I had surgery last week, and I had a single square jaw procedure + cortical bone reduction.
I used to be extremely skeptical about surgery, but speaking as someone who somehow changed their mind... Of course, not having surgery is best if possible, but if you have a clear reason, I think it may not be bad to do it. I searched for every review on the internet, but I still thought overcoming my complex would be better. I also looked up side effects a lot, and I just accepted the possibility of skin sagging and went ahead. Fear of various other side effects is also why I did not do any areas other than the square jaw. Well, honestly, shaving bone alone is definitely a major surgery. I was a bit tempted by genioplasty during the consultation, but I wanted a natural change, so I did not do it. It has only been 4 days so far, but I do not think I will regret it. I had written down the surgery process, so I am writing this review to share it. I also wrote a little about my impressions up to day 4 afterward, so I am posting that together~
Day 0 Before going into surgery, honestly it did not feel very real, so I was just in a daze. When I entered the operating room, I got a little nervous… I received the anesthetic, fell asleep without realizing it, and when I opened my eyes, the surgery was over. The pain was not as severe as I expected (I was really scaredㅋㅋㅋ), I guess? The biggest pain I felt was first, the pain of not being able to sleep, and second, the nausea. The first was painful because the anesthesia was hitting hard, but I was not allowed to sleep and had to stay awake ㅠㅠ Still, I am less sensitive to pain than other people + I am relatively healthy, so I think I came to my senses somewhat after about two or three hours. From then on, my throat hurt (I think it hurts because during general anesthesia, the airway is intubated through the throat). I wanted to drink water, but I barely killed time by watching dramas or variety shows on my phone. I barely endured it, and finally it was time to drink water... I tried to drink water, but suddenly felt really nauseous, so I gave up halfway ㅠㅠ This was the second pain... this was the hardest. They said it can happen because of the anesthetic gas and the components of the IV fluids. I do not know if it was because I only did the square jaw, but the jaw area hurt less than I expected; rather, the sore throat and nausea were harder for me. I read many other people's reviews, and many said the first day was the hardest, so I endured it thinking I just had to get through today. In the afternoon, they removed the blood drain, and this hurt a little. It was a tolerable pain, about like getting an injection... In between, because they checked my blood pressure and changed the compression band and things like that, I woke up and fell asleep every hour, but the nurses cared for me kindly, and even if only for short intervals, I slept deeply.
Day 1 Jaw pain that I had not even noticed yesterday slowly started to bother me… As the swelling gradually got worse and felt tight, it hurt a little. Still, when I did cold compresses, it felt manageable. The nausea was almost gone today too, so I finally drank some water. After drinking some water, I definitely felt my sore throat improve. My voice was completely hoarse, so to acquaintances I had not told about the surgery, I roughly made the excuse that I had a coldㅋㅋㅋ There is some swelling, but it looks like the line will come out nicely, so I am starting to look forward to it. I am still at the stage where some phlegm is coming out… For lunch, I ate porridge. Once something went into my stomach, I felt a little more aliveㅎㅎ
Day 2 The pain in my throat was gradually getting better, and the swelling was really severe. As time passed, it felt like, wow, my face can swell even more from here? I could feel it getting more and more puffed up. I had heard that day 2 and day 3 after surgery are intense, but….ㅎ Since square jaw surgery has no external wound, they said I could bathe right away, so I washed my hair that day. Feeling fresh definitely made me feel better.
Day 3 From this point, I ate rice. My mouth opens well (I think two fingers can fit), but the swelling was so severe that the space inside my mouth felt cramped, I guess? I did feel that my teeth had become weaker compared with before, but if I chewed gently, there was no problem eating. I also brushed gently using a children's toothbrush. The sore throat got better, but phlegm keeps coming out. I thought this could normally happen after surgery, but since it still keeps coming out, I am starting to suspect I may have caught a cold...ㅋㅋ I had been wearing thin clothes because of the pain…
Day 4 The swelling is less than yesterday, but it is still puffy. It is much better than yesterday… They say day 3 is the peak and day 4 gets better, but I still think it is a bit severeㅋㅋ I feel like I have almost all sensation in my jaw, but it definitely still hurts when touched, so I am not touching it. Even when I stay still, I occasionally feel a slight stabbing pain. Other than that, there is no other pain. I think once the swelling goes down, I will be able to do daily activities.
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