Day 50: Milestones and Mater . . .
You spend so much time preparing for this surgery and you count down the months, weeks, and day, before your surgery date and then it is over and the next thing you know it has been 50 days!
Over the course of the last fifty days, as well as when I consider the next few months, there are a few milestones it seems to me that exist and that you should consider:
Milestone 1: The First Week
If ever you have considered Orthognathic (Jaw) surgery, you will have read many, many articles in blogs, forums, and discussion groups about the dreaded first week! :)
You can, and most definitely should, prepare for this surgery by understanding all about the recovery process and what to expect in terms of bruising, swelling, the splint, rubber bands, nausea, eating through a syringe, pain management, yawning, coughing, nasal congestion, learning to breathe, etc., etc. Justa few highlights of what happens! . . .
I did read everything about this fist week post-surgery and I thought I was exceptionally well prepared for what was to happen in terms of recovery but the reality is that there is a significant difference between understanding from a theoretical point of view and actually living through the experience! A significant difference.
It seemed, at least where my experience was concerned, that all of the issues that I mentioned above seemed to happen in parallel and were never ending that first week. It was tough for me, it genuinely is something that I would not wish to experience again.
That said, I do not, in any way, think that the first week should act as a reason for not undergoing this surgery. Not all all. It is simply one week and it passes quickly (thought perhaps not at the time!) and like I said above, before you know it, it is day 50! :) Be aware of what happens, prepare for it, and most importantly, focus on the end goal.
Milestone 2: Splint Removal
Many people who have had this surgery have not listed this as a milestone but for me, it most definitely was! The splint was simply an inconvenience. Not in terms of pain but in terms of an impediment to talking, eating, drinking, cleaning your teeth, etc, it ranked very high on the inconvenience scale! My splint was taken off at day 24 and you can read about it here. It is a major milestone as far as I am concerned!
Milestone 3: Six Week Mark
The six week mark is important because it typically signifies the end of being under the care of your oral surgeon and the resuming your orthodontia treatments. So instead of meeting with your oral surgeon every week you now get to meet with your Orthodontist every month :) The good news is that your surgical hooks get removed!
My six week mark was last week and this may sound strange but it is somewhat strange not to be seeing my Oral Surgeon every week! I will still continue to see my surgeon (once a month)until the Orthodontist is finished with their work and I am free from braces!
Milestone 4: 60 - 90 Days
This milestone typically signifies the end of anything major in terms of recovery. It can happen before this time frame of course, it depends upon how well you are recovering. Essentially all that is happening in terms of recovery is outstanding swelling, nerve issues, and Orthodontia work.
For me, I see this milestone happening very shortly in fact. I am dealing with swelling and nerve issues but part from that, I am very well establish on the road to recovery I am glad to say!
Milestone 5: The Journey Ends
By this, I mean that all work connected to surgery and orthodontics is complete! You no longer wear braces (retainers only) and the surgery is but a distant nightmare that you have tried to forget! :) As to when this milestone happens, well, it depends! A favourite saying of every Oral Surgeon and Orthodontist it seems to me!
Some people have to wear their braces for 3-4 months after surgery and some wear them for up to 12-18 months after surgery! It really depends. As for me, it was supposed to be six months after surgery but I will find out more tomorrow when I visit my Orthodontist :)
Given the above, I am going to change my schedule of blogging from every day to every other day. Hopefully this makes sense and you will continue to follow my blog. Even though the day to day issues have somewhat plateaued, I still have many months of Orthodontics left before this journey can be declared over! :)
Also, I have updated the photo section to include a facial time frame of the last fifty days.
You might be wondering about the reference to Mater in my blog post title. Well, after the film Cars came out in 2006, my aunt and uncle called me one day to tell me that they had seen the film and that one of the characters reminded them of me in terms of looks; you guessed it, that character was Mater! Now you might think that this is not nice but I guess you have to appreciate the type of humour that exists between us all!
The name stuck and my kids joke with me every time they see the character either on TV or in a store. Well, yesterday we were shopping in a Disney store and came across a Mater Plush Doll and I had to take a picture! I definitely do not look like Mater anymore but I am sure the name will stick for posterity :)
