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Posted by learian on August 07, 2007 at 17:18:02:In Reply to: Re: lower jaw surgery for sleep apnea? posted by mikeinboston on August 07, 2007 at 14:17:12:
Hi, Seriouslymer,
As you may have already read, I will be 8 weeks post MMA tomorrow. I was so sick at the point of getting the surgery, as my sleep apnea had been untreated for so long that I was feeling desperate to have the MMA. My desperation, however, still did not cause me to toss aesthetics out of the discussion when I first interviewed my surgeon. He showed me pictures of what he considered to be aesthetically pleasing outcomes. In addition he and I agreed on the picture of a less than pleasing result. That was the moment I shot up in the chair shouting, "Oh, no no. . .!" He assured me that he would advance me as much as he could to deal successfully with sleep apnea but that he wouldn't push my jaws into an extreme position and make me look distorted. It was also comforting to me that he had multiple credentials--MD, DDS, with board certifications in otolaryngology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, as well as facial plastic and reconstructive surgery. I also spoke with three women who were former MMA patients of his, and we did discuss changes in appearance.
As it turns out, I am delighted to say that he was able to advance my lower jaw 12mm; and I have to confess that I need to get the number for the upper jaw. One of the features that this surgeon employs is that he "tips the upper jaw" up a bit in addition to the advancement. I, too, read Summer's postings and any others which talked about the aethetics of the surgery.
For what its worth in helping you to gather information and form your own position, I want you to know that I would have never said that I needed a jaw advancement to look better. I would have never said that I had a recessed chin. I am in love with my new jaws and chin. I already had strong features and was pleased that I could I see the changes as positive. Now on to my already, prominent, and ethnic nose. For me the returns are not all in, and I know it's important to wait for every last bit of the swelling to recede. No one else sees me as swollen, but I think that there is some residual puffiness; and certainly, everything needs to calm down internally before I make any decisions on the nose.
As of today, in my opinion, I could do with a little tiplasty. My nose is wider at the nostrils from the front view, and there is more of the ethnic droop from the profile. Do I feel disfigured? Not in the least. I feel improved cosmetically; and goodness knows how much better I feel when it comes to experiencing good sleep, not waking up in the middle of the night wondering if I'll be able to draw another breath. Part of my ambivalence over the nose rests in how long it had taken me to come to peace with the one I "got dealt," and I had been pleased with that emotional growth. Quantifying the differences in my nose adds up to millimeters.
In the hands of a competent surgeon, I feel safe in advising that the medical necessity and the balance with aethetics of the MMA are more than possible. Knowing that there would be some changes and accepting that was helpful to me going into the surgery. Obviously, I was open to some tweaking down the line if necessary. No one who knows and loves me believes that I need to change a thing, but what freedom I do feel knowing that the ultimate decision is mine.
- Re: lower jaw surgery for sleep apnea? seriouslymer 07:23 8/08/07 (1)
- Re: lower jaw surgery for sleep apnea? learian 12:23 8/08/07 (0)
- Re: lower jaw surgery for sleep apnea? apneamom 18:05 8/07/07 (1)
- Re: lower jaw surgery for sleep apnea? learian 12:30 8/08/07 (0)
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