I'm back

Well I have been really slack with posting :( It has been 17 days since surgery and I'm back at as of today. Surgery went really well and I went home the same day which was great because I hate sleeping in hospital (well staying in hospital because you dont really sleep.) The first few days were uncomfortable but not too bad. I had alot of swelling for the first 8 - 10 days but after that it started to go down alot. I still have some around my upper lip and nostrils but people at work are telling me I look 'normal'. I know I dont look normal yet but it wont be long now. The OS said allow at least another month before the swelling is 95% gone then allow another 3 - 6 months for the last little bit to disappear.
Eating is annoying because I cant really chew properly. One reason is that it hurts a bit and my jaw is unstable. Another is that alot of my teeth arent touching because my palate is changing! With my old bite my back upper molars would sit inside my lower molars but now they are sitting almost on top of them. I still have another 7 days of expansion yet so my bite will continue to change until thats finished.
I have a lovely gap now which is about 4mm big - its not too bad but its still a GAP! Its very strange to look in the mirror and see it. Only another 7 weeks until the braces go on and the gap can close up so its not too far away.
I see my ortho next Monday and she will tell me if I need more expansion or not (I'm hoping not!) I will make sure I update here alot more often, promise :)

RPE goes in today

I'm getting the RPE put in today. I'm trying to enjoy my last few hours with an empty mouth because I know I will have this thing in for around 6 months. I told a few people at work that they cant laugh at my new speech impediment!
I also bought some supplies for post surgery...

Baby toothbrush
Baby spoons
Ice cream
Custard
Yoghurt
Protein powder
Jelly
Whiteboard
Vitamin C (meant to help with cell regeneration)
Arnica (helps minimise bruising)
Hirudoid cream (good for bruising as well as promoting blood flow to damaged tissue)

Thats it for now. Anything else I need my very caring partner will go out and get it for me :)

Ill be back to update later on the scrap metal cemented in my mouth and how super it feels...

Stay calm

I cannot stop thinking about my surgery! I am excited but scared at the same time. I know that what I'm doing is the right thing to do, because I know in the coming years its only going to get worse and worse. But as the saying goes, short term pain...

Spacers in - phase one complete

So I got my spacers put in this morning. It took a whole 2 minutes so that 45 minute drive in morning traffic was so worth it! Not. They felt kinda weird at first but I'm used to them already. One side is more sensitive than the other so when I ate my lunch it hurt a little, but I pushed though it because I was so hungry :) I'm a bit of an eating machine sometimes... Still, I know this is nothing compared to what's coming.
Next Wednesday I'm having impressions done, then the following Wednesday I'll have the RPE fitted... ugh. Then only 2 days later I have surgery so everything is happening really fast. I am fairly certain that I am covered for surgery by my private health cover and Medicare so thats a good thing. The braces though are going to cost more than I thought...$6950... wow. Also, another cost which I didnt think about (or was told about) was the RPE device. This little sucker (the word I want to use rhymes with sucker) is worth $1600! They are giving me 20% off which takes it down to $1280. Better than nothing I suppose. It must be a pity discount because they realise I'm going to be going through all this pain and discomfort and paying so much money. I dont mind though, bring on the pity discounts!
I'm starting to get more and more anxious about it all. I guess I'm just trying to think of the big picture and the end result.
Just put me to sleep now and wake me up when its all pretty.

Its on

So, I'm having the surgery :( The surgeon was great and explained everything really well so I feel a bit better now knowing everything. The surgery is booked for the 12th of June - less than 3 weeks away! But the sooner the better...
Here's the answers she gave me to my questions:

How much will it cost? Surgery is $2500 and the anaesthetist will be approx $500 so $3000 all up before my refund from my insurance (which I am unsure of yet). Its cheaper than I thought, but still not cheap!
How long would I be in hospital? Maximum of 1 night and I could possibly go home in the afternoon if all looks good! I wont get my hopes up though.
How long would I need off work? 2 weeks but some people go back after 1... I am going to take the 2 :)
Will incisions be made in my cheeks? No!
Will it affect the shape of my face and nose? If so how? A little, my nostrils will be flared very slightly either side - but only a tough which is fine because I have a faily narrow nose anyway, and my cheekbones may become more defined... but other than that only my smile will be affected.
Will I need a 2nd surgery? 99% sure I wont (for my small over bite)
Am I a good candidate for surgery? Very good, I dont smoke, I am fit and healthy, good oral hygiene and I'm only 24
What is the success rate of the surgery? 100% from her personal experience. Only side affect is possibly numbness around the gums.
Anything else I should know? The gap. She said think of Madonna x 2 so that isnt as bad as I thought. She even said it may not be as big as that because I will only need approx 8mm of expansion. Who knows though, a gaps a gap to me whether its 1 Madonna's or 2.

I have just contacted my ortho to organise the fitting of the torture device... that part is what I dread most. I also have a veneer I might need removed before the surgery but I'm not sure yet. Its all happening so fast - but its better than sitting around for another month or 2 waiting and getting more and more anxious. My surgeon also said I will lose between 3 and 6kg from being on the liquid diet for 2 weeks, so time to gorge!

Seeing the OS this Friday

Well its time to find out whether I will go for the surgery and braces, or just the braces. This Friday I'm metting my surgeon (for the first time) and I have my list of questions for her:

How much will it cost?

How long would I be in hospital?

How long would I need off work?

Will incisions be made in my cheeks?

Will it affect the shape of my face and nose? If so how?

Will I need a 2nd surgery?

Am I a good candidate for surgery?

What is the success rate of the surgery?

Anything else I should know?

Then a few questions about my private health fund (and I'm hoping the answers to those ones are positive!)

I had sort of forgotten about the possibiltiy of surgery because its been so long since I saw my ortho - now I'm facing it again! Its scary but when I think about the end result I get excited and try and remember that in 2 years if I didnt get it done, they could have been on and off by now (if that makes sense?!) Let's see what the OS has to say before I start visualising myself with a huge gap, drool on my chin, and playing the banjo.

Yellow...

Welcome to my crazy blog. I say crazy because I am in the process of getting braces and having upper jaw surgery which is VOLUNTARY. Here's a little background on me and my stoopid head.
My teeth are pretty straight. Very minor crowding in the bottom and even less in the top (except for one tooth which I had hidden with a veneer when I was 18). The problem is that my upper palate is very narrow and I have a bit of an overbite. When I smile I have 4 great teeth in the front then I have this empty space and it looks like I have no more teeth back there! So I have known this for ages but talked myself into believing that braces and an expander could fix it... well I was wrong. I need upper jaw surgery along with braces to fix this thing, which I wasn't too happy to hear. So, I am scheduled to meet with a surgeon and discuss the surgery and if I am willing to go through with it... stay tuned.
P.s. I have read through some great blogs which have really helped with my understanding of surgery and braces so thanks all!