At first, from middle school onward, I had issues related to my jaw and even received physical therapy for joint problems, but I never thought I would develop a protruding jaw. However, after my growth period ended, my jaw developed into a protruding jaw, and I had a lot of discomfort.
My jaw dislocated once and had to be reset in the emergency room, and I also had discomfort such as digestive problems, but I got by without taking it too seriously.
But through an acquaintance who had the same symptoms, I learned that the things I had brushed off actually caused quite a lot of discomfort, and after both of us received consultations at about five places in Seoul, we decided to have surgery with Director Lee Seok-jae at W Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. (Both of us lol)
The reason was not only the director's experience, but also the fact that he personally performed the surgery himself (of course, there is a separate anesthesiologist), and his honesty in clearly pointing out exactly what I needed and telling me frankly how much improvement to expect, which built my trust and led me to go ahead with the surgery.
First day of surgery Arrived at 10, had the final consultation and payment, then went into the operating room, received anesthesia, and when I woke up I was back in my room. The room was a private room for one person, with no restriction on movement and a compact size, so it was a space where I could take care of the things I needed without moving around much. What I needed to bring was a tablet for passing the time, a charger, a portable battery, and two or three condiment containers; if needed, a few wet wipes would also be enough.
The surgery ended a little after 2 p.m., and until 8 p.m. they observed my recovery while I had not slept and had not drunk any water. I have high blood pressure and bleeding does not stop easily, so they added medication, and because of that medication I felt dizzy for about 5 to 10 seconds. Every time the director passed by, he kept encouraging me to just hold out for today. I did not have pain as such, and because of the tube connected through my nose I could breathe, but if the airway itself gets blocked, breathing becomes difficult, so airway management was hard. Other than that, it was a battle against time. It would be good to bring a lot of video content you want to watch. My guardian went home at 7 p.m., and the nurse on duty took good care of things like the ice pack and blood bag. My throat was dry, so I filled the condiment container with water and drank a lot of water.
Day 2 I could not sleep. Around 8?9 o'clock, the urinary catheter and the tube inserted into my nose were removed, and after about 30 minutes of laser treatment for swelling, the director removed the blood bag and checked my surgical progress. Then at 11, I had one cup of New Care and did a gargle. From that point on, I felt good, my body felt light, and I had no pain. I wanted to drink two or three cups of New Care. Some people say they feel weak, but I did not feel weak.
Day 3 This was discharge day. After receiving instructions for after discharge, I was discharged. Discharge was at 10, but because of my train time they kindly allowed me to leave after 11. I was able to come home by public transportation. As soon as I got home, I showered right away, and there was no dizziness or other pain, only a feeling of refreshment. With a soy milk maker, I could make smooth porridge; I put in rice, sweet potato, chicken, vegetables, beef, and so on, and it made it automatically when I pressed the button. Through this machine, instead of buying porridge, I was able to eat about 2 liters of smooth porridge every day. Because I ate a lot, I never felt drained. To keep from getting hungry in between, every two hours I drank New Care, pumpkin juice, soy milk, and blended fruit and vegetables. Since the weather was warm, I took a short walk right away and then alternated between a camping chair and the boss's chair while sleeping. Sleeping was not uncomfortable, but I woke up every two hours, and I kept doing ice packs and compression.
Day 4 What I ate stayed the same, and although I woke up from sleep in between, I did not really have anything else to do besides keep eating, disinfecting my mouth, sleeping, and going for a walk during the day. I tend to have good energy, so I went for a pleasant one-hour walk, and after coming back I also drank plenty of things. Since my mouth was not wired shut or anything, during the day I breathed through my nose or mouth and wiped away old dried blood that sometimes came out of my nose. At night I breathed through Otrivin.
Day 5 I spent the day the same as Day 4 and also did warm compresses. The swelling had gone down a bit in the lips compared with Day 3, but the cheeks became just a little more puffy. I walked a little over two hours total in the morning and evening, and after showering every day I slept comfortably. My nose was open both day and night, so I did not use Otrivin, but I still woke every two hours while sleeping.
Day 6 The reduction in swelling started to become visible. Bruising could be seen on both sides of the cheeks, the neck, and the chest. Eating and walking stayed the same, and I went to the riverside and places nearby I had not been to before.
Day 7 The swelling is different every day. I think walking at a somewhat brisker pace helped a lot. When I was at home, I used the microwave for warm compresses, 10 minutes at a time, 3 or 4 times. They told me not to talk much, but being with my family made me keep talking. At the hospital, they said it was better not to move the jaw, such as by speaking.
First outpatient visit (Day 9) Since I could only eat liquids and gargle, the inside of my mouth was very dirty. The director said everyone is like that and reassured me, then cleaned the wafer and disinfected the inside of my mouth. It felt like the discomfort disappeared. He said the postoperative progress was good. I did not have any other questions, so I did not ask, and he said I could brush with a baby toothbrush starting today, so I bought a toothbrush. The manager emphasized that I should brush as usual but gently. After swelling care, I went home.
Week 2 The speed at which the swelling went down became visible, and I brushed gently. Because there were stitches, brushing was difficult. Still, after doing it diligently it felt refreshing, and if I used a tongue cleaner too, it felt nice and fresh. While continuing warm compresses, I walked mostly uphill and worked up some sweat. What was hardest of all was that when I was with family and friends, I could not laugh, so I held back my laughter by going heh-heh-heh like an idiot, and that in turn made the people around me laugh even more, but I could not laugh. From this point on, I no longer woke every two hours, but only once while sleeping. I had been busy living, but thanks to double jaw surgery I spent days that were not merely relaxed but almost happy.
Outpatient visit, week 2 (Day 16) The stitches were removed. I had been told it would hurt a lot, so I was sweating at the bridge of my nose, but once removal began it kept hurting a little, and while I was nervous about when it would hurt a lot, the stitch removal ended. I was so happy that I could laugh. I was told I needed to practice mouth exercises and increase how much I could open my mouth, so I started practicing from that day. The mouth exercises seem to be going well, but I still do not have much strength in the lower left lip. It seems like the amount I can open my mouth will gradually increase. The swelling went down a lot, so even without a mask, people just think I am a slightly chubby friend, and until I speak they do not see me as a strange person. Through walking, there are no places in the neighborhood I have not been to. From now on, I plan to go around nearby areas by car. Meals were basically four a day (pasta, gukbap, ramen, dumplings, etc.), and in between I ate the porridge, New Care, and blended fruit that I had been having before. Even when I was only eating liquids, I had been eating every two hours and in fairly large amounts, but already I had lost 6 kg.
Week 4 review After the stitch removal at week 2, before I knew it it was week 4. Being able to laugh freely is so happy. For about two days after the stitch removal, I ate the same things I had been eating before. I also kept up the walking and compresses. Thanks to that, the swelling changed noticeably from day to day. I still cannot chew, but I cut everything up and swallowed it. What I mainly ate was ramen, pasta, and soups with rice mixed in (mandu-guk, miyeok-guk, beef soup, and so on). Four meals a day plus New Care, fruit, and frozen strawberries blended into drinks between meals. From week 3 onward, there was almost no inconvenience in daily life. Because of that, my caution also dropped a bit, and there were many times I thought, oops, before reminding myself again that I am a patient by thinking about the wafer I am still wearing in my mouth.
In week 4, daily life continued the same. I focused on eating and resting, and while my family was at work I dealt with all the household chores I had put off, so each day passed quickly. I think being a full-time homemaker suits me. Since I waited step by step through discharge, stitches, wafer removal, and so on, the correction period after wafer removal in week 4 has already arrived. I went to the hospital happily, listened once again to the director's explanation of the surgical results, and then proceeded with orthodontic correction. Because this was a presurgical case, I was not used to orthodontic treatment, so the orthodontic doctor suggested we start with the lower teeth only. The installation was neither painful nor uncomfortable, and because only the lower part was done, it did not even show. In a way, I just look like a normal person. They said I could chew rice, so I declared war on rice. After double jaw surgery, as the swelling goes down, body weight also goes down. I have already lost 10 kg.
Since this was my first orthodontic treatment, and the wafer that had almost become part of me was gone, it felt a little awkward, but humans are creatures of adaptation, so I adapted again. People around me still cannot get used to the face that supposedly made me look 5 years younger, but as time passes and I recover, the uncomfortable times are being forgotten. At the same time, little by little, my senses and jaw function are returning without me noticing, and I am preparing to return gradually to daily life. I do not want to go to work, though.
Summary Week 1 - Time passed in a blur after surgery. Compresses, medication, disinfection Week 2 - Swelling went up and then down. Lots of walking, stitch removal Week 3 - The swelling reduction became visible. Happy to be able to laugh. Ate a lot. Sometimes forgot I was a patient Week 4 - Same, wafer removed. Braces installed (lower only). Not very noticeable. Declared war on rice because I was told I could eat rice.
I hope this is helpful for those who are considering double jaw surgery. I am embarrassed, but I am attaching photos to encourage you. I am satisfied with the result.