Friday, March 31, 2017

Comparison of Before and After


March 31, 2017

Today I took some final pictures and got to see the comparison of before the surgery and 9 months later after the surgery. I am very thankful I had the opportunity to have the surgery because I cannot only tell a difference in my physical appearance but chewing meat is much easier, too. It was difficult at first to get used to the "new" me but now that it has been many months I just feel like me. Dr. Gollehon has been an amazing surgeon and is such a genuinely nice person. I hope this blog has helped ease any concerns or answered questions about the process of upper jaw surgery.

Before
After


Before

After



Before

After

Wednesday, August 3, 2016

My Clearance Meeting

August 3, 2016

Today is a wonderful day! I have been cleared to do anything and eat anything. Most importantly to me I have been cleared to play soccer right in time for when my season is starting. At the appointment Dr. Gollehon reaffirmed to me that my surgery went extraordinarily well. I will get to see him one more time after I am finished with my Invisalign. His assistant took the leftover stitches out that were already falling out. To celebrate, my mom took me out to eat sushi because that has been what I have been craving for a long time. Until the doctor said, "Okay," my mom did not let me eat it because she was concerned about the rawness of sushi and germs in my mouth.

Sunday, July 31, 2016

My July Summer

In July:
My mom celebrated her birthday two weeks after my surgery. Here is a picture of how I looked two weeks after surgery:


My family goes on an annual to trip to a lake in up-state New York. We are in a house that is surrounded by woods and a lake. Usually I enjoy skiing, tubing, swimming, and other water-filled fun. This year I was not able to go into the water because of my jaw surgery. I was not allowed to get water up my nose because I had to protect my sinus cavity from getting bacteria in it. During the surgery they cut into my sinus cavity leaving it easily susceptible during the healing process. Additionally, the doctor said it would extremely painful if I got water up my nose so I had to avoid putting my head under water even in a swimming pool for the whole summer. Instead I did an excessive amount of reading and finished both my summer reading books. I still enjoyed the trip because it is a nice place to get away and relax but it was not as fun because I could not get in the water. My family played some games and of course I slept a lot. Instead of getting exercise from being in the water, my family and I did kayaking and running. I was still on my special diet but my mom cooked foods I could eat. Also, I ate a ton of Jello, Pudding, and Lasagna.

The next week I went to the beach. Another place where the water is fun to play in. Because of my jaw surgery I avoided the beaches and pools and did a lot of running. I really got into running at the beach because it was so flat. I did not run on the beach but on the sidewalk at the resort. I spent time with family and felt like I could eat anything. My mom still limited me to my doctor-dictated diet of foods that I only had to chew a little. I was sick of Jello and pudding so I gave it to my cousins. I really enjoyed breakfast foods like eggs and grits.

My point in telling you this is that even though my vacations were all near water areas that I was not able to participate in, I still found other ways to be active and enjoy my vacations.

Wednesday, June 29, 2016

My Dr. Appointment a week after my surgery

Wednesday June 29, 2016


I had a great meeting with Dr. Gollehon. He said that everything looked great and that my surgery went extraordinarily well. I did not lose a lot of blood like some can. He even told me I could start running as long as I was careful not to fall on my face. Good news, he said I could stop wearing my bands all day. I only have to wear them at night until my orthodontist tells me differently. I have been having to do salt water rinses of my mouth several times a day and avoid getting anything on the stitches' site. I am to keep this up, but I do not have to be as careful of the stitches' site. Also, he said I can start gently flossing in about 2 weeks. Right now I can transition from the pediatric toothbrush they gave me to a regular toothbrush as long as I am super careful. I have been taking Dimetapp around the clock since the surgery but he said I can stop using it unless I begin to get congested or a cold. He recommended I heat and gently massage my face for 5 to 10 minutes 3 times a day. As far as food goes I have a few more days of liquid diet but soon I can move to foods that are soft chewing like scrambled eggs and lasagna. I am super excited to chew a bit because I feel like I could do it right now although I know I should not. I will see my orthodontist in a week. 




Tuesday, June 28, 2016

A Week After My Surgery

Tuesday June 28, 2016
Today I woke up a 7:00 for my meds than fell back asleep and didn’t wake up until 11:00, just in time for my meds again. I have been waking up late even though I go to bed a 11:00 or so every night. I guess my body just needs a lot of sleep to heal. A lovely lady from church came and gave me a chocolate milkshake from Cookout. My  mom made spaghetti for me and ground it up a ton to the consistency of apple sauce, I know it looks gross but trust me it was delicious. I have really missed "real" food! I started working on a 4000 word Extended Essay I have to write this summer. Also, mom and I watched Hamlet, the movie, one of the many versions. We are about to go on a walk. I feel great. My upper lip and bottom of my nose are still numb and a little swollen. During the movie I put heat on my face and rubbed it a bit. I can’t really tell a difference when I do it but that is what the doctor told me to do. Often I have weird tingly and itchy feelings in my cheeks and face but my dad just says that is the numbness wearing off. I go to the doctor tomorrow and I am hoping for good news! He may say I do not have to wear the bands any more which would be great as they are just a pain!



My mom made me blended Spaghetti. 





Monday, June 27, 2016

Day 6 After the Surgery

Monday June 27, 2016

I was woken up at 7:00 for my meds. Then I woke up at 10:30 and had half of a Carnation Instant Breakfast. Friends from soccer brought me a smoothie and stayed for a short visit. I was able to talk for a little.  I finally left the house for a car ride going on a few errands with my dad. I stayed in the car the whole time but I got a chocolate milkshake from Chick-fil-A and ate it with a spoon. I can now start putting heat on my face. I wrote thank you letters to all the people that gave me smoothies, flowers, and other gifts.





Sunday, June 26, 2016

Day 5 After the Surgery

Sunday June 26, 2016

Today I woke up feeling better than yesterday numbness-wise because I can start to feel and see the bottom of my cheeks. This little change makes a big difference to me in how I look. Unfortunately, I was just really tired. After breakfast, I have slept most of the day. Perhaps I did too much yesterday. I tried to play a game but during the game I felt hot so my parents thought I might have a fever or something. My mom gave me liquid Advil but accidentally thought she over dosed me. Having to take all my medicine in liquid form makes the dosages confusing as they are labelled for children's body weights.  Also, I checked my temperature and it was fine. This afternoon, I cleaned my room. I sat on the floor and sorted all the papers from school. Before bed, I watched the Copa Finals and went to sleep.