Posted by sleepy-in-seattle on July 01, 2008 at 09:19:53:In Reply to: Considering MMA-- Question posted by EDomain on June 30, 2008 at 21:55:53:
My sleep improved greatly after MMA. I have much more stamina and energy (physical AND mental).
I was able to return to working out at the gym after 4-6 weeks (can't quite remember - it was 3+ years ago). Before that I was taking walks around the neighborhood to start building up my endurance.
Any pain you wil experience will be in the area of your face - chin, gums, etc. Most of this is swelling-related and will dissipate as the swelling goes. More likely you will experience some numbness in certain areas than lasting pain anywhere.
The recovery is much quicker than a year in terms of being ambulatory and having energy - the year timeframe includes numbness, related things like sinus issues or TMJ, orthodontic issues like misalignment of teeth etc.
I also talk a lot in my job (usabiity researcher) and I found it a little challenging only for the first two months or so. I had a weird ear popping thing that was more a distraction than anything major. On the other hand, I had tight elastic bands on my teeth right after surgery and I was able to enunciate so well a week later that people on the phone couldn't tell I had elastic bands on my teeth (should have been a ventriloquist).
As westernjoe said - many surgeons can model possible appearances, and it all depends on your physiology. There may be something that can be done to minimize the appearance change.
At the same time, you may someday need to balance aesthetics and health.