Recovery Tips
Following is a summary of the most important things I learned during my recovery from double jaw surgery.
- Drink lots of prune juice and water. Your toilet time will be far from enjoyable for the first couple of weeks because you’re likely to be severely dehydrated. The prune juice will provide your body with the fiber it needs to work those bowels properly, but fiber is useless without water because it won’t dissolve in your body. I recommend a bare minimum of 1 L of water per day. Drink 2 L per day as soon as you can.
- Before you attempt to pull any dead skin off of your lips, be absolutely certain that it’s not a stitch. I learned this the hard way.
- Start using medicated lip balm immediately following your return to your own home. If you don’t, you’ll end up with flaps of dead skin that are half an inch in diameter, and I promise you they won’t feel good when they catch on your braces.
- Apply heat to your face 3-4 times per day for the first 5-6 weeks to help with the swelling. The heat will also help you fall asleep.
- Begin each day at a decent time. If you sleep most of the day, you won’t be able to sleep at night, and you’ll hate yourself for it. Get out of bed, shower, eat some breakfast and brush your teeth and you’ll enjoy each day a lot more. (This is good advice for any day of your life, but it especially applies when you’re on the verge of depression from having jaw surgery.)
- Go to bed on time. Yawning will cause you quite a bit of pain, so prevent it by getting the right amount of sleep during the proper hours.
- As soon as you’re able to talk clearly enough for friends and family to understand you, call people and be social. Go outside and enjoy nature. Whatever you do, ensure you don’t fall into a trap of loneliness and self-pity.
- Start drinking from a cup as soon as you’re physically able to. Your upwards trek back to having full energy begins the day you can throw your syringes in the garbage.
- Eat solid food as soon as your surgeon gives you the go-ahead. It’ll be a slow, tedious and frustrating process, but you need to go through with it in order to build your jaw muscles back up and learn how to chew properly once again.
- It may take some time to get used to your new smile and your newly structured face. Don’t be ashamed of yourself. You don’t look funny at all. You’re simply not used to looking like you’re supposed to.
- And lastly, don’t worry about your looks, bite or facial feeling for at least 6 months. You may have an open bite, but you’ll wake up one morning and your teeth will have migrated back together. You may be completely numb, but feeling will return almost overnight.
If you have any questions about the recovery process, or perhaps have other pointers to share with upcoming jaw surgery patients, feel free to jot them down in the comments.
April 5, 2011 at 8:05 pm
Went to my Surgeon today 7 weeks post op and he said he likes the results so far and that i could end up getting my braces off in 6 months 😀 i can now eat pizza Mmmmm forgot how good it tasted 😛
March 31, 2011 at 4:46 pm
Hi! Your blog is so informative- thanks for all the tips and experiences you’ve shared! I’m planning to have surgery on both lower and upper jaws in the coming months and I was wondering how long it took for you to get your speech back (clear speech!) and for the swelling to ease so you look somewhat like you did before? I’m a medical student and need to talk to a lot of patients so I really need to be able to communicate effectively!
March 27, 2011 at 10:48 pm
Bailey, attending your first day of senior year with a swollen face must have been really difficult! Mad props to you for getting through that!
It sounds like that’s all behind you now and you’ve settled into living live with a brand new jaw (and, inherently, a new smile)! Your whole “being wired shut” scenario doesn’t sound pleasant at all.
I hope you don’t have permanent numbness like I do!
March 27, 2011 at 1:53 pm
I had a double reconstructive jaw surgery back in August. Being 18 years old and having to go to my first day of my senior year only 13 days post-op was dreadful…
I loved readying all of your posts. It brought back all of the good and bad memories of learning how to adjust. I was a little different than you since I had a splint wired to my teeth and braces and I was wired shut from my cheek bones to my bottom jaw.. incredibly uncomfortable. Wish I could have seen these while I was going through recovery!
March 21, 2011 at 2:04 pm
Thanks for the advise. What a reality check I’m so optimistic thinking I’m young, I’ll prep and be good in no time. Only time will tell..
March 21, 2011 at 1:49 pm
Hi Grace,
If you have a splint in, I would give yourself a month away from work.
You likely won’t be able to communicate at all for the first 2 weeks. Then, from 2-4 weeks post-op, you’ll be talking quite slowly and you’ll swell up depending on how much you speak each day.
After a month, you’ll be able to get by, but your speech won’t be perfect.
I say start with a month and see how you feel about speaking to customers following that. 🙂
March 21, 2011 at 1:38 pm
Hi Graham..
When were you able to communicate by “talking”? I work at a bank and unfortunately have to talk alot. Do you think three weeks off will be good enough. I’m going to have a splint on for six weeks.
March 21, 2011 at 1:26 pm
I did they took like 4 viles of them
March 21, 2011 at 9:12 am
I had to undergo a blood test, but didn’t need to provide any for supply.
Perhaps it’s a safety precaution they take if you have a rare blood type.
March 20, 2011 at 11:05 pm
Surgery scheduled for April 20!
Did anyone else need to have their blood taken for supply just in case of excess blood loss during surgery?
March 15, 2011 at 10:46 pm
Hi Kim,
I just got back from Houstin! Seems like a warm, green place to live. 🙂
A suction tool would be nice for the first week, perhaps, but I’m not sure it’s necessary. As long as she’s rinsing several times daily with water, she should be alright. It’s really just an inconvenience for the first few weeks, so I suppose if you wanted to make her initial recovery a bit more comfortable, one of those tools would help.
This must be exciting for her! I hope the surgery goes well in a few months!
March 15, 2011 at 10:36 pm
so happy I found this, my granddaughter age 15 whom I have since losing her mom 3 yrs ago, is having this in June. She was born with a full cleft palet. Hopefully this will help both of us. Having it @ Tx Childrens in Houston. God Bless you. Wondering if you think it would be helpful if I rented one one those suction machines for the blood the 1st few weeks?
March 15, 2011 at 6:54 pm
this friday will be 30 days Since surgery and went to my appointment today and been told i can now chew and eat soft food 😀
March 8, 2011 at 8:58 pm
I myself didnt have any pain in my jaw i didnt have much brusing either swelling wasnt much either i only had my lower jaw done im 18 days so far gone by so quickly i just had headaches no jaw spasms either i used the ice pack for about a week didnt need the heat but i used it a couple days i did get light headed acouple times though
March 8, 2011 at 5:09 pm
I followed the doctor’s orders and used heat as soon as I got home from the hospital. I figured I was going to be uncomfortable regardless, so I may as well do what they told me.
The ice and heat are only meant to reduce swelling, relax your muscles and provide some temporary relief. I think the idea of using heat is that it will sooth the muscles in your jaw so that they won’t spasm as often.
March 8, 2011 at 4:21 pm
Thanks…one more thing…did you use heat? I’m still using ice because it feels so good…The Dr. said to switch to heat 3 days ago but I don’t see how it can possible feel better than the ice. Or help the swelling…
March 8, 2011 at 3:40 pm
Hi Jill,
I was only nauseous for the day after surgery, but everyone reacts to medicine differently. I was thankful that I didn’t have to vomit or anything, especially while I was banded shut, but I understand it’s a fairly common occurrence.
Perhaps you should try drinking some flattened ginger ale to settle your stomach. Beyond that, there’s really not a lot you can do except sleep it off and wait until your body has a bit more strength to handle the onslaught of medication.
You’ll be much happier a week from now. Trust me. 🙂
March 8, 2011 at 3:20 pm
Hi! Thanks for all the useful info. I’m 5 days in and I am nauseous CONSTANTLY!! I’ve quit taking any meds because I thought maybe they were the problem, but it only seems to get worse. Were you nauseous at all? I feel absolutely TERRIBLE! Sick to my stomach, weak as heck, and a massive headache! I have now puked…thank God. I’m dreading it if I do. oh and serious heartburn!!
March 7, 2011 at 5:29 pm
Yea i know hey i was 148 2 days ago now im about 145 almost 20 pounds down my sis bought me some protein powder but i dono if im gonna use it i dont want to gain all that weight back
March 5, 2011 at 10:27 pm
Sheesh, that’s quite a bit of weight you’ve lost already. It’s incredible how fast your body rids you of that weight when it’s healing.