Recovery Timeline
Following is a brief timeline of important events regarding recovery from double jaw surgery. If you only had a single jaw operated on, your recovery will be much quicker than this.
Keep in mind that every person recovers at a different pace, and also that every surgeon has their own agenda during the recovery process. This is simply the sequence of important events that took place during my personal recovery.
Day 0 (Surgery)
- You’ll be eating/drinking through a syringe
- You’ll be unable to sleep very much
- You may be freezing all night long due to the ice packs wrapped around your face
- You’ll feel extremely weak
- You won’t be able to talk
- You will drool constantly (but you’ll have the suction tube in the hospital to take care of that)
- Lots of blood will be churning up inside your nose, mouth and throat
- Your jaw will randomly spasm (and it will be painful)
Day 1
- Swelling will begin
Day 3
- Swelling will peak
- Your bowels will start working again around this time
Day 5
- Feeling will begin to return to parts of your face
- Swelling will start to decrease
Day 7 (1 week)
- You’ll be able to move your mouth a bit easier, so your talking will become more understandable
- At your 1-week appointment, you’ll be able to brush your teeth, both inside and out (and it will feel amazing)
Day 10
- Drooling won’t be as rampant any longer
- You’ll regain slight control over your lips
Day 14 (2 weeks)
- Most of the swelling will be gone
- You’ll be able to start drinking from a cup (although it may be messy at first)
- You can probably remove a few of the elastics clamping your teeth together, so talking will become infinitely more simple
- Sleeping through the night should no longer be a problem
Day 15
- Your elastics will start snapping daily, due to your rapid increase in speaking
Day 18
- Your breath will become bearable again, due to the fact that you’ve been eating different foods and brushing more often
Day 21 (3 weeks)
- Your energy will start to come back. Take advantage of it! Go for walks and take your bike out for a spin.
Day 22
- You’ll be receiving substantial feeling back in your upper lip and cheeks. Your nose, lower lip and chin, however, will remain completely numb.
Day 28 (4 weeks)
- Talking will hardly be an issue any longer. If you have a splint/bite plate in, you’ll sound ridiculous, but people will be able to understand you.
- Your desire to be social and spend time with people will return in full force. Make sure you take advantage of it, and remember that your friends are not judging you.
Day 29
- Feeling will begin to return to your lower lip and chin. That feeling will come in the form of pins and needles, but you’ll appreciate it regardless. If no feeling has returned to these parts yet, don’t worry. Surgeons say that it make take up to 90 days for feeling to begin coming back.
Day 31 (1 month)
- If your elastics are off, you’ll be able to speak quite well by now
- You won’t drool or spill any longer while eating
Day 32
- You’ll have most of your normal energy back by now
- You’ll begin to feel like you’re ready to take life on again. Be warned though: you’re not quite there yet. Give it another month before you go crazy.
Day 38
- More patches of feeling will return to your chin and lower lip
- You should no longer have to wear elastics during the day
Day 42 (6 weeks)
- You should be able to drink through a straw quite easily by now
Day 45
- Most of your stitches should have dissolved by now
Day 49 (7 weeks)
- If you had a splint in, it should definitely be removed by now
- Be prepared to readjust back into the world of orthodontics
Day 56 (8 weeks)
- You should be able to eat with a small spoon or fork again
- Licking your lips should be no problem at this point
Day 58
- You’ll most likely be allowed to blow your nose again. Be gentle, though, because you don’t want to pop a blood vessel.
Day 70 (10 weeks)
- If you haven’t been able to eat solid food yet, start now. Even if the task of eating involves mashing soft food up against the roof of your mouth, do it anyway. You’ll never gain your strength back on liquid alone.
Day 84 (12 weeks)
- You should enjoy the freedom of eating just about anything you want by now
- Consider practising whistling in order to break up the scar tissue that’s sure to be keeping your upper lip from enjoying its full range of motion
Day 90 (3 months)
- Your three months have finally come to an end! Enjoy eating, breathing and smiling to their full effect.
- Changes will be fairly slow from this point forward. The results you find yourself with at the 6-month mark will most likely be the results you’ll live with for the rest of your life.
June 17, 2016 at 8:54 pm
I have surgery in august of this year. Would the doctors take the screws out of your jaw lets say 5 years after? or when you want them out? or they only do that for infections? I just think the idea of having plates and screws in your jaw for the next 50 or so years is weird. I don’t know maybe I’m paranoid and nervous because I’m thinking the material the plates are made out of is bad for your health lol. thanks.
June 18, 2016 at 7:29 pm
Luke, surgeons only remove the titanium plates if an infection is present. The “hardware,” as people call it, is known to be safe as far as medical standards go, but I can understand your feelings about having foreign materials in your face. I can say that after 6 years of having the plates, I have not noticed them even a single time, and the last time I was even aware I had them was when I had my final x-ray after my recovery.
Also, they don’t set airport metal detectors off or anything crazy like that, so we can all lay those fabricated stories to rest. 😉
June 16, 2016 at 12:22 am
I’m having double jaw surgery on June 30th. I have a 6 year old daughter and am a single Mom. I have coverage for people to take care of my daughter till July 5th. Am I going to be able to care for her at that point? She is fairly easy going and will be at camp during the day.
Melissa
June 16, 2016 at 12:36 am
Hi Melissa
I’m a single mom too.
You should be able to manage caring for her ok after first week to week and a half… just talk about it with her beforehand. Tell her she’s going to have to help care for you. Usually that’ll help have kiddos on good behavior and extra helpful for a while.
The first week was a blur due to effects of pain meds so I do recommend help through that at minimum.
Best wishes!!
June 16, 2016 at 6:41 am
Hi, Melissa . It seems you going to have help with your daughter for the worst days . If you could get some more help for about 2 more weeks would be prefect. I remember needing all the help i could get. But every day gets better as your recovery though.
June 19, 2016 at 9:01 pm
ME TOO! Good luck!
June 14, 2016 at 2:10 pm
Hi everyone, wishing you all a safe and speedy recovery. Recovery is a slog, but stay positive and keep your eye on the prize.
I’m 6 weeks post op from double jaw surgery. Recovery has been a bit bumpy. First week not too bad, the second week was tougher. My surgery was complicated by the fact I have a heart condition and take beta blockers and warfarin. It was great the surgery went ahead, but this caused the anesthetist and surgeon a headache, and me some issues when restating the warfarin – if anyone is in the same boat please contact me direct and I’ll happily give you some good pointers on things to watch out for.
Apart from this recovery has been OK. Only strange thing (and hoping someone out there can help) I woke up in week 5 and my right check was really swollen again. Ortho told me inside of my mouth on right ride looked a bit raw and red but wasn’t sure if it was local infection e.g bit of food stuck or issue with plates, or even just some random swelling after sleeping on it. I went straight on antibiotics and swelling reduced almost instantly. I’m on final day of antibiotics now and all looks fine, just a bit nervous that it is some issue with the plates and swelling will flare up again when I finish the medicine. The surgeon told me that if this is the case they will take plates out, but not until week 12 as bones need to heal. But I don’t imagine I can take antibiotics for a further 6 weeks. Hopefully just a bit if random swelling / local infection, but not sure if this is still common in week 5? Anyone got any thoughts?
Big love x
June 14, 2016 at 9:53 pm
Hi Ferg, it’s not common for the titanium screws and plates to cause infection, but it is not unheard of either. Some people are able to fight the infection off with the help of an antibiotic and hopefully that will be the outcome for you. Generally, if it looks and feels like the infection is gone while still on the medicine, then it is indeed gone.
That being said, if it turns out that you do need to have the plates removed, this is a much simpler procedure than the initial surgery and your bone will be just as strong because it will have fused back together naturally by that point. Requiring the plates to be removed is rare, though, so the odds are very much in your favor. 😊
June 7, 2016 at 5:29 am
I had double jaw surgery on January 14th, so I’m now pretty much 5 months post-op. My braces came off almost 3 weeks ago, on May 12th and my bite isn’t even aligned correctly. I told my orthodontist that it still isn’t aligned correctly, I have a slight open bite and obviously he saw for himself and his reply was “elastics won’t move it any more than it has done” and then he took them off… I’m not happy with the result at all. I spent years being depressed because of my jaw/presentation of teeth and I spent months excited for the surgery to just be majorly disappointed. Everyone tells me my teeth look great, but it is just not what I had hoped for, I’m now stuck with a smile that I still am not happy with. Is there any way my open bite will close over time?
June 7, 2016 at 7:34 am
Im right there with you! I had my double jaw surgery Feb 26th. Four minths later i look as if I should be on an episode of Botched! The feeling in my face is coming back slowly but muscle tone and control is my concern. My left side of my mouth is much weaker than my right, when I smile or talk it looks like I have bellspalsy or have had a stroke. My beaces come off next week and I just want to scream. I have an open bite and my top teeth are still moving. Im so afraid my teeth will shift more when the braces come off. My gums have receeded and the orthodontist is concerned my roots arent strong enough to move my teeth any more. Ugh. Im super depressed and disappointed too. I was better off before. Ugh
June 7, 2016 at 9:06 am
Typically your open bite should close over time as your teeth will move down until the meet each other again. I would call the surgeon and has his opinion on the matter. Not the Ortho.
June 6, 2016 at 9:57 pm
Hello, I got double jaw surgery on April 20th 2016 and it is now June 6, 2016. My swelling has gone down, and I am able to open my mouth as I used to. My only concern is numbness. I cannot feel absolutely anything on my lower right lip and chin. It is quite deceiving, as it feels very heavy and cold. I am worried it will stay this way. I need to know if others are experiencing this same numbness after being 6 weeks post op!!!
June 7, 2016 at 9:04 am
You can have numbness for up to 18 months. There is pretty heft nerve damage when having this pre reduce done.
June 7, 2016 at 7:20 pm
Sergio, it is normal to still have numb areas after 6 weeks. Truthfully, I wouldn’t worry about the idea of permanent numbness until at least 4 months have passed. 😊
June 8, 2016 at 4:11 am
I’m 10 weeks post op and have no feeling on the left side of my lip and chin. It’s early days. Don’t worry too much.
June 14, 2016 at 1:42 pm
Hi Sergio, I’m 6 weeks post op today (double jaw surgery). You’re not alone, the right hand side of my lower face is still totally numb. It’s weird, you could almost draw a line straight down the middle of my lip and chin – feeling on the left, numb on the right.
June 5, 2016 at 10:15 pm
ok guys so i had my surgery febuary9th and i have the go to guide for the first 2 weeks lol
ok so the first night you should sleep through that because of the anestesia
the next day in the hospital is by far the hardest, they are pumping fluids into you so you will have to go to the bathroom all the time, when you get up almost everytime you would droul blood and saliva, that and a nose bleed because they cut through your sinus. you will have a soar through and they are going to beg you to drink, this will hurt, however ask for warm water and lemon it helps it go down easier, YOU HAVE TO WALK AROUND POST SURGERY, YOUR JAW IS BROKEN NOT YOUR LEGS.
I went home the following night after surgery and it was hard to sleep because i was sleeping all day, but i recommend showering a hot shower where you could droul and not be annoyed by it, it just makes you feel better, i recommend 2 a day but ,ake sure you moisturize.
BUY ALOT OF SYRINGES TO PUT YOUR JUICES, ENSURE, OR PROTEIN SHAKES IN, YOU DONT WANT TO GO THROUGH TRYING TO DRINK FROM A CUP ON DAY 2
BUY A JAW BRA**** AND ICE PACKS, USE THIS ALOT SO BY 3 WEEKS SWELLING SHOULD BE 60% GONE
DRINK WATERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!
i didnt drink enough water and was constapated for like 6 days, the worst feeling, you will be grumpy and in so much pain this is the most important thing
SLEEP WITH YOUR HEAD ELEVATED THE FIRST 3 WEEKS
IF YOU WANT TO BLEND YOUR RICE, CHICKEN OR ANY THING LIKE THAT, GET HOT WATER AND CHICKEN BROTH AND BLEND IT UP, IT TASTE JUST LIKE THE FOOD EXCEPT LIQUID
DO NOT TOUCH STICHES IN MOUTH
DO NOT PLAY WITH BOTTOM LIP,
there are stiches in your bottom and top lip and playing with it will prolongue healing time
THE MORE YOU WALK AROUND POST SURGERY THE MORE SWELLING GOES DOWN
take your time though
FIND GOOD SHOWS TO WATCH
i recommend prison break, the 100, quantico ect.
June 6, 2016 at 9:47 pm
Thanks for the guide, Robert! This should be super helpful to others about to go for the surgery.
Your advice made me smile. It’s really tough for people to hear these sorts of tips during the first few weeks of recovery because they feel so miserable, but I agree that things like going for walks, drinking water, and avoiding the urge to play with stitches make a big difference.
Also, big fan of the 3 series you mentioned. I’m watching Quantico right now! 📺
June 3, 2016 at 7:16 pm
Surgery was April 13th… and I feel that I’ve been HUNGRY since then.. haha
The recovery seems sooo slow for a foodie like me.
I’ve been instructed to stick to liquids and soups until further notice. I still have no feeling in my gums on top but the bottom is back and tingly.
Yawning still hurts and I still don’t feel the energy and strength prior to the face breaking. 😆
Hadn’t EVER finished a chapter stick in my life until this experience… I’ve gone through all brands and flavors… I felt accomplished when I actually used them. Lips still dry and Crack, but nothing like before when the swelling was still bad.
One thing I didn’t read much about before and wish more people spoke about is how to deal with the change I appearance. It’s tough to finally feel the swelling has subsided but the person you see still isn’t “you”. You just never know how much your face will change after this procedure. Considering it isn’t your intention to have cosmetic work done.. this is a medical procedure… it changes your face. However slightly it may be, the change is something to mentally prep for. We go through.life fighting to love ourselves and all that we are then we have our face broken and..it changes our face… that we’ve still worked to get to know and love.. and have to start all over. Sounds silly but you’ll know what I mean… about 4-6 weeks out… you’ll see swelling gone.. and new face!
Hope I’ve helped she’d light on some of what’s to come!
June 3, 2016 at 8:50 pm
Hi Amanda, that’s is so true what you said about the change in appearance, and well said. I wasn’t prepared at all how different I would look. I’m four months post op and I think I look so wired and not myself and I hate that feeling. I have good and bad days. And it’s so hard. It’s great that we are not alone in how we are feeling and others properly don’t notice. We are our own worst critics.
June 14, 2016 at 11:40 pm
I know exactly what you mean Amanda. I am nearly 3 weeks post op and I feel that most of my swelling has gone although I really hope there is more to go. As the days pass and I cant see much change the regret builds. Did you still have much swelling at 3 weeks? On a positive note recovery has gone reasonably smoothly for me to this point. First week was difficult but once I adjusted to the food, lack of exercise and lack of movement in my face things returned almost to normal pretty quickly. Its just the reflection in the mirror that I’m struggling with.
June 16, 2016 at 12:46 am
I had very slight swelling by the third week… mainly above the metal plates I guess.
The lack of exercise and all that got to me too! No fun. I had surgery April 13th.. still struggling to maintain weight.. was already skinny so this really had ano impact.. they still have me on liquids or baby food consistency food.
The toughest stuff by this point is still being hungry ( for real foods) and sleeping. I still can’t sleep comfortably but only because I used to pretty much sleep on my face… now I’ve had to adjust to sleeping on my back and it’s just not the same.
I’m gaining strength and feeling back but yawning is still the worst. My chin still tingles. No feeling in top gums yet… so brushing still feels weird.
And I drool in my sleep … probably did before surgery too but I’ll blame surgery just because why not.
June 16, 2016 at 1:11 am
Ugh, right there with you. I’m 3 weeks post op and. Sleep is elusive. Most of my nerve function is returning sooner than expected. This means I have felt most of the pain for the precedure. The pressure when laying at anything other than a 90° angle causes me extreme discomfort. I’m also a belly sleeper
June 2, 2016 at 1:58 am
Des anyone have any good “liquid” meals they can reccomend? I’m over ensure and soups.
June 2, 2016 at 7:50 pm
Once you’re able to eat more solid foods without chewing, spaghetti cut very thin and pureed meat/tomato sauce tastes great. I was able to eat without chewing at all (though the thickness of the food tricked my mind into wanting to chew, but I obviously wasn’t physically able).
June 3, 2016 at 12:34 pm
I’m the same way. The taste of it just makes my skin crawl and it’s only been a week
June 5, 2016 at 10:17 pm
mashed potatoes with bbq chicken
however you can blend the bbq chicken and add chicken broth to it so that is can be in finer pieces
try apple sauce
June 14, 2016 at 1:46 pm
Hi Sean, if you like sweet things, a killer milkshake is:
1 Mr Kipling mini Apple pie
Custard
Vanilla ice cream
Milk
Pinch of Cinnamon
Blitz the above then serve with whipped cream on top. Feels like your having a proper dessert in liquid form.
June 14, 2016 at 4:03 pm
I did nothing but cook, blend and clean for my first few weeks. I’m a foodie and was over liquid quickly. I made a good marinara and used it to blend things. I grilled veggies and ground turkey and blended with the marinara. Just use your squeeze bottles to eat. Lasagna is also easy to blend and even eat one they allow you to eat soft things. I also make a brown gravy and pork loin with sauerkraut and blended it. People think it’s nuts but it tastes the same and eating soups and shakes everyday and every meal is nuts to me!
June 1, 2016 at 11:21 pm
Hey. So I’ve finally completed two and a half months after my double jaw surgery and I’m feeling much better as compared to my first month. It’s a little weird because I still have swelling on my left cheek and there’s a small boney protection under my eye next to the upper left side of my nose. I can still fee a weird bone popping out. It isn’t very visible but I can feel it. Any ideas anyone ? Is it possible that the swelling would stay on the left side? And somewhat reduce completely on the right side ?
June 2, 2016 at 9:34 pm
Chelsea, it’s common for swelling to reduce in an uneven manner, so you have nothing to worry about on that field. I’m not sure about the “boney projection” under your eye, though. It’s possible you’re feeling a bracket that was added during the operation (I feel a few of them along my jaw line), but to be sure, I recommend calling your surgeon’s office and asking about it. 😊
June 8, 2016 at 3:45 am
Hi, my op was April 1st 2016. I’m 10 weeks in and have swelling on both sides although my right side is more visible. I agree with the weird feeling that you have, I have it on the side of my nose. It must be the screw/bracket. I’m not too worried about that.
I can’t open my mouth very wide. Is this the same for you?
May 28, 2016 at 10:45 am
Hello all;
I am on day three of double jaw surgery. At this point I fee defeated. I can barely breath through my nose, can not feel my lips, the pain comes in surges and my energy is crap. My lips however, seem to be getting the brunt of the issues. They have split is several place from the swelling. I also, can not seem to get comfortable when I try to sleep and still have to drink through a syringe, mostly for cleanliness. And this headache. Also, should I be trying to open and close my mouth and no…I feel like I should be “excersizing” it. Also, sorry that my thoughts are every where. Keeping a single train of thought is rough
May 28, 2016 at 7:25 pm
Hi Sean! The first couple of weeks of recovery can be extremely uncomfortable and frustrating. Sadly, what you’re experiencing is quite standard, so there’s honestly nothing to be worried about.
As some temporary remedies, I encourage you to try the following:
1) Buy some Vaseline to gently rub on your lips. Try to keep your lips covered with this stuff at all times to minimize the splitting. I vividly remember how painful that was…
2) Try to lay on a couch with your head elevated on the armrest and a hot pack on your face several times each day. I found doing this for about 10 minutes every couple of hours provided much-needed relief.
3) Find some television series or movies and watch them for hours on end to keep yourself occupied. Since sleeping is difficult and energy is lacking, the best you can do is keep yourself occupied for another week until your swelling is down and your energy is up.
4) Try to get outside for short 10-minute walks 3 times per day. These will take much willpower at first, but the fresh air and movement will do wonders for your body.
Hopefully these help you pass the time with a bit of relief. Life will get much better for you after these first 2 weeks have passed, so hang in there until then and you’ll be good to go. Feel free to share here again if you need someone to talk to! 😊
June 5, 2016 at 10:18 pm
your gonna look back and be glad
May 21, 2016 at 6:38 am
Hey Graham!
I found your site a few weeks ago and I try to read it a little every day. My surgery was on May 16th (5 days ago) and I’m happy to report that it went very well. Recovery has been rough, mostly on my lips, and I still have trouble thinking in coherent sentences but for the most part – I just keep getting better every day.
I had the same procedure as you and I live in Calgary. Your site has been super helpful and informative. It’s really nice having a “guide” of sorts to track my progress and see what I’m in for next. I used to weigh 200lbs but I’ve probably lost a bunch, no matter how much ensure + protein power + vega mix I eat. It gets pretty chalky but forcing myself to down it is important. I’m also lucky enough to have a wonderful wife to take care of me with a bunch of different soups and flavours to keep me eating.
One thing that I found out is how prone I am to short instances of panic. I can feel it creeping up on me when I can’t breathe well or become frustrated when opening things. Thankfully It takes my wife a few seconds to try to calm me down and get me breathing normally again. I usually am pretty calm but these instances have been by far the worst parts – including once I missed a step and fell down some stairs (on my back thank god). I’m pretty beaten up but very positive. I think it’s worth mentioning how claustrophobic I can feel. There are moments when I imagine ripping everything out, running and how liberating that would be lol.
I also fall asleep very easily – often taking naps before I am able to finish something (case and point: I’ve been writing this for like 2 hours). I try to stay awake and make it through some TV or light reading but my body just falls asleep. I honestly thought I’d be a little more active!
It’s funny that when I read what to expect for the day, I usually find some comment or experience that resonates with me and I just can’t get it out of my head. I swear, I can communicate with District 9 aliens! Throughout night 3 it was all I could think about!
Anyways, I just wanted to say thanks. This has been so helpful to me (and my wife) to see what’s expected. I think my face is going to change a lot in the profile! It got me thinking about how different I’ll look from our wedding photos. Might have to get some updated lol
Jason
May 21, 2016 at 9:02 pm
Jason, nice to meet you and thanks for sharing about your current situation! It’s funny hearing about how you keep falling asleep when trying to perform any task that requires mental effort. I remember feeling quite braindead during the first week. Secretly, I started this blog about 5 days into my recovery and backposted the first entries because I couldn’t muster up the mental energy to write anything during that period.
For what it’s worth, you are in the worst part of the recovery right now, so it’s all uphill from here. Next week will likely be equally as claustrophobic and frustrating, but you should notice a big change when you hit the third week. All of a sudden you’ll have a bit of energy, you’ll be able to breath a bit easier, and you should feel generally more positive about things.
Hang in there and enjoy the gorgeous summer in Calgary. I lived there a couple of years ago and really miss the mountains! 🏔 🇨🇦
May 23, 2016 at 4:45 am
Thanks for the reply Graham!
It’s the end of week 1 and things are continuing to go pretty well, besides not able to sleep all through a full night lol. However, I’ve been waking up less and less.
Today is a holiday and my surgeons office is closed so I have a couple questions that someone may be able to answer.
I’m experiencing some light burning in my chin that pulses and is a little sensitive. Super weird, might just be some returning feeling with pins and needles. Any way to combat this?
Second is that I ran out of T3s for pain. Should I go about trying to get another script for a refill or just transition to regular over-the-counter pills? When was the change for you? I am thinking that once I’m out that means I shouldn’t have to take them anymore.
Last is that my upper lip seems to be attached to my upper gums. When applying Vaseline, I feel like I could try to separate my lip easily with a Q tip (so that it’s not digging into my braces). I wondering if this is something that is supposed to happen normally or I may risk agrivating the stitches? It just feels like they are stuck together and it is causing some pain. I saw some images of people holding their upper lip out to show the stitches in pictures – not sure if that makes sense.
Anyways, back to trying to sleep. Made it all the way till 4:40 this time, which is a huge improvement!
May 23, 2016 at 11:29 pm
Hello again!
1) It’s normal to experience seemingly random bouts of pain in your lips and chin as feeling returns and swelling ebbs and flows. As long as it’s not chronic pain for a few days in a row, you should be okay. If it continues for a few days, I would call and ask your surgeon to make sure it’s not an infection.
2) I did not refill any prescriptions and simply tried to use regular painkillers and heat packs to combat discomfort once my prescriptions were empty. That being said, if the pain is preventing you from getting any rest at all, your surgeon’s office may write you another prescription. Doesn’t hurt to call and ask!
3) It’s also common for people’s lips to get stuck to their braces when the swelling is high. This can be quite painful and terribly annoying and I do recommend gently trying to separate the two. I didn’t have much luck with using wax on my braces or preventing my lips from splitting during the first month of recovery and found that this problem eventually went away as my swelling decreased.
Hope this information helps!
May 24, 2016 at 8:49 pm
Awesome information again. This pain is like a 3/10 and is pretty constant. It’s hard to decribe where/what it is – it feels cold, can’t find exactly where it is, and just pulses with my heartbeat. I wish I could pin point it! Hopefully it will go away soon. I think in the meantime I’m just going to continue to use the same T3s to combat it.
Everything else is going well. Every day continues to be better than the last. Last night a few friends and I were up late playing some games and I am a little sore due to the talking lol.
May 23, 2016 at 8:30 am
Hey Jason,
I just wanted to say that I got jaw surgery on May 16th as well! Happy one week recovery anniversary! I agree, this blog has been a life saver. It’s kept me sane being able to have a reference point and knowing that someone else has also gone through the same stuff.
Problems I’m facing right now: mostly having trouble sleeping. My face swells up pretty bad at night and I think this blocks my nasal passages by pressing them together, and when I breathe through my mouth, it feels like my throat is kind of closed up as well (I think I just can’t feel in my throat right now). I can breathe fine through my mouth when I’m awake, but when I try to sleep, I only seem to be able to take shallow breaths, which wakes me up after 10 minutes or so after I fall asleep. Last night, however, I took a shower and used a DIY Neti pot to clear my sinuses, so that I could breathe through my nose, and I was able to sleep like 6 hours, waking up about every 2 hours to spit out phlegm and blood chunks. I’ll definitely need to keep up with that.
Another big thing for me is that I’m kind of obsessive about hygiene, so not being able to properly and fully brush my teeth and tongue is grossing me out. (I think I feel something fuzzy growing on my splint…) I can’t wait for my first follow up appointment tomorrow when I can do some brushing!
Anyway, just wanted to share. It’s nice knowing that someone else in Canada (I’m in Vancouver) got jaw surgery the same day as me and is going through the same motions!
Thomas
May 24, 2016 at 8:42 pm
Hi Thomas!
Thanks for sharing buddy, it’s good to see you are doing well. Today I got to brush my front teeth (front and back) but my surgeon recommended I avoid the back ounces because that’s where my stitches are.
Sleeping continues to be a chore lol. One night I fell asleep with a pad under my neck and woke up with a huge bruise! I have a lot of bruising currently but it really isn’t that bad.
Anyways thanks for replying. I think we are going to have a cross-city cheers when we get our splits out 🙂
May 25, 2016 at 11:56 am
I saw my surgeon yesterday and he told me the splint would be out next Tuesday! That was completely unexpected, having read here that Graham had it in for 7 weeks. I’ve been able to take it out to eat and brush my teeth which is amazing. I think I spent 45 minutes the first time I brushed.
I hope your sleeping gets better soon — mine certainly has! Clearing my nostrils is the only way I can sleep through the night.
Good luck with your recovery!
May 30, 2016 at 11:48 am
Hello all,
Thank you so much for sharing your jaw surgery experience. I’m in Dallas, TX and I had double jaw surgery on May 16th too. I had a second surgery on my lower jaw on May 18th. My husband and I had our honeymoon in Vancouver. We miss it so much! This recovery however has been physically and mentally challenging. I had anxiety prior to surgery and now my panic attacks are out of control. Thankfully I have an amazing husband who has helped me every step of the way. I’m almost two weeks post op from my second surgery and I’m still needing pain meds. I’m feeling so much pressure and discomfort the pain meds make it bearable to get through. At night the pressure is so bad I can’t sleep without the pain meds. I’m worried about getting addicted to them. I don’t take more than the recommended dose and I don’t take it more often than every 4-6 hours. I’m also taking 600mg ibuprofen every 6 hours. I feel like my jaws, cheeks, lips, nose and chin are being stretched and there’s never a release. I get panic attacks questioning if I did the right thing or if I’ll be worse off now than I was before the surgery. I’m supposed to go back to work in one week. I hope I’m not drooling the 3rd week post op. When does the drooling stop post op? Thanks again for your documentation. This has been encouraging, helpful and reassuring.
April
May 30, 2016 at 9:53 pm
Hi April, thanks for sharing about your experience so far. If I may ask, are you laying on your back with a heat pack on your face a few times each day? The heat may relax your nerves and skin and provide a bit of relief from the intense pressure, especially at night. I actually slept with a heat pack draped around my chin for the first month and found it allowed me to get at least a few hours of rest each night.
As for drooling, you will probably have to deal with that until the second month. I understand it’s really annoying, but I recall still drooling when I returned to work after 2 weeks. If you’re still having extreme discomfort, you may want to kindly ask your boss if you can stay home for 1 more week. Those extra few days of rest can make a world of difference at this point in the recovery.
Hope you’re feeling better soon!
June 1, 2016 at 2:03 pm
Graham,
Thank you for the advice. I tried a heating pad last night and it helped. However, it’s not very flexible/bendable so I’m having a hard time covering most of my face with it at once. I’m heating one side at a time. I guess I should buy a different heating pad. I had surgery on my nose, upper jaw, lower jaw and my chin on Monday, May16th. The surgery took 8 hrs and we didn’t start until 12:30pm because my surgeon had another surgery scheduled that morning. On Wednesday, May 18, they had to do another 3 HR surgery to revise my lower jaw. I’m wondering if I’m experiencing more pain than most because I had two surgeries for a total of 11 hours. Thank you for your thoughts and advice. I appreciate it. I just wish I wasn’t still in so much pain two weeks post op.
June 1, 2016 at 7:36 pm
It’s certainly possible that you’re healing a bit more slowly than others due to have 2 surgeries so close to each other. That being said, you will recover from this, so I assure you that it will soon be in your past. I know that’s tough to consider during the first month of recovery, but hopefully it’s something to look forward to.
As for heating packs, I recommend the Magic Bag brand. You can find them on Amazon and should be able to find them in other department stores as well.
June 1, 2016 at 12:56 pm
Hi April,
I felt like weighing in too. It’s comforting to me (and I hope it is to you too) that there are others out there who got jaw surgery the exact same day as me. Helps me to realize I’m not alone!
As Graham said, if you haven’t already done so, start sleeping with heating pads on your face. This greatly helped me to relax when sleeping was more of an issue for me. I feel like I am doing quite well with my recovery, and I still feel that stretching feeling in my face. It’s better when I’m relaxing at home, but when I go out it feels worse. I think each day it just continues to get better.
I think the fact that you’re worrying about medication addiction is a good sign that you won’t get addicted. If you weren’t worrying about the amount of medication you were taking, I think that would be a sign that something might be off… but your concern for your mental and physical health suggests, to me, that you should be fine the more that you get healed up. If you can, try to go a bit more time each day without taking medication, like a half hour or an hour. If you an bear a little discomfort for a little bit longer, things your will power will increase.
Another thing, if you haven’t tried it already, I would recommend to start drinking from a cup. I got kind of grossed out by the syringes after day 5 (I have some hygiene issues and I don’t like my medication syringe mixing with my prune juice syringe!) and so I started drinking the prune juice from a small plastic children’s cup. I don’t think I drooled it out, but it’s definitely helped my ability to keep liquids in my mouth. Currently at week 2, I can comfortably drink from cups.
All the best to you! Good luck! Hope you can get back to Vancouver some time!
Thomas
June 1, 2016 at 2:21 pm
Thomas,
It is comforting to know a lot of others had surgery the same day as me. However, I’m discouraged I’m not healing or feeling better as the rest of you. A heating pad has helped but I’m still having pounding head throbbing pain. I’m still eating and drinking through a syringe. I’ve gotten quite good at it and get frustrated when I try to rinse my mouth out and I drool everywhere. Don’t think I’m ready for drinking out of a cup yet. I’m happy you all are doing much better. I hope I can be there someday too. This surgery has been mentally and physically challenging in so many ways. I underestimated it big time. I’m wondering if my recovery is taking longer because I had my nose, upper jaw, lower jaw and chin done. I also had two surgeries in 3 days for a total of 11 hrs under. Thanks again for your input and help. My husband and I were in Vancouver, Victoria and Whistler 6 years ago for our honeymoon. We wanted to move there so bad! We hope to make it back one day.
June 2, 2016 at 1:56 am
Hey April,
I don’t think your recovery speed has anything to do with the double surgery…mine was only 4.5 hours but they had to pull my bottom jaw a full centimeter and widen the top a 1/2 centimeter. They also did septoplasty while they were in there.
My recover is going very, very, very slow too. I am a week out and there has been no change in swelling. The right side of my face constantly hurts, but only as the day progresses. I have stopped the pain meds during the day in key of Naproxen 440mg twice a day and the pain medicine for bed. It hurts but I just push through the pain and occasionally get snappy. I sneezed for the first time today and felt like I ripped every stitch out, I didn’t but it sure felt like it. I am using a heating bad for 10 mins every few hours as well. My face ha begun peeling due to the extream swelling so now I have that. I also, still have no feeling in my top or bottom lips. This making drinking from a cup problematic :), I inly do this with water because it’s messy. I still can not open my mouth wide at all either. I think me and you will just have to be patient and stop being hyper-focused on what’s not healing and try to find some little improve my and get excited for that. Like today, I had loads more energy than I have had all this last week :).
Hope you start to have an upswing soon ^_^
April 29, 2016 at 9:37 pm
Hello everybody, I’m back after a while. I am on Day 45 post op of double jaw surgery. I wanted to ask if any of you can provide some insight on about how much I should be able to open my mouth. I am concerned because I can only insert my index finger in my mouth. I cannot insert my thumb. Is this normal or does it sound just about right?
Also does this sound normal: when I swallow, I feel like my upper teeth left and right move, is this normal or is it just my feeling coming back to my molars. My doctor saw me and said that my upper teeth are healing fine. Nonetheless, I dont like this colapsing feeling when I swallow.
I thank anyone who can give me a comment or feedback.
Best,
Ralph
April 30, 2016 at 10:12 am
Hi Ralph
I am 3 months out and I had a very small mouth to begin with but now it’s really small. I can not open it much at all. The doctor couldn’t even get 2 fingers in so they ordered me a oral press. I had to pay 400 for it and use it throughout the day to stretch my mouth. You might want to talk to your surgeon about it.
Also my mouth feels like it is moving too so I ask about that as well. He told me that was normal because my bones are still healing but in time that will stop.
May 6, 2016 at 10:21 pm
Stephane thank you for your feedback. I am a bit more at ease now, if your doctor said its ok. Also, it may help to know that I was not made to use a splint and this was the reason why I was worried.
I guess it will take longer for my bones to heal than I had hoped for. I will have my first post op x ray tomorrow almost after two months and I am sure this will help clear some things up. My doctor’s appointment is on Wednesday so I hope everything is ok.
I hope you get well soon.
Best,
Ralph
May 19, 2016 at 1:03 am
I am on day 77 and can open my mouth normal wide 🙂
April 28, 2016 at 9:31 pm
Sorry to write again.. I got my splint out yesterday and now my tongue is completely numb.. I can’t feel my gums when I floss.. My lips are numb.. My teeth have white spots.. Eating is more painful without the splint. It hurts to bite. Part of my face is also numb and I am still puffy. Is any of this normal? It’s been 10.5 weeks since first surgery and 8.5 since second.
My teeth are more crooked than before surgery.. I think the splint made them worse. I hope things get better. I am frustrated.. 🙁
May 11, 2016 at 7:07 am
Jenny, really sorry you felt like this! Since I’m quite late in replying, I’m not sure how you’re feeling today, but note that braces should be able to straighten your teeth out properly. I had to wear braces for 9 months after surgery to accomplish exactly that.
As for the spots on your teeth, these should be able to be easily removed with a standard cleaning at your dentist once you’re fully recovered. I haven’t met anyone yet who was left with permanent spots on their teeth as a result of this surgery.
And numb lips and gums is likely your nerves’ response to the slight trauma caused when removing the splint or flossing for the first time. Hopefully this will get better in the coming weeks as well. 😊
April 27, 2016 at 12:50 pm
sorry to write again.. My mom thinks I may not be able to smile since my lips are still numb. could that be why I can’t smile like a normal person yet? I hope so. I would hate for this to be a permanent side effect. 🙁
May 10, 2016 at 9:51 am
Hi Jenny!
I was worried about that too. My muscles were very tense and I hard a hard time smiling because it hurt and I couldn’t even get my lips to the smiling position. It took me like 2-3 months to actually smile like a normal person. I got double jaw surgery on November 21st. So I’m almost 6 months post op. Also I’m 16.
April 27, 2016 at 12:06 pm
so I need some input/advice/comments.. 🙁
today I got my splint out (yay) and went to the orthodontist..
after my appointments I wanted to take pictures of myself smiling with my teeth.. well I can’t smile! 🙁 my teeth barely show and I look like an idiot attempting to smile. is this normal? will I be able to smile like a normal human being again? I’m hoping it’s just a matter of more healing and that I can smile like I did before.. I used to have a nice smile.. now I can’t smile at all. 🙁 I want to cry. I hope this isn’t a permanent side effect from surgery..
also, another issue.. the numbness in my nose went away but now I’m numb again in my nose. does this ever happen? that you lose the numbness and get it back? very bizarre.. : /
I’m just feeling a little bummed.. I want to be able to smile again but I don’t know if I will ever be able to.. I hope I can again some day.. if not, I guess I’m screwed and have to do a closed mouth smile.
May 11, 2016 at 5:19 am
Jenny, I have a feeling this is more due to swelling than anything else. It’s difficult to manipulate the muscles in your face appropriately when they’re swollen. Now that 2 weeks have gone by, were you able to figure out how to smile?
As for numbness returning, I’m not sure what would cause this, but the fact that you had feeling means the nerves are capable of healing. Maybe your body was healing the nerves, but decided to direct energy elsewhere for a few days. (I’m clearly just speculating here as I have no medical background, hehe.)
April 20, 2016 at 2:28 pm
I am at 9 weeks from surgery number one and 7 from surgery number two.
I wish I could show before and after pictures. Some people don’t even recognize me because my face changed so much.. For the first time in my life I feel pretty. The weight loss helped too.
I finally get my splint out next Wednesday! Did any of you still have slight problems eating when your splint was removed? I have been eating soft stuff and sometimes I open too wide and that hurts.
I am still swollen a bit and have numbness in parts of my face.. I get stinging sensations in my face at times.. Anyone else get this?
I also have gotten allergies from surgery but the surgeon said that’s cause they were operating around the sinuses.
I am excited to see the results at six months.. Hopefully the numbness will be gone.. My lips are numb. It’s rather annoying..
April 20, 2016 at 2:39 pm
I do get the odd sting sensation. I think is the nerves waking up. which is a good sign
April 20, 2016 at 2:13 pm
Hi, I just wanted to update you on my progress. I am now 9 weeks post op. I had commented here before about how much I hated my new face and I was traumatised by the whole thing. I am happy to report that I am starting to look more like myself every week. Im still not there but it is for sure so much better than it was. I have to say nothing prepared me for the worry i experienced. I ws worried that I was going to look like a stranger forever. My nose is still wide and I am not happy about that but Im more positive and hoping it still has more healing to do. I still can’t breath out of one nostril. so this means I am not healed and still swollen or else something is wrong. The Doctor said he can look at it again if it is still the same in 6 months. So hopefully it is down to swelling. I had no idea swelling would last this long. Has anyone else had problems breathing through their nose after 9 weeks?
May 6, 2016 at 10:39 pm
Hello Nini, thank you for writing. I am almost 8 weeks post op so I am a bit behind your in the timeline. I dont know if you had something done to your nose, but I had my nasal septum corrected along with my double jaw surgery. In my experience, I am still congested that I think is due to the fact that my doctor instructed me not to blow my nose because this increases my swelling. Thus I have not been blowing my nose lately. After a month or so I did blow my nose lightly but this delayed my healing as it would add to the swelling, specially around the area where the plates where placed next to my nose. Since I have been avoided blowing my nose, I do not feel the air passage being very clear so I have somewhat of a discomfort breathing I guess. But its not something that is really there clogging my nose. Also I clean my nose any way I can think of, so long as its not blowing it.
Hope this helps. Get well soon.
Ralph
June 14, 2016 at 11:59 pm
Hi Nina, I know how you feel about hating your new face. I am 3 weeks post op so it is a relief that you are still seeing improvement at 9 weeks. I think I just need to be a bit more patient. I didn’t have anything done to my nose apart from stitching it back down internally although it looks a lot wider to me. I hope this is still swelling as well.
April 20, 2016 at 11:08 am
Hey I’m just updating, I am on week 4 today, I’ve kept my weight at 160 down 20 pounds, I have one more week until my bite plate comes out, I get it out 5 weeks but I have two weeks after that I can eat regular food but I will probably start eating normal food right after I get it off
May 11, 2016 at 4:58 am
Spencer, good to hear that you can actually eat again! Hope you’re enjoying your re-introduction to solid food!
April 18, 2016 at 3:23 pm
I cant believe i have my surgery in exactly 8 weeks today. It sure has been a long process. When it started i was tols i would need double jaw surgery…. nlw im told they want to onlh move my lower jaw… im not sure if i feel happy about that. All my life i have felt like my upper teeth stick out and have been called buck tooth, donkey face, goofy… all the names you can think of. So im actually a little deflated that my face will still feel goofy when they wont help me with what i wanted the most. Im not sure what to do. Im sure a lot of you would prefer 1 jaw done but im kinda dissapointed.
April 18, 2016 at 4:42 pm
You may be surprised for about 10 years I was supposed to only be having my bottom jaw moved back. On meeting my official surgical team after two years of braces they decided to move my top jaw forward up and slightly to the right, and my bottom jaw back and to the left, I was confused as my protruding bottom jaw was my issue but I now understand why and could not be happier with the result. It may be that because of the progress of any dental/orthodontic work that you don’t need such a large procedure. But remember they can’t do anything without your permission. Best of luck with your surgery 🙂
April 27, 2016 at 9:54 am
Hello Jade,
Sorry to hear you are disappointed about having one jaw surgery performed. I was told the same thing until more pictures were take and it showed I had what is called a “Can’t”…hopefully I spelled that correctly. Anyway, I had the double jaw surgery last week and this sh** sucks…I am at day number seven and have soooooo much swelling that my lips look like they were filled with Botox, concrete, air and anything else you can insert in your lips….I understand the swelling process but the way my lips look right now, I’m afraid to walk around my own children. Not only that, you have to get up and walk around, go for a walk, what, with my face looking like this….I can’t leave my house looking like this…I’m drinking plenty of fluids like I was told and taking the Motrin (antiflammatory) ..but nothing is helping the swelling to my lips…Again, I was called buck tooth, a mule and everything else but at this stage of recovery….give me those words over this…Best of luck with your surgery
April 18, 2016 at 6:21 am
I am 8 weeks post lower jaw surgery and chin augmentation. I am experiencing a lot of tightness in my chin in the last week. I am also getting ear ache in my left ear once or twice a day that last a minute or so then stops.
When I yawn it hurts my left side that must be the joint. Sometimes when I am eating or talking feels like my left side of my jaw has like a spasm feeling.
Does anyone experience any of the above symptoms?
April 18, 2016 at 8:46 am
Hi,
I got ear ache for about 4 or 5 months after surgery and it caused under my eyes to have like a bubbly effect, but I went to my GP and they gave me ear drops. Your ear canal may have slightly changed shape during the move of the bone and your body will be trying to adjust.
I’m almost a year on and I occasional still have little spasms in my jaw, particularly if I’ve over exerted myself, they should start to fade out. Any concerns don’t hesitate to speak to a doctor, that’s why we have them. In the first maybe 3/4 months I had all the symptoms you had but they faded quickly. It’s frustrating when on the outside you look fantastic and physically healed but little aches and pains on the inside can get you down. Just remember you’re still in the early stages and you might need to relax. My spasms stopped when I slowed down with work and daily routine. I hope your recovery goes well. 🙂
April 20, 2016 at 12:20 am
I got those same symptoms, minus the chin tightness, and still do, 50 days post-op. The random ear aches have stopped but I still get them if I put too much pressure on the ear and surrounding cartilage, especially if I sleep on that side.
April 30, 2016 at 7:17 am
Hello Michelle, I am only 6.5 weeks post op so maybe I cant give you much insight since you are farther down the road than me. Nonetheless, to provide some feedback, I do feel a slight ear ache on my right ear every now and then, and it usually hurts after I try to open my mouth during exercises (my own physiotherapy). I normally take ibuprofen and this helps get rid of the pain which I believe to be associated with the swelling. I hope this is only temporary as I am still healing and swollen. I understand it can take about 3-6 months or more to get rid of all the swelling.
Regarding your other concern. I have gotten some spasm on my jaw. It has happened any time of the day, even when I was sleeping once and it woke me up. Thankfully, they are less recurring now as I gain more mobility on my jaw.
I hope this is helpful. Get well soon.
Best,
Ralph