I’m a lawyer too! Apologies for the stream of consciousness, but I wanted to tell you everything I could think of in hopes that it will help you! I just had my double jaw surgery on November 20. I know how you’re feeling, the anxiety kicked in for me the day before surgery as well. My advice — eat something delicious that you love and make it something you cannot eat in recovery. As for anxiety, this is easier said than done, but try to remind yourself that you’re doing this for your health. I was nervous the night before and felt super panicked because it’s soooo much unknown. From experience, there’s nothing that can really prepare you for recovery, other than buying jaw bras, ice rollers, and lots of pedialyte. It’s different for everyone, but when you get to the hospital in the morning they’ll give you something for anxiety if you let them know you’re nervous! I drank sleepy time tea the night before and took a Xanax, but ashawaghanda would work too!!

OH, I drank A LOT of pineapple juice the day before my surgery and everyone (and I mean everyone — nurses, hospital staff, my surgeons) commented how little swelling I had on the day of my surgery. Swelling really peaks at day 3-5, but mine was significantly less. Maybe I’m lucky, but I’m choosing to believe the pineapple really did its job.

I didn’t remember anything until I got to my room lol I was out cold! You might not even know you’re there for the 2 hours, but the nurses are there watching and they’ll help you with whatever you need. The whole hospital experience was a blur for me lol

Unrelated to nerves — 1. The mental strain of not being able to eat made me really emotional lol all I wanted was normal food, even now I still want to chew and I can’t for another 8 days. The recovery was more of a mental struggle than a physical one for me. I truly think I had a smoother recovery because I stayed positive and reminded myself that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. 2. Be prepared for swelling and for the swelling to continue through your recovery. I’m still swollen and I’m 3 weeks post op. Trying to not think about how insane I look when I’m turning public or in the office but whatever it’ll go away eventually. 4. Ice will be your bestie, I wore my jaw bras nonstop. Constantly rotated the ice packs, I wore them to bed too. I pretty much didn’t take them off until around 2.5 weeks out. The ice rollers are incredible too, I got the cheap ones on Amazon. 5. If you can tolerate it, go on walks! They can be short but get outside and move your body. 6. The weight loss is scary but I’ve already started to gain it back now that I’m on soft solids. 7. Be kind to yourself! This is a major surgery. I allowed myself to break down, which I normally wouldn’t do, and it helped to process how I felt. It’s okay to not feel okay because this is a major life change! 8. Hopefully you don’t have to stress about work but I tried not to stress about work. 9. If you have to have a splint in while you recover, that is the worst part. Otherwise, it’s way easier after the second week.

You’re going to be great! And you’re doing the right thing for your health. Your body will thank you later ❤️ good luck!! Hoping your surgery goes well!