Jaw Surgery Journey with Sammi

IT HAS BEEN A LONG TIME I know y'all have missed reading my updates, and I am sorry that I have not been more diligent about updating you, but let me bring you to present day: May 2021 through March 2022  Samantha is finally done with her three rounds of Invisalign trays. That is right, three rounds of them after a year and a few months in metal braces. Invisalign sucked. I had TMJ pain and muscle pain the whole time I was in the trays.  March 2022-May 20222 - Invisalign at nighttime only. This was still hell.  Present Day: Never ending pain and agony. 

One Year. I really thought that at the 1 year mark I would say this is the best decision I have ever made.  I was wrong. 

  Wow. It has been a whirlwind! I am sorry it has been 3 months since updates! As they say, no news is usually good news right? Overall, everything has improved. My braces came off in February and then began 8 weeks of Invisalign trays, which brings you to present day.  My pain is minimal, every time I change trays I do have jaw pain predominantly on the right side (not sure if that has to do with my disc displacement and right condyle being the way it is or not). The pain subsides and is NOTHING like my jaw pain use to be. I can eat almost everything. Fruit snacks or beef jerky are still a challenge, but progress not perfection :) My palette and gums are still numb, but apparently that is normal and will come back eventually.  I did have a lot of dry needling done since I have posted last, and that really helped with some pain I was having. I am clenching at night, but when I wake up and my teeth are clenching I am not in pain. Yes, you read that correctly. It...

 Hi Everyone! I feel like this 6 month mark post surgery has been a HUGE turning point for me. I want to make sure and give you all the updates: Chewing So much more and so much better! I am able to chew a much wider variety of foods, but still cannot chew certain items such as hard chips, lettuce, chewy/gummy foods, pizza crust. One day or one week when I am able to, I will be eating all of those things :) Sleeping You really can train yourself to do whatever you want. I have learned to not flip onto my stomach and sleep only on my side or back. I really thought this was not possible, but I was wrong! Sleeping has been so much better pain wise. I still clench some, but hopefully that will fully change when I get into a nighttime splint. Braces Y'all. Listen up. I get my braces off in two weeks! Two weeks! I am so excited to get them off and the wire on the roof of my mouth. Oh yes, that's right, you may have forgotten that I still have the wire over the roof of my mouth that e...

  Hi Everyone, I hope everyone has been enjoying the holiday season. I wanted to check back in with everyone on my progress. 12/10 -So eating has been a journey again. I couldn't chew again for about 2-3 weeks since my last post. I reached out to my surgeon and I started back on an anti-inflammatory (Difusional) and went back to physical therapy. Physical therapy is sooooo helpful. I absolutely love it. I have learned that the right side of my mouth/ jaw area is more numb than my left. I noticed that if I chew, that it is only on the left side of my mouth. After doing some exercises, I realize that my right side is still pretty numb.  12/23 - I unfortunately am not chewing the past few days again. I am sitting at my desk icing my left side of my face. I do not know what happened, probably slept on it funny or clenched my teeth at night, but the pain is back without even chewing.  - I am still rocking the PT and dry needling. Y'all have to try it if you have TMJ pain. It m...

 Hey Fans! 11/6/20 I will start by saying between weeks 12-15 I have started to not think about my jaw or I haven't felt forced to think about my jaw every hour of the day. Before that, it was all that was on my mind due to all the effects of recovery.  My biggest news update for everyone is that my orthodontist told me yesterday that I may only have 3 MORE MONTHS OF BRACES! This is the best news ever!  The orthodontist had to put space in between my front lower teeth (called IPR) in order to match with my top teeth. It was uncomfortable, but so far no crazy pain.  I am still using the steroid paste everyday in my mouth. It is still gross, but minor detail of this whole process. Its helping to make sure where the stitches were remains loose and don't pull my upper lip in too much. 11/16/20 - Bad news for me. Well, I am trying to stay positive, but for the past two days I have done a soft/limited chew diet because my jaw on the right side is not doing well. My TM...

Hey Jaw Fans, I am sorry for not updating you as much as I have in the past, and I hope to get you more frequent updates. I will do a brief recap of what has happened since my last post. Orthodontist: I had scans taken to get a new wire for my bottom braces. Yes, the braces journey continues and feels like it is never ending. Once we move all my teeth back to where they need to be (which were only moved for surgery), then I can have my teeth back. Teeth Pain: Meh. The nerve feeling is coming back so that means my teeth will have pain. I no longer have to wear the rubber bands on my braces all day, just at nighttime, so that has helped a lot with the pain.  TMJ Pain: This is what I was worried about in terms of the double jaw surgery not addressing my TMJ issues. For those who haven't read all my posts (no judgment), the surgery was not specifically for my TMJ issues, but for my other two issues (open bite and pushed back lower jaw). The only pain I have TMJ-wise is if I try to chew...

 Wow, its been awhile since I have checked in with everyone! It has been 7 weeks since my surgery and there is still progress being made each week.   Last Thursday September 3rd, I got the "okay" to eat solid food. That's right, I have been swallowing liquid and soft foods for 6 weeks. It is as crazy as it sounds.  You should try it, let me know how it goes for you. Funny story, last night I decided I wanted lentil soup after I swore a few weeks ago I would never eat it again. Ha. Funny how desires and cravings have changed.  Since my last post: 1. I have been able to work out (do cardio), it has been very challenging after not being physically active for such a long time. This week, I have been able to use the elliptical at a higher level and for a longer period of time. This is a lot more than what I could do two weeks. 2. This process has been really hard on me emotionally. It has taken me awhile to accept the way I feel certain days about my surgery and recovery,...

 It has officially been a month since my surgery. It seems crazy that time has passed so slowly/quickly. Some days are longer than others especially depending on whether I am in pain or not.  This week has been busy with orthodontist appointments and surgeon appointments. Lets go over the key points from this week and then we will discuss the highlights. Orthodontist Appointment:     This lovely appointment on Tuesday was 2.5 hours. It was awful. Holding my mouth open for extended periods of time is still not easy for me, especially with someone jabbing around in it the whole time. I was able to get the surgical hooks taken off and new wires put in, which cleaned up the look of my teeth which I cannot complain about (other than the pain). They also put in a TP wire on the roof of my mouth. This is to make sure that my upper jaw that moved during surgery stays in its new position. It does effect my speaking somewhat, but is a ton better than the splint that was i...

  Hey Everyone! Yesterday I went to my surgeon and much to my surprise my splint was removed! It was very exciting. I also had my surgeon and orthodontist in the same room at the same time. Only something I have wanted for a whole year! What does this mean? The splint that was wired into my braces on my upper teeth that was also blocking most of the roof of my mouth was taken out. I can now speak so much clearer and do not drool anywhere close to the amount I was before. I would say my speaking is at about 90%, with the 10% to come back when my lips and face come back to life (because they are still numb). My orthodontist put spacers in between my back molars on my top teeth in order for her to put something new into my mouth on Tuesday. The great news is that my teeth touch! Look at the difference in this before and after photo. Please ignore my gross teeth (I am not allowed to floss and have been brushing with a baby tooth brush).           Before th...

I am officially two weeks out from my surgery. I remember praying for the days to go by fast so that I could have some relief from the misery of recovery from this surgery. I will say that since 10 days after surgery, I have felt about the same everyday with the exception of added exhaustion and some days with a little more pain than others. I truly have not slept for two weeks, so my Doctor prescribed me some medication to help me sleep. Last night was the first night in two weeks that I slept longer than a 45 minute time period without waking up. It was wonderful. Not getting sufficient rest is enough to make anyone miserable and truly has made me miserable on top of trying to recover. I saw my surgeon Monday and he said that he hopes to be able to take out the splint in my mouth (the one that is making me talk funny and drool constantly) by late next week. There are no promises in this game though so I am not holding my breath.  I am still on a liquid diet, but have moved from s...

Thank you so much for everyone’s thoughts and prayers this past week since surgery. I am telling you it’s the only thing that made me get through it. I am still on a longgggg road to recovery, but wanted to give everyone as many details as possible. I am sorry it has taken me so long to get updates as well. This process has been more than draining on me mentally, emotionally, and physically.  1. Pain - Very minimal. I was only taking medicine the first 5 days, and it has not been hard transitioning off of them.  - Now that I am on day 9, I would say my pain is more pressure, like a headache on the left side of my head. Not sure if that is odd, but I will find out when I go back to my surgeon Monday. 2. Comfortability - Non-existent.      Face-It feels like someone has put duct tape on your face stretching your face constantly. My whole face feels like rubber. Each day I get a little bit more feeling in some part of it, but I still cannot feel my chin all the way...

I did it! Made it to the other side of surgery.i will post more when more coherent 

Alrighty, here we go..... Take 2. Tomorrow I am on for my surgery. My third COVID test of the month (thanks to this surgery) came back negative. Yay! As long as I can keep my body temperature low, blood pressure low, and all vitals where they need to be (like I have some control over that ha) it will be smooth sailing tomorrow.

Where to begin....ah yes, so this morning(7/16) at 8:00 am, I received a phone call from my orthodontist's office saying that I needed to come in to make sure my surgical hooks were put in. What? Who? Huh? (Was that your reaction too?) Much to my surprise, I  never had the surgical hooks put on my braces! I was told that the surgery could have been done without them (if I had actually got that far on the 7th), but that the hooks are beneficial and should be there. Are you still confused?  I am too don't worry. So, I got these beauts put on this morning, as well as two new wires:  This is actually a great photo of how my teeth do not close and how the top and bottom centers do not line up. The orthodontist's office gave me a nutribullet this morning telling me that all surgery patients get them....... anyone confused even more?! Wasn't I a surgery patient 2 weeks ago?? I actually find it humorous at this point. It was very kind of them to give me a blender and it will...

Hey Everyone! So, I am 8 days out from my new surgery date July 21, 2020. Keep your fingers crossed that this time it will be the right time for me to have surgery. The best news from last week is that I met a new friend Alex who was scheduled to have jaw surgery by the same surgeon last week. Alex was able to have her surgery (even though it is not the exact same surgery as mine), and we have been talking ever since. Alex has been able to keep me in the loop about all the ins and outs from how you feel hours after the surgery to how she is feeling and doing 6 days after. It has given me such peace of mind to talk with her about this whole process and I am so fortunate to have met her.  As for me, I am feeling a lot better than I was last week when the surgery was canceled, and am enjoying chewing food and taking my vitamins again.  I hope everyone is staying safe! (Alex and I look nothing like this, but it is representing me and my new braces friend! )

Alright, I owe everyone some answers and I am ready to discuss them. Let me take you through the day of events yesterday.... 7:45am: I arrive at the hospital and my temperature is immediately taken. I have a 95 degree temperature. 7:50 am: I check in with the outpatient center and wait for a nurse to take me to Pre-op 8:00 am: I am taken to pre-op, I put on my pretty lavender hospital garb and wait to get my temperature and vitals taken. 8:10 am: Get vitals and temperature taken, this time my temperature is 99.9 degrees. The nurse asks if I am warm, I tell her I am not.  8:30 am: Two new nurses come in and ask me the normal 1000 questions (i.e. what meds are you taking, have you eaten or drank past midnight, do you have Covid symptoms etc.) Temperature is taken again, 99.1 degrees. 8:50 am: Insert IV jab in forearm....doesn't work...second attempt insert IV in inside elbow area (I should learn the name of that spot on the body) and success. Temperature is taken again. 99....

Hey fans, I am home eating lunch because the surgery was canceled. I’m a little out of it, exhausted, and devastated all in one. I have to believe it just wasn’t meant to be today. Two weeks I should be having the surgery.  I will share more information soon. Thanks for keeping up with my journey.

I am on my way to the hospital as we speak! I will be in surgery from 10am-2pm. I appreciate everyone’s warm wishes and thoughts!

Hey jaw fans! I am just under 2 days away until my jaw surgery. I will be honest, the anxiety inside of me about it all is a little overwhelming, but it’s keeping me productive. I feel like the energizer bunny and am just like go, go, go! Those who personally know me know that I am like that most the time anyway, but right now it’s even more so. Bottom braces are a lot less sore which I am happy about. However, I did get stung by two bees today so that has not been fun. Literally, I can’t believe it happened. Let’s just say it’s a little painful distraction.  I will check in with everyone tomorrow when it will be 24 hours before surgery!!! 

 I said goodbye to my bite guard of 4.5 years today and hello to my bottom braces. As I am excited to say goodbye to my faithful friend (the bite guard), I am nothing but in pain and frustrated with bottom braces and it has only been 6 hours.  I have been delaying posting this post and the last because I am not in the best of moods given the last 24 hours. But, with that said I have been open, honest, and transparent with everyone on the blog and will continue to be. I do not want anyone to think that this process has been easy, comforting, exciting, or joyous because it has not. Yes, it is my choice to have this surgery, but I did not ask for the issues and reasons that are causing me to have this surgery. Bottom line is that if I do not have the surgery my upper and lower jaw will continue to grow further apart, and I would have to stay in my bite splint. Insurance still is a pain. Even though my surgeon has been  authorized as in network, insurance still puts up a figh...

 Today I went to see my surgeon for the final pre-surgery consultation and it is official, I am having upper and lower jaw surgery.  What does this mean?  Surgery is 4 hours instead of 2 hours I will have little metal brackets in my upper and lower gum area (forever) Recovery is the same Lower jaw is being shift from left to right and moved forward Upper jaw is being sliced, widened, and then cut into three pieces and moved forward (I realize this sounds ridiculous, but this is whats happening) This is the best video I can find about what is happening. The video starts by showing the airway, but by the end of the clip you see what is going to be happening to my jaw. There are also a few other details that aren't the same, like my chin isn't being moved and the upper jaw is being sliced into three pieces on top of cut all the way through.

Last week really took a toll on me. The two appointments I had gave me more information about my surgery (which I shared in those posts), which is good and bad. It is good so that I know the information, but bad in the fact that I had to process it all. I am glad I chose to share my blog last week (which was the plan all along) because I have been so grateful and surprised with the amount of support and relatable stories. My close friend pointed out that even though my surgery appointments and braces have all taken place in the past 6-9 months, my jaw journey has been ongoing for much longer. So, it is A LOT to process and take in each day because what seemed SO FAR AWAY at one point is closely approaching. Tomorrow I go to the dentist, which is the first appointment since my braces have been put on. Takes me back down memory lane of going to the dentist in middle school when I had braces the first time.....so nostalgic haha I hope everyone has an enjoyable week!

I am overwhelmed with the responses I have received from my blog and very happy that everyone has been so thoughtful and supportive. I promise to keep everyone as up to date as necessary.    Today, I went to the orthodontist for an impromptu appointment due to issues I am having with one of my teeth. To catch those up who have not necessarily read all my posts,  on my left side of my mouth on my top teeth I have a double coil in place because the teeth were not separating as quickly at the doctor would have liked.  With that, my second tooth on the left (from the front) is not only now separated properly, but FLIPPED OUTWARD. That''s correct, my tooth is flipped out towards my upper lip. ( Yes, I am a little dramatic, but who isn't)    When I saw my surgeon on Monday he also thought this was not okay and called the Orthodontist. Dr. Rathburn said it would be okay, but I still wanted to make sure I saw her sooner rather than later.   Now that I hav...

I had my second to last appointment prior to surgery today and it was approximately 2 hours long. I had to get a CT scan taken of my jaw and molds taken of my upper and lower teeth. They had to redo the top mold three times and the bottom mold twice.....it was painful and exhausting, but we made it! Plaster is all over me and my clothes, but I am accepting it as part of the jaw surgery package deal.    Surgery Updates: 1. I have to get a COVID test the day before my surgery   2. No family member or friend is allowed with me at the hospital before, during, or after surgery. (It will be a lonely night at the hospital)   3. Week 1= liquids, Week 2= soft foods (i.e. eggs)   4. My mouth will not be wired shut at any point   5. I will have a clear splint wired to my upper teeth for 4-6 weeks (this was a new fun fact for me today)   I was also given a lovely book today on recipes for after surgery. Fun is just around the corner!     I also wanted to...

Hey Fans! So, everything is moving right along as planned so far. Last week I was supposed to get a new wire put in, but the Orthodontist was pleased with how my teeth are moving and only decided to change the coils (remember that lovely photos I posted of myself a few weeks ago). I am scheduled to get a new wire next week and then we are already in June! I can't believe how quickly this surgery is approaching. I am eager to post my blog for the world and to be able to connect with those who may have similar stories or concerns.  The blog site has made its own updates, and I am still trying to navigate them myself. I hope everyone is continue to stay safe!

Happy Star Wars Day! Today I went and saw my surgeon. Everything is still on track. He said the springs on my braces are moving my roots well, and that we should be set to go for July 7th. Obviously, if people do not keep practicing social distancing and the disease continues to spread in the State to a point where ICUs are overcrowded, then surgery would be postponed. Let's hope everyone will continue to practice healthy social distancing and wearing masks!

Today I received an email from my surgeons office about insurance, but that is not what I wanted to share with everyone. What I want to share is that they mentioned my surgery is still on schedule. That means, my surgery would still be July 7th! This is great news as well as surprising news.  Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock. July will be here before I know it. I can't believe next week is already May.  I hope everyone is staying safe.

Days like today remind me of why I started this blog.  Today, I was able to get the surgical wire and coils put on my upper braces. I went into this appointment excited to keep this process moving along, but also sad to go back to a soft/liquid diet (even though my body was ready for it).  After having to open my mouth for 40 minutes (which kills my jaw by the way), I left the appointment and felt like I had just been hit by a bus. I felt that way not because I was in pain, but because getting a new wire in my mouth made me relive all the trauma I have had with my jaw journey. It's funny because I did not expect to feel that way, but I probably should have realized I likely would feel emotional about it.        I have lived in a pretty comfortable place with my jaw for about 4-5 weeks (since my wire wasn't replaced in March), so part of me took a halt on the feelings and emotions that take place during this journey. Anyone struggling with ...