Holy Smokes, an update!

Hello! It's been awhile since I've had anything of note to post on this blog.

I saw Dr. Klein on Thursday, September 15th for my 3 month/1 year surgical check up. I can't believe it's been almost a year since my jaw surgery! It's amazing how fast this past year has gone by. This time last year I was prepping for my surgery and probably driving my husband crazy with all my ridiculous-ness.

I am happy to report that, according to Dr. Klein, I passed the "wearing the retainers" test! I really have been good and have worn them 24/7 (except for eating). I really wasn't a huge fan of the standard hawley retainers. Those are the ones with the metal wire that people typically think of when talking about retainers. I've been using the essix/invisalign-like retainers. I really like those a lot so I've been wearing those exclusively. The only downer is that they get dirty and wear out faster. I figure, once I am allowed to just wear my retainers at night, I'll switch back and forth between the two sets I have so that they don't wear out as quickly.

I did forget to ask Dr. Klein if I could stop wearing my retainers all the time once 6 months rolls around but I totally forgot. My next appointment isn't for another year so I'll need to ask her if I need to be seen again in order to decide if I can stop wearing my retainers during the day.

Other than that, the appointment was super fast. I got some photos taken (finally!) so hopefully i'll ask Dr. Klein in a few weeks if she can forward them to me.

For now, my next jaw appointment isn't until March of 2017 and my next orthodontist appointment is next October 2017!

The time has come...

Time has flown by! I can't believe it's been almost 3 months since my braces came off back in May. Things have been great, wonderful in fact. My retainers have been working beautifully and they fit really well. I have been very diligent in wearing them all the time which I'm sure Dr. Klein will be happy to hear. I haven't had any jaw issues or discomfort since the braces came off so I think I'm in the clear for now. My next appointment will be in mid-September with Dr. Klein so I'm hoping that she will clear me from wearing my retainers 24/7 to just nightly. I also still haven't gotten any final photos taken so I'm hoping to get those done at that next appointment as well.

I know that I had promised to continue to update this blog after my braces came off but it has been difficult to write entries when I don't really have much to say. As much fun as it has been to write this blog, I feel that it's time for me to begin the process of winding everything down. Writing and publishing blog entries was extremely therapeutic while I was going through my jaw journey. It helped me to cope with everything I was going through. But since my jaw journey is pretty much complete, it feels silly to continue to write updates that don't have any substance. Because of that, I won't be updating nearly as much anymore. I had promised to publish a post about my retainer experience which I will do very soon (I promise!).  Other than that, I'll probably post again in September when I see Dr. Klein and again on my 1 year surgical anniversary. After that, we'll see.

Thanks to all my friends and family who've asked after me! I honestly appreciate all the texts and emails I've gotten over the past few months.

I made it to the finish line!

Today has been a super emotional day for me. Almost exactly 3 years ago, I discovered that I had huge issues with my teeth and jaws. I found out that not only would I need to go into braces, but that I would have to have life-altering surgery. At the time, I was so overwhelmed. I cried thinking about everything I'd have to go through. What's even worse is that 1 surgery turned into 4. Fast forward 3 years and today was the big day where my braces finally got removed.

I've been in braces for almost 2.5 years so today felt a little surreal. Getting the braces removed didn't hurt, it just felt really, really strange. Once all the glue was polished off, my orthodontist finally showed me the smile I had worked so hard for.

I told myself that I wouldn't cry. I swore up and down that tears would not flow. However, the minute I saw my smile in the mirror, I broke down. I started crying (happy tears of course!) and the tears just came. I hugged Dr. Klein, thanking her, and then she started bawling too. We cried together and then we started laughing. It was a really cool moment. I can't even imagine how she felt as a provider. I'm sure this moment is exactly the reason why she went into medicine/dentistry in the first place. For me, her care and knowledge has really changed my life. My confidence and just overall quality of life have risen dramatically. Thinking back on it now, I really don't know how I was living life with my old smile. I never smiled in photos, I only ate a select few items, and I constantly had issues with cavities due to the way my teeth were. Obviously, I wasn't living. I was surviving day by day. So Dr. Klein, if you are reading this, thanks from the bottom of my heart.

I know that Dr. Klein couldn't have done this alone, so thank you to everyone who helped me through this journey. This list includes:
Drs. Ali and Ali - Without you and your staff, I never would have even started my jaw journey. You both were so welcoming and encouraging. I never once felt like you judged me because of my teeth and for that I say thank-you.
Dr. David Keith - You were always so kind and sympathetic to me and my case. Without you and your vast experience, my journey would have been much different. If I had to go through this all over again, I wouldn't change a thing, so thank you!
Staff at MGH Dental Group Danvers and Boston - I've gotten to know most of you over the past 3 years. I know how hard you all work and I really appreciate everything you do! Thank you for taking such good care of me these past few years.


For those wondering, I do have a before and after photos! It was hard to find a good one since I didn't often smile showing my teeth. These are not professional by any means. I have to go back on Wednesday for retainers and again in about 2 weeks for some professional office photos. I will ask for a copy of them so look for those in a couple weeks! For now, here's the before and after photo!

Before braces: October 2013     After Braces: May 2016

It's finally here!

Well guys, this is it! Today was my last day in braces. I'm down to just under 15 hours until my braces get removed. It feels weird even just thinking about it! I've had these guys on my teeth for so long that I've sorta gotten used to them. BUT, I'm sure I'll get over it pretty fast.

Thinking about everything I've gone through for the past 3 years is making me a bit emotional. I'm getting kinda teary-eyed just thinking about it now so I'm sure I'll be a hot mess tomorrow.

I'm seriously looking forward to flossing LIKE A NORMAL PERSON. Holy hell, those flossers legit suck. I'm very excited to be able to just floss my teeth without having to look in a mirror every time. I'm also looking forward to eating corn on the cob and biting into a piece of fruit!

I also plan to get my hair done after my appointment. I definitely need it! Then, we are going to a celebratory dinner tomorrow evening once my husband gets home from work. I can't wait to post some photos!

Look for some photos tomorrow!

5 Days to go

Well, the countdown has begun! I've only got 5 days left until my braces are removed! It actually  feels very surreal. I mean, I've thought about this day for over 2 years. The minute I knew I had to go into braces, I thought about how long this process would be. To now be only 5 days away from being finished with everything is very strange. Exciting but strange.

I have some plans on Friday. My appointment isn't until 11am so I'll probably treat myself to breakfast before the appointment. I also plan to get my hair done at some point that day. I'm looking forward to getting everything done and looking like me again.

Other than the excitement to come, nothing much has been happening with me. I'm still sorta on the mend from my septoplasty. I'm feeling a lot better though. My nose hasn't been leaking as much anymore which is a huge plus for me. My breathing is definitely better than what it was. I still feel like I have a little bit of a cold. Not sure if this is what allergies feel like since I've never suffered from them before.

Tonight should be fun since we're going out for dinner with my family tonight to celebrate my Dad's birthday! This will hopefully be the last time I eat out with braces on my teeth!

ENT Recovery - Day 11

It's been a few days since my last update but I've been a little busy. On Friday, I went to get cleared to return to work through the Occupational Health department. At the time, my nose was still dripping quite frequently. After looking at me and talking to me, the nurse decided to not sign off on my paperwork until Monday. I had a feeling this would happen. It's not really sanitary if I'm holding onto a tissue constantly and rubbing at my leaking nose every 5 seconds. Over the weekend, my draining slowly decreased so that I'm only using a tissue every 20 minutes or so instead of every 5 seconds so that's a great improvement. I'm supposed to call Occupational Health today and if she's satisfied with my answers, then I'll return to work tomorrow.

Nose is feeling a lot better. Since I've been able to blow my nose gently I've felt a lot better. It still feels like I have a cold but it's much more manageable. My nose isn't as sensitive anymore either. It's still sore but I can touch it and sorta move it without intense pain which is great!

After thinking about all the surgeries I've had to date, I can safely say that this one was the hardest. With my jaw surgeries, my jaws and face were numb or partially numb for the most part. I think that made the entire recovery experience easier. This time around, I was in a lot more pain which I was not expecting. Also, this surgery was gross. Blood and snot dripping from my nose and eyes that refused to stop watering made the last 10 days miserable. At least with my jaw surgeries, I could watch tv and relax but this time I couldn't. Most days I could barely wear my glasses. And I was afraid to wear contacts because I wasn't sure if my eyes were watering from pressure from my glasses resting on the bridge of my nose OR if it was the splints inside my nose. If it was the splints (which I'm almost positive it was), then my eyes were going to water whether or not I wore my glasses. The watery eyes made it impossible to watch anything on tv so it was quite a boring and uneventful recovery.

Since the splints came out, I've been much better. My husband and I went and saw Captain America Civil War which was awesome. We also spent some time with my family for mother's day weekend which was nice. We also played some video games with my niece and nephew. All in all, a great couple of days. I'm looking forward to getting back to work and getting back into the swing of things.

ENT Recovery - Day 6 (Post op Appointment)

Today was the big day! Post Op appointment where I say goodbye to my nasal splints. My appointment was at 9:30am. My husband drove me to and from my appointment which I'm glad we did. I was a little nervous so I took a half dose of my pain medication about an hour before the appointment. My splints came out very easily but it definitely wasn't pain free. It wasn't unbearable but it wasn't a "piece of cake" either. I probably could have done without the pain meds but it might have made the experience worse if I hadn't.

What surprised me the most were the nasal splints. HOLY SHIT. They were huge! I couldn't believe that those things had been inside my nose for the past 6 days. No wonder I was uncomfortable. They were about 3 inches long and made of a clear plastic-y substance. They were slightly rounded. Getting them removed felt awful and wonderful at the same time. My nose has been dripping but not really bleeding which is good.

My surgeon cleaned my nose with some weird vacuum thing and that probably felt worse than the splints coming out. Once everything was done and my nostrils were cleaned up, breathing was great! I still feel kind of woozy and my nose is still very tender. I'll be out of work until Monday, May 9th.

Post op instructions from today include:

• May return to work without restrictions on Monday, May 9th. (Not too sure about this but we will see. My job is pretty flexible. If someone helps me with certain tasks, I think I'll be ok.)
• No working out for another 1-2 weeks. Once I do start to work out again, start small.
• No ibuprofen for 1 more week. Start with a low dose at first, if bleeding starts, stop using immediately.
• Slightly elevated sleep for another 1-2 weeks. One extra pillow should do it.
• May gently blow nose but nothing too forceful.
• If I need to sneeze, sneeze with mouth open. Don't hold anything back.
• There are still stitches inside my nostrils. Do not pull at them, they should dissolve on their own (haha, yea right. If they are anything like oral dissolving stitches, I'll believe it when I see it.). If they become too long, you may trim them down. 
• Saline spray 2 squirts in each nostril followed by vaseline around nostrils 3 times a day for 2-3 weeks.
• Finish any remaining antibiotics

It's been a few hours since my post-op appointment and I can already tell that my eyes are much better. My eyes watered like crazy during my appointment, but since then have calmed down significantly. I'm excited to see how I feel in a few days, I'm hoping that swelling will go down and that breathing will get easier. 

I got another doctor's appointment tomorrow, this time with my PcP. Not sure how happy she'll be that my blood pressure was so high. I may need to switch to a different medication so I guess we'll see about that tomorrow!