I have officially been chewing again for a full week! After reading the blogs of other jaw surgery patients, I thought that this process was going to be slow and painful and that is what I went into this week expecting. However, I experienced absolutely no pain or soreness while I ate and it felt as if it did not take any extra time to eat compared to where I was before surgery.
The more you have done in surgery (double jaw vs. single), the longer it will take to chew normally again. Honestly, I believe I have been very fortunate and since I did not have a splint and was only banded shut for a few days, that really sped up my recovery. I'd say the longer your jaw is immobilized, the longer it will take to feel comfortable chewing. I also bit into soft things and my teeth work! I have never been able to bite into a food and it be cleanly cut. I used to have to bite and then pull (like an animal) to get the bite of food to break away. Also, I have absolutely no more popping when I yawn, chew, or open my mouth. Meals I have chewed normally this week with no pain:
Sounds like a healthy menu, right? Right now I am focusing on just building my jaw back up with different textures of food. I don't usually eat all that type food in a weeks time, but it's been really good! So, how did it feel to chew? Awkward. When the insides of your mouth and inner lip and gum line is numb, you find yourself accidentally trying to chew your skin. After a week, I have gotten used to chewing while numb, but the first couple of days I was self-conscious about it. I also looked in the mirror after I ate and thought my face looked swollen! I panicked because I thought I hurt something without realizing it. However, and this is gross (warning), there was a TON of food stuck in my braces along my lower gum line. So much that I thought my face was swollen. The worst part of it was I could feel anything since my gums and inner cheek is numb. Tip: When eating in public, drink a non-carbonated beverage such as water or tea. That way you can discreetly swish it around to dislodge stuck food. That's a helpful braces tip in general actually. Why no carbonation? When soda is swished, it bubbles and fizzes and wants to exit you mouth the same way when opening a shaken bottle. Also, this fizz does not help dislodge food the same way as tea or water. I am still drinking a glass of the Breakfast Essentials a day since I am not eating as healthily as I would like and I have huge box to drink through. Once I finish the box I have I probably won't repurchase them. Here is a list of how I have been mentally categorizing foods so I can better illustrate what I am eating:
Going off of these various "levels" of chewing, here I began this past week at Level 4 and prior to being allowed I chew, I was at Levels 1-3. As I felt comfortable, I moved up a level and did not go passed Level 7. As I mentioned, I did not experience any pain or soreness or tiredness while trying to chew. Levels 9 and 10 I probably won't attempt until my braces come off to minimize the chances of breaking something. Level 8 I would personally feel comfortable waiting until I am 3 months into my recovery. I would say that my diet is 90% back to normal now. In all honesty, it won't be 100% until my braces come off, therefore while I have them on I'd say I will reach 95% of my normal diet before surgery at about 12-13 weeks post-op. When I say "normal diet," I mean that I can eat whatever I want without worrying about hurting myself or my braces. There is little right now that I have had to deny and if you go to a restaurant, there is something on the menu you can easily chew and enjoy. Numbness: I would say I do have more feeling back in my right side of my chin and lip. It seems to be maybe at about 75%, maybe? and the other half of my lip is at about 25% as if the parts of that half of my chin I can feel. For the most part, I am still 98-100% numb in the left side of my chin. I went a couple of days without putting on any sort of lip balm and I woke up one morning to find a small crack in my lip that was bleeding. It wasn't too bad, but it took a couple of days of constant lip balm application to get my lips back to normal. Lesson learned: keep applying lip balm. I can now comfortably and effortlessly fit 3 fingers in my mouth, which means I have about half of an inch until I am back to where I was before surgery!
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WelcomeThis blog documents my journey through lower jaw surgery in hope of providing help and insight involving the experience. Archives
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1 Year Post-Op 9 Months Post-Op 6 Months Post-Op Paying for Jaw Surgery 5 Months Post-Op Retainers Braces Off 4 Months Post-Op Fear vs. Reality 3 Months Post-Op 12 Weeks Day 81- Ortho. Apt. 2 11 Weeks 10 Weeks 9 Weeks Day 59: Surgeon Apt. 4 8 Weeks 7 Weeks 6 Weeks 1 Month Post-Op Day 27: Ortho. Apt. 1 Day 25: Surgeon Apt. 3 3 Weeks Day 17 Day 12: Surgeon Apt. 2 Day 10 Day 9 Day 8 Day 7 Day 6: Surgeon Apt. 1 Day 5 Day 4 Day 3 Day 2 Surgery Day (Day 1) Pretesting Appointment Surgical Hooks 1 Week Pre-Op Insurance is Complicated Caution with Insurance Pre-Op Appointment Planning and Preparing Orthodontist Apt. My Fears Pre-Op Date Surgery Date Phases of My Journey Life with Braces The Operation 3 Months Pre-Op |