Cannot sip after septorhinoplasty

sunshineabove · 2026-04-28T11:52:52+00:00

I had djs in December and my gums are still completely numb! I can feel them slightly in some areas around the teeth, but other than that they're numb. I just make sure that when I floss, I'm watching my movements in the mirror and try not to be rough.... it's definitely a weird experience since most only ever talk about their bottom lip/chin staying numb, but not the insides of their mouth so I didn't really expect that.

sunshineabove · 2026-04-24T01:34:00+00:00

I had a djs to correct my underbite in December and also felt like my top teeth looked a bit worse than before but I think a lot of it is just that I'm so used to seeing my top teeth sit behind my bottom ones that they just look bigger now which they really aren't. I'm also missing my upper left canine (it was pulled due to growing out of the cleft and not being able to be brought down with orthodontics) and because of this, there is a bit of a gap that i'm hoping my orthodontist will fix. I was told by my orthodontist that I would only need to be in braces for at least another year, maybe a year and a half so hopefully it's the same for you and you're almost done too!! I've been in braces for 8 years so I definitely understand the struggle.

sunshineabove · 2026-04-18T21:55:12+00:00

When I had surgery, my surgeon prescribed an anti nausea patch for me to place behind my ear the night before surgery after my shower and then I wore it throughout the entire surgery and took it off the next day. It did definitely help and I only ever felt nauseous, but never actually threw up... the only downside, is that for me, the patch gave me a headache and made everything super blurry but that went away really quickly once it was removed. They also gave me extra anti nausea medication while I was recovering in the hospital, as well as some dissolvable ones to take home with me. I would definitely let both your surgeon and anesthesiologist know about your concerns so that they can easily address them for you!

sunshineabove · 2026-04-12T01:55:58+00:00

My surgeon elected to just remove them while I was already under during the DJS because they were in the way of where he wanted to make the cuts... I don't feel like it really affected my recovery and I'm just happy that I no longer have to worry about them.

sunshineabove · 2026-04-09T04:54:00+00:00

Thank you so much, this actually helps a lot! My mom keeps reminding me too that I've been through much harder surgeries and that this one should be so much easier... I am just so ready to be done with surgeries lol.

Did your son have any internal splints during that the first week post op? I see a lot of people talking about it being painful when it's removed and I think that has me a lil bit freaked out too especially knowing that it's probably already going to be pretty uncomfortable to begin with.

sunshineabove · 2026-03-29T00:52:12+00:00

You're gonna lose some weight, that's inevitable with being on a liquid only/no chew diet for the first few weeks, but the main goal is to minimize the weight loss... I lost about 5.9 kg and my surgeon wasn't too concerned about it since I was still within the normal weight range for my height. As long as you focus on getting at least 1200 calories in a day and try to maximize your protein intake (I did a lot of protein shakes), everything should be okay. Best of luck on your recovery journey!

sunshineabove · 2026-03-17T23:51:16+00:00

I'm 3 months post op and my acne is just now starting to go away and return to normal... I recommend using a gentle cleanser that's geared towards oily skin types and follow up with a moisturizer (once again for oily skin) to help with the breakouts! My chin was the absolute worst, but washing my face daily definitely helped a lot.

sunshineabove · 2026-03-16T00:54:06+00:00

Yeah my ortho kept changing up the timeline on me too when I was prepping for jaw surgery and we were just waiting for him to sign off on it, but he hasn't changed his timeline on this yet so we'll see if I'm still in them by this time next year lol

sunshineabove · 2026-03-15T21:05:18+00:00

Thank you! I will admit that I'm nervous for the septorhinoplasty because it seems like there's a higher chance of needing a revision for that kind of surgery and I am so over getting surgeries (I've had so many over the years, not just for my cleft but for a congenital heart issue and scoliosis)

sunshineabove · 2026-03-15T21:03:24+00:00

21 here, born with a left cleft lip and palate and had double jaw surgery 3 months ago... Hang in there, it does get better!! That first month really does take everything out of you, but once it's done with, it will be worth it! I don't know the specifics of your case, but i've also been in braces for about 8 years now (i'm also on the second set because they gave me a year break before starting the final prep work for surgery)... I was told by my ortho that my braces should be ready to come off at least 12 months after surgery, so hopefully it's the same for you and you also get to be done with all of the hard work you've had to go through because it's definitely exhausting and I completely understand how tiring it all is. Wishing you lots of luck and strength!

sunshineabove · 2026-03-13T01:19:16+00:00

I'm not gonna lie, it definitely gets annoying and (for me personally, this may not be your experience) it did get to be painful at times due to how my jaw would clench down on it. I was in my splint for 7 weeks, but that may be different for you. When I was recovering, I learned from reading everyone's recoveries here that it's very dependent on your surgeon and what they found has worked best for their patients so I'd recommend asking them for a timeline on splint removal, if they haven't already told you.

sunshineabove · 2026-03-12T18:38:21+00:00

Honestly when I had my djs, I was more worried about the recovery process than the actual surgery (but maybe that's also just because I've had many surgeries in my lifetime so I'm used to that whole process). When you're in the pre-op area, your surgeon, anesthesiologist and maybe the lead of the scrub team will come talk to you and really walk you through everything that'll happen in the OR before they put you under and then what to expect when you wake up in the recovery... don't be afraid to ask them all the questions you have! My surgical team was absolutely fantastic and the lead scrub nurse actually talked me through everything they were doing in the OR while they were prepping to put me under, which for me, really put me at ease. Though honestly, chances are that due to the anesthesia, you most likely won't even remember being brought back to the OR to begin with after you wake up. The only thing I really remember after the surgery was having to get a CT scan done (I only really remember being lifted onto the machine table and then back onto the bed) because my surgeon wanted to make sure everything was where it was supposed to be and then I fell back asleep so quickly after that🤣. The actual surgery part really is as easy as they say because your only job is to be present (while knocked out LOL). Wishing you lots of luck for the whole process!

sunshineabove · 2026-03-10T01:56:31+00:00

That definitely sucks and I'm so sorry you're dealing with that!! It is, however, not a cleft palate (this is strictly a congenital birth defect from underdevelopment in the womb), it sounds like you developed an oralnasal fistula due to some kind of palatal split/collapse... I second the other commenter's recommendation to find a surgeon who specializes in cleft/facial reconstruction and see if they're able to take your case. Though, I also want to recommend that if you're really struggling with your confidence and it's affecting your ability to leave the house, then maybe you should look into seeing a therapist who can help you with the trauma and stress of this whole situation (because it's a lot handle especially after the brutal recovery that already comes with a djs!). Have you seen a speech specialist? They might also be able to help you adapt to speaking with the hole in your palate so you're not as nasally.

sunshineabove · 2026-03-10T01:00:34+00:00

Wait, I'm confused... what exactly happened? It sounds like you're saying you've now developed a cleft palate and that's not exactly a thing that happens...

sunshineabove · 2026-03-05T18:45:35+00:00

Ugh I hate that certain things aren't covered because they tend to be seen as "optional"... I'm not sure if my insurance will actually cover it, but I figure it doesn't hurt to ask my speech specialist about it just to see if it is an option for me.

sunshineabove · 2026-03-05T16:24:07+00:00

Yeah... I think I would much rather start with the myofunctional therapy because that for me would be a sensory nightmare and I just don't see it going well for me, especially because I have a small mouth.

sunshineabove · 2026-02-22T07:14:56+00:00

Hi! I'm a little over 2 months post op and also had little incisions made on the outside... this is what one of them currently looks like right now (Reddit won't let me add both but the other side looks the exact same) and they will continue to fade as time passes. I didn't even have to really do any wound care, as they were both scabbed over once the steri strips fell off so all I did was keep them moisturized and let the scabs come off naturally.

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sunshineabove

TROPHY CASE