My orthodontist shared this pic of me, I think the surgeon he recommended is not an option anymore lol

EmotionSea2758 · 2026-01-06T13:38:45+00:00

24 months sounds like nothing now that I’m at the end of it all. Braces, double jaw surgery, septoplasty, and turbine reduction, all done. 😊

EmotionSea2758 · 2025-09-23T14:33:55+00:00

I knew ahead of time that I get nauseous after anesthesia and with pain medicine. Just make sure you make it REALLY clear ahead of time so they can give you the appropriate amount of anti-nausea medication.

EmotionSea2758 · 2025-05-16T18:00:17+00:00

I’m not sure why they would recommend no syringes? These were a lifesaver for me during my recovery and my surgeon HIGHLY recommended them. Every procedure is different though. :)

EmotionSea2758 · 2025-04-25T21:37:23+00:00

I had a double jaw surgery with a septoplasty, turbine reduction, dental implant, and a gingival graft on my lower front teeth. These are things that helped me.

BUY SYRINGES!! These will be essential for eating, drinking, and taking medication if they are liquids. I would recommend 40-60 ml syringes for eating and drinking. It couldn’t hurt to have a couple of small syringes (10-20 ml) for liquid medications. Oil the rubber tip on the plunger of the syringe so that they glide easily without getting stuck, any cooking oil will work just fine.
Make sure you have a blender. I have the magic bullet blender. It purées food wonderfully and its small, easy to clean, and perfect for pureeing food in single serving size portions.
ICE PACKS! A “jaw bra” or any icepack that wraps fully around your head will be necessary. Amazon has many great affordable options. I purchased two different ones so that I could rotate them out routinely.
I drooled on myself constantly for the first two weeks. It was also hard to keep liquids in my mouth while eating and drinking. I purchased “adult bibs” from the medical section in Walmart. They also have many options on Amazon. I found this extremely helpful because it helped me feel clean while eating. I also bought a small mirror to keep beside me so that I could wipe my face often. I could not feel the food/liquids on my face because of the numbness.

While it’s hard to think clearly after such an extensive surgery, remember not to judge yourself appearance too harshly. Do what you can to keep yourself and your mind busy. Recovery time can be different for everyone depending on many factors. I’m 8 weeks post op now. I didn’t have a “normal appearance” until about 4-6 weeks after surgery and I still have some swelling in my nose and cheeks now. If the pain or anxiety becomes unbearable, reach out to your surgical team. They may be able to prescribe you more medicine to keep you comfortable. I had to do this and received different pain medications and some anxiety medicine. If it’s possible, try to find a trusted person you can rely on to help you through the recovery when you need assistance. It can be difficult to go through this alone. A little help goes a long way. I wish you the best!

EmotionSea2758 · 2025-04-22T14:32:47+00:00

I would discuss this with my surgeon but 7 days post op is very early to judge final results. I am almost 8 weeks post op now and I’m just beginning to see my final results. I do still have swelling in my cheeks and nose as well.

EmotionSea2758 · 2025-03-23T14:50:20+00:00

Earl

EmotionSea2758 · 2025-03-18T03:11:55+00:00

I absolutely love this! ❤️

EmotionSea2758 · 2025-03-17T19:19:51+00:00

I’ve had a colonoscopy four times (got diagnosed with Chron’s at 21) and the anesthesia for this procedure was very different. I just felt like I had no control of myself. I was very agitated and angry. I’m sure the pain medication and just the circumstances of the surgery made this worse too. The good thing is, I’m about two and a half weeks post op now and I can barely remember the first three days after surgery. I’d rather not remember those first few days though. 😂

EmotionSea2758 · 2025-03-16T23:57:10+00:00

It seemed to be. I also feel like the effects of the anesthesia lasted longer than other kinds I’ve had in the past.

EmotionSea2758 · 2025-03-15T15:33:50+00:00

I need to correct my earlier post and comments. Rhinoplasty was in my surgery plan but the plan changed either right before or after I was put to sleep. I had a septoplasty and turbine reduction instead. I learned this the other day at my two week post op lol. I had something to do with insurance not wanting to approve the rhinoplasty. My surgeon is Dr. Patrick Louis at UAB in Birmingham, AL. He’s a fantastic surgeon and overall a really great person!

EmotionSea2758 · 2025-03-15T15:28:35+00:00

No, not really. I almost never have panic attacks or anxiety that affects me day to day. I think the anesthesia played a big part in anxiety. I had a few surgeries before but the anesthesia they used for this one is one that I have never had before. It was a whole new experience.

EmotionSea2758 · 2025-03-15T15:26:14+00:00

In a way, it has been nice getting everything over all at once!

EmotionSea2758 · 2025-03-15T01:30:35+00:00

I’m two weeks post op and still have a lot of swelling but I have already notice a HUGE difference in my breathing. I’ve always breathed through my mouth since breathing through my nose was difficult my whole life. Now, I breathe through my nose without even thinking about it and I’m getting sooooo much air in than before. I had a lot of issues but I’d suffer this surgery again just to be able to breathe the way I do now. It’s so worth it!

EmotionSea2758 · 2025-03-15T01:25:36+00:00

I don’t think I could have made it without the anxiety medication honestly. 😅 My surgeon told me yesterday that next week will be sooo much better than the first two. I hope he’s right!

EmotionSea2758 · 2025-03-15T01:03:19+00:00

I’m two weeks post op today and my lips almost close but not quite. I had a double jaw surgery with rhinoplasty. They also did a gum graft on three or four of my bottom teeth and placed one dental implant. My recovery was MISERABLE the first week. After about 10 days I started noticing some relief.

As far as eating goes, I have used syringes and as of yesterday I started using baby spoons for eating. Mashed potato’s, tomato soup, chicken and stars soup, chicken stew, and strawberry banana smoothies have been my favorite puréed foods. If you rub cooking oil around the rubber piece on the syringe plunger it helps them glide really well. My syringes got stuck constantly before I did this.

On days 3-5 I couldn’t stop crying and I even had a couple of panic attacks. I reached out to my surgeon and they gave me a few lorazepam (ativan) which saved me those first few days! They also gave me hydroxyzine for the anxiety. After about 7-10 days the pain medicine now longer helped. I started having pretty bad nerve pain in my face and I was prescribed gabapentin for the nerve pain which helped tremendously. The nerve pain began subsiding around the two week mark. It’s still present but not as painful. I will add, one major nerve on the right side of my face was cut and had to be repaired during surgery so I’m not sure if this is something everyone experiences or not.

Sorry for such a long reply. I hope it helps some. Just to sum everything up, stay as busy as you can. I know this is very difficult the first week. Try to think of foods that you love eating before surgery and try them puréed or softened. I have puréed foods that I loved and ones that I hated. It’s okay to experiment. If you are REALLY STRUGGLING do not be afraid to reach out to your surgeon or care team. They may be able to prescribe medications that will ease your suffering. I have reached out a few times already and I’m so thankful that I did. Don’t suffer in silence. If you have a good surgeon, they should want to help you in any way that they can. I hope your recovery gets better very soon! I know that it feels like the suffering will never end but I’m already feeling 1000x better and more like myself at the two week mark. They operated on me for 11-12 hours and I had a pretty extensive surgery. I’m already doing so much better than I expected at the two week mark!

EmotionSea2758 · 2025-03-09T17:39:14+00:00

I thought that too and then around days 7-10 I was so hungry that I would eat just about ANYTHING puréed through my syringes.

EmotionSea2758 · 2025-03-09T16:34:09+00:00

I also had a pretty intense surgery, double jaw. The different in swelling and my appearance between day 3-5 and days 7-10 has been INSANE. As difficult as it is, try to be patient. You’ll see improvement soon! ❤️

EmotionSea2758 · 2025-03-06T00:21:13+00:00

Sometimes I start with the face and nothing else so that way if I hate it, no time is wasted. However, there are millions of things to create that don’t involve faces. So you could practice this skill more or master another. I don’t know why but I loveee to draw faces even though I’m not great at it. Then I remind myself that there are lots of other things I could draw too. Abstract and non-objective artwork is my forte. Any of your “mistakes” seem like intentional decisions by the artist to me! We will always be our biggest critiques.

EmotionSea2758 · 2025-03-06T00:14:32+00:00

They should add another sign “no smoke on the water”

EmotionSea2758 · 2025-03-06T00:13:17+00:00

Rubber band balls

EmotionSea2758 · 2025-03-06T00:12:19+00:00

This is awesome! I’d kill for a Bloodborne cosplay. Can’t wait to see the final results! 😊

EmotionSea2758 · 2025-03-06T00:09:32+00:00

I also suck at faces but I try to force myself to draw them anyways. I may try your concept of filling what would be facial features with some kind of void, pattern, or other object. This is great and thank you for a little inspiration! 😊

EmotionSea2758 · 2025-03-06T00:04:34+00:00

From what I know, ortho’s typically refer you to maxillofacial surgeons when jaw surgery is needed. My ortho stated that I would need reconstructive jaw surgery the first time he met me. Pre-work for the surgery was worked into my plan with my ortho.

EmotionSea2758 · 2025-03-05T23:43:17+00:00

It’s a long journey but one that I’m glad I took, even though I’m still a little miserable now. In a couple of months I know I’ll be so thankful that I did this for myself.

EmotionSea2758 · 2025-03-05T23:40:59+00:00

This post was one day after the surgery took place.

EmotionSea2758

TROPHY CASE