Orthognathic Surgery: Stories

I am in week 3 after surgery. I am still in lots of pain, with huge swelling and no feeling in half my tongue, my whole lower face and neck as well. It is very wierd how you can be completely numb, but in lots of pain atnthe same time...The Dr did some liposuction at the same time and that has added tremendously to the pain I am in.

I was very concerned about doing the two surgeries together, but the Dr did not seem to think there were any disadvantages, so I followed her advice..wish I had not. This is a nightmare. I would never do this surgery if I had any idea of what I would really be experiencing. Dr keeps telling me I will feel very different once I am further along in the healing process, and I do hope she is correct, but right now, I would never recommend this as anything anyone should do except under the most extreme circumstances.

The Dr says she did the maximum extension on my lower jaw, and at this point in recovery I only hope that I will ever have any feeling in my lower face ever again, even though they tell you 80 % of people have full recovery and 90 % have partial recovery of feeling. I guess I am being pessimistic, but with such complete loss of feeling as I have now it is hard to imagine it coming back.

I had an extreme overbite, and have been told my whole life that I would need this surgery eventually, and I probably waited too long, since I am 58 now, but I dreaded this and knew it would be hard...I was right. The only positive thing is I am losing some weight..so, as far as I am able to see right now in this process, I wish I had not done it. If you are a parent, and putting off getting braces for you child, just think about the torture I am having to endure because my parents wouldn't get braces for me as a child. I have suffered my whole life because of their decision, had to have braces for the last 2 years, and now this really awful surgery. Now I may have to live with the numbness for the rest of my life. I hope not, because it feels awful.

Still not worth it. I am still in pain, still have no feeling in lower face and still can barely eat anything. My mouth has about 20 blisters all over inside, and i cannot stand to stick that syringe in there...I think I am dehydrated as well. My neck is still all ridged and hard from lipo, so the doctors suggestion to use warm heat and light massage has done nothing that I can tell. I go to the doctor today, so will find out when I get mouth splint out. I have been getting terrible nutrition, maybe about 600 calories a day, which isn't helping matters, and to top it off on that few calories I am not losing any weight! How is that even possible! I hope once the swelling is down more that my mouth looks better, right now it looks awful. Overall, this sucks.