Thursday was a day filled with pre-surgical appointments. In the morning, I met with my surgeon at his office in the hospital. The hospital he works at is a large, university hospital in the big city that my hometown is a suburb of. My dad and I commuted in together, filled out a lot of forms, waited about an hour, and then I was taken in for x-rays. Finally, I saw the surgeon. He answered my dad and my questions, and then he and my dad left (my dad had to go to work). I guess I'll do the Q and A here?
How should I take my pills? Because the pills I take are quite small, the doctor thinks I should be able to get them in my mouth and swallow them normally.
Will you be removing my wisdom teeth at the same time? No. When wisdom teeth are removed, a large hole is left behind. Because I will not have great access to my mouth in order to keep the "holes" clean, it's better to wait.
Do you recommend Zip-N-Squeeze? Are there any other products I should buy? My surgeon gives his patient a bunch of Zip-N-Squeeze after surgery. He recommended a child's toothbrush and a Waterpik (which can be used a week after surgery). He said not to bother buying the "JawBra"/icepacks that Zip-N-Squeeze sell, as ice is only effective 24 hours after surgery.
How long should I wait before going back to work at the ambulance corps? After I mentioned that I do some lifting, he recommended 2-3 months. However, I think I'll probably feel up to returning before then. I'll just play it by ear.
How long will I be wired? I am going to be literally "wired" for 4 weeks after surgery. For the two weeks after that, I'm going to be banded shut.
What will my recovery be like? The surgeon predicts that I will be very uncomfortable for the first week, pretty uncomfortable the second week, and more like myself the third and fourth week. After that, I hope to go back to school. However, the first four weeks, I won't be allowed to drive, and I probably won't want to go out unless it's to a movie or something.
What does my treatment look like after the surgery? The surgery will last approximately 5 hours. I will be in the hospital for 2 nights. For the first 6 weeks, I will see my surgeon once a week. On the 7th week, I will see my orthodontist. After that I will continue treatment with my orthodontist and see my surgeon after 3, 6, and 12 months. Braces should come off 3-6 months post-surgery.
So I have this tiny little cold-like thing. Problem? Well, kinda, yah. The anesthesiologist typically likes patients to have been healthy for the three weeks prior to surgery (my surgery is scheduled for about a week and a half from now). There are a few risks. First, when you are intubated for surgery, a breathing tube is inserted through your nose. If you have an upper respiratory infection, the bacteria can be pushed from your nose to your lungs. Second, the surgery involves a cut through the sinuses. If there is a sinus infection, the incisions and such can get infected. I'm feeling pretty okay (just a little stuffy), and I'm going to play this by ear. My bet is going towards showing up on the 14th and the anesthesiologist refusing me.
After the surgeon left, a resident came in to take molds and measurements. This was annoying, but mostly uneventful. At one point, the resident spotted something on my x-ray, and hurried into the hall to call another resident in. They spoke in doctor gibberish, and I asked what was up. "Don't worry hon, just shop talk," the second doctor told me. I didn't push it, but that really pissed me off. Not only do I, as a patient, have the right to know what they're discussing, but the way he responded was really condescending. Grr.
Finally, I was done and made my way home. I had missed the entire school day, and had an appointment with my regular doctor for that afternoon for a physical. That appointment was completely uneventful (minus a lot more waiting and annoyances).
At this point, I'm planning on surgery. Buying books, new knitting projects, and a new blender (more on this in a later post). I would be really upset if I got postponed. On the other hand, I really don't want pneumonia.
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4 comments:
Allison, I am with you on the resident/med student condescending garble stuff. You ought to remind them sometime that they don't get to sit in on your surgery if you don't want them there. :)
One thing: I was wired shut, hardcore style, for 5 and a half weeks (very long weeks), and because of the swelling and the splint, I had no hope of swallowing any pills. Plus, for the first few days, swallowing anything at all is a little weird, since your mouth is numb, your throat is sore, plus the swelling inside and out. My doctor had me on all-liquid medications. However, my surgery was pretty intense and your doctor probably knows best for what-all you're having done.
I will be interested to hear about how your wired shut/liquid diet goes, and if it's anything like my experience, I hope you'll contact me any time for advice or questions!
I'm so excited for you. The questions/answers you posted are really helpful. I hope you'll be over your cold by the time the surgery date rolls around. Good luck!
Oh my goodness, getting close Allison, just wanted to wish you the best of luck for your surgery and a speedy recovery!! Am sure everything will go well!! Hope the cold has cleared up.
Can't believe the resident fiasco, well actually I can, the amount of time we have to spend at school learning about how to deal with patients and not treat them as idiots (even though god knows sometimes they are!!) you'd think people would have some idea!
But then again, I guess they *are* surgeons - they go into it so that they don't have to talk to their patients! Heehee..
Hey, we're getting pretty close here aren't we? AHHH
Today was my appointment to get prepped with the OD and he told me that in just 6 weeks I should be able to work out at the gym again. As long as I'm not doing anything crazy with my jaw. Your getting two procedures done though right? I forget.
Hey don't forget a back pillow!! It will help ya sleep upright.
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