So, it has officially been just over 6 months since the big day! And I can honestly say, I have NO idea where that six months has gone! I promise you, time flies by, the recovery period seems such a long process when you're in it but when your 4,5,6 months down the line you can finally say, I kicked 'jaw surgery's ass!
I have been useless at logging my recovery online, but to be honest when I was actually in full on recovery, the last thing I wanted to do was type away at a computer, and by the time I was ready to share my story, I felt it had been so long ago and that I would just ramble on about pointless crap because during those two months after my surgery I didn't do that much. My days practically involved; waking up from a terrible nights sleep,
A lot of people asked if I was bored at all, I prepared myself by recording all my favourite TV shows (see: Sherlock) so that I wouldn't get bored. In reality, I watched hardly any TV (maybe the odd afternoon quiz show) and never got bored. I think that you are so focused on recovering and that simple mundane tasks like washing and eating take x10 longer than usual.
Instead of me trying to recall those first few weeks where you notice the most dramatic changes after surgery, I'm just going to bullet point a list of my thoughts and top tips I used when recovering from the surgery.
I'm not going to sugar-coat anything but...The first couple of weeks are going to be not fun, please keep reading to the end, because despite what I'm going to write all of this is only temporary.
This list is very ad-hoc, I was typing it out as it came to me.
- Be prepared to not have an appetite and you are just eating to survive
- You're swelling will reach its peak around day 3/4, it's quite scary seeing yourself at first. (I was very shiny and looked like I just had a few rounds with Mike Tyson!)
- You're not going to be in extreme pain but you definitely won't be able to feel anything in your face from your eyes down.
- You're neck will most probably be sore from the breathing tubes and will eventually bruise, I went a nice shade of green on my neck. Anyone called the Hulk?
- Take a notepad and a pen to the hospital with you just in case you're struggling to speak, I could mumble words in short sentences and my mum could understand me but I couldn't pronounce my B and Ps.
- Try to go to the toilet as soon as possible, maybe use a kimond though as you're probably going to be attached to quite a few IV lines. Once you stand up you probably will feel like you're going to throw up, but once you sit back down and passed urine you'll feel a lot better, and that's already a step in the right direction!
- You aren't going to get much sleep the first week, it will be very broken.
- Try and be careful when walking around as your footsteps will send vibrations up towards your jaw.
- I can't recommend using salt water rinses enough and as much as you want. I was doing it in the middle of the night just to freshen up! Also start brushing your teeth as soon as you feel comfortable with a baby toothbrush so you can fit it inside your mouth as you won't be able to open it very wide!
- Polystyrene cups are such a god send! I rested them on my braces, lent over a sink and just sipped from it.
- So are syringes (ask for them at the hospital) these will be great for getting salt water right to the back of your mouth.
- Buy lots of cheap hand towels as you'll be dribbling loads and won't be able to control it! They'll be your comfort blankets! I had four on constant turnover.
- Tissues as well! They can mop up the excess saliva that builds up in the corner of your mouth. As well as mopping up the nose bleeds (especially for upper jaw surgery!) just DON'T BLOW your nose for the next 6-8 weeks!
- Take as much, maybe more time off work for your recovery. It is a big operation and you don't want to go back to work and make yourself worse! I had just under two months, any less I think I would have struggled.
- Your face will be extremely oily once it's reached it's maximum swelling but once the swelling starts to subside your face will go very dry, have some moisturiser at hand that's specifically for dry and de-hydrated skin.
- Drink as much water as possible! This is easier said than done but seriously you need it especially once you're out of the hospital because in the hospital you are hooked up to an IV that gives you liquids but at home you don't have that.
- You will have days where you just want to cry, hey it's fine! You've been through a right ordeal you're allowed to have a cry!
- The days won't feel like days, it all blends into one. But that's what you want, it to go quick!
- Take baths for the first couple of weeks, its easier and safer than standing up in the shower and it passes the time. My lovely friends bought me a Lush bubble bar which made the baths that little bit more exciting!
- Just remember everyday is an improvement and you'll be building up your energy every day!
- Get as much sleep as you can as that's when most of your healing will happen! But do remember to sleep upright to help the swelling!
- You'll look at yourself 183747394 times a day.
- Laughing is painful, believe me. Exactly one week after my surgery we were at my nans for her birthday. I had blended roast dinner soup, they had Chinese....if you can try just licking some of the sauces off a baby spoon, it'll fulfil your salt cravings! Anyway....my uncle was cracking the jokes all night long, so naturally I was laughing at him, but because of the stitches I was also crying because I was in pain. It was a vicious circle!!
- I know from that list it's pretty daunting! I read so many blogs beforehand and sometime I would be like am I really going to do this? But honestly if there's one thing to take from every blog you read - it is so worth it!!
If you had asked me one week after the surgery if I would do it again I would've said no way, I wouldn't wish this on anyone.
Now ask me that question four months down the line, I would 100% go through it again.
Don't forget, this was just my experience with this surgery, yours may be completely different! But if there's one thing I took from the 1000s of blogs I read, we all are so glad we did it!
