Had an appointment with my ortho yesterday and I finally have the coveted debracing date! November 29th. NEEDS TO COME FASTER. I am itching to have these things off of my teeth for good!
He also said my occlusion is textbook perfection: The extra month without bands is to ensure that they stay that way. I am counting down the days!
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Saturday, October 13, 2012
¡La historia de mi cirugía!
For Spanish class, I had to write a composition about a dramatic change in my life. I didn't have a hard time deciding my subject!
So I thought I'd post my surgery story en español if anyone wants to try and read it (I also translated it into English below). It's a concise little summary of my entire experience!
TRANSLATION:
Usually every summer, I spend the fourth of July at the beach with my friends while eating barbecue and tanning. However, this summer I couldn't eat barbecue because I couldn't eat. I also couldn't go to the beach with my friends because I couldn't talk. I had a dramatic change: my jaws were wired shut!
When I was twelve, my dentists told me that I had an underbite. My teeth didn't fit together and I needed jaw surgery to correct it. My parents and I were scared when we learned this information but I consented to go through with surgery in the future. I didn't worry much until this past year when I got braces. Then, the idea of surgery became real. Before surgery, I looked up the stories of similar patients on the internet. I found many blogs that described each day of recovery. I found the information very helpful and decided to make a blog as well to document my experience.
On June 15th this past summer, I had surgery. I was feeling a mix of emotions: I was nervous, scared, and a little excited. After surgery, I woke up in the hospital in a lot of pain. I was incapable of doing anything. The nurses helped me eat with a syringe and go to the bathroom. I couldn't breathe, sleep, or open my mouth. I was awake all night and felt miserable.
The next day, I felt extremely tired as a result of the medication. I looked in the mirror with shock: my face was very swollen and my profile looked different. The next few weeks were very difficult. For one month, I was wired shut. I needed the syringe to eat and I couldn't talk at all. I was always in some pain. During that month, I watched movies, sketched, and wrote my blog. My friends visited me but there wasn't much we could do. I couldn't exercise or leave my house much-- it was a very depressing time in my life.
When the surgeon cut the wires, I was so delighted. I still had to wear a plastic splint for another month, but I was happy because I could talk and eat soft foods. At the end of the summer, the surgeon sedated me once more in order to remove the splint. Now, I only have braces.
This summer was difficult and frustrating but I learned a lot about myself. I also gained patience and helped other patients through the internet. I am so happy to be at the end of my recovery: my jaws are now perfect and I am glad to have had the experience.
-------------------------
Note: my teeth were banded, not wired, but I didn't know how to say rubber bands in Spanish. Writing about surgery was more difficult than I anticipated. It was so uncomfortable to relive all those emotions! My professor approached me later asking about the surgery as she had never heard of anything like it. She responded with a ¡Qué experiencia!
So I thought I'd post my surgery story en español if anyone wants to try and read it (I also translated it into English below). It's a concise little summary of my entire experience!
Un
verano mudo
Regularmente cada
verano, yo pasaba el cuatro de julio en la playa con mis amigos mientras comía
la carne asada y tomaba el sol. Sin
embargo, el verano pasado no podía comer la carne asada porque no podía comer. También no podía ir a la playa con mis amigos
porque no podía hablar. Tuve un cambio
dramático: ¡mis mandíbulas estaban cerradas con un cable!
Cuando tenía doce años, los dentistas me dijeron que
tenían una submordida. Mis dientes no
encajaban y necesitaba una cirugía de la mandíbula para corregirla. Mis padres y yo tuvimos mucho miedo cuando
supimos la información pero consentí hacerla en el futuro. No me preocupaba mucho hasta el año pasado cuando
la ortodontista me dio frenillos. Entonces,
la idea de cirugía se hizo real. Antes
de la cirugía, busqué las historias de otros pacientes similares por el
Internet. Encontré muchos diarios en el
Internet que describían cada día de recuperación. La información me parecía muy útil y decidí
hacer un diario también para documentar mi experiencia.
El 15 de junio de este verano pasado, tuve la
cirugía. Tenía una mezcla de
sentimientos: estaba nerviosa, tenía miedo y estaba un poco emocionada. Después de la cirugía, me desperté en el
hospital con mucho dolor. Estaba
incapaz—no podía hacer nada. Las
enfermeras me ayudaron a comer con una jeringa y a ir al baño. También no podía respirar, dormir, o abrir mi
boca. Pasé la noche en el hospital en
vela y me sentía muy miserable.
El próximo día, me sentía extremadamente cansada
como resultado de la medicación. Me miré
en el espejo con shock: mi cara estaba muy hinchada y mi perfil parecía
diferente. Las próximas semanas pasaban
muy difíciles. Por un mes, mis
mandíbulas quedaron cerradas por cable.
Necesitaba una jeringa para comer y no podía hablar nada. Siempre tenía dolor. Durante el mes, veía muchas películas, dibujaba,
y escribía en mi diario por Internet.
Mis amigos me visitaban mucho pero no podíamos hacer casi nada. No podía hacer ejercicio y no salía de mi
casa mucho. Era una época muy deprimente
en mi vida.
Cuando el cirujano cortó los cables, estuve muy
alegre. Todavía llevaba un protector
bucal de plástico por un otro mes, pero me sentía felíz porque podía hablar y
comer comidas blandas. Al final del
verano, la cirujano me puso bajo sedación otra vez para eliminar el protector
bucal. Ahora, solo tengo frenillos.
Este verano pasado era difícil y frustrante pero
aprendí mucho sobre mí misma. También
gané mucha paciencia y ayudé a otras pacientes similares por el Internet. Estoy contenta de estar en el final de mi
recuperación: mis mandíbulas son perfectas y me alegro tener la experiencia.
TRANSLATION:
A Silent Summer
Usually every summer, I spend the fourth of July at the beach with my friends while eating barbecue and tanning. However, this summer I couldn't eat barbecue because I couldn't eat. I also couldn't go to the beach with my friends because I couldn't talk. I had a dramatic change: my jaws were wired shut!
When I was twelve, my dentists told me that I had an underbite. My teeth didn't fit together and I needed jaw surgery to correct it. My parents and I were scared when we learned this information but I consented to go through with surgery in the future. I didn't worry much until this past year when I got braces. Then, the idea of surgery became real. Before surgery, I looked up the stories of similar patients on the internet. I found many blogs that described each day of recovery. I found the information very helpful and decided to make a blog as well to document my experience.
On June 15th this past summer, I had surgery. I was feeling a mix of emotions: I was nervous, scared, and a little excited. After surgery, I woke up in the hospital in a lot of pain. I was incapable of doing anything. The nurses helped me eat with a syringe and go to the bathroom. I couldn't breathe, sleep, or open my mouth. I was awake all night and felt miserable.
The next day, I felt extremely tired as a result of the medication. I looked in the mirror with shock: my face was very swollen and my profile looked different. The next few weeks were very difficult. For one month, I was wired shut. I needed the syringe to eat and I couldn't talk at all. I was always in some pain. During that month, I watched movies, sketched, and wrote my blog. My friends visited me but there wasn't much we could do. I couldn't exercise or leave my house much-- it was a very depressing time in my life.
When the surgeon cut the wires, I was so delighted. I still had to wear a plastic splint for another month, but I was happy because I could talk and eat soft foods. At the end of the summer, the surgeon sedated me once more in order to remove the splint. Now, I only have braces.
This summer was difficult and frustrating but I learned a lot about myself. I also gained patience and helped other patients through the internet. I am so happy to be at the end of my recovery: my jaws are now perfect and I am glad to have had the experience.
-------------------------
Note: my teeth were banded, not wired, but I didn't know how to say rubber bands in Spanish. Writing about surgery was more difficult than I anticipated. It was so uncomfortable to relive all those emotions! My professor approached me later asking about the surgery as she had never heard of anything like it. She responded with a ¡Qué experiencia!
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Little Update!
Sorry I haven't posted in so long! The college life has kept me busy. I have still been keeping up with the progress of the other patients whose blogs I'm following though, several of whom are just in the early stages of recovery. Everyone is doing so well! It's so strange to think back on the misery of the first month after surgery-- I am not sure how I survived not talking or eating for a month but I am so relieved that that part of my life is far behind me.
I really haven't been wearing my rubber bands as much as I should. Having braces is bad enough! I'm hoping that this doesn't delay getting them off because I am SO ready. My molars aren't quite touching yet but I have an appointment the week after next to evaluate my progress. Wouldn't it be amazing if my braces came off then? One can only dream.
Thankfully, the clear braces aren't too visible in pictures!
Smiling is so much easier! I am slowly forgetting how the arrangement of my jaws felt before surgery-- the way they fit now feels so natural. This is how it was always supposed to be. :) Pre-braces Facebook photos can be found here.
I really haven't been wearing my rubber bands as much as I should. Having braces is bad enough! I'm hoping that this doesn't delay getting them off because I am SO ready. My molars aren't quite touching yet but I have an appointment the week after next to evaluate my progress. Wouldn't it be amazing if my braces came off then? One can only dream.
Thankfully, the clear braces aren't too visible in pictures!
Smiling is so much easier! I am slowly forgetting how the arrangement of my jaws felt before surgery-- the way they fit now feels so natural. This is how it was always supposed to be. :) Pre-braces Facebook photos can be found here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)