What's been going on to this point

So in my previous post I explained the whys and wherefores of the situation. So here are the big questions. What has been done up to this point? When's the "big day?"

In terms of what has been done I'll catch everyone up. Almost exactly a year ago is when I finally convinced my family that enough was enough. I was sick of the pain and annoyed with the face that was causing it. I have a prominent nose. Add that to a recessed jaw and a very gummy smile and you'll start to see that there are  some structural issues underlying the pain.

So with the pain and facial woes in mind I set up an appointment with an oral surgeon. We had originally set up the appointment with Dr. A - a surgeon who my mother works with and knows to be a friendly man. Sadly the office was having some problems with their suction system so Dr A was in a different office to do wisdom teeth extractions with functioning equipment, which meant that Dr A was not going to be seeing me that day. The other surgeon came in and I explained everything to him. He took some x-rays. The x-rays show that my bite is quite out of line and I had have open bite. My palate is tilted and the joints showed evidence severe degeneration of the TM joint for a gal my age (or anyone for that matter). Considering this has be a problem since sixth grade the surgeon was pretty surprised. He ordered an MRI and took molds for a night guard that would hopefully relieve some of the pressure on the joint.

My first year of college was just over a month away, and hopes of getting things done quickly diminished. I learned that there was quite a lot of work to be done before the surgery could even begin. In the hopes of getting things moving along I got the MRI done and the "replacement" surgeon and Dr A (at my mother's request) went over the report. The findings were not encouraging. It showed that both disks were out of place, the bone had been worn flat (it should look like a football) and I had some nasty little splinters on the right side. My best option at this point was orthognathic surgery.

I won't go into details but we dropped the "replacement" and got on board with Dr A, who has since been the one taking care of my case. At this point I was off to school, so any work was put on hiatus. Over the nearly 2 month long winter break (actually the very last week of it) we finally got the ball rolling. In the last week of January (with only 7 days before I was to head back to college) I had my wisdom teeth removed.

The procedure itself went well, and Dr A, god bless the man, even put up with my behavior when they were trying to put me under. The first attempt to start an IV ended poorly. I felt some pain and my OS told me that my vein blew (it's not as bad as it sounds, the fluid just backed up under my skin - ow). After a rather extensive blood panel a few years ago I pass out from needles. They don't scare me, blood doesn't bother me, but for some reason my blood sugar goes through the floor and I'm out. So, naturally after this first attempt I started to go out. I was trying to stay conscious and the nausea hit. They stuck me again and that vein blew. They stuck me again. And again. My veins are so pathetic that they couldn't hold up to the fluid and they kept blowing. At this point was was miserable. I was dizzy and nauseous and writhing and moaning begging them to "make it stop. Please, just make it stop." The poor nurse! She tried giving me laughing gas but that just made things worse for me at this point. Dr A was patient with me despite my shameful behavior and just told me "Nora if you need to pass out don't fight it." I didn't and I went down like a tranquilized elephant. They had to try to start the IV four more times after I passed out. In the end they stuck me intramuscularly with the sedatives and managed to get an IV started. Once that happened the procedure took only about 20 minutes. Only three of my wisdom teeth had actually ever developed and even those were rather immature, so naturally my OS had no problems extracting them.

The first day of recovery was hellish. I vomited from the medication several times, causing my face to swell up even more. My face was ginormous! Pain was minimal though, and my mom patiently fed me jello and small spoonfuls of soup. She was also taking care of my sister who had had her wisdom teeth removed the same day as me. Mom is such a great woman. After the first day though things got better. The swelling peaked on day 3 after which it started to go down. By the time I returned to school my stitches were beginning to dissolve and the majority of the swelling had gone down. 

Since my wisdom teeth were removed things basically came to a standstill until this previous Tuesday,  June 7th. I went to see Dr. A and had more molds and x-rays done. They also took some facial measurements. Dr A went over my MRI report again and we (my mother, father and I) sat down with him while he discussed the procedure using a cool skull with metal plates as a model.

Basically the procedure is going to go like this. My upper jaw will be sawed into and a chunk removed to shorten it in order to remove the "gumminess" from my smile. It will then be tilted so that my palate lies flat rather than at an angle, moved forward ever so slightly and held in place with four small plates. In order to make enough room for my lower teeth to meet the uppers properly, he may have to separate my upper jaw into three pieces. My lower jaw will then be moved forward and screwed in place. The final part includes my choice of a sliding genioplasty or a hard silicone chin implant so that my chin is not so recessed. I'm still not sure which option I'm going for. Any ideas or advice from anyone? Then I'll be wired shut and on a liquid diet for 6 to 8 weeks.

So when is this all going to happen? Well, if all goes well with insurance I'll be going in for the operation before this month is out! This will allow me a full two months of recovery time before I need to go back to school. Of course I will not be fully healed by that time, but I will, at least, be able to take care of myself.

I am so excited! I can't wait to have less pain. It seems like after 7 years of pain I've forgotten what it's like to not be in discomfort. I'm definitely looking forward to the benefits of this procedure, but I'm nervous about the liquid diet and the new face. Will I be able to handle the stress of feeling so "helpless?" Will I be happy with how I look? Despite my "flaws" I've come to see myself for the beautiful person I am after years of struggling with my self esteem. How is it going to feel to look in the mirror and see a new face? These are all question I don't have answers to, and I'm hoping that this journey, along with this blog, will help me find the answers and strength that I need.

Sorry this post is so long, but a lot has happened to bring me to this point. Future posts will of course be more current in their content, and hopefully not so wordy! :)