you will be super dry from mouth breathing all the time. Good luck to any and all going through this! We WILL get through it!

    • Thanks for sharing your story, Jillian! And great tip about staying hydrated. It’s amazing how much more slowly our bodies heal when we don’t give them enough fluids. Pumped for your new smile in just 3 more weeks! 😀

  5. Hello there. I had double jaw surgery 4days ago. Got home on day 3, feeling fine apart from the obvious swelling. Sleeping has been difficult, trying to keep my head elevated, but the pressure felt from the swelling is tiresome, although I’m sure it will dissipate soon. 🤕

    The surgery on my upper jaw involved entry points below my eyelids, anybody else experience this?

    My only concern is I appear to have developed a double chin following the movement of my lower jaw, I’m hoping this will disappear as the swelling goes down 🙏🏻

    I have an appointment on Monday to remove the stitches below my eyelids, then an appointment with the orthodontist on Wednesday. I haven’t been given any bands yet, I assume this may happen on Wednesday…help achieve the desired bite.

    Great blog, I didn’t realise it was such a common procedure.

    I have had a few people say “you don’t need surgery”, and “you look fine the way you are”. None of these people have an underbite, I find it quite frustrating they can’t see the importance of it.

    Good luck everybody waiting on their op or in the recovery period like me.

    • Michael, welcome to your first week! I haven’t met anyone who had incisions below their eyelids, but I know surgeons have varying procedures. As long as you don’t have scars or infections from it, I’m sure it’s not a problem.

      As for the appearance of a double chin, that is likely due to swelling. It’s surprising how asymmetrical a person’s face can look when it’s swollen.

      Stay strong and good luck with your appointment (and potential bands) next week!

  6. I had a double jaw surgery and bone grafting on September 21, 2015. I have waited for this surgery for 1 year and 10 months. I am regretting now that I had this surgery. I am not happy with the results. Currently, I am having the second infection on my lower jaw. Three weeks ago I had infection on the right side of the lower jaw, now it is on the left side of the lower jaw. The worst thing is that my face is asymmetrical. My nose moved a little bit to the right. The left side of my lower jaw is little bit longer and it is pushing to the left side. When I told my surgeon about it he told me that braces and elastics should help. The lower jaw moved a little bit to the right, but face looks the same, asymmetrical. This week I realized that the braces and elastics will not help me. My face will never be the same as it was before, symmetrical.

    • Tayana, as frustrating as this may be to hear, try not to lose hope until all of your swelling has disappeared (generally sometime between the third and fourth months of recovery). I also thought my face looked asymmetrical following surgery, but once my swelling subsided and I saw the new shape of my face in the mirror enough, I realized it was simply a case of me being my own worst critic.

      I don’t know your exact situation, of course, so I could be mistaken, but I encourage you to ask your family and close friends what they honestly think of your face at this point. When I asked people I trusted, they told me I looked almost the same as before.

      I hope you’re able to find peace with the new shape of your face. I’d be interested in hearing what your friends and family think of your appearance, so please feel free to share if you do ask them. 🙂

      • Thank you Graham for your support. Last week I scyped to my 18 years old daughter and my close friend. They noticed immediately that my face is asymmetrical and my nose is on the right side. Another friend told me the same. They think I should not have this surgery. I asked people I trusted if looked better. They told (not looking into my eyes) me that I just looked differently. Only two people told me that I looked better. I know three people who had jaw surgery and they told me that they didn’t have asymmetrical face. I think you are right I should wait for a month or two.

        • Glad to hear you already got some trusted opinions on this, Tayana. This probably doesn’t sound helpful, but as you mentioned, the next best thing to do is likely to wait until your swelling is completely gone. I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on this in a couple of months (if you remember to share). 🙂

  7. Thanks heaps for this blog. I found it really helpful reading through a rough guideline of what to expect as well as reading the experiences of others.
    Which is why I feel the need to contribute.
    I’m 3 weeks post op (lower orthognathic surgery only).
    I was really strict with ice treatment and sleeping upright for the first 4-5 days (I even woke up with numb hands from holding my ice packs in place!)
    I had a little false sense of security post op when I found I only really needed panadol…that changed pretty quickly by day 3 when the swelling peaked!
    I am 42 so was also concerned with slow healing but by 1 1/2 weeks I had very little swelling remaining.
    How much that had to do with sleeping upright and ice I’m not sure but I highly recommend it!
    Heat packs were very soothing on my TMJ area once things started to settle.
    I still don’t have much mouth opening yet so still struggling with cleaning. But I am eating quiet well (even managed a sausage today and can manage pasta – albeit at a very slow pace!)
    I used a syringe with relative success for 2 days but not having the upper surgery I found a wide straw much more effective after that.
    Was able to sip water etc. from a cup pretty much straight away as I didn’t have a numb upper lip.
    I’m now mostly annoyed by the tingling in my chin (enough sensation back to feel any ulcers -ouch- but not enough feeling back to prevent them…lol)
    The elastics are horrendous (I find this process more painful than the surgery!)
    I find talking uncomfortable, I can manage this ok but my muscles are tender at times if I’m not careful the elastics have made certain teeth sensitive and uncomfortable if I pull on them too much by opening my mouth.
    Sleeping through the night now which is a relief.
    I have one more week off work and whilst I might not be munching on pork crackling by Christmas time I’m confident I’ll be back on track to festival feasting in no time!
    Thanks again for sharing your journey and insight.
    I hope my contribution is of help to others.

    • Thanks for sharing your experience, Marretta. You sound like a well-disciplined person, wow! I’ll have to share your tip about sleeping upright for the first few days with people having the surgery. It sounds like an effective way to combat some of the swelling. Take care for now!

  8. I guess I’m weird. I had all of my energy back by day 7. I’m 14 days post op now. (nov. 12th)
    I have serious tingling in the part of my chin that is still numb…to the point where it’s actually painful. Has this happened to anyone else? I have feeling everwhere except part of my bottom lip and chin…and the left side of my cupids bow. I got lucky and only wore 2 bands for a week. Makes talking and eating so much easier.
    Thanks for the blog!

    • I believe all of that is natural and you have nothing to worry about, you just give it time ☻

    • The tingling is uncomfortable for sure (almost feels like sunburn). But this is normal.
      My chin is driving me nuts (3 weeks post op)

      • You are so right, it does feel like a sunburn! Luckily, it has calmed down a little bit. Now it just gets itchy every so often.

    • Lyndsay, sounds like you’re healing super quickly! As FTW and Marretta mentioned, the tingling sensation (also known as “pins and needles”) is perfectly normal. It may last for another few weeks, but eventually it will go away. It’s actually a good thing because it’s a sign your nerves are already healing, so your feeling may return fairly soon as well.

      If it’s really bothering you, try applying a hot pak to your face to calm your nerves. 🙂

    • You have nothing to worry. I have 11 weeks after surgery. I had the same feeling after surgery, but it got better. My chin is still a little bit numb and it is a little bit tingling on the right side of the chin.

  9. I’m day 77 post-op double jaw and stopped here because of some frustration I’m having with discomfort and numbness. I’m 55 years old so even though I did exceptionally well “for my age” I can expect that my healing will be slower than for someone younger. After reading your posts I feel like maybe I’m not far off track. I appreciate your blog and sharing of your experience and I can see that many people are benefiting – keep up the good work!

    • Hi Andi! First off, props to taking on this surgery at 55 years old. Keep in mind that even if your feeling hasn’t returned by the 90-day mark, I have met people where their nerves finally healed a full 6 months later. Permanent numbness is not out of the question—30% of patients have it—but don’t give up hope until 6 full months have passed. 🙂

  10. Hey everyone,

    It has been a week since I’ve gotten double jaw surgery and I’ve been getting some energy back in me. It got me wondering when I’d be able to play sports again. I specifically play non-contact sports like tennis and badminton. When do you think I can resume these activities? My entire life is practically sports so I’m itching to know when I can get out there again. Thanks!

    • Hi Luann! I was also eager to get back into playing sports. You’ll basically want to let your pain and energy be your guide for this. I was able to start playing frisbee and riding my bike around by the fourth week, but I didn’t have the energy to return to the gym until the sixth week.

      Make sure you only play non-contact sports during the entire 3-month recovery, though. Taking a single hit to your face during this period could set you back several months, so play it safe. 😉

  11. Hi, I’m so glad to find that so many people go through what I’m going through, it makes me feel comfortable.

    I’m in day 8 now, and I have a problem, I have been bleeding through my nose all day long and when I went to sleep, I chocked up on the blood coming down from the inside if my nose to my throat. Now it’s 2 am and I’m so tired and still bleeding, I don’t know what to do, please help 🙁

    • If you’re constantly bleeding from your nose, it’s possible one of your blood clots has come loose. I recommend calling your surgeon to ask for their advice. They may tell you to simply use gauze until the bleeding stops or they may want to stitch the wound closed.

      Whatever the case, remember to avoid blowing your nose for at least the first month. Blowing your nose will likely cause more bleeding.

      Let me know what your surgeon says and good luck!

  12. I’m on day 4 after my double jaw surgery. Everyone says it went extraordinarily well and it was a fairly simple operation. I did have a little infection today in one of my openings in my mouth, but I got in right away and they cleaned that out for me. I also do not have any feeling whatsoever in my bottom lip or chin, which is incredibly irritating. My doctor does not seem concerned about that but I’m secretly hoping with all my heart that I will regain feeling in there because I cannot imagine not ever getting it back.

    • Ricky, it’s perfectly normal to have no feeling in your lower lip and chin for the first couple of weeks. Your surgeon likely had to move a big nerve out of the way in order to cut into your lower jaw, so it will be numb until that nerve heals from the bruising incurred by moving it.

      Take care for now and try to keep yourself occupied. You’ll soon be in your second week!

  13. Graham,

    Just wanted to say thanks for putting this website together. It has really helped me. I also went through double jaw surgery on November 4 of this year and I have found this website to be extremely helpful. Thanks

  14. I’m having a double jaw surgery this summer and I’m extremely excited yet scared. is there anything I must do to prepare myself? I have a 13mm and a half underbite so I’m alittle worried that some things may be more substantial for me as far as numbness and the adjustment to eating and speaking. I’m only 15 And I don’t know anyone else who would know about what to do before this surgery. So anything is a help! :))

    • Emma, try to look at this as a blessing. There are many people who would like to have this surgery, but simply cannot afford it. So you’re one of the lucky ones!

      Since you still live at home, you’ll have your parents to take care of you, so as long as you have a few weeks’ worth of meal supplements (ie. Boost or Ensure) and some soups to eat, you’ll be okay.

      The most important thing is to remain calm and remember that you’ll be back to normal 3 months after your surgery. 😃

  15. Hi everyone,

    I’m having single jaw surgery at the start of summer 2016. I’m hoping to go to a festival with my friends at the end of August before we all go to different Universities.

    It mentions that if you’re having single jaw surgery the recovery time will be considerably less, and i was wondering if anyone knows just how much less?

    Even if im not ready for full out festival-ing how soon after the surgery will I be able to talk? And just generally feel ‘normal’ again?

    Thanks in advance!

    Ellie

    • Hi Ellie! One of my good friends had surgery on his lower jay and he was able to talk within the first week and eat soft foods within 2 weeks. He was still quite swollen for 2 full months, but other than his appearance, he was basically back to his normal level of energy and ability in about 6 weeks (half the time of double jaw surgery).

      Do note, however, that if you’re having surgery on your upper jaw, your recovery may take a bit longer because the surgeon may have to expand your upper palette, which means more trauma to your bone. That being said, you should still be okay by the 2-month mark.

      Which festival are you going to? 🎵

    • I’m having lower jaw surgery so that sounds good to me! Thanks for replying so quickly, and I’m hoping to go to Leeds festival in the uk, it’s kind of turned into a tradition for me and my friends.

      Thanks for making this site graham, I’ve been reading a lot of your posts and they’ve made me feel much better about the whole thing!

    • I’m 3 weeks post op lower surgery and if I didn’t tell you you wouldn’t even know!
      I still have some swelling but it’s probably only noticeable to me.
      I attended the color run, a 5km fun run 4 days ago (I walked) and had no trouble (I think I took panadol once that day).
      So I’m imagining in another month I’ll be good to go so to speak!
      You may still be numb in some parts of your chin though depending on how long that takes to come back online!

  16. Hi guys, so it’s been 72 hours since my bi max operation. I’m not much pain, mainly a lot of discomfort, swelling & numbness. I feel like the swelling has increased yet again so have no idea how much more swelling my face can take. Thanks for your words, it’s good to know of others that have been on the same journey and have come out all the better!!

    • Anthony, the swelling generally peaks around the 3-day mark, so it should actually decrease from this point forward. Stay strong through this first week! 💪

      • Hi Graham and co..

        I am now on day 6 post op and feeling much better. I still have significant swelling and numbness around my lower lip and chin but other than that beginning to feel good. I can’t tell if the surgery has made too much of a difference to my face yet, but that my be due to the swelling that is still quite prevalent so I expect things to change as the weeks and months progress. I went out for a walk today and started getting back into the swing of working from home. I know it’s going to take time but I can’t wait for this swelling to go down and I hope I get all the feeling back in my lip and chin.

        I have also began drinking out of a plastic cups which is much faster and easier than using the syringes.

        Graham – This is an awesome blog mate and it really has given me the support, encouragement & information I needed leading up to and post surgery, so thank you, although we’ve never met, you have helped me on this path immensely.

        Cheers

        • So good to hear that you’re already able to drink from a cup, Anthony! As funny as it sounds, that does make a big difference in your spirit.

          I always appreciate when people let me know they found this site useful, so thanks for sharing. Good luck with your second week!

          • Thanks Graham,

            If your ever travelling down under, let me know we can talk about our experiences over a medium rare steak and a beer.

            Anthony

          • Oh man, that sounds delicious! I like that you’re already thinking about when you can try steak again. 😀

  17. I am 13 weeks post op from double jaw surgery. I have done fantastic with everything. I did have major sensitivity to cold for a couple weeks after but that had gone away. My problem is I still have absolutely no feeling in my lower lip or chin. Doctor doesn’t seem concerned but I’m stressing!! Did anyone else have a prolonged time until feeling returned? I’m praying it’s not permanent. I can’t imagine never feeling kissing my kids goodnight again.

    • Toni, while most people do get their feeling back by the 3-month mark, I’ve also met people who were numb until 6 months after surgery. As long as your nerves are only bruised, which is usually the case, they will eventually heal.

      That being said, I was left with a few permanent numb patches in my lower lip and chin and was surprised that I eventually adjusted to the lack of feeling. I can honestly say I don’t even notice it’s missing anymore unless someone asks about it.

      I encourage you to try not to fret too much until a few more months have gone by. Whatever feeling you have by the 6-month mark will be a good indication of the feeling you’ll have beyond that.

      Hope this helps a bit!

  18. Hi guys,
    I had double Jaw Surgery 48 hours ago. I feel like swelling has increased significantly since and the numbness has also increased.
    I been drinking quite a lot of waterthrough a syringe but still feel extremely uncomfortable. Any advice or encouragement would be greatly appreciated..

    • Hang in there it does get better!! The 3rd and 4th days are the worst. Get through those and the rest is a breeze! Remember to drink lots of water to stay hydrated.

    • Anthony, welcome to the site! You’re in the most difficult period of the entire recovery right now, so hopefully you can find some rest in knowing that many of us have been through a very similar thing and come out with a positive memory on the other side.

      I assure you life will be much more comfortable (or at least bearable) within the next week, so do whatever you can to keep yourself occupied right now. If you’re tired, take a nap. If you’re bored, go outside for a walk and some fresh air. If you’re still bored, try watching a TV series.

      Are you experiencing any pain?

  19. Well i had my jaw surgery on 5th of November, today its my 15th day post surgery and still a few portions of my face r totally numb i hope i regain my senses soon & thanks for this superb post, i was so tensed before now i m a bit relaxed after reading the post 🙂 hope all the jaw surgery patients like me recover real soon

    • Joydeep, it’s good to hear you’ve already got the first 2 weeks behind you. I assure you they are the most difficult, so life should be better moving forward.

      Also, try not to fret about your lack of feeling until a couple of months have gone by. Your body will heal, but it does take time. Take care for now!

  20. Hi all
    I have a ? Ian going for double Jaw surgery today 2 weeks and Ian getting really nervous about my mouth being wired together and also my breeding .
    Can anyone tell me how can I overcome this panic feeling that Ian getting please.
    Thanks
    Ritchie

    • I just saw your post today. I hope it goes well. I’m at day 77 post-op. You will survive but it will test your will power. Good luck.

    • Hey Ritchie,

      Sorry I’m a few dates late. I also had this surgery last week and was going to give you some advice. Hope surgery went well for you. Best of luck the first couple of days. Believe me it gets easier. I had mine on November 4, 2015. Both jaws and septoplasty at the same time

    • Hey Ritchie,

      I know it’s nerve wracking. I had double jaw surgery on September 23rd. Everybody is different with recovery, remember that! The worst for me were the first five days. Had trouble breathing through my nose and was constantly having to suction out my nasal passageways. I got about a combined 4 hours of sleep the first two nights. That was the worst part of my surgery. I was never in any pain, was just uncomfortable. I’m into Week 7 of recovery now and trust me when I say this, being wired shut for the first three weeks was the LONGEST part of recovery. Make sure you have a ton of things to keep you busy and don’t nap too much during the day (otherwise you won’t sleep at night.) if you have a recliner, it’s good to sit in that propped up during the day and watch some TV or do what I did…color in coloring books! After the wires come off the days will go by a lot faster. I’m allowed to start expanding the texture of my diet with chicken and eventually beef within the next week starting today. Then I start my jaw therapy next Thursday, the 19th. Chewing is going to be a real hassle once you get to that point again because it is for me now. I don’t have that range of motion in my jaws back yet. You’ll be fine though! I’m 29 years old and am the biggest baby but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Friends and family tell me that I’m so strong in will power because I was able to tough this out. You can do this and don’t be scared!! When you get your “happy cocktail” before surgery you’ll feel a lot better 😉

    • Hey Ritchie, it looks like you’ve already received some solid encouragement/advice here. As Kim, Robert, and Devon mentioned, only the first week or two are really tough and it becomes much easier after that. I think the most important thing you can do right after the surgery is to remain calm and keep yourself busy with TV, books, walks, etc. You’ll be able to breathe perfectly well, and if you find yourself panicking, try going for a walk outside and taking in some fresh air. It’s incredibly therapeutic!

    • Richie,

      I am at day 30 from double jaw surgery! I can say that not being able to breath was my biggest complaint!! My lips were so swollen and my nose was so congested that it made it difficult to breath when doing certain things. Try to avoid stairs the first few days. Even though I took it super slow and easy it always made my heart race causing me to breath heavy! This only lasted a few days post surgery. Take it very easy the first couple days and use your nasal decongestant spray and Qtips to clear your nose. My advice to you is to sleep take your medication and ice your face the first few days! Ice your face as much as possible during the day and sleep elevated! I did and my doctors couldn’t believe how good my face looked at my one week follow up!! You will be fine! Good luck and it will be done and over before you know it!

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