Recovery Tips
Following is a summary of the most important things I learned during my recovery from double jaw surgery.
- Drink lots of prune juice and water. Your toilet time will be far from enjoyable for the first couple of weeks because you’re likely to be severely dehydrated. The prune juice will provide your body with the fiber it needs to work those bowels properly, but fiber is useless without water because it won’t dissolve in your body. I recommend a bare minimum of 1 L of water per day. Drink 2 L per day as soon as you can.
- Before you attempt to pull any dead skin off of your lips, be absolutely certain that it’s not a stitch. I learned this the hard way.
- Start using medicated lip balm immediately following your return to your own home. If you don’t, you’ll end up with flaps of dead skin that are half an inch in diameter, and I promise you they won’t feel good when they catch on your braces.
- Apply heat to your face 3-4 times per day for the first 5-6 weeks to help with the swelling. The heat will also help you fall asleep.
- Begin each day at a decent time. If you sleep most of the day, you won’t be able to sleep at night, and you’ll hate yourself for it. Get out of bed, shower, eat some breakfast and brush your teeth and you’ll enjoy each day a lot more. (This is good advice for any day of your life, but it especially applies when you’re on the verge of depression from having jaw surgery.)
- Go to bed on time. Yawning will cause you quite a bit of pain, so prevent it by getting the right amount of sleep during the proper hours.
- As soon as you’re able to talk clearly enough for friends and family to understand you, call people and be social. Go outside and enjoy nature. Whatever you do, ensure you don’t fall into a trap of loneliness and self-pity.
- Start drinking from a cup as soon as you’re physically able to. Your upwards trek back to having full energy begins the day you can throw your syringes in the garbage.
- Eat solid food as soon as your surgeon gives you the go-ahead. It’ll be a slow, tedious and frustrating process, but you need to go through with it in order to build your jaw muscles back up and learn how to chew properly once again.
- It may take some time to get used to your new smile and your newly structured face. Don’t be ashamed of yourself. You don’t look funny at all. You’re simply not used to looking like you’re supposed to.
- And lastly, don’t worry about your looks, bite or facial feeling for at least 6 months. You may have an open bite, but you’ll wake up one morning and your teeth will have migrated back together. You may be completely numb, but feeling will return almost overnight.
If you have any questions about the recovery process, or perhaps have other pointers to share with upcoming jaw surgery patients, feel free to jot them down in the comments.
March 25, 2012 at 12:54 pm
Hi Graham, I just had double jaw surgery last month, and I wish I had found this site earlier. You offer so much information here. It’s great!
My question is: how long did it take you to get used to chewing solid food when the doctor gave you the ‘ok’?
I’m at 6 weeks post-op and my doctor told me I could start chewing, but it felt like I was chewing with fake wooden teeth or something. It felt really weird. So I decided to wait until 8 weeks since that’s what my orthodontist recommended.
My doctor also agreed to let me wait since I have a pre-existing TMJ condition (reason for my surgery).
On another subject–I read here about people losing weight, but I’ve actually gained after surgery. For people wanting to maintain their weight, I suggest that you write down everything you eat each day, and eat as often as possible. I’m already underweight so I couldn’t afford to lose any weight. I still drink 3 bottles of Ensure Plus each day, along with high-calorie foods like avocado, ice cream, milk, butter, etc. Good luck to everyone!
March 25, 2012 at 4:32 am
Hey Graham 🙂
Thanks for your comment. I’m afraid mine was posted in a fit of madness..I came home yesterday and feel so much better already! Sleeping in my own bed makes a real difference. I don’t think i’ve ever been so hungry in my life..i’ve also lost 14 pounds since Tues but I had put on 6 pre-op in anticipation of this. I’m only eating ~500calories a day as I’m not a fan of milkshakes/soup/smoothies etc. Result is that I feel very weak a lot of the time ..I had a bone graft as well (I’m not sure if this is normal?) so trying to keep off my feet to minimise discomfort. Hopefully when the doctor loosens the bands i can start eating more and get in some exercise 🙂 Thanks so much for your blog!! It’s really helpful and best of luck to anyone else getting the surgery.
March 24, 2012 at 10:51 pm
Cindy, I’ve never heard of a “Ninja blender,” but it sounds amazing!
You’ve lost a lot of weight as well. I hope you get to start eating some solid food again soon. It’s a frustrating time, isn’t it?
Let me know how your first few bites are once the bands come off. =)
March 24, 2012 at 8:25 pm
Had a plate put on a 4mm fracture on lower jaw and posts and wired shut on Tuesday, feeling uncomfortable but not much pain at all. Where the nurses had to give me Demerol shots hurt more than anything. My jaw was broke a week before I got a CT scan I guess I just had wishful hoping it wasn’t broke. The swelling and pain were getting better everyday but when I heard popping I knew I had to get it checked out. Of course I freaked myself out looking on the inet so much. Lost 13 lbs so far which is a good thing. Today I blended homemade chicken soup, I’ve been doing protein shakes and juice also can soup but I decided to give “real food” a chance. My motherinlaw lent me a Ninja blender it’s kind of intimidating but I went grocery shopping and decided to eat what the family is eating. Doctor said I’d be wired about 2 weeks then bands but I’m not sure for how long I go to docs this Wednesday. This is a very helpful site thank you for your help and I’ll check in Wednesday. Cindy;)
March 22, 2012 at 6:11 pm
Sinéad, I promise you the first week is the worst week. (That even rhymes!) Your life will become a lot easier after the first two weeks are over.
I encourage you to focus on taking walks each day and trying to eat and drink as much as possible during these first few weeks. To be completely honest, they’re going to be frustrating, but time will pass and you’ll soon be super happy you travelled through this entire ordeal.
Feel free to email me whenever you’re feeling down if you feel the need to rant to somebody who understands. =)
March 22, 2012 at 3:58 pm
I feel like i’m dying a slow death. im day 3 post-op. my face is swollen beyond recognition. the lack of sleep is affecting me big time. i’ve had less than 5 hours sleep since tuesday 🙁 my jaw is completely elasticated together so can’t swallow the pills. im barely eating 500 calories a day. i keep telling myself that it’ll be worth it but its so hard 🙁
March 21, 2012 at 8:11 am
Hi Bree!
If you want to be comfortable, I would try to have someone around for the first two weeks. You’ll be able to cook and take care of yourself within the first few days, but it will be tiring and you’ll need to find the willpower to do so.
After two weeks, you should easily have enough energy to start driving and being on your own again. You won’t be running marathons or anything, but you’ll be able to fend for yourself quite alright. =)
March 21, 2012 at 1:00 am
Hi Graham & Fellow Orthognathic Peeps!!!
My surgery date is fast approaching and I have one more question to ask….I know that everyone is different in their healing time, but how long (on average) did everyone need some kind of assistance- before they could actually fend for themselves? (ie: food prep, driving, household activities etc.)
March 20, 2012 at 10:18 pm
Joanne – I hope that you had a good day. My son started back to school yesterday. Tomorrow will be 3 weeks since surgery. He has lost about 20 lbs. He weighed in at 204 in preop so he could afford to lose some. We will find out tomorrow if they need to do anymore surgery. It will be very minor if they do. There is a gap in his teeth on the left side that was not there before surgery. They are trying to correct that and some alignment issues with rubber bands. Has anyone else dealt with these issues?
March 20, 2012 at 10:26 am
Scout, I’ve never heard of acromegaly, so I guess I learned something today. Is this something that will continue to affect your bite following surgery?
March 20, 2012 at 9:59 am
Joanne, while vomiting is incredibly uncomfortable following surgery, I’ve met a number of people who went through this. Swallowing small amounts of blood turned their stomach and they were subjected to vomiting for a few days in a row.
You’re still in good shape, despite having to deal with this. My advice is to drink as much water as you can. Not only will it dilute your system, it will also make you feel a bit fresher and perhaps remove that nagging feeling in the back of your throat.
I feel for you. This will all be over soon!
March 20, 2012 at 6:42 am
Thanks, Graham. BTW, as a point of interest, my problems stem from the effects of acromegaly, combined with a smallish, somewhat recessed chin to start with. Acromegaly makes one’s facial bones and tongue grow (among lots of other potential problems), wreaking havoc on one’s bite. (I take every opportunity to educate people about this condition – called gigantism when it affects children.)
March 20, 2012 at 6:19 am
Good morning! Day 6 here and have a couple of more questions. I started vomiting yesterday and now feel like I have something stuck in the back of my throat (which made me get sick again). My doctor told me that I will experience coughing up blood. I’m not sure if that is it or not. Anyone else experience this? I know that graham said he did not have any vomiting. Just making sure I am on the right track to recovery.
March 19, 2012 at 10:39 pm
Hi Scout,
There was another man I was in touch with last summer who was 56 years old and still decided to have the surgery. He said that his recovery was surprisingly similar to what most people experience, despite the fact that he was quite a bit older than most of the patients.
As long as you’re in good health, you should have nothing to worry about. At your age, you should be able to recover perfectly alright. Just make sure you get enough rest and exercise so you keep your health throughout.
March 19, 2012 at 8:34 pm
I’m scheduled for double jaw surgery, plus genioglossus advancement in 2 weeks and I’m starting to lose sleep over it already! Is anyone on here nearly as old as I am – 59? I do appreciate the tips for the recovery period. Any other advice/encouragement appreciated.
March 16, 2012 at 11:06 am
Thanks debbie
March 16, 2012 at 10:57 am
I’d take Debbie’s advice, Joanne. The apple sauce trick sounds pretty clever.
I’m not sure what the effects of using heat packs vs. ice packs are during those initial few weeks. I was told to use heat packs; many patients are encouraged to use ice packs. As long as you’re using one of the two, your swelling should decrease. I chose heat packs because I was able to sleep more comfortably if my face was warm rather than cold.
At the end of the day, the swelling really just needs to run its course before it goes away completely. As I tell most others, the first two weeks will be frustrating for you, but life will become much better after that. =)
March 16, 2012 at 8:01 am
Joanne – my son said the same thing about the liquid medications. He just got use to it. Can you mix it in applesauce or yogurt?
We used ice paks for 2 weeks. It does get better.
He is 2 weeks out now and doing great. He even played golf 2 days ago.
He had double jaw surgery and they had to move his jaw back to the right, it was tweaking to the left. Just keep the ice paks on. Good luck.
March 16, 2012 at 2:48 am
Just starting day 3. Had upper and lower jaw surgery for an open bite. Getting pretty swollen. Just wondering the difference between heat packs and ice packs? Does one work better than the other? Came home yesterday and have to take all
Liquid medicine. It tastes horrible! Anything used to disguise the taste?
Joanne
March 15, 2012 at 1:29 pm
Nice to meet you, Beth! It’s your champagne recovery day (ya’know, 17 years old on your 17th day of recovery)! =)
I’m glad my writing has been useful for you. You’ll be eating regular food again within the next month, so you just have to survive for a bit longer.
Good luck over the next few weeks!