an Afrin high and other news

My, my. I feel very content right now. My 2.5 year old and I met with a great ENT this afternoon. It was very good news all around. The best news is that my precious daughter received a clean bill of health. I am soooo grateful! I was concerned she is becoming a mouth breather, and while he didn't argue with my observations, he confirmed that there is no medical reason for her to do so. Yeah! We're encouraged to monitor her eating/drinking, to see if she can chew with her lips closed, and to keep an eye on any halitosis developing.

He said my mouth breathing is probably due to my inflamed turbinates, large tonsils, and a deviated septum....but that at this time he does rec'd surgery to fix any of these. I am going to try some a steroid nasal spray and see what it does. Boy, the Afrin he sprayed to see up my nose r-e-a-l-l-y opened things up. I am still taking deep nasal breaths several hours later! This is the "breathing high" that my yoga/weights instructor has been talking about. :)

Guess what else I observed in the waiting room? (Since we waited for over an hour, I had plenty of time to people watch while I distracted my toddler.) More than half the people had underdeveloped lower jaws. Is that not crazy?!

The ENT is a close family friend, in fact his daughter is babysitting for me tomorrow while my husband and I drive to Charleston for the big pre -op work up, which meant that I felt completely comfortable today. So, when he offered that he thought jaw surgery would improve my breathing, and that in his medical opinion it was the right thing to do, I was ELATED. He thinks moving my lower jaw forward will help move my tongue forward as well. Hmm. Is my ortho going to like that I wonder?

Oooo, I am almost giddy with thoughts of tomorrow. In my mind, it's a make it or break it appt. If I still feel uncomfortable with the surgeons, then I am sooo finding another doctor! I'll try to make a rational decision, of course, but that's is my 100% emotional conclusion. :)

Sings of slow healing?

I am growing concerned that my body is a "slow healer". The morning after my molds were taken, so two days ago, these ugly blisters popped up and almost glued my lips shut. For two mornings now I have cautiously worked my lips apart, the blistering skins fall off, and they burn. Disgusting, no? Does anyone else suffer with these? I have NEVER had a fever blister. My theory is that my lips overstretched during the game of tug-o-war unsticking molds. The ortho tech said my lips have an unusually small opening/stretching ability...and I can't help but think this and my OB experiences are related. No stretch = big tear. Hmmm. I healed well after both of my deliveries but s-l-o-w-l-y, and only really got my energy back when I followed my midwife's advice for two weeks of bedrest.


When I saw these little blisters on my lips, I shuddered knowing that I will likely be a slow healer. Ahhh, I don't feel discouraged so much as I feel frustrated that my body won't do as I say. For now, I am checking my vitamins for proper dosages of C, B12, iron, and folate, eating as well as I can, and trying to stay rested.

back home

I had a grand time with my family. The children adore the water, my husband repaired a lovely old sailboat in time for our local regatta, and my brothers joked around just like the summers of our childhood. Marvelous memories all around. Here is a pic of some local sea island heirloom tomoatoes. Surprisingly, few others liked 'em, so I gobbled as many of them as I could. Another surprise was the evening my dear father listened intently as I explained why I was having jaw surgery. My family doesn't quite "get it", but I love that they're trying so hard. :)

As soon as I returned home, I began catching up on what everyone is doing. Hopefully, this weekend I can post some comments. This week is full of doctor's appointments, and a million calls to find childcare for each of the appts. Phew! Which reminds me of how much I need to begin planning for childcare help for the extended post-surgery recovery. My DH will take off 2 weeks, a real luxury, I know, but I sense I'll need help for a few weeks after that.


Wendesday, I had another excellent ortho appointment. I finally understand how to best work with the office staff. We took molds, which wasn't that bad, except when the lower mold refused to budge. ooooh, for a few minutes I swore my teeth were going to opo out! The tech was super sweet. Her goal was to have the molds come out so well that my oral sureon will not try to take molds next week during my pre-op visit. Next, my lower wires were changed from 62s to 60s, I think, and new power chains placed.

The ortho also crimped my wires in several places to work on those slow moving areas. One front tooth remains pulled in and the lower gaps are persitent. Ouch! It was uncomfortable at first, and within about 2 hours pretty painful. This morning, my mouth still aches intensely. I am actually kinda exicted, though, my teeth are finally moving again. :)

We discussed his concerns about surgery and my switch to a teaching hospital. This time he was positive. Good, I needed some encouragement. His additional advice struck me as Very Important.

1. Ask for the smallest splint possible, this will protect my bite and reduce an open bite problem after surgery.
   
2. When I asked about possible changes to my nose, he said be sure to ask for a VY closure or something, this helps keeps the tip of the nose from tipping up.

Gotta research these and work on my list of questions before next week's appt.

On a personal note, my emotions regarding surgey have been all over the place recently. One day I am fine, the next consumed with worry - about the surgeon, the swelling, you name it. Reading the great ortho blogs since we returned from vacation has really helped. And Archwired's forums are good, too. My dream? To be as carefree about surgery as my daughters were when this photo was taken .

results from my adjustment

(from Tuesday)
Had a great visit to the ortho this week. We were going to take molds this week, but decided to wait for my gaps to finish closing. It was heavenly to brush and floss without wires! I was making so many noises of joy that the 8-yr brushing next to me gave me a strange look. Who knew getting gunk out from between my back molar bands could bring such happiness?

My next appointment is July 9th, right after a family vacation. The ortho will take molds and we'll set a surgery date.

I kept the same wires but they ortho added a metal twist under my two front teeth to help bring them out. Great news. These teeth did not move much at all over the last month.

Wednesday - my teeth have ached for almost 48 hours now. No more wight loss, though, since I remembered how comforting cookie dough can be! I remind myself that each bolt of pain is progress. The constant discomfort definitly makes me less patient with my small children. Poor dears.


Addendum - This morning, my surgeon called and I have a date. Woo hoo! I am growing more nervous as the day passes, but I am thrilled. I'll go down to Charleston (100 miles away) on July 16th to have surgical molds taken, and then the big show is set for August 26th. So many family decisions are depending on having a date set - a giant hug of appreciation to my husband for his patience in all this. With dates in hand I can begin arranging for child care.

summertime

My youngest is teething (finally) and woke me up at 4:15 today. Instead of reaching for another cup of joe, I decided looking at some favorite pictures would perk me up until supper time.

Here is a fun snapshot of my oldest playing in the pool with my brother.

celery cheeks

I am waiting for an adjustment tomorrow after my first month with power chains. The space in my lower teeth seems pretty persistent, though the constant-but-different teeth aches over the last 2 weeks encourage me that something is going on. :)

The lack of a surgery date has not kept me from dreaming about jaw surgery. It's weird how it's taken over my dreams lately. The inside of my mouth has lots of tender spots from I guess, night time "chewing". When I slide my tongue inside my cheeks, it feels like a piece of celery, with all its' tiny ridges.

A good thing about my gray power chains is that they don't stain as badly as the ligs did. For my birthday last week, DH and I ate fabulous Korean curries, drank red wine, and split a decadent dessert & coffee, without any telling dental signs!

My toddlers are in their first swim lesson this week, which means I'm skipping my exercise classes and pretending to be a teenager again. Where did those long summers at the pool go?

jaws are all around you!

Now that I am on this jaw surgery journey, I notice folks with jaw problems everywhere. I mean it. Kinda like when I was pregnant with my first baby and, kaboom, there were pregnant ladies all around me. :)

Sometimes this amuses me and other times it disturbs me. The other night I ran to the grocery store after the kids were in bed. On almost every aisle another shopper and I stumbled into each other. This woman had kind eyes, a bit tired, and smiled each time we passed. What struck me though was how far her lips hung from her mouth. Her lower jaw was so recessed that her lips appeared to be spilling off her face.


I fought the urge to give her a giant hug and pester her with questions. Had she struggled to breath through her nose, too? Did she have headaches? Had her jaw recessed more over time or was it always like that? She was middle aged, so I also wondered if she'd considered surgery or over time accepted her situation. Of course, there was NO WAY I would ever actually speak those thoughts to her. And situation isn't the right word, but you know what I'm trying to say. As I paid for my groceries, she pulled in line behind me and I snuck another glance. I thought, "Wow, I am really blessed. My lips can meet if I pull 'em with all my might." As I drove out of the parking lot, her car stopped behind mine at the traffic signal. It was really weird.


Reading about Leah's, Holly's and Heather's recent experiences has helped me grow more comfortable with the idea of surgery and all. And yet I still fret about how other people will react to me after the fact. I wonder how others will judge my decision - maybe because I struggle with judgment in my own heart?

The other jaw stuff on my mind has been a renewed interest in mouth breathing. I am slowly solving the riddle about my "long face syndrome". More on this later...

Thanks

Hi everyone,

I am breaking from my usual journal format to send a hearty THANKS to each of you who have shared an encouraging word or a helpful comment. Your thoughts have really meant a lot to me. They have helped me find perspective on what can be a highly subjective experience.

We are celebrating my youngest daughter's first birthday this week, and I decided to make a photo collage with one photo from each month of the past year. It is amazing to see just how fast time passes. Even though each day brings a slightly new dental discovery, all in all, the last four months have fluttered past as I went about my usual routines. The photographs made me smile, albeit with melancholy for the passing of such a sweet, sweet time. You readers with children know just what I'm talking about. :)

My self esteem is in a better place today, and as I scanned through hundreds of photographs, a couple of thoughts struck me:

• I miss not having braces, but am sooooooo glad I'm finally got 'em!


• when I smile with sincerity, my jaw problems are way less noticeable!


• life is too short for me to take myself as seriously as I have been!

So I just wanted to say merci beaucoup - grazie - gracias - danke to everyone. Let's smile!