Late update & whats to come.

First off, I just want to apologize for updating my blog so late. I've been very busy with school, cleaning, & prepping for before surgery. But, now it's late at night & i am free. :)


Last Thursday (May 10) was my pre-op appointment with my surgeon. This appointment seemed to be pretty simple & to the point. My surgeon (DR Poor, amazing surgeon!) is going to pull my top jaw forward half way, by bottom jaw half way (no exact measurements) ANDDD... They're going to do my chin! Why, you may ask? Because Dr. Poor said that if they don't do my chin, it may look a bit disproportional. He also informed me that this whole surgery may help me a lot with my breathing, headaches, tension in my face, & locking in my jaw. This is all so worth it. :)


After the appointment with Dr. Poor, I went out to lunch with my parents at this amazing pizza place that I forgot the name of. :/ All I know is that it was the BEST. PIZZA. EVER. :)

After the pizza, we still had some extra time before the two hour pre-op class, so we just went on a walk. :) When we came back to the hospital for the class, we went into a conference room along with 6 other people. Some were getting only top or only bottom, & only ONE was getting the same exact as me :o The nice lady giving hosting the class happened to answer many common questions, so here are some that I found very helpful:

What are some symptoms of an infection?

Symptoms of an infection may include excessive puffing of the cheeks (not swelling, it will be much different), foul tastes in your mouth (such as puss drainage, you should know if it's an infection or not), and a fever over 101.5.

How long will i feel numbness?

Numbness can last from 2.5 - 3 months, up to a full year. Don't worry, this is normal.

How do i brush my teeth?

Using a CHILD SIZE tooth brush. The small head of it will fit much better in your swollen cheeks than a regular size toothbrush will. No water piks, & NO toothpaste. Brush with an alcohol free mouthwash 3 - 4 times a day.

What about if I have to cough, sneeze or yawn?

If you have to cough, you cant really stop it. So cough, but try to hold it in a bit without clenching your jaw. To sneeze, try & sneeze out of your mouth. It will relieve a lot of pressure from your nose, & that's what you want. & to yawn, just try to hold your yawn like you do usually.

How much do I have to eat in a single day?

For women, it's suggested that you have 2000 calories in your system daily. For men, it's 2600 calories. You also need 100oz of liquids a day. So if you reach this amount, you should be good. But i'm sure if you feel the need to eat more, you should.

I'm an active person. Will this surgery affect my daily activities?

Yes. Yes it will. For the first 6 weeks (at least) you can't pick up anything over 5lbs because you may clench your jaw. Jaw clenching is a nono. It could mess up the way your jaw(s) heal, & may even end up making you have to get another surgery. No bike riding, no running, jumping, swimming, spinning. Nothing. Walking is okay though. You definitely DO NOT want to be a lazy couch potato.

So there's the main questions, along with their answers. Have anymore questions? Feel free to leave a comment below. :) 

To end things here, here's a picture of me & the wonderful lady who gave me all the information I know:

Wow, can you believe.. Four more days left! eek, i'm so excited. :) Please keep me in your prayers, I know God will listen & help with this surgery because that's how awesome he is!

Love,

         Kay

X-rays & vlog

Guess who finally took their x-rays?:) I remember always looking at other blogs & wondering why everyone else was getting their x-rays before me, but I got them!:) I got a referral from my surgeon in the mail to get them in a different building a few cities away, so my mom & i went there, got my x-rays done, then went to lunch & did a few errands. 


Here's some pictures of my bite:

This is so trippy! I mean, I've always known that I've had a pretty big underbite. But seeing it like this.. Wow. It's amazing, the technology we have now!


Oh, but before I forget. I did want to make a vlog of my surgical hooks, because there are many different forms of these & it's a bit hard to describe how they really are through typing. So here you go!

After much tinkering with the camera, I got my video to work :D Sorry for the awkward face on the beginning & end of the video :P I'll more than likely make another vlog tomorrow. :) See you all then!
(UPDATE: okay, so the video may or may not work. I tried it once & it worked, but when I tried again it didn't. Please let me know if it worked or not. Thank you!)


Love, 
          Kay

Last dentist appointment before surgery!

The last time i went to the dentist, I thought we were all done. Well, it turns out that my dentist forgot to put my surgical hooks in my mouth. So, hence the name of this post. This appointment wasn't too bad. Better than I expected, actually. All they did really was take one of the crowns on my top jaw on each side, and I guess melted it into the crown. I would take pictures, but they're really hard you don't have anything other than a webcam. Hah. 


So to describe the hooks better, they're on the inside of my teeth. They point up just like the regular hooks on braces. But they make my mouth feel really small & filled up. :( I just have to keep remembering that this won't be forever. God will help me through this all.:)


That's all we did today. Heather (one of my dentists assistance's) Gave me some liquid band-aid, just in case I get a cut in my mouth or something. I'm actually going to miss the dentist when I get my surgery. But i'll still be able to see them. A lot. 


This Wednesday (May 9), I have to go to some x ray place to get my x rays taken. Then the very next day I have my pre-op appointment with my surgeon! I'm very excited to meet him & know how to prepare myself for the after surgery journey! On my next post, i'll make sure to take pictures & show you all more of how I am now before I get my jaw fixed:) Thank you guys for taking the time to read my blogs, & hopefully I'll be able to answer any questions you may have soon! 


Love,


                 Kay

Today at the dentist..

Well, to be technical, My dentist appointment was YESTERDAY (May 1). But this is close enough.. right? Hah. I was really busy with school, so I couldn't post. But i'm here now! :)

Anyways, so the dentist. I was originally supposed to go on May 8th, but my pre-op consultation is on May 10th and I need to take my teeth molds with me, so we just made an earlier date. I ended up being a half an hour early, so I got taken in early. Whoot whoot! I walked in the back, took a seat; my dentists assistant unwired my braces, then took x-rays of my teeth. My mouth is very crooked actually, now that I think about it. I had to bite down on a stick, but I couldn't even do that without my head tilting! After my awkward uneven x-rays, we made the molds. Oh boy, I think that's the one thing I really hate doing at the dentist, other than the fluoride.


Then last but not least, I got my wire got put back in & tied up. So much for relief on my teeth. :( hah. I got figure 8s, as my dentist calls them. Here's what my braces & my bite look like:

See what I mean about it being crooked? Try eating with that.. & this is a straight view! If you notice also on my front teeth, I have little ridges on them. This is because my front teeth have never touched, so they've never been able to grind down. I hate the feeling of them. :( But i'll get them fixed after surgery.


My molds got sent to my surgeon, so he can do a practice surgery. Now I don't have to worry about taking them there. All I have to do is go to the meeting. I'll be sure to tell you all how that goes. 


Other than what I've told you now, that's all that really happened at the dentist. I tend to have very quick, straight forward appointments. They're not too interesting. Well, if you consider my dentist accidentally punching me in the face while trying to get my wire put in interesting. I forgive you. :)


Here's a profile picture of me to end this blog:

Does anyone have any questions? I'd be glad to answer them. :) 
(Sorry if this post is a bit blan, it's 11pm and I'm a bit tired.. Hah.)


Until my next post,


Love,
           Kay