Brian Farrell, DDS, MD

I just had lower jaw surgery earlier today. Unlike a standard lower jaw surgery this one required 2 cuts on each side. One all the way in the back and the other behind the canine teeth because of the curve of my jaw. 2 hours was surgery time and it all went well. I was awake about 2 hours after surgery and have been walking around in the hospital. The pain is minimal because the jaw area is basically numb. The most annoying thing is the swelling and the sore throat from the breathing tube. Updated on 21 Apr 2017: After 3 days pain has been minimal, mostly just discomfort from the swelling. My lower lip and chin are numb but I've been getting tingling sensations so that's a good sign. The hardest part has been being locked in my house and adjusting my diet. Had some oatmeal and Mac & cheese today but that's about it. Already down 8 pounds in 3 days. Updated on 25 Apr 2017: Swelling is down quite a bit. My right side is down more then the left side and as far as pain goes the right has given me no trouble while the left has given me some issues. My neck has a yellowish tint which I think might be from the breathing tube but I'm surprised it hasn't gone away. Eating now is better, I had scrambled eggs and hash browns for breakfast and Mac & Cheese for lunch so the additional calories help with getting energy. My first appointment is in 2 days so I'll post a pic then. Updated on 13 May 2017: Day 25 - The process has been quite smooth and certainly much less painful then expected. I still have visible swelling on both sides although a little more on the left side. Diet: I can eat just about anything that doesn't require a ton of chewing. So no steak, no cereal, hard bread etc. Discomfort: There's 2 things that really bother me. The first is that when I chew because my left cheek is a bit more swollen it ends up getting in the way and from time to time I end up hewing on it and it doesn't feel very good. It's like biting your tongue. The second is that my chin is still completely numb but the nerve is waking up so I get some pretty strong zingers which even make me jump in the middle of the night. My doctor has given me Nurotin which has helped. I'm schedule to be off from wok or another 4 weeks so that really helps. Updated on 23 Jul 2017: Here we are after 90 days and everything is (and has been) back to normal. There's still just a little swelling around my chin area and I still have no feeling on my lower lip don to my chin bone. I think the numbness is receding slowly and hopefully by the end of the year I will get most of the numbness out. Braces are still on and will likely come off in January.