Posted by NoDozer on June 24, 2008 at 10:56:03:In Reply to: MMA coming June 16th. posted by NoDozer on June 12, 2008 at 10:27:58:
Hello!
Well, it's over. The procedure didn't go perfectly, though. The surgeon was a little concerned about the left side of my mandible because he was going to be removing a couple of wisdom teeth from that side and didn't know if he would have enough bone to screw through. Apparently the upper jaw went perfectly and the left side of the lower jaw he was concerned with went perfectly as well. It was the side that wasn't supposed to be a concern that had the complication. What happended is that the controlled break that he performed went a little wild. Instead of getting the split that is supposed to happen, my right side broke straight back. He had never had this happen during one of these procedures before, but he has seen this type of break before. He elected to just put everything he could back together but to not try to fix too much. He said there is a even chance that things will heal together well, but that he could be almost certain of killing the bone if he tried to plate it all together. So, I woke up wired shut. He was able to do the whole 10cm and the three other points are perfect. There is a chance that further surgery may be required on this one point, but we won't know for a couple of months and he wouldn't recommend doing anything for at least six months. After discussing it with him, we thought that it was possible that the two halves of the lower jaw didn't split properly because of a wisdom tooth extraction on that side 10 years ago that probably affected bone strength and where it would break. It's pure speculation, but he said he feels the best chance for healing is to just let things heal up and see where we sit. It's possible that the muscles can compensate for any issues over time. It's just too early to tell.
Other than that, I am doing better. I notice more swelling going away and more feeling coming back each day. The surgeon thought that based on the apparent condition of the nerves themselves, I could get close to 100% feeling back, but that there was still a chance it wouldn't. He just thought that the nerved damage was very minimal. One thing I have to say is that the first 5 days are pure hell. Nothing on any post or blog can prepare you for that first 5 days. My case may have been worse than some, but it's all relative anyway. I haven't taken any pain med since leaving the hospital other than some ibuprofen a couple of times. I am feeling pretty good over all. Being wired shut isn't something I was prepared for, but I'm adjusting. I will get those wires cut off in about 4 1/2 more weeks, so I'll be on liquids until then. I was getting bored with food anyway, so this will give me a new appreciation for all those foods I was bored with for so long.
I am working on blog in hopes to help others in the same way that others helped me. I'll be happy to answer any questions, too. Thanks.