When I looked at photos other people had taken of me before, my left side looked too large, and the right side looked sunken in, so the facial asymmetry was extremely noticeable. On top of that, when I looked at my side profile, the underbite with the jaw jutting forward was also quite severe.... So I really started avoiding situations where other people would take photos of me, and that caused me a lot of stress. For these reasons, I decided that I definitely needed double-jaw surgery.
I had heard many times that double-jaw surgery is a risky operation, so above all else I placed the greatest importance on safety.
As I started looking up YI Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery on YouTube, I gained trust in the surgeon who performs one surgery a day, and I went straight into a consultation. In particular, I had teeth that were not well aligned and needed presurgical orthodontic treatment, and I also liked that YI Oral had an orthodontic department in the same hospital, so orthodontics and surgery could be done in one place. I trusted them because they could manage the orthodontic part as well, and that led me to proceed with the surgery.
I had double-jaw surgery and contouring surgery for two areas (square jaw, chin) on February 9.
This was the first time I went to a consultation alone for such a big surgery, so I was very worried. After CT and various other imaging tests, the surgeon explained in detail what the problems with my jaw bones were and how surgery could improve them. I was told that the IVRO method was more suitable because of my jawbone and the location of the nerve line. The surgeon was not the type to talk a lot of unnecessary nonsense, but maybe because he could see I was a bit nervous, he cracked a few jokes here and there, so I remember having the consultation while laughing.
Also, because I went to the consultation alone, my parents were very worried. When I asked whether the consultation contents could be summarized for them, the manager neatly organized the consultation notes. I was truly grateful for that, and after the consultation I felt sure that I wanted to have the surgery there.
I also heard that because the surgical scene could be watched live, my parents felt even more reassured.
It has now been one month, and the part I like most is the side profile!!! Before surgery, my underbite was so severe that I hated looking at my side profile or being photographed, but these days I find myself looking at my side profile in the mirror often.
It is still only one month after surgery, so there is still a lot of swelling and I cannot say this is the finished face yet, but even with swelling, the asymmetry has clearly improved and my face feels noticeably smaller, so I am very satisfied.
As I mentioned earlier, because I had IVRO, I had maxillomandibular fixation for 2 weeks.
Day 1 - Thinking back to the day of surgery, I was pretty out of it. Since I went alone for the operation, I was also a little worried about not having a caregiver.... Still, I think I packed the necessities and went by myself. I didn't really know better and didn't bring much, but the hospital had humidifiers, neck pillows, cushions, and most of the other essentials, so I think it would be fine even if you only bring the truly necessary things.
After the surgery, I honestly don't remember anything until the evening... I remember sleeping the whole time, but the nurses must have taken really good care of me.
After sleeping continuously, I only started to regain some awareness around dawn, and breathing became extremely uncomfortable. My nose was already blocked because of the nosebleed, and with my mouth fixed shut it became even harder. On top of that, I couldn't move my body, so I called the nurses for all sorts of small things, and I was truly grateful that they looked after me well throughout the night.
Day 2 - I kept waiting desperately for the time when they would remove the urine catheter and the nasal tube, and in the morning the nurse removed them, which made me feel a bit better. After the surgeon removed the blood vessels as well, I did still go to the bathroom often, but I was sleepy, so I kept repeating sleep, bathroom, sleep.... It was inconvenient not having a caregiver, but since the nurses were right outside, I wasn't that anxious.
Day 3 - It was discharge day. After receiving the final explanation from the nurse, I drank a little of the New Care provided by the hospital, did a gargle, and prepared to leave. The surgeon came by and briefly checked whether there was any discomfort, and after making a follow-up appointment, I picked up my medication from the pharmacy and went home safely haha...
Week 1 - First of all, the powdered medicine was really awful.......... I contacted the manager saying I absolutely couldn't take it, and I think I just ate it as quickly as possible and rinsed my mouth with a water flosser. I cleaned at the lowest possible setting so it wouldn't put strain on my mouth. By week 1 I still had no energy and was so disoriented that I barely felt like doing anything, so I was eating only one or two packs of New Care a day and spending my time with lots of cold compresses.
Especially, I thought the swelling would be going down by then, but around day 5 or 6 I felt my face swelling like crazy, which was honestly scary T_T The manager said it usually swells a lot around then, so I felt reassured and kept doing the compresses.
Because part of my recovery period overlapped with a holiday, my first follow-up visit for disinfection was three days after one week had passed. I really wanted to brush my teeth, so I was just waiting for the disinfection.
Weeks 2-3 - Even if I drank five packs of New Care a day, I still felt hungry, so I tried to fill myself up as much as possible by eating often and gargling often. I went out for walks diligently, but I don't think the swelling was going down dramatically. T_T In fact, it was not very different from week 1. Still, it felt like I was getting a little used to it...? At the follow-up visit in week 2, they removed the stitches and practiced using the rubber bands. To be honest, I wanted to cry because I couldn't do it well, but they explained clearly what to do so it would feel more comfortable, and I mastered it before going home.
Month 1 - After the stitches were removed, I ate porridge, steamed egg, castard milk-soaked and eaten, and soft tofu every day. On the first day after the stitches came out, I opened my mouth with anticipation, but it only opened enough for maybe one finger.... I was so worried I even wondered if I would have to go back to drinking New Care, but as I kept eating to survive, it expanded to the point where two fingers could fit.
I have also gotten used to eating, brushing, and then putting the wafer back in again, and now I can do it almost automatically. The swelling is still quite noticeable, but I think it will gradually go down. I still don't have sensation in my lower jaw or palate, but since I knew from before surgery that such side effects can happen and that they also return fairly quickly, I am not too worried!!
Going through double-jaw surgery and recovery makes me regret not doing it earlier!!