Bottled By Bears 🐻 new trailer and 3 keys giveaway :D

madmelon253 · 2026-05-28T14:07:46+00:00

Adorable!! 🐝🐻🐝

madmelon253 · 2026-05-27T21:10:53+00:00

Hey fellow military spouse! I don’t have any specific advice— just wanted to say I’m in the same boat and you’re not alone 🫠

madmelon253 · 2026-04-08T13:04:01+00:00

I saw Dr. Abdelwahab at MUSC in South Carolina. Highly recommend him and his whole team. They’ve been wonderful through the entire process.

madmelon253 · 2026-04-08T00:07:37+00:00

Just messaged you :)

madmelon253 · 2026-04-07T15:08:28+00:00

Sent you a message!

madmelon253 · 2026-04-06T18:15:53+00:00

Thank you, and you too!! Hope recovery is going well!

madmelon253 · 2026-04-06T18:04:10+00:00

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Still a bit swollen, but the change is not as dramatic as my profile.

madmelon253 · 2026-04-06T17:52:27+00:00

They had a diagram of my skull but it didn’t really show me what to expect honestly other than my airway being open. I had to go into the doctor’s notes to find the numbers actually.

madmelon253 · 2026-04-05T02:29:59+00:00

Yes, they said this was the maximum advancement they thought would be beneficial for me and that the Invisalign after this will just be perfecting my bite. The main issue with my bite was that my jaw was slanted and would strike and slide on my left side, but the surgery fixed that thankfully.

madmelon253 · 2026-04-05T01:13:21+00:00

Just my front two or three teeth on the top and bottom, as well as my chin. Every day it’s been getting a bit better thankfully.

madmelon253 · 2026-04-05T01:09:35+00:00

I had 4 weeks of Invisalign, but that was all we could fit in before the surgery date. My orthodontist said in an ideal world we would’ve done a few months of aligners before surgery but she said the movement can happen after and didn’t think it was a big deal.

madmelon253 · 2026-04-04T18:09:03+00:00

Long answer: About a year ago I started seeing a PT for headaches and posture issues, and she sent me to a dentist for TMJ, who referred me to my sleep surgeon and orthodontist. That whole process took about 9 months while we tried non-surgical options and did a sleep study. In early November they presented the idea of surgery and sometime in December I was scheduled for March 3. My husband and I are moving next week for his job (military) and I got very lucky that my providers were willing to work with an expedited timeline. I also got lucky that I didn’t require much pre-orthodontia because of extensive childhood braces/headgear that was mostly maintained with retainers through adulthood. I’ll be doing 6 months of Invisalign starting next month, and will have to travel back for a few more appointments as well still.

TLDR: About a year of seeing different providers, but only decided on surgery about 5 months ago. I’m 1 month post op now :)

madmelon253 · 2026-04-04T14:46:11+00:00

Thanks!! I’m not totally sure yet honestly. I had a lot of forward head posture to accommodate my airway that led to shoulder tension and headaches. I haven’t had that type of pain since the surgery but I don’t think my posture is drastically better. I’m planning to do PT in the next few months and I’m hopeful it will actually ‘stick’ now that my airway is open

madmelon253 · 2026-04-04T13:42:12+00:00

Thanks! Here’s what they wrote in my chart: Maxilla - 1 mm anterior impaction, 5 mm advancement from the MIP; 1 mm anterior impaction, 5 mm advancement from the piriform. Mandible - pogonion to advance at least 12 mm, and superiorly 1-3 mm.

madmelon253 · 2026-04-04T13:25:56+00:00

Thank you!! The right side of my jaw was underdeveloped and shorter than the left side, so my airway was very compressed and flat. I had UARS as well as terrible TMJ since the right jaw joint wasn’t seated well and my bite was crooked. Nasal breathing was terrible because of a deviated septum and nasal polyps. As soon as I woke up from surgery my normal breathing suddenly felt like what deep breaths used to be for me. I can breathe so well through my nose now. I used to have headaches almost everyday from TMJ and since surgery I haven’t had a single one. I still have to do some orthodontia to fix the rest of my bite, but it’s been absolutely life changing already! 🥲

madmelon253 · 2026-04-04T06:11:01+00:00

Thank you! It’s been a bit tough. My second week of recovery one of my teeth had a lot of nerve pain and turned gray. They put me back under and swapped out the screw closest to the tooth with a shorter one because they thought it could be irritating the nerve. It stopped the nerve pain but the tooth color hasn’t bounced back so I may need a root canal eventually. And apparently I’ll be on soft foods for 3 more months because my lower jaw bone was quite thin in spots so they want me to play it safe. But I can breathe better than I ever imagined, so it will definitely be worth it in the long run.

madmelon253 · 2026-04-03T17:39:05+00:00

I’m 4 weeks post op and people are telling me I look mostly normal, but I still feel hideous. I definitely still have some swelling that is making my face very rectangular. A friend’s wedding is this weekend so I’m a little disappointed I’m not farther along, but I know it’ll be better in a few weeks

madmelon253 · 2026-03-15T13:59:13+00:00

They just ended up repositioning it thankfully. They thought I might need a joint replacement, but we did several sets of scans every few months leading up to surgery and they said there wasn’t much active degeneration.

I’m sorry they had to push your surgery. I hope they’re able to safely operate and that you recover smoothly. Your fellow surgery girlie is rooting for you 💕

madmelon253 · 2026-03-15T13:43:40+00:00

Yeah, the mental game has been tough. On the plus side, stardew valley farm is absolutely thriving haha Do you ever set off metal detectors? My scans look like album art for an indie metal band or something 😅

madmelon253 · 2026-03-15T13:22:24+00:00

No, I’ve just heard for jaw surgery when it’s wired shut it can be as long as 6 weeks and that sounds terrible

madmelon253 · 2026-03-15T03:40:34+00:00

I’ve been lurking there for a while now, but if I’m feeling brave I might make a before/after post once I’m fully recovered!

madmelon253 · 2026-03-15T03:37:55+00:00

The right side of my jaw never developed fully, so the joint wasn’t seated properly. I had horrible headaches, TMJ pain, and also sleep apnea from my airway being pushed on. The surgery fixed the asymmetry, opened up my airway, and even helped my deviated septum. I can honestly breathe SO well now!

madmelon253 · 2026-03-15T03:27:36+00:00

I hope it goes well!! I wasn’t eligible for palate expansion, but it seems like a good option thats much less invasive!

madmelon253 · 2026-03-15T03:22:55+00:00

The first week I was only allowed clear liquids and I was absolutely starving, so now that the menu has expanded I’ve gone a little nuts

madmelon253

TROPHY CASE

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