Orthognathic Blog

So,at school, I joined a club, which is basically just a bunch of college girls (@ Julia if you read this), and a guy, blogging. I don’t know if any of you have heard of Her Campus but it’s a national site for the empowered college woman. I recently wrote an article entitled “What I’m Thankful For” (you can check it out here: http://www.hercampus.com/school/jcu/what-im-thankful). To give a brief summary, I went into some detail but not a ton to keep it “short and sweet and to the point”. I just mentioned that I am thankful for my surgeons, my parents, my siblings, my college friends (@ Julia again hahahah, I do have more than one friend though), and for being blessed with this life. However, I know this blog is namely for the discussion of my jaw surgery but this is also an important discussion. I want to get into some more detail, all while I sit here with freshly painted nails (that are dry so chill) and eat a bag of Peach Rings. So, first, on the topic of my surgery, breathing and chewing food is way more difficult to do than you’d think. During my recovery, I felt so grateful for that ability. I had to relearn how to chew and in about a month, I was going to be a senior in high school. It was immensely difficult because I didn’t know where my teeth were anymore. Eventually I figured it out but it was really hard at first. Breathing is still a struggle because I’ve been a mouth breather for 17 years and during recovery, they wanted me to switch to nose breathing, so now, just 6 months (exactly because it’s 11/24) shy of being 19, I can breathe through both my nose and mouth but sometimes neither because I get overwhelmed and actually pay attention to my breathing, which is always a bad idea. On another note, I will never not be thankful for my surgeons. Without them, I’d probably still be a lot more pessimistic. They are such a blessing and I’m sure that anyone who knows them will agree with me. Having them as my surgeons also means that God is to thank. I’m sorry if some of you aren’t religious but I’m about to go there. So, to the man upstairs, I love you! God not only hand-picked the best surgeons but led my parents to them, well Dr. Ochs specifically but Dr. Perrone just happened to be Chief Resident at the time (thank goodness, the ones that followed weren’t so great). While I knew I was going to be just fine after surgery, it didn’t help to pray. I awoke with only 80% swelling, which is better than most of the other patients, and I had no numbing sensations. Pretty much everyone wakes up with a numb chin/ lower lip and sometimes a small patch remains numb forever but I, luckily, apparently have a thick jaw bone so no nerves were hit during surgery in which, I could feel my lower lip and chin the next morning. And, each time I went for a visit, they always said how amazing I looked and it always felt so cool. While I felt self-conscious, they thought I was stunning, at least for being hella swollen and all. They were never once rude or angry. They’re doing it right. One thing I will never forget, at my six month appointment, Dr. Ochs said that I always brightened his day because I’d walk in with a smile but what he didn’t know (and now knows that from the letter I wrote him at my final appointment) was that I was always smiling because I loved seeing him, and sometimes I’d even get to see Dr. Perrone. Those two brought nothing but happiness to my life for the past 2 years, for Dr. Perrone, and the past 4 years for Dr. Ochs. I cannot say enough how blessed I am to know them, they’ve changed my outlook on life so much and I hope I changed theirs. I think to them, I was seen as a girl who, despite this insane surgery, walked in to every appointment wearing a smile and making some kind of facetious statement to distract myself. Yes, it was scary, but they made it so much easier. I was more nervous to have my wisdom teeth removed than I was to have jaw surgery. I knew from practically the first day that I was in good hands and that I was going to be okay. It is even more cool that I can say I am a case study now. My surgeon asked me at my last appointment if he could use me as a case study and I was like “hell yeah Mark”. I didn’t actually say that but I was thinking it. Supposedly my case was unique because they were unsure of if they should start with my top jaw or my lower jaw or do both, and everything turned out so well ( zero complications over the span of 5-6 hours, might I add) that he wanted to present my case to a board of people, or maybe just one guy, I don't remember, in Chicago. So, yes, I talk about this a lot but I’m sure you would too if you feel this blessed. I am so grateful today, and every day too. 

Oh look, another picture. I probably posted this one already but what haven’t I, honestly?? Anyway, earlier today, I was sitting in my dorm at my desk straightening my hair, so I had my mirror right in front of me. I paused, briefly, and told myself that I was beautiful. I’ve been feeling kind of down lately, partially because I’m in college so I’ve gained weight but working out gives me some sort of anxiety and my breathing sucks (still, I did go see an ENT but he just said to deal because my septum wasn’t deviated, which is awesome! - that was just another odd compliment I’ve gotten during this whole process) but when I took a close look at my face, I remembered how symmetrical my face is and that I’m gorgeous. I went through hell, that may be a slight exaggeration but I don’t really have a better adjective, to look like this and I owe it all to my boys. I haven’t talked to either of them in a few months and I miss them so much. I’m going to wait a few months to email Dr. Ochs and I’ve considered asking for a phone number so that I could just call them but I don’t think our schedules would ever work out. And, I know I’ve said this like 20,000,000 times already but I cannot be more thankful to have known him for the past two years, and Dr. Perrone for the past two. 

I’ve said this all before and I’m going to say it all again. If you look at this picture, you see a girl smiling in such a way that she may have never before. This girl would like to thank, yet again, two of the most extraordinary people, her one-of-a-kind surgeons. They allowed her to smile the brightest she ever has. Before, she smiled wide but for years, was uncomfortable with her smile. She started to become comfortable with her smile until a different one came along. The catch was years of preparation and a long recovery. She went for it and oh, was it worth it. Her journey began as a quiet high school freshman who did not want to accept the fact that she needed to have jaw surgery. On July 16, 2015, she went under the knife. On August 23,2016, post-high school graduation, she crossed the finish line that marked the end of her journey. Going on a journey that long, some would be weak and tired, and just thankful that it was over. She, however, came out stronger and happier than before. She met amazing people along the way and learned to appreciate the smallest things in life, like the ability to chew (re-learning how to chew food is really difficult especially when your family is watching you take your first bite post-surgery). She became so grateful for everything and everyone, her aunt and uncle for coming to visit and dropping off a small care package, her brother for the 3 balloons (one of which said “congratulations” so while it was funny and can laugh at it now, was angry at him for making her life when she could barely talk), her mother for forcing her to take her steroids that reduced swelling even though she got sick after taking them and even though the resident said she could technically stop taking them, and everyone else for all of their love and support during her long and somewhat excruciating recovery. Most people are not as lucky. She was blessed with one of the best surgical teams and is forever grateful for how well it all went. Her biggest thank you’s go to her surgeons, her family, the insurance company (lol, I put this in here because we all know it’s crazy expensive and they also covered the cosmetic portion b/c having a symmetrical face-post surgery, is only kind of a must-have to fix the issue), and of course, God, for watching over her throughout it all. So, here today, she wears the biggest smile of them all, as much as possible. (Sometimes when I’m snap chatting, I’ll send them a close-up of my face with my teeth being the main focus and caption it “sorry, I’m just in love with my new(not-so new anymore) bite”). I truly cannot express my gratitude enough. Never would I go through this again unless my jaw got hella screwed up somehow but I am 100% grateful that this happened. I do not regret this decision in the slightest. 14/15 year-old would have been disappointed and lived a less fulfilling, and more physically painful life had she chosen to not have surgery. 

I’m clearly not posting this in August because it’s October 10,2016 (today’s internet job is “Are you today’s date? because you’re a 10/10.”). I meant to write this earlier but never got around to it. I just wanted to share how the appointment went. Before I headed downtown for the appointment, my mother and I went to the grocery store to pick out a small appreciation gift for Dr. Ochs. Chocolate is always classic but we hesitated since he’s an oral surgeon (and maxillofacial but that’s not super relevant to this). I had already written a card, super meaningful and I’ll talk more about that in a bit, and considering that both he and I share a similar sense of humor, I knew I had to give him something funny. Being that he’s a jaw surgeon, I opted for the ever-classic Gobstoppers. On the box, it says jawbreakers so I circled it with a pen to ensure that he’d get the joke. He did, and laughed so hard. My mother and I decided to get him a box of dark chocolate pretzels, which went over well. When I got to his office, we got kind of lost because there was construction so we had to figure out our way in the rest of the building that we are not usually in. In the room, I noticed an old pal of mine was sitting on the counter. I don’t think I have a picture on my computer but his name is Earl. He is the skull that was used to demonstrate what they would be doing to my jaw during the supposed 6 hour operation (it was like 5 in actuality, nbd). This whole day was very bittersweet for me so just you wait. When Dr. Ochs walked in to the room, he let me give him a hug (it was his first day back at work after being injured-his arm, specifically- in a car accident). I then told him that I got him a small “thank you” gift to which he said, “You didn’t have to do that”, and I had hoped to watch him open all of it and see his reaction to the card but the resident, who I didn’t like (I got bad vibes from him), had me hold these metal things in my mouth so he could take pictures of my teeth. However, after the appointment my mother informed me with “I don’t think he even finished reading it because I saw him wipe his eyes and he closed the card.” That was truly such a pleasant/ emotional thing to hear. When he got the chocolates he said that he usually doesn’t eat chocolate but dark chocolate is his “absolute favorite” to which I was pleasantly surprised and proud of myself for guessing correctly. And, like I said before, he thought the jawbreakers were hysterical. I then had to do some x-rays, and again, the lady was super nice and was like “I don’t even have to tell you what to do because you already know”. That was true, I’m practically a pro at jaw x-rays now. So, finally, after my x-rays, he gave me some solid advice for college, which in short was that “going to class is the lazy way because it’s easier than trying to get notes from someone”. As we were sitting in the lobby talking, he was talking to both me and my mother but was looking at me quite often and I could see in his eyes that he had previously been crying or was about to so what happened next wasn’t too surprising. We got up to leave and he gave my mother a hug but gave me a handshake. I figured this was either because he’d already hugged me once and didn’t want to again or because he didn’t want to cry in front of me. I chose the latter. Naturally as were walking out and during part of the car ride home, I had begun crying. He means so much to me and it kind of sucks that that was my last appointment, great for financial reasons but emotionally, not so much. That’s all for this post, but I have another one coming right after this.

Hello peeps! Since, as of last month, it has already been a year, my posts are kind of irrelevant now because I am no longer recovering. However! If you just came across this blog, I want to share with you some pictures from before and after surgery. Also, side note, I hope my blog can help you with your experience in some way. When I had mine, I noticed that not a ton of people had blogs for open bites so I wanted to make one to help others, and also so that I could look back one day and feel nostalgic. Anyway, back to the post. Before surgery, though I never truly noticed it until it wasn't there, I had a pretty bad over bite, as you can probably see. I have had braces before those photos were taken, but since I used to sleep with my mouth open, my retainer always fell out so my teeth repositioned themselves, yet again, and everything looked even worse. Despite that, I was just starting to actually like my smile right before surgery. After surgery though, was interesting... recovery wasn't too bad after the first week ended but being hella swollen and going out in public is an experience, let me tell ya. It’s not so much that people said anything but they definitely stared, and you can bet I became very self-conscious and got myself into a panic. I’ve always disliked when the attention is on me, so this was even worse. The good side of recovery though... seeing results. One of the best feelings, truly. Even to this day, I love my new bite so I’m like always taking pictures of it hahah. This post has gotten really long so I think I’ll end this here. Just know, that jaw surgery is, hopefully, a very rewarding experience. It takes a lot out of you but it is sooooo worth it. 

GUYS I AM SO EXCITED! IT HAS OFFICIALLY BEEN 1 YEAR SINCE MY DOUBLE JAW SURGERY. I’LL STOp typing in caps now, sorry. On this day last year at 4am I would’ve just woken up, gotten dressed, told my brothers I was leaving (it was nice that one of them woke up on their own to say good luck), and headed out the door with my parents. Then by 5:15, I was at the hospital patiently waiting to get this thing over with. Now, I am so thankful for everything. I know that’s weird to say about surgery because who wants to have jaw surgery, honestly, but I really am. After surgery, I feel so much more grateful for pretty much everyone and everything in my life. That is all.

June 11,2016: basically a brand ambassador Hello friends! So after jaw surgery, my lips got really chapped, as does everyone's who has experienced this. My dad went down to the hospital gift shop and bought this chapstick for me. It honestly helped my lips so much. I definitely suggest this to anyone having surgery.

June 1, 2016: Update? So although nothing has really changed, I just wanted to talk. On May 16, I reached 11 months post op. I'm bout a month and 15 days shy of a year. This is all so crazy though. I honestly cannot believe it's been almost a full year. Time really flew by. If you're having jaw surgery sometime in the future, know that, at least for me, the first week sucked and then the rest was pretty much just going through the motions. However, it's different for everyone. I got really lucky and woke up from surgery already being able to feel my chin (maybe not right after but several hours after...Apparently I have a really thick jaw bone so none of the nerves were hit) and bottom lip, I didn't need a splint or have to be wired shut. I had it pretty easy and I think that's why I talk about my experience so much. I got incredibly lucky with my surgeons. Not only are they amazing at their job but they also are two of the nicest guys I've ever met. I've mentioned this before but I still keep in contact with them. I told them both where I was going to school in the fall and the one responded by saying that his family is moving to connecticut and will only be mile from the beach, he has an 11 month old son (he was born exactly a week before my surgery), but that I should absolutely keep in touch. I wish I could express to you guys just how much my surgeons mean to me.

So at my 6 month appointment, my surgeons told me to let them know where I decided to go to college. I have recently decided, so I emailed both of them. They are simply too adorable. My one surgeon discussed how my future school is an amazing school. The other told me the same thing and how he's so happy for me. He also told me about him moving soon, after finishing up his residency here, and how him and his family will only be a mile away from the beach. He then followed up by asking me to keep in touch. My surgeons are such amazing people and after my last appointment in August, I don't think I'll know what to do with myself. I will absolutely miss them both so much and I can't believe I won't see either of them after my appointment.

As I took my final bows on my high school stage, I felt so many emotions. I was happy, for we have all worked so hard to put on an amazing production, Spamalot, and I was sad, that it was all coming to an end. Over the past four years, musical has become a second home. I've met some of the nicest, most dedicated people. We had very little help from adults so it's even better knowing the show was put on almost entirely by us, the students/thespians. I've cried many a tear on closing night, but last night many more. It hit me as I was cleaning up that I'd never do this again. I'd never see that exact same group of people come together like that. I'd never experience the moment of pure bliss that came during that final scene. Seeing everything all put away, later to be either thrown away or tidied up, made me so incredibly sad. It signified the end, and we all know that endings are the worst part. While I know that no one involved in the production will see this, I'd like to take a moment and thank them for all of their hard work and for being an incredible group of people that I will never forget. I can't wait to come back and see next year's production as an audience member, rather than from behind the scenes.

April 13,2016 : 3 days short of 10 months post op I know you're probably wondering why I still post since my recovery is almost officially over. However, once I got to know my surgeons and the residents, all of this became an experience I will never forget. And being that I have to make a college decision in about 2 weeks, I think about my surgeons more and more. They've requested I tell them where I'm headed in the fall and I can't wait to tell them! However, the more I think about them, the sadder I become. I only have one more appointment this summer and then I'll never see them again. Maybe I can request keeping in touch, lol. I'm sure some of you felt differently about jaw surgery but it's honestly one of the biggest blessings I've been given.