Day 343-ish: Summer!

Well, it's been quite a while since my last post and boy did that time fly by. Since my last post, I have only had one or two orthodontist appointments which were just check ups on the retainers. Things are going great! Just the other day I had another appointment with the oral surgeon, my first in about 6 months. I was really excited to see what he had to say about the results and even brought my mom along. He was VERY pleased with the results and couldn't believe how very everything had "closed up." His response and facial expressions were exactly what I was hoping for. I got so excited through his excitement that I forgot to express to him my gratitude and my respect for what he was able to do.
This past year in school I took clinical anatomy, in which I dissected a human cadaver. Part of this included dissecting the maxillary and madible (jaw bone) areas. It was so dense with nerves and blood vessels that when I thought about what the oral surgeons had done, it truly amazed me that they were able to do what they did without any permanent damage to these nerves and blood vessels. The fact they were able to break my mandible without shearing the nerve that runs through it is incredible to me.
Since I forgot to express this him at the appointment, I figured I would include it in the hand written thank you that I am going to drop off to his office later today, along with a cheesecake (the food that helped me get enough calories). I'm also going to let him know about this blog I've kept so that if he would like, he can share it with other patients of his that are thinking of having the surgery and they can get a better feel of what to expect.
As far as any changes that have happened since my last post, there really hasn't been any major physical changes. I can feel all areas around my mouth, I still get weird sensations when poking certain points but I have gotten use to them. The big changes have come in the form of more self-confidence. I have gone on several dates, and now have a girlfriend. My first in about 4 years. I don't think that this is a coincidence either. In general, I have more self-esteem and feel great! I have my orthodontist and oral surgeons to thank for this.

Day 127-ish: A Mouth Free of the Constraints and Restraints of Braces

Well, it has been a while since my last post and I apologize to anyone out there that was actually upset by this. But, school has kept me busier than I have ever been and there has been little noticeable change in my mouth during this time, until now. Earlier this week I got my braces taken off and I couldn't have been more excited. I was giddy like a little school girl on the inside for this to finally be here. After approximately 717 days of braces, I was excited to see the final results of them and my jaw surgery. I could walk you through each and every moment and emotion as the orthodontist plucked off each and every bracket until she pulled out each row of braces in one piece, but I'll sum it up by saying that with each pluck of a bracket, my confidence was slowly increasing to a level hardly felt during the past 717 days. Immediately after, I felt the slime-like feeling on my teeth and just smiled. At last, a mouth free of foreign objects...but not for long. Shortly after having the braces removed, my teeth were polished and cleaned. Then a few official "after" pictures were taken along with an x-ray. But before I knew it, my mouth was filled with the strawberry flavored goo that is used to make impressions that would be used to make my new retainers. After five impressions, a new personal record for a single orthodontist office visit if I'm not mistaken, and a messy face I was cleaned up and sent on my way to enjoy a day without braces or any other orthodontic equipment in my mouth.

The first thing I did was drove over to my dad's office and show him. His office staff hadn't seen me since the surgery and seemed genuinely impressed or surprised with my "new" look. They got a kick out of the fact that I stopped by only to show my new smile to my dad. He wasn't nearly as excited as I was, but let's be honest-who is going to be? But, I could tell he was happy for me.

Next, I went home only to be side tracked by the fact that aunt and cousin's cars were parked in my grandparent's driveway. I had to stop by and show them my new smile. I felt like a little kid during show and tell as I smiled big for them. Shortly after showing my grandma, she had a senior moment by asking me "Now Jake, are those your real teeth? Can you eat, chew, and brush those just like before?" I held back my laugh and kindly answered her, "Yup, these are the real deal, Grandma. They are the same as before just reshaped and realigned."

Before I knew it, it was time to head to the oral surgeon for another check in with him. After I told him I just got the braces off, he took a look and like usual he spit out a few positive adjectives to describe what he was seeing. Today's adjectives were "awesome" followed with "wow" and capped off with a hybrid "Wo-wesome." He asked if I was happy with the results of everything to which I answered by saying that I was happy with the results and will be extremely happy once I can get this lisp to go away. (I have been having trouble with the "s" and "z" sounds and would later meet with a speech pathologists who gave me a few pointers and with some time and practice I should be lisp-free.) I forgot to tell/ask him about the numbness I still feel in part of by bottom lip and chin. But I'm hoping that the nerves are still healing and I will regain more feeling in that area. He said that everything looked great and that he wouldn't need to see me for about 6 months. At the next appointment he said we would take some pictures and an x-ray to make sure nothing shifted during the healing process.

Early the next morning I was back at the orthodontist's office being fitted with a clear retainer to be worn on my top teeth during the day, a night time retainer also for the top, and a permanent retainer glued on the inside of my bottom, front teeth. And just like that, my mouth was full of orthodontic equipment again. But, these definitely beat the old equipment! I will be back to see her in about 6 weeks, after which she hopes I will not have to wear the clear retainer during the day and I will get to see the official before and after pictures (which I plan on posting for you all to see).

The next day I flew out to California with my cousin to visit my brother. I had a new confidence that I was excited to live with and what better of place to get use to this than in the paradise that is Southern California. Needless to say, it was a good trip. Here are some pictures from the trip, notice the new smile! haha:

Now it's back to the real world. Only now, I'm not constrained or restrained by braces and it feels great!

Day 63: It's a runner! It's a chewer! It's Jake!!/No More Chomping at the Bit to Chomp.

It's been 9 weeks, believe it or not, since the surgery. I had an appointment with my oral surgeons (both of the one's that operated on me were there this time) on tuesday. I apologize for the late posting but school is getting really hectic and we had a test on wednesday. But, it was an appoint filled with good news. They cleared me for running! They also said I could take off my rubber bands in the front. I hope this is okay with my orthodontist! It is so much nicer not having those on. I found them to be really annoying! I still have rubber bands on my back molars, which doesn't bother me. Despite being able to run, I still cannot play basketball or other "contact sports" for at least 3 weeks (12th week after the surgery) as this is when the bone is likely to be fully set and healed. At the appointment, they took another X-ray, the 3rd since the surgery, counting the 2 they took on the same day (the day of the dog incident). I can't wait to take my radiology class so that I will be able to better interpret the x-rays. To me, it looked like my bottom jaw, where they broke it, was still broken. It definitely was not as dense as the surround bone. But, it feels great and the oral surgeons said everything looks "faaaantastic."

They didn't mention anything about chewing at this appointment, but at the last one the oral surgeon said that after week 7 I could begin to try chewing foods harder than scrambled eggs and work my up as I felt comfortable. Well, today I took my first bite! While to other people it probably just looked like a grad student happy to be getting a free lunch, pizza at that, to me it was like fireworks were going off as I bite completely through the tip of the sliced pizza. I cannot remember the last time I was able to bite completely through a piece of pizza with my front teeth, without having to gnaw or rip at the pizza. I later told one of my classmates that I took my first bite earlier today and how exciting it was for me. She got a laugh at of it. (Hopefully, this means we can go on a dinner date soon!)

When the oral surgeons gave me the "okay" to run at the appointment, a huge smile came across my face. Then, I realized I had to drive back to school, which takes me about 3 hours. That's the last thing an athletic guy like myself, who has been unable to run for 63 days, wants to do after being cleared to run-sit in a car for 3 hours. Running that 175 miles on the other hand, sounded more like it! But that obviously didn't happen and because of my hectic school week, I was just now able to squeeze time in for a run, today. It wasn't easy, and I can only imagine how hard it looked. Surprisingly, I did have some discomfort in my top jaw with my first several strides. It quickly went away but it definitely made me think twice about going on the run. I ran most of it in the grass next to the road to cut down on some of the pounding, and therefore the jarring my jaw would have to suffer through. I ran just under 2 miles in 16 minutes, faster than I thought I would be able to do. But, like I said, it wasn't easy and I was hurting. The next couple of days should be interesting as the soreness sets in. When it was over, as I stood in the shower after most of the "out-of-shapeness" wore off , I began to feel that "good" feeling that I have been missing the last 63 days. I can't wait to get back in shape and get on some longer runs before it gets too cold, and before my other leg goes out on me-that's another story, or maybe even worthy of a blog.

As far as the tickling in my chin goes, it has morphed into just a weird feeling whenever I touch my chin. I can feel something, but it just doesn't feel right. It's hard to explain, but I mentioned this to my Histology teacher and he gave me the 4-1-1 on the nerves in the area and said that this is common and to be expected as the nerves wake-up. In parts of my chin, I will touch it and feel a sensation of sorts in another area of my chin or jaw line. It's a really odd feeling, but at the same time, it's kind of fun. I have found myself poking or tapping on my chin in the middle of lectures to try to pin-point these areas. I have also found myself being starred at for this, well I hope that's why they are starring haha.

But things continue to improve with each week and I am now setting my sights on getting my braces off ASAP! I will see both the oral surgeon and orthodontist in 2 weeks. I hope to get a timeline on the braces at one of these appointments-I hoping for just another 4 months of them, but I realize it depends on how well my teeth respond.

This has been a long enough procrastination session, so I better get back to studying.

"Ya'll come back, now."

Day 51: My Chin Tickles

It's hard to imagine that it's been over 50 days since the surgery! But, I am doing well! Despite not being cleared to chew everything, the oral surgeon said that I could begin trying things harder than scrambled-egg-consistancy on week 7. He didn't have to tell me twice! I decided I would try some boneless chicken wings, followed the next day by some sesame chicken and rice. While, I was able to eat these things, it wasn't always easy. What I ended up doing was cutting the large pieces of meat up so that I wouldn't have to bite completely through the meat. This also made it easier to fit between the rubber bands in my mouth. Once in my mouth, I would gently bite on the meat with my back molars. I would never bite completely through the meat, just to play it safe. Once I bite a little bit through the piece of meat, I would turn it and repeat this process a couple times before mashing the rest of it up using my tongue and pressing the meat to the roof of my mouth. It may sound like a rather long and complicated process, but in actuality it was a pretty short process that usually left me swallowing large pieces. But, it was worth it because I am ready to begin eating more regular foods. Although, I was a little let down with the sesame chicken I had-it didn't compare to Hyvee's!

Last night I was invited to join several of my classmates for dinner tonight at a nearby restaurant. They were hesitant to ask knowing my situation, but I reassured them I could eat more than they think, despite not being cleared to chew. We pulled up a menu of the restaurant from their website and they had several things on the menu that I would be able to eat, such as pasta. Then, I remembered the last time I attempted to eat pasta out in public with friends. After several forks full of spaghetti being loaded into my mouth surrounded by a numb lower lip and chin, I had just as much spaghetti and spaghetti sauce on my chin as I had probably gotten in my mouth-unbeknownst to me. My friends who I was eating with got quite the kick out of this but I wasn't too embarrassed because they were very good friends of mine. I just don't think I am ready for making a fool out of myself with my new classmates quite yet.

But, things have changed since that first outing. Most noticeable, my chin has been tickling me the last couple days (it's not literally physically tickling me like my brother use to tickle me, but I have been feeling a tickling sensation on my chin). This can mean only one thing (I hope)-my nerves are beginning to wake up! As annoying as this tickling sensation is, I am happy to be feeling something! Once I have regained feeling here, I will feel so close to the finish line of this whole process. The last hurdles being chewing, running, and my braces and rubber bands.

I still feel swollen when I wake up in mornings from sleeping on the side of my face, but I don't seem to physically see as much swelling any more. I'm looking more and more like my old self, minus the huge under bite. I am also beginning to speak more clearly-at least I think I am. I still have the occasional slip-ups here and there that produce a lisp but not nearly as much as a couple weeks ago.

"Stay classy, San Diego"

Day 46: Post Op Appointment #5

I met with an oral surgeon today, not my regular one. My regular oral surgeon was called to the hospital early this morning on an emergency so I saw his associate. He seemed up to date with my procedure and familiar with everything going on (my oral surgeon must keep good notes). He said that everything is looking good inside but I'm still not allowed to run, jump, or chew (anything harder than scrambled eggs). I was a little bummed about this because I really want to play basketball with my classmates during our study breaks (they played today-I watched) and I just want to take a massive bite out of a Chili's cheeseburger with my new teeth-touching-bite!

I say I "was" bummed about this because while I was watching my classmates play basketball, I was dribbling a ball and it got away from me so I ran after it-not more than 10 strides. It wasn't long before I noticed some aching in my jaw, accompanied with a little bit of pain. I can't imagine that 10 strides would do it but something caused it and it was enough for me to side with the doctor on his decision.

After I had asked him about being able to run and stuff he gave me a rather long explanation on the bone healing process and how at this time (6 weeks after surgery) the bone just isn't ready for the constant pounding that running comes with. He said that at my next appointment, in 2 weeks, they will take x-rays and will be able to give me a better timeline as to when I can expect to be able to run and jump. He also said that at week 7, this Thursday, I can try chewing some harder things but not to go overboard with it. He didn't give me many specifics and kept it as vague as I put it and I'm not quite sure what he had in mind but I'll figure it out. Unfortunately, I don't think this will allow cheeseburgers.

Yesterday, I got to see a good friend who hadn't seen me since the surgery. She thought I didn't look too different, but she did think that my nose looked different. I've actually thought the same thing so it would nice to hear someone else say it, too.

Today, I showed some of my classmates t my before pictures of my bite and the x-rays. They couldn't believe my bite before the surgery was as bad as it was. I have just been telling my classmates that I had a really bad bite that needed to be fixed, apparently they didn't imagine it was that bad. It was really cool showing them and seeing their reactions. I think they better understood why I had the surgery, now.

Day 42: Happy Birthday Mom!

Well, today marks six weeks since the surgery and my mom's birthday! I'm doing well, and absolutely craving a Old Timer with cheddar cheese, plain from Chili's! It's the only food that has come across my mind when I have been hungry. I'm hoping at Monday's appointment with the oral surgeon that I will be cleared to chew. I also hope he clears me to run and jump so that I can join my classmates in basketball!

School started this past monday and I got the flu or something by tuesday. It has forced me to miss a couple days of lectures but I was forced to go to the mandatory labs. I never thought I would be this far behind after one week. But, if I had to get sick I'm glad it happened this week and not mid-semester when things are moving even faster! Speaking of labs, in our first lab we had to take all sorts of measurements of the body, one of which was weight. I weighed in at 177 pounds-a three pound gain! Granted, it was a different scale.

I think I still have a little bit of swelling but not as much as a couple weeks ago. I noticed today that my cheeks felt normal, or that my cheek implants no longer felt extremely foreign. I'm still mostly numb on my lower lip and completely numb on my chin. I am constantly wiping my chin in fear that I have a piece of food dangling from it without me feeling it dangling there. My speech is still needing some improving. My S's are pronounced more as S-H's, right now. My whole enunciation is off, and worse than before. I'm not sure if its the four rubber bands I have in my mouth, the repositioning of my jaw, or what is the cause of my poor speech at this point. But it really feels like my lower jaw is so much closer to my tongue, which is taking some getting use to.

This past weekend I got to see a good friend from high school while I was in the city. He hadn't seen me since the surgery. I met him inside a crowded bar, where I was told to look for him in the back near the bar. I made my way towards the back, excited to his reaction. I saw him making his way towards me and I just stopped and stared at him as he was about to walk right by me. I saw his eyes scan my face and move on, then immediately they came back to me. He recognized me! Later on he would say that he couldn't believe how much I looked like my brother. He also complemented me on my extremely straight teeth as I was showing him my teeth that now touched. He was with his girlfriend and her sorority sisters who I have met a few times. His girlfriend recognized me but her friends swore they had never met me, at least thats the way they acted. But, it was great to see him and some familiar faces!

I'm going home this weekend at some point because I have my appointment with the oral surgeon early monday morning. Another one of my good friends from high school will be home, too. She also has not seen my "new" face, so I am looking forward to seeing her even more so than usual.

Well, I better get back to studying before I get even more behind.

Day 35: Five Weeks Down!

Well it's been a few days since my last post and I apologize to those anxiously awaiting my next post! Between orientation and moving in/getting settled in my new place I have been extremely busy. And because of that, I have decided that I will just post on the days that I have appointments and or notice improvements.

I have managed to work out twice since being cleared to do so. I am so weak now! I was barely able to do three sets of weights that I use to do a warm up set with. When I was done I felt like jello! Needless to say, I have been sore the last few days but not as bad as I thought I would have been.

I've also been very tempted to start chewing or eating solid foods these last few days. During these few days we have had every lunch and two dinners provided to us by the school. We had a class mixer at a bowling alley in which we bowled for free and were given free pizza. The pizza smelled so good and everyone looked so happy eating it. I enjoyed an ice water (with lemon) and a beer-keeping to my liquids! But I was able to eat today's lunch, which were soft shelled tacos. I pretty much ate their insides and then cut up the tortilla and ate it.

My classmates have been nice about the whole thing and no one has asked about the massive amount of hardware and rubber bands that fill my mouth unless I mention not being able to chew. I'm sure it's not hard for them to figure it out, especially after I start talking. I'm still not speaking perfectly clear, but I'm kind of close! I still cannot feel most of my lower lip and all off my chin. I'm getting use to it at this point- well as much as one can get use to not feeling these parts of their face. I haven't had much (hardly any) pain in quite some time, so this is good.