Day 1 Recap/ Day 2/ LOTS OF PICTURES + Shout outs!

Right! This is the last two days from the beginning, be prepared for a lot of photos!

So, as you know, on Monday 15th at 7am I checked in to Newcross hospital, and started what turned out to be a very long wait.

Surgery morning

I had a slight temperature (37.9) so they took some bloods and made me wait. then there were no beds free, so my wait continued, I was starting to worry that I would be sent home and would have to be postponed! But then luckily, at 2.15pm I was told to get changed into my gown and head down to theater. 

my converse match my gown :)

one last smile with this face :)

 I really got to the point where I wasn't nervous anymore. I don't know whether it was due to my long wait, or maybe I just figured, its gonna happen. whether I'm scared or not, so I might as well go in with my head held high and big-ass smile on my face :)

The staff were really nice, chatting away to me as they got ready. they took my temperature again and it was still a little high, but I litterally stressed to them how hot it was in the waiting room and that I felt fine - also hadn't been allowed any fluids since 6am!

The surgeon was talking to me about CSI and before I knew it, the room began to spin- they'd given me the anesthesia without me even realising and I was off to sleep :)

2 hours later - half an hour post op

I woke up at about 6.15pm feeling fine - I must really agree with being put to sleep - I feel like I've had a great nights sleep!

I asked if I could remove my oxygen mask, they agreed and then told me I looked really happy I was like I am! They cleaned up my hands and face, and then I raised my hand to feel my jaw for the first time. 

Already I could tell the difference - where my chin would normally be was nothing lol, it felt smaller, and yes, swollen, but already I felt really happy.

I was up and about immediately and didn't feel like sleeping or lying down. My parents turned up about 7pm, and the look of relief on my moms face was funny - apparently she'd been stressing about seeing me so swollen but was relieved when it wasn't too bad.

I hadn't seen myself yet - there were no mirrors in my room and I didn't have my stuff back yet, but my mom took these pictures.

 I can feel and see the difference in my chin length, and despite the swelling being uneven, I can see the symmetry already :) 

Now, my dad pointed out these bruises on my leg, I wondered if one of the surgeons had pinched me as they lent over me, but when I showed the nurse, she told me that it was from the pads used to 'ground' me as a current is used with one of the cutting devices! I'd just had a reaction to the adhesive.

My first night

I was dosed up with codine and paracetamol at 7.30pm, and when it came for my next dose at 11pm I had to eat something to line my stomach. I had this yogurt - it was amazing :) and I felt great still - no nausea or trouble breathing or anything.

 I managed to sleep from 12ish to about 4am, then was awake until now! I'm pretty exhausted, but it was annoying as there was no blind in my room so the sunshine kept me awake. 

Numbness

my left side, which was very swollen compared to my right, had almost complete numbness, and my chin and lip was numb too. 

My surgeon told me that they were able to completely avoid my nerve so there will be no damage which I was very happy about!

Day 2

I was a lot more swollen today- my throat is pretty swollen and that thing that dangles at the back of your throat must be swollen cause it feels like I need to constantly spit something out. 

I'm so happy to see my front teeth again!!! I've missed them. my bite is perfectly straight at the front, but my molars don't meet properly so I guess I'll have a fair bit of brace work after. 

 For breakfast I had a few spoonfuls of readybrek and some juice and tea which was nice. But I've mostly drank water - I'm probably more hydrated than ever before!

 The bruising is really coming out, on my left side and under my chin. I finally got discharged at 3pm, I've been so much happier at home!

Overall I'm so surprised at how well I feel - I feel I was very lucky and had a very smooth ride. I hope this will continue.
I'm currently lying here with a bag of peas on my face - it's really helped with the swelling. I keep getting a really itchy chin - but because its still numb I can't feel where to scratch it, it's driving me crazy!

Well I'm gonna try and get some sleep now, and I just wanted to say thank you to all of you, Amanda K, Corrinne, Ellie Fant, Cassie, Sarah P,
Heather - I hope all went well today!!! 
Natasha - I will definitely meet up with you when I'm in Peterborough! maybe the 28th??

Anyone I've missed  I do appologise - I'm fracking knakered!

Good night guys - It's all been worth it!!!! 

I'm fashioning some new brace-bling....surgery ready!!!

Today was so exciting!!!

Had my last adjustments made today! Was my longest appointment ever, took about an hour.

• I had my pink bands removed 
• My wire was taken out and some very attractive surgical hooks were added
• I had two sets of impressions taken - first lot failed cause the room temperature was too high and the clay set before it was properly done
• Two of my back molars were filled down....this came as a shock as he didn't discuss this with me, just started fillin' away! But apparently they were too pointy and would have dug in to my teeth once aligned
• I had to bite on to a kinda wax/clay mould whilst holding a metal frame over my head and some new guy came in and turned lots of dials and screws and then wrote down said measurments and then fitted this to a frame which apparently is to made this 3D 'wafer' 

The 15th July is DEFINITELY mine! All mine!

I will be seeing my surgeon once more in 3 weeks after this 3D thing is made, and then that's it! All systems a go :)

I'd forgotten what my teeth looked like under all that metal!

My wires had not been removed since before CHRISTMAS! It was so nice to get them properly cleaned!

The finished result of the day - I'm full of metal - no bands, just wires and hooks! They hurt like hell against my lips right now! But it's okay! This is a good pain cause it means I'm almost there :)

Now! I'd better go as I've got a little packing to do as I'm spending 2 weeks at my new boyfriends house whilst his family are away ... yup, I'm pretty loved-up right now :) I can't wait for this surgery also, so that he can come down and look after me, I told him he needs to provide me with those yogurt things I had as a kid called 'Frubes' and give me lots of attention whilst I feel sorry for myself :)

Tom doesn't seem to be phased by my metal mouth!! 

Have a good weekend everyone!!! Keep posting cause seriously, you guys get me through the days with your progress and your stories! xxx

So... I have a date for surgery!

Driving home from the joint clinic, saw my surgeon and my new consultant, and he says there is a cancellation on July 15.

July 15 is now my favorite date ever.

I will have 2 appointments, 1 to change my braces to surgical ones, and 1 to make a 3d wafer.
He said i most likely will have plates as opposed to wires as my jaw will only be moved back 4mm, and 4mm rotation, and i will be in hospital over night.
Can not wait. I actually feel a little out of it with relief right now, so Im gona have a cup of tea and get back to you when I've calmed down ;) ;) ;)

Coming out of Hibernation

[ Corrinne! I hope you're alright, your braces look awesome btw. We gotta catch up when your hectic-ness has settled :) ]

Wow, seriously, I've been away from you guys so long, you've all come such a long way in a few months - I'm extremely jealous by the way!

So, as you know, I've been absent for a while, mainly because I was literally waiting for my meeting with my surgeon which was so far away, and I didn't want to bore you guys with my day-to-day life.

But, at last! It's here! I have a meeting with my surgeon tomorrow, and I swear to god, if he doesn't give me a damn good reason why I've not been seen since January, I'm gonna punch him in the throat.

Hopefully I will get a surgery date, but I've learnt not to be too optimistic - but I'm gonna tell him how it is, how disappointed and miserable I've been, having to wait so damn long.

So, as soon as I leave his office I will update you all immediately :)

In other news, I have a new boyfriend ^_^ I'm very very happy. And he's so understanding with my surgery - he even wants to come look after me when I'm post op - I said hell no - let me recover in peace and then come out with my shiny new face when I'm all healed up :)

So wish me luck! You've all been so busy with your braces - I gotta catch up!

Night guys!  

What would I do without you guys? :)

 [Corrinne & Cassie, Thank you both for your words, you've snapped me out of my selfish mind set that day!] 

Hey! sorry for the late reply (but not really cause I had the best night ever, but that's for another time ;p)

As you know by my recent rant that I'm not happy with the speed in which things are going at the moment and feel I'm being strung along!

I called up and explained to them what the problem is and why I'm concerned. They then got the locum doctor to call me back, and he said he's happy to NOT see me (you and me both, pal) but I insisted that the gap I had before was less than this when they told me it had postponed my surgery! so I'm scheduled another SOS brace appointment for next Thursday at 9.10am.

Apparently I'm still on the waiting list for the joint clinic to see my surgeon, and they don't have an answer for how long this could take. But in the mean time, I'm just gonna keep holding on to all of your kind words of encouragement and just know that I'm not alone!!!

I seriously don't know where I'd be without this blog, without you guys, and I know we're all doing this for our own reasons, but we're all going through pretty much the same crap each day in the hope to achieve this. When I look on the bright side, yes, these past 2 years have gone quickly in some respect, but there's still a damn long road ahead.

Be well! 

*Raise's Glass* I'd like to thank all the bullies...

A post by blogger, Corrinne  got me thinking about how I used to feel about my face, and why I'm where I am today.

I used to be afraid to talk about my jaw, because if you talk about something, you give others permission to talk about it too- my family included. Kids at my school had enjoyed publicly humiliating me, a particularly bold class mate said my face was the shape of a foot, due to its asymmetry, and so kindly pointed this out to the whole class. Other significantly younger students have said my chin looked like a ..ahem, for use of a better word, penis! 

I never wanted to draw attention to my face, I think that's why I bite my nails - so that my hand is covering my mouth. I tried not to smile in class, and my eye contact, is STILL atrocious. I just felt like everyone was looking at it, everyone knew it looked weird. I couldn't bare to discuss this with my family because again, I was scared to have anyone else essentially agreeing with the bullies. 

Other than being referred to the Birmingham dental hospital for the TMJD (clicky, locking activity going on in my right jaw!) I hadn't addressed the cosmetic factor of my jaw, and always thought I'd never be considered an important enough case for surgery.

I have to thank one girl in particular, she found out her ex boyfriend liked me and she tagged me in a post on Facebook which said 'If I knew he liked it so much, I'd have grown a massive f**k-off chin like that.' If it wasn't for her harsh words, I wouldn't have had the courage to finally tell my parents how much this bothered me, and wouldn't have booked my first jaw consultation. Thanks again!

So here I am! - years away from the name calling of 2002-2007 and just 2 months away from having the courage to maintain eye contact with people because I'll have nothing to fear, but you know, even if I wasn't having this surgery, I wouldn't be afraid any more  You realise how childish people are as youths, and in the 'grown up world' it is (hopefully) very rare anyone would treat you that was just for looking slightly different.

Although it might not have began this way, I can happily say, that I'm having this surgery for ME and me alone, not to give them something prettier to look at ;)

'SOS' Brace Appointment

Hey so after being unable to get in at the emergency dentist over the weekend to get the wire which had slipped in to my gum cut down, I spent 2 days in agony. 

I finally managed to get in at the hospital to see a locum orthodontist at 12.20pm yesterday. I already had a hospital appointment at a different hospital at 10.15am to see a consultant about the tinitis in my ear.

They are miles apart so it was a push to make them both. I waited over 2 hours at the tinitis appointment and still hadn't been seen, so I had to leave and ask to be rescheduled. what a waste of time.

I made it to my SOS brace appointment just in time, and was seen by the same nice ortho/surgeon as last time. he changed my braces and also let me know that .....

THERE'S NO MORE ADJUSTMENTS TO MAKE!!!

I have a double appointment booked for the 16th!! 1.30pm for my impressions to be taken, then back at 4pm to get the results and decision from my surgeon!!! I'm so excited, its given me that little boost to stay positive, and I really hope its still ready for February like they said.

Happy New Year, Guys! :)

The Ortho-Store!

I've always suffered with ulcers, and having braces only exacerbated the problem! Here's what I do!

• For pain relief I use Anbesol - great numbing liquid, I find it works faster and longer than bonjela. You can get it in most drug stores here and US for about £1-4 depending on size. 

• As you all know, wax is the savoir when it comes to braces rubbing, but it might be cheap, but its not the best. I've even resorted to using chewing gum to cover my braces! Until Blogger Cathy told me about Gishy goo. Its a little more expensive than anything else, at £14, but its a crazy thing, it produces 2 substances which when rubbed together create a soft, but firm texture ( a bit like the stuff ortho dontists take moulds of teeth with) and it lasts a long long time. NOTE: for all you 'adults', like me, you might want to get the white colour - the green is very very green!

• Mouth guard - This I bought on a whim, but its the best investment by far. When looking for gishy goo, I found 'comfort covers' they are basically a light mouth guard used by people who perhaps play a brass instrument, or light activity. Its two plastic strips which you cut to size, they clip in to place around your braces, and VOILÀ, no more rubbing ANYWHERE on your mouth. I use them to sleep in and at just £5, they are amazing. Highly recommend. comes with a little case too!  

So there you have it! its only taken 2 years but I've finally found my 'brace survivor pack' 

I found out about these on www.orthostore.co.uk

go to 'Patient Comfort' and have a look. If they don't ship to your country/ area, look on Ebay and Amazon.

So glad I can share this with you guys! Natasha, I hope this helped! x

Tongue, just pick a spot, then stay put!!!

Its been 3 weeks since I last had my braces tightened and oh my god what is wrong with them!?

I mentioned that my new orthodontist had removed my plastic chain runners and provided me with some lovely, discreet wire versions (which won't change colour when I eat curry!) 

So although I'm loving this in comparison, I think I've swapped my eye-sore for a whole-mouth-sore!
I'm prone to ulcers anyway - for no reason, but this is the worst ever - and its not even my usual 1cm+ ones! They've covered the sides of my tongue because I've ended up biting it with the brackets when trying to avoid hurting my lip. 

 This photo doesn't do it justice! Its dark, and angry looking, and its making my life hell!
I couldn't speak in class all week, and can't eat. I've plastered my teeth in wax as you can see but nothing helps! I'm out of Bonjela, Anbesol, and every other useless remedy I could think of.

I just wanna brush my teeth without having to hold my lip stretched out with my other hand!

Now, I know this is nothing compared to how I'll feel post-surgery, but at least that's a good reason to be in pain - this isn't! 

My jaw has also been locking at least 7 times a day - think this is because I've been clenching my teeth without realising it due to the discomfort of this damn ulcer - it has no idea what trouble it's causing!

Almost Two Years

On Christmas eve 2010, I received the best news of that year - I had been accepted on to the treatment program which would eventually lead up to my long-awaited jaw surgery.



I've had many ups and downs since then, but when I think about how close I am to the day my orthodontist tells me I'm ready for surgery... well, its all been worth it!
Every toothache from tightened braces, every ulcer caused by the wire, every embarrassing moment when I realise I've spent half my day with lunchtime's salad, woven between my metal-covered teeth....

You get the idea. The point is, I'd do it all again in a heartbeat, knowing all this is contributing to fixing my lop-sided smile and my clicky, locking jaw.

So, as I was feeling down lately due to the delaying of my surgery date, I thought I'd remind myself how far I've came, and that whether its next week or next year, it will happen.

Stay positive! 

4 to 6 Months Till Surgery!!!

Hello! I am excited to tell you all that I will have a new face in time to eat my Christmas dinner!

After my appointment last week I've been told I have only 2 more brace adjustments and impressions and then I meet my surgeon once more to discuss the FINAL plans for my surgery, and then I'm predicted to go under the knife between September and December!

SO! Here's a few pictures from early May, to last week with my new PINK braces - I'm told I won't be able to have a colour when I have my pre-surgery brace on so I thought I'd make the most of it.

So my underbite is fairly prominent now... I can't bite my nails at all now, and my chin seems to sick out alot more now, so I rarely keep my lips pursed >>>

So there you go!
I'm so excited, Theres finally a light at the end of the tunnel!
I'll be posting soon!

It's about time!

I've had some very bad luck the last few months.

Firstly, after not receiving my next appointment when I was supposed to, I called the Manor Hosptial, and was told that my LOVELY Dr has left the department. When I asked 'so when will my next appointment be?' I was told very bluntly 'youll get one when you get one' followed by the buzz of the receiver as it was abruptly placed down.

Great.

But finally an my appointment has came, Im incredibly excited as this will be the one which decides whether my surgery is this side or Christmas or next year. I will have a number of X-rays and impressions taken and my braces finally changed.
My other disappointment came when I was turned down from the paediatrics nursing course I had applied for for next January due to it being FULL. But I think is is a blessing in disguise, as this means I will have more time to recover from surgery and can start the year after with a NEW FACE!

I'll let you know how it goes next week, more photos too! You are very lucky viewer!!! X x x

Couldn't Resist!

Not the prettiest of pictures, but I do want to record everything that goes on through out this journey!



 On the left here we have the deepest of my wisdom tooth excavation sites :), but aside from putting my phone in my mouth, this is as good as I could get.

Please excuse my unsightly tongue colour.

Now on my right is where I had my stitches. This freaks me out to touch, and I keep trying to brush it away when I clean my teeth!

So there they are, I couldn't manage a picture of my upper gaps, but you get the idea.

Argh.. work

I work part-time at a fast food restaurant which has supported me through college, university the lot. But since having my braces, its become more and more uncomfortable to talk to customers for 9 hours, well, more so than usual, because my braces rub my mouth so much. I also get very embarrassed when customers can not understand me due to my slight brace-induced lisp, I mean, you try saying 'sweet and sour sauce' with these things stuck to your teeth!

Oh well, I'm off there now! x