I've been doing quite a bit a research/reading other people's blogs over the past few days, and I've been getting a lot of conflicting information. I think I'm different from a lot of people who go through this process, because I haven't been thinking about and preparing for this surgery for very long. I mean, I knew when I got my braces on that at some point I would need jay surgery, but I didn't think much about what the surgery would be like. I kind of naively thought that it wouldn't be much worse than getting my wisdom teeth out. My orthodontist didn't go into any detail about the surgery when we first talked about it. So, I just assumed it must not be a big deal. It wasn't until the last few weeks that I started to get curious about what I should expect. Now, I'm getting more and more anxious about this whole thing. I'm the kind of person that always needs to be in control. I prepare and plan ahead and research so I always know everything I need to know about any subject that I encounter. The problem with this surgery is that there is so much that just depends on each individual situation. Some people experience a lot of numbness while other have practically none. Some people stay on a liquid diet for weeks while others are able to get back to a semi-regular diet (soft foods) after just a couple weeks. Some people get banded/wired shit while others only have a couple of rubber bands that they can start to take off for periods of time after the first week. I mean, there are just so many differences that it's making me really nervous.
When I talked to my surgeon on Monday I asked about a lot of these issues, but he didn't go into a lot of detail so I'm worried that I misunderstood some things. Like, to my understanding my splint will be similar to a retainer that I just wear all the time and it's basically wired into my mouth. The problem, is that most people don't describe their splint in this way. Now, after going back through my conversation with the ortho several times I'm pretty convinced that I didn't misunderstand and I'll be getting the retainer like splint. I have read several blogs from other people who have had that kind of splint. My biggest worry has to do with my lover jaw surgery. The surgeon decided to do an IVRO instead of a BSSO (which is what most people have). The benefit of doing it this way is that there is much less risk for permanent numbness with the IVRO. However, everything that I've read about this surgery says that the patient has to be wired shut instead of just banded. My surgeon didn't mention anything about my mouth being banded or wired shut. He said that I would be able to talk directly after surgery, and I would be fine to eat soft foods as soon as I feel able. I know he said I would be able to fit a spoon in my mouth, and from my understanding of being banding shut this would be impossible.
So, when I think back on it I don't THINK I misunderstood the surgeon, but all of these blogs have me questioning my judgement. I'm very anxious to talk to the surgeon again to get more information about all of this. I don't want to wake up from surgery and be shocked that I'm banded shut. If I'm going to be on a liquid diet for 5 weeks, then I feel like I need to mentally prepare myself for it. Although, I'm really thinking that isn't the case. I'm just experiencing a lot of pre-surgery anxiety. I'm sure this is normal, but I'm just really freaking myself out. If anyone has any tips about calming down before the surgery they would be very appreciated.
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