I am so sorry I haven't posted in awhile (also sorry the post is long)...
It's been very stressful lately...
In January, I was suppose to have my mouth surgery. As most of you know from my last post, it was rescheduled due to a death in the family. My surgery was at the beginning of February. Originally, it was going to be sometime in the middle of February, but they had an opening and decided to fit me in. So I ended up getting the call 2 days in advance! I went into the waiting room the morning of the surgery and immediately panicked... There was NO CALMING ME DOWN.
I waited for a good 30 - 40 minutes. In that time, I awkwardly took pictures of my mouth in a waiting room full of people since I forgot to take pictures at home (I got so many weird looks XD)! YAY! When they finally called me in, I was trembling and could barely stand. I walked gravely behind the nurse (I guarantee if I saw my face I would have laughed out loud) and went into the room where they would perform the extraction surgery.
First, they put me on nitrous. I was very tired as it was, and with the nitrous, was fading quick. I was losing consciousness every 5 seconds.. waking up over and over again.
IT WAS SCARY reason being since I was so afraid, my heart was beating so hard I was passing out, my body was spasming to the point (not trying to be offensive) I thought I was possibly having a seizure, and I was crying. I remember gaining consciousness and seeing my doctor in my face which made me jump. He kept telling me to take deep breaths in through my nose and exhale through my mouth (so i'd breathe in more of the gas) as he started to massage my temple.
When I calmed down (enough :D), he wrapped a tourniquet around my arm and put in the IV. The female nurse attached heart monitors to my chest (1 on my stomach, and 2 right above my breasts) and a heart monitor clip to my finger. Within five minutes, I was unconscious and officially in surgery.
When I woke up(at home), I remembered being in a wheelchair. It was very odd because unlike other times I was under anesthesia, I could remember everything, didn't try to make my mother crash the car, and could even talk (to an extent). I mumbled in the car and tried to pull out my gauze (of course (disorder)). When I got home I fell asleep.
When I woke up at home, I immediately was scared to look in the mirror. I had 14 teeth removed, so of course I knew I wasn't going to look my best. I was surprised to see I actually looked well. I was slightly pale, definitely swollen, and exhausted.
The nights were the worst. For 2 weeks, I only got 1 hour of sleep every 24 hours total (and that's if I was lucky). I usually lay on my right side and that was where the most damage was done since I had a root that had to be cut in half and removed around my jawbone.
For about 2 months I could only drink things. I would have been able to eat sooner (with the clip in teeth) if the place the doctors sent my molds to didn't screw them up (twice)!
My stitches started dissolving soon after the surgery. I had about 13-16 stitches total. It got to the point they were hanging out of my mouth even when it was closed. I started taking tweezers and taking them out. Occasionally i'd pull too hard and be in a world of pain.. I was also worried about accidentally removing stitches that were not ready, but I learned which ones to remove and which ones not to, pretty fast.
I currently am only able to eat about 4 foods which include soups, applesauce, mashed potatoes, or blended mac & cheese (considering it's the only food capable of being blended without altering the taste).
Honesty at 16 years old, I never thought I'd be removing my own stitches never mind going through jaw and teeth surgery (this serious)..
Before, I honestly thought I wasn't strong enough to handle this (that terrified me). I especially felt weak the 2 weeks I was up all night crying or having panic attacks from the medication, but honestly, who wouldn't (at my age at least).
I also found out I'm too young for implants, so I'll be getting something similar to them (I don't know the name, but i'll figure it out).
I know I'm not completely done with reconstruction of my mouth, but I'm still glad the most difficult part is over. It's only going to get better from here.
For myy next appointment, i'll be getting anesthesia again for fillings in the teeth remaining.
When I calmed down (enough :D), he wrapped a tourniquet around my arm and put in the IV. The female nurse attached heart monitors to my chest (1 on my stomach, and 2 right above my breasts) and a heart monitor clip to my finger. Within five minutes, I was unconscious and officially in surgery.
When I woke up(at home), I remembered being in a wheelchair. It was very odd because unlike other times I was under anesthesia, I could remember everything, didn't try to make my mother crash the car, and could even talk (to an extent). I mumbled in the car and tried to pull out my gauze (of course (disorder)). When I got home I fell asleep.
When I woke up at home, I immediately was scared to look in the mirror. I had 14 teeth removed, so of course I knew I wasn't going to look my best. I was surprised to see I actually looked well. I was slightly pale, definitely swollen, and exhausted.
The nights were the worst. For 2 weeks, I only got 1 hour of sleep every 24 hours total (and that's if I was lucky). I usually lay on my right side and that was where the most damage was done since I had a root that had to be cut in half and removed around my jawbone.
For about 2 months I could only drink things. I would have been able to eat sooner (with the clip in teeth) if the place the doctors sent my molds to didn't screw them up (twice)!
My stitches started dissolving soon after the surgery. I had about 13-16 stitches total. It got to the point they were hanging out of my mouth even when it was closed. I started taking tweezers and taking them out. Occasionally i'd pull too hard and be in a world of pain.. I was also worried about accidentally removing stitches that were not ready, but I learned which ones to remove and which ones not to, pretty fast.
I currently am only able to eat about 4 foods which include soups, applesauce, mashed potatoes, or blended mac & cheese (considering it's the only food capable of being blended without altering the taste).
Honesty at 16 years old, I never thought I'd be removing my own stitches never mind going through jaw and teeth surgery (this serious)..
Before, I honestly thought I wasn't strong enough to handle this (that terrified me). I especially felt weak the 2 weeks I was up all night crying or having panic attacks from the medication, but honestly, who wouldn't (at my age at least).
I also found out I'm too young for implants, so I'll be getting something similar to them (I don't know the name, but i'll figure it out).
I know I'm not completely done with reconstruction of my mouth, but I'm still glad the most difficult part is over. It's only going to get better from here.
For myy next appointment, i'll be getting anesthesia again for fillings in the teeth remaining.
