From before before before, before, before, before, I kept saying since my teenage years, “As soon as I turn 20, I’m getting double jaw surgery.” That finally came true. Thanks to that, I’m so satisfied and my self-esteem has gone up a lot
Ever since I was little, whenever I went to the dentist I was always told that orthodontic treatment would be pointless, that this was a double jaw surgery case, and that I should have double jaw surgery once I became an adult. So as soon as I became an adult, I started looking for a hospital. That’s when I found Y Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. I searched through YouTube and apps, then made a consultation appointment. The hospital interior is really clean, and I was so grateful and happy that the consultation director and the nurses always treated me with smiles. During the consultation, both the doctor and the consultation director only told me exactly what was necessary, without pushing excessive procedures, so I thought they were honest and straightforward.
In addition, other hospitals said that if I wanted orthodontic treatment, I would have to go somewhere else for it, but Y Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery has an orthodontic department together with it, so I judged that I would be able to prepare for surgery with more trust and ease! I decided to have the surgery at Y Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and started orthodontic treatment before the operation.
It was my first time having orthodontic treatment too, so I complained a lot about how painful it was.. Still, the director comforted me through KakaoTalk and kept looking after me, and that alone was a huge help in my orthodontic life While I kept getting orthodontic care consistently like that, I had a blood test in December for the surgery and checked the results, and my iron level was low. So I had to take iron supplements and get iron injections. The director paid a lot of attention to this too, so I was able to finish all the pre-surgery preparations safely!!
Surgery day (1/4) I fasted from the day before and came to the hospital by 9:40. I’m not really afraid of surgery, so I changed into the surgical gown and chatted comfortably with my mom before going into the operating room (At that time, I also thought the hospital room was spacious and clean!) When the surgery was over, I was so out of it that I didn’t even have time to check the time The pain was worse than I expected, and I couldn’t gather my wits at all They kept waking me up and telling me not to fall asleep, but my eyes kept closing, it was hard to breathe, and just seeing the urinary catheter and the drain hanging off my body was somehow scary After 6 o’clock, guardians couldn’t stay, so I was alone, but the nurse took such good care of me that I barely felt the absence of a guardian. Honestly, I didn’t know I would have such a hard time after surgery.. I thought I’d be able to walk around fine like the people I saw on YouTube and even be discharged But the psychological fear was bigger than I expected, so I kept calling the nurse. Constantly asking for help could easily become annoying or irritating, but she was so kind and took care of everything one by one, I think that made my difficult hospital stay a little more bearable After the surgery, they said I had to keep drinking water and protein drinks often, but in that state, drinking anything was so hard for me I was so swollen that even swallowing wasn’t easy. The day just went by with me lying on the bed without even having time to look at my phone..
Second day (1/5) to third day (discharge day 1/6) On the second day, they removed the urinary catheter, so I had to walk to the bathroom by myself. But since I was having such a hard time, the nurses supported me all the way to the bathroom and then back to my room again, and took a lot of care of me. They also taught me how to fit the wafer bite correctly. On discharge day, my mom arrived late at the hospital, so the discharge time had already passed, and I was worried, thinking what should I do, but thankfully they said they would wait and let me take it slowly, so I was discharged a little later than the original time. What I was also so grateful for at that time was the nurses and the director because I was struggling so much that I couldn’t even gather my thoughts or pack my things. But they came first and packed each of my things one by one, and I still remember that clearly. (Honestly, I was so exhausted and out of it even up to discharge day that I don’t remember things very wellㅠㅠㅠㅋㅋㅋㅋㅌ) Little acts of consideration like that are such a huge help. After that, I got my prescription and went home.
Fourth day (1/7) to 1/9 I’m already very timid, but I also worry a lot, so I get really!! anxious and worried all by myself thinking about this and that. At the hospital, when I got that anxious, I could just call the nurse and talk, and she would answer in a reassuring way and comfort me, so I wasn’t that worried or anxious. But once I came home and was there without medical staff, there was no way to resolve my anxiety even if I felt it. I kept coughing, my head hurt terribly, and my stomach kept churning so much that I started gagging. I was so scared that I kept contacting the doctor and the director I’m really sorry Sleeping was uncomfortable too because I had to sleep sitting up or propped up, so I woke up a lot. After those three difficult days, I came to the hospital, had the wound disinfected, and went home again.
1/10 to 1/18 From this point on, I really felt like I could live again! The coughing lessened, and I was able to eat soft porridge-like food well. They changed my cold compresses to warm compresses, and I kept drinking pumpkin juice regularly. Before, my face was so swollen that even if I wore a mask, my face would still puff out, but from this point on the swelling was gradually going down to the point that people wouldn’t know if I wore a mask, and I went out for walks often! Having the wafer in made me drool and was uncomfortable, but they said walking was important, so I tried to walk consistently. On the 18th, I came to the hospital to have my stitches removed, but the stitch removal... hurt so much that I cried.. They said there was a little inflammation, so I was also prescribed medicine. But it turned out I had been biting the wafer wrong.. When they said that if I kept biting it wrong like this, they might have to tie my mouth shut and in severe cases even do revision surgery, I got so worried and scared, but they kindly explained how to wear the wafer properly one step at a time, and thankfully I was able to put it on correctly.
1/24 I came to the hospital to check the wafer, and thankfully they said I was wearing it well and that the swelling had gone down a lot so I looked prettier
2/4 to 2/6 It was already one month. I went in for post-op orthodontic treatment and had the wafer removed too. But I couldn’t do the orthodontic treatment because I couldn’t open my mouth well If you’re going to have double jaw surgery, mouth exercises are really important, so please keep doing them I avoided opening my mouth because it hurt too much and I was so scared that if I opened wide, the pins would come out Still, some amount of mouth exercise is definitely necessary! I also had a consultation with the doctor while looking at the before-and-after photos, and they said I looked cute I can tell my impression looks much better too. Maybe because I’m swollen, but somehow I have a cuter look now.. Comparing the before-and-after photos makes me even more, more, more!! satisfied
Now Right now I’m wearing rubber bands and I can speak well now too. My activity level has increased, so I’m working part-time and having fun too! The swelling has gone down a lot, so people said they didn’t even know I was swollen There’s still a lot of swelling left to go down, but I’m already so satisfied. I always used to wear a mask or hate it when someone looked at my side profile, so I tried hard to show only my front view, but now I’m so satisfied that I’m actually more confident in my side profile I’m really thankful that the medical staff kept looking after me like this, because I wonder if I could have endured that anxious time without them. The doctor was also very clean and straightforward, so I went through this with trust. Confidence is important, of course, but seeing that he honestly explained to us patients that there are limits made me think I was right to have the surgery here.><