Surgery Update... Genioplasty too?!

HEEEEY everyone!

Once again, it's like 1:30 am. I hate blogging this late, but it's the only time I get on the computer because my life is soooooooooo busy. Not.
I'm tempted to just crawl into bed with all my stuffed animals because I'm still 5 at heart, but I promised a detailed post about my meeting with my surgeon, so I'm going to give you all one. Warning: This post is very long. If you do not have the attention span or the care to read all of this, then go back to Facebook or something. Or, scroll down to the straight forward Q&A.

So as you all know from my previous posts, I am having Double Jaw Surgery done in mid-April of this year. It is to correct: 1, my Short Lower Jaw, which is causing an overbite; 2, my slight Open Bite, and 3; My "Toothy Smile", which means I show too much gum when I smile (and I don't mean the tastey Excel gum you chew). The last time I saw my surgeon was in October, when I first agreed to do the surgery, and since then I've been having concerns because I feel like what I want out of the surgery is something he isn't concerned about looking at. So last week I booked an appointment to see him, which I did today on February 28th.

I waited in the waiting room for about half an hour with my boyfriend Evan. Then a lady called me in to sit in his office and I waited there for about another 10 minutes before my surgeon walked in. First he took a look at my information sheet, then took a look at my X-rays from October. It's so cool, he has this screen on the middle of his desk, and he hits a switch from underneath with turns on a light so you can see the X-ray. I don't know, I thought it was sick as hell.

Anyways, so we start discussing what he is exactly doing to correct my issues and how he does it in the operating room. He told me that with my Upper jaw, he will make a straight incision line about a centimeter or so above my teeth in my gums, right across my entire upper jaw. There he will be able to see my bone. He will cut at the back where my upper jaw connects to the rest of my skull, and then basically my jaw will be hanging there by veins, nerves and tissue. He will take either a 2 or 3 millimeter thick saw and cut straight across, where he made the original cut into my gums. He will then take "L" shaped plates and the necessary amount of screws needed, put my jaw back into place, and then screw in the plates. There, upper jaw done.
I'm trying to put in an image of the plates but my computer is being an asshole right now so I'll post the pictures of those another time.

My lower jaw, he will cut each side like an S. So from the inside of my mouth, he cuts in to about the middle, then cuts downward through the bone, then out towards my cheek. He will then pull my lower jaw forward so it meets my front teeth, rotate it slightly, and move it upward. This will correct my Open bite, and my Short Lower Jaw. To put the Plates and screws in, he has to actually make cut on the outside of my skin, at the back. He will insert through this cut, a stainless steel tube, which will be used to send the screws towards my jaw bone in a more convenient way. This way, the screws will be at such an angle that my surgeon can easily screw them into my plates and bones much straighter than doing it from the inside of my mouth.

So easy enough right? Well not really, but that's what I basically expected. So I start to discuss my concerns with this surgery. Basically, my lips do. not. touch. It is the most FRUSTRATING thing. Walking down the street, I look like my mouth is hanging wide open, it's a bit of an embarrassment. This is something that I want fixed with my surgery. I am having no other issues with my jaw; no pain, no problems chewing or speaking. So this was a priority for me.

Unfortunately... This cannot be 100% corrected. My surgeon told me that the reason the gap between my lips is so severe, is because I have a Cupids Bow and a Short Upper Lip (why is everything about me short? I mean, my sister got the actual shortness in the family, being at 5'3, but like what, that means everything else about me is short? I'm lucky I'm not a guy...). I'm sure you all know what a cupids bow is, but if not, it's basically where your upper lip is very curved, and because I also have a short amount of flesh between my nose and my upper lip, it really affects the positioning of my lips and how well they will close together.
However, he said that by taking the bone out of my upper jaw, and rotating my lower jaw upwards, it will significantly decrease how much I actually have to force my lips shut. He then took another look at my X-rays and said... "Now I'm noticing you have a very flat chin. If we were to bring your chin out just a little, then it will lessen the amount of effort your chin muscles put in to making your lips close. Of course we won't make you look like Jay Leno or Reese Witherspoon, but it will help a little, and make everything more vertical and proportionate."

This process is called Genioplasty.
I agreed to go through with the Genioplasty, however the more we discussed about it, the more concerned I've become. And now that I'm sitting here alone typing about this, it's concerned me even more. Before when I was just having the Upper and Lower jaw done, he said it wouldn't change the way I look. Now he's telling me that I will look different. And a few minutes later when I asked if I will look dramatically different, almost unrecognizable, he said "No. You will look the same, just better." So I'm kind of confused? But I'm a big girl. I can handle this, and I have 6 weeks until my surgery. Lots of time to decide.

The fantastic thing about my surgeon is that no matter what information he tells me, I feel calm, unconcerned, no worries. He makes me feel like everything is going to be fine. My mother went to him at one point as well, because he was recommended to her so many times. He's a great surgeon and I have complete trust in him.

So that is basically the discussion I had with him about my main concerns and the procedures. Originally, my surgery was scheduled at 12 pm and was going to last 3.5 - 4 hours. But because of the Genioplasty, my surgery is now going to start at 10:30 am, so it ends around the same time it was supposed to, unless there are any issues. I know for a fact that I'm going to freak out the day of surgery and cling onto my boyfriend.

Here are straight forward Questions and Answers that were discussed when I met with my surgeon today:

Q: What are the risks?

A: There is about a 5% chance of permanent numbness in your lower lip, and there's always the risk of infection. There is a chance you can develop joint issues, possibly starting up TMJ pain. However there is a very rare risk, about one in a million, where your entire upper jaw can deteriorate and basically fall out. But that happening is like thinking "I might get in a car accident and die on my way to the movies." and then actually dying in a car accident on your way to the movies.

Q: Will I have my own hospital room?
A: You will be in a section of the ICU that isn't actually the ICU. The people around you won't be 3/4 dead. You will be sharing a room with about 8 people, with one nurse assigned for every 2 patients.

Q: How long will I be in the hospital for?

A: You should be released the following day, on the Saturday. In some cases we will keep you there until Sunday, but that's unlikely.

Q: The last time I met with you, you said you would not be wiring my mouth shut the first week.
A: Since I last saw you in October, I've had 2 patients of whom I haven't wired their mouth shut for the first little while. Because of this, they didn't listen to the "no chewing rule", and ended up having extensive issues of which I've had to go back and correct. I'm not so comfortable with not wiring your mouth shut, but we'll see.

Q: Will the surgery change how I look?
A: Yes, it will. You will still look the same in some ways, but better. **What I believe he was trying to explain to me**

Q: For anti-nausea medication while I'm at home, is it fine to crush up chewable Gravol, mix it with water, and drink it through my syringe?
A: Absolutely.

Q: Is there any anti-anxiety medication you could give me for the last couple weeks pre-op?
A: Usually I'd suggest taking Ativan* the night before if you can't sleep, but I wouldn't suggest taking it every day for 2 weeks prior to operation. That's something your physician would help you with.
*The irony is I took Ativan 2 years ago for my anxiety and panic attacks. I still have the bottle with about 10 pills in it lmfao.

Q: How much weight do you expect me to lose?
A: About 8 - 10 pounds. However, you will be able to be on a soft-food diet after 3 weeks, so for you I'm guessing about 5 pounds.

Q: Will my nose change due to bone being taken out of my upper jaw?
A: There's a very small chance that will happen.

Q: How long will the operation take?
A: About 4.5 - 5 hours.

Q: What if I have any issues with the plates and screws? Can I just have them removed?
A: Having your plates and screws removed is a whole other operation that isn't so simple. If there is an issue we can have them removed, but many patients of mine have booked appointments to get them removed, and then called shortly before the surgery and cancelled because the plates and screws don't bother them anymore.

Q: How long will I be numb for?
A: With your upper jaw, 3 months. It's harder to determine how long you will stay numb in your lower jaw, because there's always the chance you can become permanently numb in your lower lip and/or chin.

That's all I can think of right now. If I remember anymore I'll be sure to add it in. I've written so much I'm about to explode, so I'm going to bed. I hope this was interesting to read, and it helped you in any way if you're considering surgery. Thanks for reading :)