SURGERY # 3

So, the oral surgeon set me up for my 3rd surgery since my Lefort in May of 2007 pretty quickly. The surgery was less than 2 hours. The surgeon removed the plates and screw from the right side only and cleaned out the right sinus and put a temporary drain in the right nostril so the sinus could continue to drain for 7 days on it's own. The good news was that when they went in there was no sign of infection in the plates or sinuses. However, a few days before surgery I got a preop test back and was informed that I had a staph infection so I was back on antibiotics so most likely that's why there was no infections. I did stay one night in the hospital and was home within 24 hours of waking up I did get a few doses of IV antibiotics. The only problem was the drain in the nose. I had to keep a piece of gauze taped to the end of my nose to catch the crap draining for about 5 out of the 7 days. Removing the drain was no big deal and I felt like I could breathe so much easier after it was out. Hopefully, the congestion will continue to improve and the sinuses will do well. I am now just almost 2 weeks post op.

Major Surgery...AGAIN :-(

On Valentine's Day I saw my original surgeon again. I had a CT Scan done and come to find out my right sinus was 3/4 full. My left was almost completely empty. Due to all of the infections there is only one way out of this...SURGERY! I'm scheduled for this coming Tuesday, 2/26. They are going back in through a previous incision inside my mouth and will chip away a small piece of the jaw bone to expose the right sinus. They will remove the plates and screws on the right side and then drain the right sinus and completely clean it out. After that they will leave a temporary drain in my nose for 7 days which after will be removed to heal up by itself. Hopefully when they go into the sinus the infection is not in the bone and I will be able to come home the same day or next day and not have to stay for IV antibiotic treatment only time will tell. I'll try to post to the blog as soon as I can.

Still No Answers

So I decided to see another oral surgeon to gain a second opinion. She said that surgically speaking everything looked great! However, my sinus infections are another concern. I may need to have the plates and screws removed in hopes to prevent the sinus infections from recurring so frequently. She would perform day surgery so that my sinuses could also get cleaned out at the same time. However, because I only had upper jaw surgery I need to wait as long as possible before removing the plates. Typically the bones heal within 2-3 months post op. There is the possibility that the jaw can pop back into pre-surgical position once the plates are removed if done too prematurely. I can't even imagine what I would do if that ever happened to me. I think I would definitely have this surgeon do the procedure instead of going back to my original surgeon. I see the ENT in a week and get my night guard in a few days. That will determine where we go from here.

Good News

Good news! So far no root canals are needed. I went back to the orthodontist this morning and I'm getting fitted next week for night guards which will act as my retainer too! Made my last payment to the orthodontist too that was truly wonderful! My teeth do feel a little better but I'll be curious to see what the other oral surgeon says and if the night guards work.

One problem after the next!

Can't say I would do this again, that's for sure. I am now almost 7 months post op and I have had nothing but problems. My primary care doctor did a cat scan a few months ago and I was told that it was okay but come to find out I have a 2 mm cyst in the right nostril. Although, I think it burst the other day because I had what you would consider a bloody nose but it was just clear fluid draining and just from the right side. I have had nothing but chronic sinus infections since the surgery and a lot of problems breathing (lots of mucus) so I'm going to see an ENT specialist at the beginning of the new year. My teeth have been killing me especially two of my top teeth. I'm actually going to a root canal specialist tomorrow because two of the roots have shrunk due to the trauma of the surgery. Root canals may not be the answer and I may just need a night guard but my orthodontist wants me to have a consult. Then I go to the orthodontist on Thursday morning to discuss the results with her. I'm also going to see another oral surgeon at the beginning of January to get a second opinion the surgery just doesn't seem to be what I expected and my nostrils are so deformed (internally). My PCP was shocked! I can however, say that this surgery wouldn't have been so bad if I hadn't had any complications! At this point however, I am just disgusted with everything...

BRACES GONE!

Well, by September 15th all of the braces were off! It wasn't bad getting them removed either and my teeth feel so awesome. I had a permanent retainer placed behind my bottom front teeth. It took my tongue a few days to get use to it but now I don't even know it's there. My top retainer needs to be in for 6 months around the clock but it does come out to eat an hour here or there etc. I have had so many before and after pictures done both at the ortho and surgeon. My next ortho appt. is a meeting to go over the final results and to get copies of pictures, molds, etc. The surgeon who I saw for the last time until I reach the 1 year post surgery said it looks "damn good." My top teeth do feel a little squishy but it's actually that they are loose and this is normal and will take some time to firmly reattach the tooth fibers. My nose is still bothering me off and on but I think that is more from the 2nd surgery (complication). My bite is perfect right on and my teeth are straight as can be. I wasn't suppose to have my braces off until December so having them off in September was just fabulous news for once! All in all the surgery was worth it the healing process truly does take a year!

Braces 1/2 GONE!!

I went to the Orthodontist on Wednesday, September 5th and had partial bracket removal. They left 4 brackets on the top and 6 on the bottom. I have an elastic running across my top teeth. It's so weird running my tongue over the smoothness of my teeth instead of metal!
I go back next Wed. the 12th and have the rest of them removed. Then they will place the bottom retainer, do impressions, x rays, photos, etc. A long appointment but well worth it since it'll be one of the last for quite awhile. The best part is that we are 3 months AHEAD of removal!!