I am doing pretty well right now! But I've got to say, this was not always the case in the last week. I wasn't going to write about this, but I am here to document the whole journey.
One day after my previous (Post Op 1) entry, I hit a wall. HIT. A. WALL. Now, I had not cried about any part of this process so far. I've always been very matter of fact about getting this done, and the recovery has not been that bad. But Tuesday, exactly one week since the surgery, I lost it! I woke up feeling off, started crying that morning and couldn't stop. I did everything I could to pull myself together and stay distracted, but nothing seemed to help. I would be fine one minute, then start bawling for no known reason the next. Nothing felt right, and nothing made me happy. It felt like nothing was going to be okay again. This went on all of Tuesday, most of Wednesday, and some of Thursday. My parents and I started to get really worried because this is so, so out of character for me! Friday I seemed to be better, but I still needed to ask about what happened at my second post op appointment that afternoon.
Post Op 2
Everyone at the office was very sweet and said that I was looking great! Dr. M was extremely happy with how things were healing and moving. I had only been turning the expander twice a day for three days, but everything had moved so nicely that I should just turn it once a day until I saw Dr. S four days later.
When I asked him about how I seemed to have lost control of my emotions the past week, he answered immediately, saying that the emotional tailspin was because of the steroids leaving my system. My first thought was "Thank God there is an explanation!!" Which was quickly followed by "When did I have steroids??" I wasn't taking any, so it must have been something during surgery. I guess I should know that, but now I know to ask more about what will be happening next time.
Emotionally, I am doing a lot better! For a while, I would have small 2-second panics that it would happen again, but I'm my goofy-self again!
1st post-op Orthodontic (a week later than I originally thought)
This appointment came at a perfect time. Everything had been great with my expander until this past Sunday. I am not sure what happened, but it stopped turning! I had the key in the hole and as I tried to turn, it would pop out, essentially stabbing myself in the process! I was getting very frustrated and had to stop because I didn't want to break anything. Usually, I am pretty flexible and try not to sweat the small stuff, but I just want everything to go perfectly with these surgeries. I called the orthodontist Monday morning to ask if I should just wait one more day until the appointment. After being told not to turn it until my appointment, we decided I could wait.
At the appointment, I explained to Dr. S that I couldn't turn it. He took a look at it, and even he was having difficulty with it. I could see how much force he was putting on the key trying to turn it. He got it, but he had to put 10-15 pounds of pressure on it. It should not be that hard! He spent some time turning the expander back and forth seeing if that would loosen it up. I hope it works because I would hate to have to get a new one put in.
The Gap
My gap has grown! As it should with 13 turns of the key. I've definitely had practice smiling with closed lips. I did more at first, but the gap is a part of me right now. It feels weird to conceal a real smile. Haha, let's see if I am still saying that if it continues to grow though!
There are a few ways I can tell my jaw is expanding.
1. The gap. Obviously...
2. I can feel a small groove in the middle of my palate. My guess is that it's where new bone has not grown yet. Gross! Cool!
3. My smile feels stretched. It feels like my upper lip is stretched more than it used to be.
The gap has been a struggle... It has given me a nice little lisp, which makes answering phones at work a little more difficult. I have to really focus when saying "s"s and "th"s. It's all fun and games until I have to say "$333" to a patient... then it's hilarious!
**If you need a laugh, just ask me to read "s" and "th" tongue twisters to you! I'll do it!
At the appointment, I explained to Dr. S that I couldn't turn it. He took a look at it, and even he was having difficulty with it. I could see how much force he was putting on the key trying to turn it. He got it, but he had to put 10-15 pounds of pressure on it. It should not be that hard! He spent some time turning the expander back and forth seeing if that would loosen it up. I hope it works because I would hate to have to get a new one put in.
The Gap
My gap has grown! As it should with 13 turns of the key. I've definitely had practice smiling with closed lips. I did more at first, but the gap is a part of me right now. It feels weird to conceal a real smile. Haha, let's see if I am still saying that if it continues to grow though!
1. The gap. Obviously...
2. I can feel a small groove in the middle of my palate. My guess is that it's where new bone has not grown yet. Gross! Cool!
3. My smile feels stretched. It feels like my upper lip is stretched more than it used to be.
The gap has been a struggle... It has given me a nice little lisp, which makes answering phones at work a little more difficult. I have to really focus when saying "s"s and "th"s. It's all fun and games until I have to say "$333" to a patient... then it's hilarious!
**If you need a laugh, just ask me to read "s" and "th" tongue twisters to you! I'll do it!
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