Before, before, after, after, after, I have been asymmetric since the earliest childhood I remember. As I grew up, the asymmetry got worse and the malocclusion did too, but the image I saw in the mirror was the opposite of how other people saw me, so it did not look that asymmetric to me. I also thought the sound from my jaw was normal and that I had no trouble eating, so I lived like that until my mid-30s.
Then about two years ago, my jaw started dislocating. After that, even when I was talking softly, the sound from my jaw became very noticeable, and even pain kept getting worse. I thought I had no problem chewing and eating, but I later realized that I had not actually been chewing and swallowing properly. Thinking back like that, I finally understood in my late 30s why I had so many episodes of indigestion since I was young, and why my dad had brought up jaw surgery when I was in middle school. I realized how serious my jaw problem had been. From then on, I discussed it with my husband and looked into orthodontics, double-jaw surgery, Botox, and similar options. Honestly, I was scared of double-jaw surgery and thought it was risky, so I tried to avoid it as much as possible. On one of my husband's days off, I thought we might as well get a consultation, and among the places I looked into, an oral and maxillofacial surgery department seemed safest, so I went for a consultation. Since I was older and correction might be difficult, I started considering double-jaw surgery, but above all, Director Lee Seok-jae spoke to me in a realistic and clear way, which led me to decide on surgery at Y Oral Surgery. The manager was also very kind and explained everything in detail~ On top of that, I felt it was more trustworthy because of several factors: the director's experience, the guardian being able to check CCTV in real time, the anesthesiology doctor (I thought this was important, so I looked into his background and career in detail), and only one surgery per day. I decided to proceed with SSRO double-jaw surgery and contouring surgery in three areas (square jaw, chin, zygoma), with surgery first and orthodontic treatment afterward, without pre-orthodontic treatment.
[Before surgery] On the day of the consultation, I booked the surgery and took a lot of facial photos. At internal medicine, I had an ECG and X-ray, and blood tests and a wafer mold were taken. A few days later, the blood test results showed my iron level was a little low, so I took iron supplements every day as instructed and also received two iron injections. The manager explained in detail which foods are good for iron, so I think I was able to manage my meals well. I ate a lot of meat and also went running in the evenings for stamina. More than anything, I think I watched an enormous, truly enormous number of reviews from other people who had had surgery first They helped me a lot. Because I knew in advance what kinds of discomfort there would be and when and how much pain to expect, I did not panic. After reading reviews saying to practice breathing through the mouth often, I also practiced blocking my nose and breathing through my mouth a lot They also told me in advance what to prepare for surgery, so I got everything ready, but aside from the charger and sauce container, the rest like the neck pillow, seat cushion, mirror, and humidifier were all already in the hospital room, so there was no inconvenience. I prepared Neocare and pumpkin tea at home in advance and went into surgery.
[6/3 Surgery day] Surgery was at 10 a.m., and I was told to arrive at the hospital by 9:30, but I got there much earlier than expected, so I took many deep breaths at the bus stop in front before going up When I arrived at the hospital, they showed me to the inpatient room, where I unpacked and changed into a patient gown. I was so happy to have a private room. They checked whether the wafer that had been molded in advance fit well, and after hearing the director explain the surgery again, I finished filling out the consent forms. I was going in to surgery alone because my circumstances did not allow otherwise, so I was even more nervous and shaking badly, but the director told me not to worry, which reassured me. After all the preparation was done and I lay down in the operating room, the nurses were busily preparing things and, as soon as I heard the anesthesiology doctor say to take deep breaths, I was under anesthesia~ After a little while, I opened my eyes to the nurses saying, "Please wake up!!! You can't sleep!!" and the surgery was already over. I had already learned about it several times through reviews and imagined it on my own, but it was still surprising when it became real. They said I could not sleep until 8 o'clock because the anesthesia gas had to clear, so I tried very hard not to fall asleep. The nurses woke me up from time to time, and when I became a little more alert, I played the music I had saved on my phone to try to stay awake. Because a tube was inserted in my nose and the blood drainage bag was in my mouth, I could not speak, so I communicated by writing on the pad prepared in advance in the room. The nurse came every hour to check on me, and when I said I was cold, she brought a warming mat and covered me with an extra blanket, so they helped a lot. The director came and told me that because my bones were thick I had bled a bit, but the surgery went well, which was a relief. After 8 o'clock, they brought me water, but with my nose blocked and my throat swollen, I could not swallow it. Since I had been fasting since the previous night, I was thirsty, so I only sipped enough to moisten my mouth. After that, the nurse put water into the sauce container I had brought, so I could moisten my mouth as if I were letting the water flow through. Every hour the nurse came to empty the urine bag and blood bag, replace the ice pack, and check my blood pressure and oxygen saturation, and each time she was so kind and attentive about whether I was uncomfortable in any way After 8 o'clock I could sleep, but since I had to sleep sitting up, my head kept dropping, so I think I dozed off. Every time that happened, the nurse would appear and say I should not let my head droop, then help me get positioned properly. Even though I had practiced mouth breathing so much, it was still uncomfortable, and after sitting in bed all day, it felt like my butt was disappearing, so I really did not sleep well. Still, I was able to endure it by thinking about what many people had said about the first day being the hardest.
[6/4 Second day] In the morning, the nurse removed the urinary catheter and the tube in my nose. Just that alone already felt refreshing and freeing I got swelling laser treatment first, then met the director. He said I would get better as time went on and removed the blood drainage bag, which also felt relieving, like something had been pulled out cleanly. The nurse gave me Neocare and mouthwash, but even putting it into the sauce container, it was hard to swallow, so it took me two days to finish one bottle of Neocare Because of that, whenever I got up from then on, my head would spin and I felt dizzy Still, since the urinary catheter had been removed, I could push my IV stand by myself and go to the bathroom and even walk as far as the desk, so that was better. I could not walk for long like other people, but I think I went out to the desk several times. I was given antibiotics through the IV from time to time, and that was really hard. Whenever the antibiotic went in on an empty stomach, I would gag and feel nauseous, but the nurse told me to take big deep breaths, and after I saw in a review that breathing with my face near the humidifier helped, I did that, and it definitely calmed down quickly. After that, every time the nurse gave me an injection, I breathed deeply and moved toward the humidifier Even so, I could not bear it at one point and threw up, and in a situation where I could not even lower my face, the nurse held the basin close for me and told me it was okay to let it go, then wiped everything off for me, so I do not know how grateful and sorry I felt The phlegm in my throat was so bad that I kept coughing, and when it got too hard, they suctioned my throat too. Still, the second day was okay enough that I watched YouTube and Netflix and slept strategically in between, so in my own way it was bearable. Though I woke up countless times at dawn. At night they explained the things I had to be careful about after discharge the next day, the hospital prescription, and so on.
[6/5 Third day - discharge day] In the morning they gave me various things through the IV and I received swelling laser treatment. After that, the director checked again whether the wafer fit, and explained that my face would swell more, but that it would be fine with time. My husband was coming late, so I had to stay longer, but they told me I could just stay comfortably in the room and prepare before discharge, and even though the director was busy, he came back to the room to look at my face again After changing clothes, my husband picked up the medicine from the pharmacy first, and the director came back again and said that because I had bled quite a lot, I might feel very dizzy, so I should eat well, whether that meant an ion drink, juice, very finely blended porridge, or anything. My home was far, and I was worried about coming to the hospital alone in the middle, so I decided to recuperate at my older sister's house and moved there. I still had not finished the Neocare left over from the previous day, even by today I did not know eating could be this hard. They told me to take my medicine regularly, so I tried, but even though I normally take pills easily, the pills got stuck in my throat and even water itself was hard to drink, so after asking the manager, I decided to grind all the medicine into powder My husband ground it very finely in a mini mortar and pestle, put it into the sauce container, dissolved it in water, and gave it to me to drink... Oh my, it was so bitter and nauseating that taking medicine was really hard enough to become traumatic. I wondered how everyone else managed to take pills, and thought they were amazing. Even if eating was not going well, I thought I needed to do something, so I used the jaw stretcher very diligently and kept doing ice packs often. Before surgery I had prepared several gauze handkerchiefs in advance, and they ended up being so useful~ I wrapped one around a cold pack and held it to my face, and when I unknowingly drooled because I had no sensation in my chin and mouth, I put one under me and wrapped one around my neck, which helped a lot. From this point on it really became a war against saliva I wanted to ask for things, but it was hard to keep writing everything out, so I typed into Papago and pressed voice output to communicate My sister's house had a recliner, so I slept there, but because my nose was blocked, I think I kept waking up constantly Still, I endured it thinking that it would get better later.
[6/6 Fourth day] They had told me the swelling would get worse, and sure enough I could feel it getting puffier than when I was in the hospital. They said I had to walk a lot for the swelling, but because I could barely finish even one Neocare bottle in a meal and could only manage about one a day, walking was out of the question and even getting up and moving around was extremely hard Still, I tried to move around slowly at home, but every time I stood up I felt dizzy~ and I was scared I might collapse, so I just sat on the sofa at home. Since I could not eat anything, taking medicine was terrifying and I had a lot of stress about medicine Still, because my family took such good care of me, I think I could endure it much better. I kept doing the jaw stretcher and ice packs diligently~
[6/7 Fifth day] The swelling was still huge, but my sister's comment that yesterday I looked like a watermelon and now I looked like a melon gave me hope Even so, because of the swelling, the inside of my mouth felt tight and it felt like my teeth were going to fall out. Neocare was still hard to drink, so I filled the sauce container with Pocari Sweat and sipped it often. My throat was so swollen that even that was hard to swallow, but I thought I had to keep putting something in my body if I wanted to recover. I had no energy at all, so I slowly ate vanilla ice cream (one Excellent bar) with a baby spoon, and it was so tasty, cool, and good for bringing my sugar up. Of course it dribbled everywhere because I had no jaw sensation After drooling so much, I stopped caring. In the evening, my sister made finely blended egg porridge, and I ate a few spoonfuls with a baby spoon, and it felt much better once food actually went in. My nose was still completely blocked on both sides, and the left side kept bleeding, so I had gauze taped underneath it. When changing the gauze, the bandage stuck to my cheek hurt so much, but later I learned how to gently peel it off while wetting it with water That day it was so hard to sleep that I used Otrivin for the first time. I did not use it on the side that was bleeding, only on the right side, and it really opened up!!!! Still, I could not sleep properly and had to breathe through my mouth while sleeping, so my throat hurt a lot.
[6/8 Sixth day] I no longer even felt hungry, and I think I had gotten used to not being able to eat. Still, I kept feeling like my energy was dropping and I was getting dizzy, so after reading another person's review saying custard was good, I tried it. Because I was taking antibiotics, I had heard dairy was not good, so I mixed Orion Custard into Neocare and ate it, and it was a whole new world!!! It was like discovering something revolutionary, so sweet, with amazing satiety too. Even at one meal, half a custard and a little Neocare mixed in was enough to make me full. I walked around inside the house a lot, and I also slowly climbed the stairs while holding the handrail. I could not climb many floors, but I felt proud that it seemed like exercise. I desperately wanted coffee, but they said caffeine was not good and I should hold off for about a month, so I gave up on that desire. I started to feel like maybe I was recovering because I was beginning to want foods I wanted to eat as soon as possible Now the left side of my nose that had been bleeding gradually started coming out mixed with mucus, and the nosebleeds mostly stopped. I also think the amount of time I could sleep gradually increased.
[6/9 Seventh day] The swelling was visibly going down compared with before. Every morning my sister would look at me and say I was becoming a person From this day I switched from cold packs to warm packs. They said warm packs should be done often to help the swelling go down more, so I worked hard at it. I mixed custard into Neocare and ate about half a cup, then had about half a bowl of porridge. Maybe because sensation was starting to come back little by little in my face, my teeth felt itchy. Before surgery, when my teeth felt itchy, I had the habit of clenching them hard, and not being able to do that was hard, but I decided to just enjoy the sensation of feeling return to my face. It was hot during the day and I had very little energy, so I went out for a walk at night. I was still very unsteady. I tried pouring water into a paper cup instead of using the sauce container, and it was much easier to drink. I felt happy thinking that soon I might be able to drink more kinds of things
[6/10 Eighth day - first return visit] This is the first hospital visit after surgery. I do not know what others think, but I was planning not to wash my hair for a week Still, if I could, I would have washed it, but I had so little energy that I felt I might collapse, so I held back. I told myself to just accept it. I kept up with the mouthwash diligently, and at first I wiped my face with wet wipes or cleansing tissues, then later gently washed it with water. I finally showered on the day of the visit Because I could not lower my head, I showered standing up, but I felt like I was going to collapse several times, so I sat in the bathtub and washed. It really took a long time Even on the way to the hospital, I was so dizzy and exhausted on the subway I also taped a small piece of gauze outside my mask in case blood or mucus leaked out. Breathing was so hard that my watch kept showing that my heart rate was too high from time to time. Even though I was just standing still. After barely making it to the hospital, I got swelling laser treatment first and then met the director. Since I had had zygoma contouring too, they removed the stitches from the zygoma, and it felt relieving, like something had slid out. The mouth disinfection was actually what stung and hurt the most. Still, he said there was no inflammation and that it had gone well. We checked the wafer again and practiced taking it out and putting it back in. As with most people, the doctor told me to make sure to eat things like steamed eggs or porridge more carefully because of my bleeding amount in particular. I had another swelling laser treatment and then made the difficult trip home again. When a person has no energy, they end up trying even harder to eat something, so I crawled around trying to keep drinking ion drinks or Neocare. At mealtimes, they said I could eat with the wafer removed and brush my teeth with a baby toothbrush, so I brushed gently focusing on the teeth and also rinsed thoroughly with mouthwash. In the evening my sister made cream soup, and wow, it was unbelievably delicious It went down like a dream with a baby spoon. In the evening I went for another walk by the seashore. For the area where the zygoma stitches had been removed, I kept applying ointment, and when washing afterward I made sure to use a waterproof bandage. Sleeping became easier and easier, and I felt like my quality of life was improving
[6/11 to 6/16] After the first follow-up visit, I could definitely eat more things and felt like my stamina was coming back. I had lost about 6 kg, but even though I had not really eaten much, as soon as I ate some soup or bread the weight came right back on I ate cream soup, abalone porridge (100% blended from Bonjuk), soft tofu, misugaru, fresh cream cake, and more. I wanted samgyetang porridge, but since the stitches had not been removed yet, they said oily meat dishes were not allowed, so I went with abalone porridge instead. Soft tofu is seriously the best!!! If you add a little soy sauce, it is filling and so delicious. I mixed Samlip cheesecake into milk instead of custard, and this was really!!!!!! You must try it It is so delicious. Because I was eating protein or liquids, I had diarrhea a few times in the middle. I had so little energy already, and then my stomach hurt too, so I felt like I was going to die, and since I could not lie down properly, I suffered while sweating coldly After a week, the amount of saliva I drooled had dropped dramatically. That alone made life bearable. It really felt like I was becoming a person There was still a slight trace of blood or mucus, but it was almost gone, so I did not even need gauze anymore. Every night I went out for a walk and kept doing warm packs. A lump-like swelling appeared under my chin, and they said I needed to do warm packs often to help loosen it, so I did that more. I could drink beverages from a regular cup instead of a paper cup, and above all, I was glad I could swallow pills whole instead of powdered medicine. Of course, I still had to drink a lot of water with each one As I got more energy, I moved around the house more and did little chores, which helped me feel better. My face felt itchy and tingly in different places as sensation gradually returned, and at times the jaw area throbbed too. Still, I felt okay because I thought of it as part of the process. I also slept sitting in the recliner, and then gradually switched to sleeping lying down with a high pillow. If I slept on the bed or on the floor, I was afraid I might roll over onto my side in my sleep, so I still slept flat on the sofa, but I woke up much less and could sleep for longer, which I liked. Now I really have so many things I want to eat I even dreamed of chewing squid in my sleep I can feel myself slowly recovering.
[6/17 - Second visit of the 2-week mark] My condition was much better by now, so the way to the hospital was not very hard. After the visit I got swelling laser treatment and met the director. Thankfully, there was no inflammation in my mouth and he said it was healing well. When the stitches inside my mouth were removed... even though I had read so many reviews, it was still scary. He said it would be uncomfortable and painful, and the cheek area was okay, but the jaw area did hurt a bit, and the philtrum area really... it hurt so much like I had been cut Still, I just clenched my hands and endured it thinking that if I got through this, it would all be over He said I should now do a lot of mouth exercises. Since the area where the stitches were removed would naturally tighten as it healed, I needed to move my mouth more. He said that right after the stitches came out, I should not eat anything irritating, but after a few days I could eat anything, which made me very excited.
Two weeks had passed, but maybe because I could not exercise much early on, the swelling feels like it is going down very slowly. In particular, the philtrum area is still very swollen and my lips are thick But because I can see it going down little by little every day, I walk more and use the stairs more often. Right now I cannot eat a lot, but I am eating silken tofu egg soup (it is so delicious I eat it every day), ramen cut into small pieces and eaten with broth by spoon, cream soup, bread with milk, cake, mango juice, soft tofu, and more. Maybe because I have no sensation in the roof of my mouth, every time I swallow food it feels more sore and stiff. Since I keep the wafer in while sleeping and all the time, the inside of my lips has turned white and swollen, and I started thinking I might soon get mouth ulcers So I keep up with mouthwash and warm packs even more diligently. Aside from bending my head down or moving too much and straining my face, daily life is no longer difficult. Of course, talking is still the hardest thing Still, when I take the wafer out, I can talk fairly well, so I am trying to conserve my speech and avoid overdoing it. Even when I look in the mirror, the swelling is still enormous, but my lower jaw is smaller, my lower lip is smaller too, the position of the upper and lower lips matches, and when I put in the wafer and say "i-ee," the upper and lower teeth fit together, which makes me so happy. There is still a long period of orthodontics ahead, but I no longer feel like I need to cover my mouth when I smile, so I am really looking forward to it. I keep thinking I should have done this when I was younger, but I am grateful I can do it now. Even in my late 30s, it is absolutely possible!!!!
[4-week mark] Right after the surgery, every day was so hard that I wondered when each day would pass~ But before I knew it, I had reached one month!!! I kept myself going by reading reviews from senior double-jaw surgery patients who said time is the answer, and as I keep getting better, it really does seem that time is the answer~~ I went back to the hospital at the 4-week mark. They took face photos, X-rays, and more, and I met the director~ He compared the photos from before surgery with the current photos, explained again what had changed, and gave me the happy news that now I could try chewing rice and even soft meat!!! He said the facial swelling had gone down by about 40%, and I was happy thinking about it going down even more and more~ I asked about the things I was curious about, and when I heard that a nosebleed might still happen sometimes but that it was okay to wash my hair while bending my head forward... I was really thrilled After seeing the director, I went in for post-orthodontic treatment. They cleaned up the teeth before orthodontics and started the braces. Ah!! I said goodbye to the wafer I had lived with for a month It felt strange at first when something that had been there was gone It would be better if I did all of the orthodontics, but since I still could not open my mouth wider than one finger, I only had partial orthodontic treatment. They explained in detail what would be uncomfortable after the braces, how to brush my teeth, and so on~ After making the next appointment and waiting for the bus to go home, I drank coffee for the first time in a month!! They said caffeine was not good and that it would be best not to drink it for a month, so I really endured without drinking the thing I liked so much~ They said I could use a straw, so I tried... but it did not work I could not suck it up properly, so I just lifted the cup and drank from it.. Still, I was so happy. It feels good to discover little by little the happiness I did not know before. When I came home and ate, I was still nervous and not eating rice yet; instead I am practicing chewing with soft egg, tofu, fish, and similar foods Chewing feels strangely unfamiliar, and I keep wondering how I used to chew Whatever I eat gets stuck in the braces, and that is uncomfortable. As my teeth are being corrected, my gums sometimes feel sore, and the braces touch the inside of my lips and hurt or make parts swell, but it is not as difficult as I expected. Food getting stuck in the braces was handled well by the toothbrushing and interdental brush methods they taught me, and I feel pretty satisfied with how cleanly I can brush now My swelling goes down more slowly than other people’s, so I am still wearing a mask except around very close acquaintances. Even if the swelling goes down slowly day by day, I can see it going down little by little, and my speech has improved more since I removed the wafer, so I think I will stop wearing a mask soon. Doing mouth exercises every day is what is hard I need to be able to open my mouth more before the next visit for orthodontics to be easier Still, like other people's reviews said, I feel like I am becoming better and better, and I can only look forward to the thought that the uncomfortable and painful parts from before surgery will disappear~~ If you have the same concerns, please get a consultation before you get older♡
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