Day 35 - 5 weeks post-op!

Only 1 week until I can start chewing!  I'm sooo excited!

So what's new... for the past couple of nights I've been sleeping just with my head on two pillows, which is much more comfortable (I don't wake up with an achey neck everyday) and doesn't seem to be having any adverse effect on my jaw or swelling or anything.

I went to the orthodontist on my 5 week day.  She was running behind with her appointments so I got the trainee...great.  But luckily she was still in the room and was kind of overseeing what he was doing.  Firstly she said she couldn't see anything vital that had come off, so I don't need to worry about my little accident the other night where I pulled that bit of plastic off.  The trainee ortho was asking me questions about my surgery, I think it was mainly just because he was interested!  Anyway, he changed my power chain on my top teeth, and then did a new configuration with my bands, but he had to get it checked by someone else.  This other woman then came over, and she said that what he'd done was right (which was reassuring).  So I've now got a kind of slanted rectangular box on each side, and then a V-shape at the front.  Like this...

Overall they're better than the last bands I had.  Anyway, my ortho said that I looked really good, and again she said that the minimum they keep the braces on after surgery is 3 months, and she thinks I'll be ready to have them off then!  She was also saying to the trainee that my surgeon is such a good surgeon and gets the bite so good after surgery that it makes her job really easy.  She said that if the surgeon does a bad job then it can take ages to get the bite right with elastics.  So I feel really lucky that I had such an amazing surgeon, he really has done a brilliant job.

I asked my ortho whether these appointments are going to keep being as frequent as they have been since surgery.  I'm moving to Somerset soon for my new job which is about 4 hours drive away, so I can't be coming back and taking time off work already every week.  Luckily she said that she'll see me again in 2 weeks (which will be the week before I move) and then after that she doesn't need to see me for a month.  Apparently most of the 'settling' has been done now.  So now I have my 6 week post-op appointment with my surgeon on 26th November (when I'll be 6 weeks and 4 days post-op) and then one with the ortho on 28th.  Then after that I won't need to see the ortho again for another month, and I don't need to see my surgeon again until my braces are off.

Here are my 5 week post-op pictures.  I know I've said this before but I'm going to say it again...I really think I look a lot worse in photos than in real life.  Even my mum agrees and says that my swelling looks a lot worse in photos.  So although when I look at these photos I don't think I look amazing, when I look in the mirror I am really really happy with my new face.  I was looking in the mirror last night and I just thought I am so lucky that I've been able to have this done and that it's all worked out so well.  I am so grateful that the NHS were willing to do this for me, and I'm just so happy with my new face!

I swear I don't look this weird when I smile in real life...