Pain- 1/10 Discomfort- 1/10 Weight- 121/122 Energy Level- 7/10 I had my first appointment with my surgeon today. He said that I was healing better and looking better than he thought that I would at this point. He also said that the surgery could not have gone better, so that was good to hear! When I first arrived, the technician led me to a room to have an x-ray done. Prior to surgery, my back teeth only touched when my jaw was all the way back and resting. Even when I slid my jaw forward, there was a good 3-4 mm gap between my top and bottom teeth. Now my teeth touch! I have no idea how that happened, but it's a good feeling. It looked like there were only two skinny plates (one on each side) and each one was being held together with 3 screws on each side. So, two plates and 12 screws. The surgeon came in and clipped my bands off and had me move my jaw up and down a few times. It felt like getting a cast off: very fragile and unstable. He said I was doing a great job keeping my mouth clean and then he spent a little time irrigating my mouth. He told me I would be banded shut even tighter! That was disappointing to hear. I was expecting to have two tight bands that I change out 3 times a day when I eat. He says I will be tightly banded until week 3 and then each week graduate me to looser bands. It sounded like I would not be ready to go back to my orthodontist until week 5, but at this moment I am set to go back at week 4. I was too distracted and didn't think to bring this up, but I will for sure when I go back in 6 days. Another concern is that I go back to class 4 weeks post-op and being in a counseling program, I do a lot of talking. Therefore, I was not expecting to be banded shut for 5 weeks. I will share this with my surgeon and figure out a better timeline when I go back. I was honestly caught off guard by this because in every other lower jaw blog I ready this was not the case at all, so I did not think to ask these important questions. My husband and I ran a few errands today and it really wore me out. I was ready for a nap when I got home and I took a a very long one after I drank lunch. I also tried tomato soup (Campbell's with milk, not water) and it was amazing! I had been holding off because I was not sure how the acid would make my incisions feel, but it was fine. No pain or soreness. I accidentally discovered I can drink from a cup today too. As we were running our errands, I took a bottle of water with us and a straw. Without thinking I picked it up and drank and had no issues! I tried with a cup later and as long as I can watch the liquid it doesn't spill. I tried drinking in the dark during my nap and spilled all over myself since my lower lip is numb. This also makes taking medicine a lot easier as well! Sleeping still is not going very well. I keep waking up laying on one side of my face and it causes about 3-4 rated pain. Getting heat on it and taking some Ibuprofen gets rid of it in 5-10 minutes, but it is making sleeping very difficult. Even if I could lay how ever I want, it would hurt. So, I am trying to avoid pain when I sleep and I cannot wait until I don't have to worry about that anymore. I lied about only having a couple bruises. It was unintentional, but in my defense, the bruise is yellow, appears in only certain light, and is one huge bruise. It covers the entire lower fourth of my face, down my neck, and about 3-4 inches into my chest. The only time I can see it is when I am in bathroom (this room has the best lighting) and it does not even show up in photos. The surgeon pointed it out as well. It's a bit strange.
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Pain- 0/10 Discomfort- 1/10 Weight- 121/122 Energy Level- 6/10 Today was definitely easier than yesterday. It's encouraging that the days keep getting better and better and hopefully that pattern will continue. Since there is not much new to report on today, I thought I would explain how I am keeping my mouth as clean as possible while my teeth are banded together:
One thing I have learned while having braces is that no matter how confident you are that there is no food in you mouth, there is always something hiding somewhere. Especially with the crazy patterns that the elastics are in after surgery. My energy level is lower than yesterday because I had a hard time getting comfortable on my back. Thankfully, those headaches and neck cramps I was having did not occur at all today. It's weird, but that was honestly the worst part of the recovery so far and I'm pretty sure it was preventably had I known I needed better support for my head and neck. I tried eating mashed potatoes today (one of my favorites), but it did not go well. They did not want to go through my teeth the same way soups do, so I ended up making a big mess and spent 10 minutes cleaning it all out of my mouth. It was disappointing. They were even thinned out to an awkward and unnatural mashed potato consistency. I did not need to use the narcotic painkiller at all today. I am continuing to use the Ibuprofen as an anti-inflammatory and to keep any sneaky pain away. The bottle says it is supposed to last for 8 hours, so I am trying to go at least 6 hours without taking it. A small dull ache emerges in my jaw at about the 6 hour mark and I have no idea what kind of pain will follow (and I don't care to know!). The swelling is also continuing to slowly go down. I think it is at the point to where it will be so gradual that I will not be able to tell without a photo comparison. Today, I noticed I could feel my jawbone. I have a fairly prominent jawline and it is nonexistent at the moment. Yesterday, I couldn't even feel my jawbone, so that's progress! Pain- 0/10 Discomfort- 1/10 Weight- 121/122 Energy Level- 7/10 I am definitely getting a little bit better each day. I did not sleep well last night because I could not get comfortable no matter how hard I tried. So, my energy level was a bit down today. I thought that I would share how I am cleaning my mouth since there is not anything new to report:
One thing I have learned while having braces is that no matter how confident you are that you got all the food out of your brackets, there is some hiding somewhere... I love mashed potatoes, so I decided to have that for dinner. It was awful and messy and would not go through my teeth to be swallowed. It was disappointing to say the least. They were even thinned out to an awkward constancy, but I don't think I is a good food to try. If it works for you, good. If not, I understand the disappointment and sadness that comes from it. I did not take the narcotic at all today, but I am continuing to take the Ibuprofen since it is an anti-inflammatory and to keep any sneaky pain away. The bottle says it works for 8 hours, so I am trying to go about 6 hours between doses. I think I took it 4 times today, which is an improvement! It's really awkward to not be able to use your tongue. When you have this surgery, you become aware of the small things you didn't notice prior to having your mouth banded shut. Licking food of your lips and feeling food on your face are a couple. I can feel my jawbone today! I have a fairly strong jawline and it is nonexistent at the moment. Today was the first time I could feel it through the swelling. I feel like at this point, the swelling will be so gradual going down I won't be able to tell without a photo comparison. Today was definitely better than yesterday! Keep your chin up! :) Pain- 1/10 Discomfort- 1/10 Weight- 121/122 Energy Level- 8/10 Eating I slept most of the day, so not a lot of eating has been happening. I had an Ensure, milk, a bowl of blended chili, water, and broth. I am definitely getting tired of blended food already. Mostly because it takes so long to eat. It took an hour to eat a bowl of chili that I could have scarfed down in under ten minutes before. Oh well. I'm trying to remain patient and hopefully I can switch to soft foods after my appointment on Thursday! Sleeping Sleeping is getting easier. I still don't like being on my back, but I am able to sleep for more than a couple hours at a time now. Usually when I get up, I need to pee. I am peeing every two hours because of the liquid diet, so it's a bit frustrating when trying to sleep. Pain So, my pain from surgery today was basically non-existent. I had a head-splitting migraine this morning and the Ibuprofen was not cutting it. So, I had my husband bring out the hard stuff. I took the narcotic and have been pain free ever since. I may need to take that once a day until my neck figures itself out. Numbness Still numb in my bottom lip and chin. I am feeling some tingling today though. The bruise on my lip is looking much better today compared to a couple days ago. No new bruises have appeared and the old ones are slowly fading. Medication Mostly taking children's liquid Ibuprofen every 4 hours to keep the pain away. I'm not feeling up to not taking the medicine to see how the pain is. I'm not that curious. :) Other I keep thinking I still have an overbite and small jaw. My lower jaw is sitting in the same position as it used to when receded, but now it is the proper length. Without thinking I try to push my jaw forward like I used to. I can tell this is going to be a painful habit to break. Plus when you have gone your whole life having a small jaw and holding it forward to look normal, the idea of not having to think about what your jaw is doing is unconceivable. This is not just a physical change, but a mental one as well. Pain- 3/10 Discomfort- 2/10 Weight- 121/122 Energy Level- 8/10 Eating I did a ton of sleeping today, so I did not eat as much as I should have. Today's meals consisted of an Ensure, a half can of soup diluted with milk, 16 ounces of apple juice, water, 8 ounces of Gatorade, an apple sauce squeeze pack, and a cup of chicken broth. The soup needs to be strains in order to be eaten easily, but other than that, I had no trouble eating. It is definitely difficult to watch others around you eat wonderful things like sloppy joe's and french fries or a delicious smelling salad. It is even harder to watch all the food commercials on television, so I am trying to stick to Netflix TV, movies, and shows that have been recorded on the DVR. My husband bought things for chili tomorrow, so I am looking forward to that! Sleeping I was waking up every two hours as I was yesterday, but I was able to sleep for four hours straight. When I woke up, I felt great! Energy wise to say the least. Pain I gave my pain a three today and it has nothing to do with my actual jaw. The muscles in my legs and neck are extremely sore and crampy. My husband bought one of those U shaped travel pillows and it has relieved all the pain I was experiencing in my neck and the headaches. I had pain about a 1 with my jaw. It was more achy than anything. The Ibuprofen took care of all the pain I have been experiencing today. I got the OK to switch to heat today and that was when my swelling really started to decrease. Yesterday's photo is how I looked all day today until about 3 uses of the heat. It felt so amazing and my face feels much better. This has helped tremendously. I am also making it a priority to shower each day. It feels refreshing to be clean and my face is excessively oily after the surgery. Any little thing you can do to feel better, do it. It makes a huge difference. My teeth are also very sore. I'm not sure if this is because of the surgery or the orthodontist appointment before the surgery. If at all possible, try to go to the orthodontist at least a week in advance so your teeth are not more sore than necessary. Numbness I would say that it has not changed from yesterday to today. The bruising has gotten a lot better and the swelling and skin on my neck and under my chin are very sore when touched. Medication I took the narcotic twice today. The first time I was very achy and had a huge migraine. I was frustrated because I was so tired and could not communicate what I needed. I ended up crying and getting very emotional gain. I'm trying not to cry because my nose gets very stuffy and it is more difficult to breath. So, I'm trying to keep my emotions under control. Pain- 1/10 Discomfort- 2/10 Weight- 124/122 Energy Level- 7/10 Eating I have not eaten as much as I hoped I would today. I had two Ensures, a cup and a half of beef broth, a lot of water, one of those apple sauce squeeze pouches, 8 ounces of Gatorade, and a half can of Campbell's beef tip soup. I think the 2 pounds of weight gain came from the swelling. My head feels like a bowling ball, especially with the ice packs on. It is also more difficult to swallow because my neck is so swollen that it is partially cutting off my airway. It basically feels like I have a lump in my throat that a good cough would get rid of, but it won't go away. My throat seems to be my biggest complaint at the moment. Sleeping I am sleeping in two hour increments and staying up for two hours and then going back to sleep. I woke up at 2:00 pm and I have managed to stay up for the last six hours and I am feeling pretty good. I just got out of the shower, which helped open up my sinuses. Plus, it feels good to be clean. Pain The pain I have experienced is soreness in my neck and shoulders. Like I said, my head is like a bowling ball and my muscles are not used to supported a swollen head and a ton of ice. My neck is stiff and the warm shower helped that feel better too. My husband is calling the surgeon tomorrow to make my first post-op appointment and he is also going to ask when I can switch to heat. Numbness I am beginning to gain some feeling back. My bottom lip and chin are 100% numb and the rest of my face is slowly coming back. I can feel my face pulsating and tingling and itching, so something must be happening. Medication I only took the narcotic one time today and have decided I will only take it if I need it. I have been continuing to take the liquid Ibuprofen every 2-4 hours. Not because I am in pain, but to keep the pain away and it is also an anti-inflammatory so, hopefully it will help with the swelling. I began my antibiotic this morning as well. It tasted like Pepto-Bismal, so it wasn't too bad to take. I have to take this two times a day, so I took it again after dinner. I brushed my teeth using a tiny Monster's Inc. toothbrush. I mainly focused on the top row and the front teeth, staying completely away from the incision sites. I spent a good 5 minutes with my Waterpik (I have been given the ok to use this on the lowest setting) rinsing out the toothpaste and getting rid of food particles. What works the best for me was to allow my mouth to fill with water and gently swish it around and letting it fall out of my mouth into the sink. I'm sure I didn't get all of the food out, but definitely a good bit. Lastly, I rinsed my mouth out for the first time with the bacteria killing mouth wash, which tasted like Listerine and thankfully did not burn. Other My bottom lip has also turned blood red and I have no idea if this is normal. My mom had determined it's a bruise, which would make sense since there are other bruises that have appeared today. I also cannot tell if my teeth are banded super tight together or if I am clenching my teeth. So, my teeth are a bit sore today from that. It's probably a combination of the two. Yesterday, I could talk fairly coherently, but today I cannot be understood at all. The swelling has gotten worse and I cannot be understood at all when I talk. I don't think I mentioned this in the last post, but I do not have a splint in. The surgeon said he rarely leaves those in when working on single jaw surgery patients. Hopefully, that will help me keep my mouth cleaner and minimize nastiness. Overall, so far so good. This is no where near as bad as I thought it would be, which I am very grateful for! Pain- 8/10 (10 being the most painful) Discomfort- 2/10 (10 being most uncomfortable) Weight- 122/122 (122 being my pre-op weight) Energy Level- 3/10 (10 being normal level) Hospital Arrival I arrived at the hospital at 6:45 this morning. I mentioned in the previous post I needed to be there by 6:30, but on Friday I was called by the hospital at told to be there anytime between 6:30 and 7:00 am. I had to check in and the receptionist took my Driver's License and about ten minutes later gave me a few sheets of stickers that have my name, date of birth, and other information. I was given a hospital band and directed to go the surgery waiting room. Surgery Prep After about ten minutes of waiting in a ridiculously comfortable recliner, a really nice woman came to get me. She told my mom and husband to wait while she took my back to get prepped. I was allowed to go to the bathroom one last time and then was taken to change into my hospital gown. It was a very nice shade of pink with a teddy bear on it and had connections so that heat could be connected if I got too cold. The bed was also really soft and comfortable! The lady asked me a few question about my health and whether or not I had eaten or drinken anything. I was given a pill to help with nausea and the tiniest bit of water. I was dying of thirst! Lastly, she took my blood to check for pregnancy and then hooked up my IV. The anesthesiologist came by to tell me about what he will be doing and the risks. Again, a super nice man! He had me blow out of each side of my nose to see which one I breathe the easiest out of. He said that will be the nostril they will put a tube down and gave me a nasal spray to open up my nasal passages. I told him that I never use these sprays and I'm not sure what to do. He saw me struggling with it and came around to the side to help me out! It was so sweet. I held one nostril shut and he counted to three and then I breathed in. The spray tasted disgusting and burned, buy man it really did open my sinuses up! I only encountered one rude nurse during my stay. If you know my husband, he is the sweetest person and his intentions are for the best of others (I'm not saying this just because I am biased!). He was paging through my chart when a nurse cam out of nowhere yelling, "Who are you?!" He explained he was my husband and she said, "No! You CANNOT look at her chart." I was not nervous or anything until she did this. She was really rude and a kind, "Sir, I'm sorry but you cannot look at that" would have sufficed. I was angry and felt bad for my husband because he does not deserve to be talked to that way. Thankfully this person was not my nurse! I was prepared to suggest a switch if she was. So lesson learned: Don't look at the chart because you may get your head chewed off by a grouchy nurse. My surgeon arrived and went over again what I should expect and what he will be doing. He said he was moving my jaw forward 3 centimeters! The incision sites will be about three inches long on each side. He said there would be tube down my nose for the surgery to breathe for me and not to be surprised if I bled out of my side. He said he will take the tube out before I even wake up and slide another tube down my stomach to pump out all the blood. His goal for me to not experience any nausea. The anesthesiologist's assistant came by and introduced herself to me and explained what her job in the OR will be. Again, super nice woman! I was blessed in the amount of lovely people who worked with me. She gave me a medicine and said it may burn, but thankfully it did not. She said it will calm my nerves and will make me drowsy. What it really did was knocked me out! Before, though, I kissed and hugged both my mom and husband and was wheeled away and was out cold not even 10 seconds later at 8:20 am. Post-Op I woke up and was told that everything went well. I only lost 75 mL of blood and was good to go home when ever I was ready. The surgery took just under 2 hours and was quicker and easier than expected, so that was good news to hear! The time was about 11:10 am. I did experience nausea after the nurse gave me some Sprite. Let me just pause and say I literally could not have asked for a sweeter and more compassionate nurse. She was amazing! My pain was a 6/10 when I first woke up and slowly escalated to a 8.5/10 over a 30 minute period. The nurse gave me an anti-nausea and then a couple of doses of Codine. I was pretty out of it at this point. My mom and husband were great support and I was grateful that they both could be there. There was only one instance in the hospital where I felt as if I was going to throw up. I got very emotional and cried. I think I was just in the regretting stage and I was asking myself why I did this to myself. The nurse, my husband, and mother gathered around me and rubbed my back and told me everything was okay. I became very tired about an hour later and fell asleep. During this time, my husband and mom went out for lunch. I woke up and the nurse told me this and that they should be back soon and asked me if I was ready to go home. I said sure! She escorted me to the bathroom and it was so hard to walk. It felt as if I had weights attached to my limbs. Thankfully, the nurse was able to support me and I tried to pee. It was very difficult to pee and I could not get out what I needed to. This lasted all day until about 12:30 in the morning (a little more than 12 hours post-op). The nurse then helped me get dressed and by the time I was ready for my shirt to go on, my mom and husband were back and they helped the nurse finish dressing me. A really nice man came in with a wheel chair and I asked to go pee one more time. The nurse went in with me to make sure I was okay. Seriously, she has the BEST bedside manner I have ever encountered. I am so grateful for the staff there. I got into the wheel chair and my husband left when I went pee to get the car. The man wheeled me out and was giving my mom some tips with the ice packs (leave them on as much as you can and with as thin of fabric as possible. The more direct the ice is, the better). I was discharged at about 3pm the same day as surgery. Eating I was told to remain on a clear liquid diet all day (something I did not really comprehend for some reason). We stopped my Sonic for a banana milk shake, which is my favorite). This made me very sick and this was when I was the closest to throwing up. This thick shake combined with my narcotics was very nauseating. I got very emotional again and cried. I was so scared to throw up and I didn't want to. Thankfully, I was exhausted enough to fall asleep and I woke up feeling great! My throat is the most painful. Once I got home pain from the surgery was not really an issue, but my throat was really sore! I bought broth concentrates from Knorr and drank a cup and a half of warm broth. It was so soothing and set so well in my stomach. I have not had any nausea and my throat feels almost back to normal after slowly drinking that broth. Other than broth, I have mostly been drinking water and Gatorade. I plan to drink the broth anytime I am taking the narcotic to help prevent nausea. Numbness I am 100% numb on the entire lower half of my face under my nose and extending up to my ears. My lips are dry so I have been keeping Aquafor on them. I cannot tell they hurt or anything, but they are really dry and peeling, so I want to prevent as much damage to my lips as possible. Sleeping I have surprisingly been sleeping very well! I am a "fetal position" type of sleeper and was worried about what it would be like to sleep on my back, but it has not been a problem so far. Breathing I am having no trouble breathing. I'm not sure if this was a good idea, but I cleaned out my nose from all the dried blood and this made a huge difference. My nose did not bleed at all when I did this. I can breathe perfectly out of my mouth as well. I was panicing for awhile because My nose was clogged with blood and when I was drinking, my airway was blocked. Medicine The liquid narcotic tastes so disgusting that I gagged and almost threw up while taking it. So, my husband diluted it in about 4 ounces of water and some sugar. This made a huge difference and I have not had anymore problems getting it down and no more gagging. I begin mouth rinses and antibiotics tomorrow. I also have a liquid Ibuprofen. I bought the Great Value (off brand) for children in the flavor grape and I think it tastes really good for being medicine. When I was at the pharmacy (I went to CVS), I asked the pharmacist if he had any syringes and he gave me the cutest and tiniest ones (5 mL)! These have helped immensely in getting the medicine in my mouth. My anti-nausea is a tablet that dissolves on your tongue, but I had a difficult time getting it to dissolve. So my husband dissolved in a little bit of water and put it into the syringe (just enough to fill the syringe). Any time you are using a syringe, use a mirror too because you won't be able to keep where it is in your mouth. It makes it easier and you know its going down your throat and not down your chin. Conclusion The hardest part so far is getting to the point where the anesthesia has worn off. Once it did I felt like I was almost back to myself. The ratings I gave at the beginning of this post were me after surgery. Here it is again with how I feel right now at 14-15 hours post-op: Pain- 1.5/10 Discomfort- 1/10 Weight- 122/122 Energy Level- 8/10 I was required to go into the hospital I am having surgery for pretesting. The first stop was at a desk where a nice woman took my insurance information and gave me a quote of $2,598.59. This is my out of pocket cost after insurance and I was given the option to pay a little or all of the cost today.
From here, I went into another office where I answered a lot of questions regarding my medical history. So make sure you know every medication you are on (this includes vitamins) and the milligrams. Also, the estimated times of past surgical procedures. This is information they need and if someone fails to remind you, it can be hard to recall this information. Lastly, I was weighed and had my blood taken for testing. That's it! It did not take long and I was only in the hospital for an hour. I have to be at the hospital at 6:30am and the surgery begins at 8:00am. This is tentative and I will be given a definite time this Friday. Also, I have to stop taking all vitamins (not minerals such as Iron) and any form of pain medication. Which is unfortunate because my teeth are pretty sore after my orthodontist appointment. I'll be sure to copy information I was given today and post it in the Documents section. This appointment only took about 30 minutes and was relatively painless. It was just like going in for a typical wire-changing appointment, the only difference was that they put surgical hooks on. The orthodontist did some detail bending with my wires and an assistant put in six hooks on top and bottom. The hooks are small and the only one you can see is the one in the middle of my top two teeth.
They feel like just getting braces in for the first time all over again. Its awkward, feels bulky, and are rubbing sores in my mouth. Also, food get really stuck in them! It's a bit difficult. I go into to the orthodontist 4 weeks post-op to get the wires changes and hooks taken off. I can't wait for that moment! It feels so far away, but I know it will be here before I know it. I have not have elastics yet, but I will definitely be required to wear them once I go in for this appointment. Not sure how long or how many hours a day, but I will update once I know! I cannot believe how fast time has gone by! I don't think it has really set in yet that I am having this procedure done and that I will have to make huge adjustments for a few weeks in terms of eating and sleeping. So, what have I been doing? Eating everything! I have had so much Chinese food, deli sandwiches, fried chicken, Reese's, and barbecue ribs this past week its ridiculous. These are my favorite foods and it's going to be tough going so long without eating any of it. I just keep reminding myself that the limited food options won't last long and I will be back to my favorite foods before I know it!
Next week I am wrapping up my summer semester of classes and I have my final orthodontist appointment where I get the surgical hooks installed. I also have a pre-op doctors appointment at the hospital where I am having the procedure to have blood drawn for testing. The lady on the phone said it shouldn't take longer than 30 minutes to complete everything. I still have no idea what the final costs are, so I have decided to just wait until I get the bills. I have too much going on to call different people multiple times a week leaving messages to return my call. No one will call me back, which is a bit rude. Oh well, in one week I will officially be RECOVERING! In my last post, I shared that it was finally confirmed that I was in-network. I got a call on Monday saying that the hospital called the surgeon's office and told them that I am out of network. Why they keep changing their answer? I have no idea. I am two weeks pre-op and have no clue how much this whole deal is going to cost and if I am in or out of network. I started this insurance process back in March and it still is not figured out. Needless to say I am stressed out and beyond frustrated. Apparently 4 months is not enough time to get this all sorted out.
My fear right now is that I have to schedule the surgery with another hospital and I have to post-pone the surgery date until December, which is when I have my next break in school. To those of you reading this, if you can, give this as much time as humanly possible to sort out. I probably should have done this two months sooner, but I had no idea it would be this complicated. I have been calling three different people everyday this week twice a day and leaving messages. So far no one has returned any of my calls. Hopefully that means they are trying to figure it out too. I am 95% sure I am in-network because I have an extended PPO plan that covers me when I am out of network with my primary insurer. Hopefully this gets sorted out soon. I was supposed to have all my quotes and everything pegged down this week, but it will have to happen next week... I hope! Being a healthy 23-year-old woman, I have fortunately not needed any sort of major surgery since I was a child. Therefore, this is my first major operation where I am on my own dealing with insurance and its coordination with the hospital and the surgeon's office. I made a mistake and want to share in hopes of helping save one of my readers some grief in the future:
It is YOUR responsibility to make sure your insurance is accepted by the hospital and surgeon's office. Do not assume their insurance teams will do it for you. Always double check and make sure this has been confirmed. Thankfully, this was figured out early to where it was not an issue for me, but it could have a huge issue. If your insurance card is like mine, there are about six different numbers and six different companies listed to contact. I have a primary health provider through my dad's insurance in Illinois and Missouri. If I am outside of those states (I am in Tennessee) then I am out of network with my primary health provider. BUT there is a different provider available to cover me in network if I am outside of Illinois and Missouri. I was receiving two different answers: "These facilities are in network." and "These facilities are not in network." If I am in network, I pay 20% of the total costs... Out of network and I pay 50%. That is a HUGE difference. So I went into a state of panic because this surgery is in three weeks and I have no clue how I am going to pay for it if it is out of network. I was assuming that the homework had been done and it was confirmed I was in network. After spending all day on the phone with several numbers on my insurance card and people from each the hospital and surgeon's office, I was finally able to 100% confirm that everyone involved is in network! I was so relieved and am so grateful to have talked to such polite and kind women. Seriously, it makes this complicated process more bearable. Also, my surgeon said his fees should not be the $8,076 quote I had receive. That was more of a quote for having TWO jaws done. So, he is having someone re-crunch the numbers and I was told that the quotes will definitely go down! So, I received a lot of good news after having a day of panic. I had been trying to get the hospital to return my calls and answer my questions for well over a month. So, I physically went down there and found the people who I needed to talk to. I was able to give the hospital a copy of my insurance card, which really helped the process go along. For some reason I assumed the surgeon's office would have faxed that over, but I was mistaken. These are faulty assumptions I have made and I hope that it saves some of you the stress and panic I experienced last week! Today was my pre-op appointment for my surgery at the surgeon's office. Since so much happened during this appointment, I will just break it down into the different procedures that were done. (In order of occurrence).
I-CAT This was pretty cool actually and, I'm sure, a very expensive test. I sat in a chair with my head against a soft support and was directed to put my chin on a holder. The technician then secured my head with a strap across my forehead to minimize movement. I was directed to keep my feet flat on the floor, relax my jaw, close my eyes, to take a deep breath, and swallow while the machine circled my head for 20 seconds. The image produced was a 3-D image of my teeth and jaw. My surgeon said the I-CAT is an amazing tool for precision and minimizing major complications. Especially permanent numbing. The scan shows exactly where my nerve is so that the surgeon can stay as far away from it as he needs to, which minimizes the chances of cutting or severing this nerve. Bones heal a lot faster than nerve tissue, so this is why it can take awhile for the feeling to come back. This scan will also be used to conduct a virtual surgery on the computer so that the surgeon knows what he will do before he gets into the operating room. Photos Not too many photos were taken. Which I was thankful for be the angles are no where near flattering. I stood in front a blue background and three photos were taken: (1) A front photo with my jaw relaxed, (2) A profile photo with my jaw relaxed, and (3) a front photo of my regular smile. I was then given two plastic devices to put in my lips to pull them out so that the woman could get a clear photo of my teeth (these were used at the orthodontist when they were taking photos during the consultation). The photos that were taken were side photos of both sides with my jaw relaxed. Then they inserted a mirror in my mouth in order to get a full photo of my top and bottom arches. Impression Molds This was by far the worst part of the appointment for me. The assistant put wax (just like the orthodontist gives) along all of my brackets and wires. The top and bottom molds were two different types of awful. For the bottom, it was not uncomfortable at all I I just waited the two minutes for the mold to harden. When the tech pulled it out, she had to work it back and forth to loosen the grip, which was rather painful. It felt like my bottom front teeth were being pulled out, which made me panic a little. Then the mold for the top teeth were mixed and put into my mouth. Remember what I said in a past blog post about anxiety related not being able to breath? Yeah... The goo filled my entire mouth and felt as if it was sliding down my throat. I told the tech how much the top mold usually bothers me so she would know. She did a great job reminding me that it is not sliding down my throat, breath through my nose, and wiggle my feet to keep my mind off it. This actually worked and I was able to block out the whole feeling of choking. The tech was asking my husband questions during this time so I focused on their talking. Distraction was key to get me through those two long minutes. It thankfully wasn't painful to get the top mold out and didn't take as long. Splint Imprint The surgeon came in and took a warm and malleable piece of wax that was thin and shaped like a U and explained that this is the mold that will be sent off for my splint. I was instructed to relax my jaw and bite my teeth hard into the mold. That was the quickest and easiest part of this appointment. Prescriptions The surgeon sat down and told me all about swelling, the procedure, risks, benefits, and the prescriptions. I will have 5 medications: (1) anti-nausea, (2) antibiotics, (3) a mouth rise that kills all bacteria, even the good, and that is not to be used for more than one week because awkward fungal growth will happen, (4) a narcotic pain reliever, and (5) a non-narcotic pain reliever. I told my surgeon how I don't want to take a narcotic anymore than I have too (they are very addictive and make me sick), so this is what he told me to do: Take the anti-nausea. 10 minutes later, take the narcotic, 2 hours later take a liquid Ibuprofen (non-narcotic), 2 hours later begin the process all over again as needed. Post-Op Kit The tech then gave me a baggie full of all sorts of fun stuff. There are two food squeeze baggies that are reusable. One has a small straw for liquids and the other has a larger straw for soups and other thicker blended foods. I also got a fancy "jaw-bra" with gel packs that can be heated or frozen for after the operation. I am instructed to keep ice on for 2 days and then switch to heat. There is also an after care sheet, which I will post under the "Bill" tab. Splint The surgeon said that it is rare that he keeps the splint in for lower jaw surgery patients. It will be used during the surgery to make sure my jaw is where it needs to be and will be removed before I wake up. I will be tightly banded shut and each week I will be loosened a little more. By week 3, I may be able to fit a spoon in my mouth. I was shocked about possibly not having a splint and the recovery doesn't sound as bad as I originally thought. |
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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 |