<Post-op day 17><Post-op day 19><Post-op day 19> I had a malocclusion since I was little, and by middle school I had become very conscious of my appearance, so I eventually started orthodontic treatment. Even then, the doctor in charge told me that if I had braces, my lower face could look more prominent and I could end up with a prognathic-looking jaw, but that it was not something that would happen unconditionally, so I didn’t think too much of it and started treatment. While getting orthodontic treatment, I had four teeth extracted, and although my teeth became neatly aligned through braces, just as expected, the change in my jaw became clearly visible. From when I was a student until now, I was teased a lot for looking like I had a prognathic jaw, and because I knew I didn’t look pretty when someone saw my face from the side, I became very self-conscious. I also developed the habit of covering my chin when taking photos. I lived with the thought that when I became an adult, I would save up money and absolutely have surgery! While scrolling Instagram by chance, I came across before-and-after Reels from a maxillofacial surgery and dentistry clinic account. I loved the results of the other patients so much, and I was completely drawn to the “one double-jaw surgery a day” and live CCTV coverage of the surgery process, so those two things led me to choose that clinic. More than anything, when I first visited the hospital for a consultation, the staff were so kind, and Dr. Lee Seok-jae’s firm, decisive manner made me feel it would be a place I could trust and leave myself in. * Before surgery I was scheduled for surgery in winter, so I went through pre-orthodontics > surgery > post-orthodontics in that order. Since I had already had braces as a child, the second round of orthodontic treatment wasn’t difficult at all. I was just happy that I could finally resolve the stress I had carried my whole life. I did about six months of pre-orthodontics, and as the surgery date got closer, I had my final pre-op checkup, including internal medicine tests and dental impressions. For hospital admission, I packed things like [a Daiso sauce container, a donut cushion, tissues, a portable battery]. I also stocked up on NewCare to drink at home after surgery, and since I dislike pumpkin, I didn’t buy pumpkin juice separately. * Surgery day (2/26) The day of double-jaw surgery, square jaw, and chin surgery!! I arrived at the hospital around 9:40 a.m., changed into a patient gown, checked whether the wafer fit properly, saw the doctor one last time, and waited. Before I knew it, it was time for surgery. My eyesight is very poor, so when I went into the operating room I wasn’t that nervous, since I had to take my glasses off. I had an IV placed and wondered when I’d faint, but before I knew it I was under anesthesia, and after the surgery, I heard my mom’s voice frantically waking me up beside me. I was still dazed, my face felt numb, and it was hard to hold on to consciousness as I woke up from anesthesia... I think it was a little after 4 p.m. when I finally came to my senses, took photos, and checked my face. As I woke up more and more, the pain started to feel stronger. I was thirsty and wanted to drink water, but I had to hold out until 8 p.m., so it was truly a time of suffering... On weekdays, family members could only stay until 7 p.m., so after that I had to endure the time of patience and pain on my own, but I was so grateful that the nurse kept replacing my ice packs, checking on my condition, and taking care of me. After 8 p.m. I tried to drink water, but my mouth was completely dry and my throat was so swollen that it felt less like actually drinking and more like just lightly wetting my tongue I couldn’t feel my face, so even when I tried to take a sip of water it all just dribbled out, but I was simply grateful that I could drink at all. And in the early morning, I felt so nauseous from the medication that it was hard to breathe properly, and my whole body went numb to the point that even my fingers were moving involuntarily, so I hurriedly pressed the call button. The nurse came, helped me calm down, and massaged my legs and hands so my circulation would improve, and I was truly so grateful... ♡ Even when I wanted to sleep, it was painful and uncomfortable, so at most I could sleep for about an hour? Usually I woke up every 10 to 30 minutes and spent the long early morning that way. I kept waiting for morning to come quickly so the urinary catheter and drain could be removed. And since I had to live sitting up in bed, my butt really hurt!!! I saw many reviews saying a donut cushion wasn’t necessary, so I considered not bringing one too, but if I hadn’t had it, I honestly would not have survived...! A donut cushion is essential! * Post-op day 2 (2/27) It was a little after 8 a.m. when they removed the urinary catheter (they pulled it out pretty hard, so it hurt a lot) and the hose? Then a little after 9, I saw the doctor, had the drain removed, and also checked the wafer bite alignment. Once they removed the IV needle and everything attached to my body, I could move around freely, which made things much more comfortable. From today I started drinking NewCare and doing gargles. As time went by, I could clearly feel that today was better than yesterday, and tomorrow would be better than today. I walked around only inside the hospital room at first, then once clinic hours were almost over, I walked around inside the hospital building. I heard that walking a lot helps swelling go down, so I moved as much as my energy allowed. And in the evening I listened carefully to the instructions about precautions after discharge, and the day passed like that again. * Post-op day 3, discharge (2/28) In the morning, I had my last medication through the IV and slowly prepared to be discharged. I saw the doctor one last time, and my dad came to pick me up, so I was discharged around 11:30. I went to the pharmacy on the first floor of the building, got my prescription filled, and went home. I usually get severe motion sickness, and after discharge, riding in a car for the first time in a while made the nausea and facial pain combine so badly that I felt like I was going to die... As soon as I got home, I was hungry, so I ate porridge with a protein drink, barely managed to take my medicine (the prescribed pills were much, much bigger than I expected, and even though I normally swallow 5 or 6 pills at once, after surgery I couldn’t even take one...), and then the accumulated fatigue came all at once, so I took a nap...! After discharge, it felt like my face was swelling more and more, so I kept up with the compression band and ice packs. When sleeping, I stacked several cushions and placed the pre-bought surgical pillow on top, sleeping in a similar sitting position to the hospital. I couldn’t sleep deeply, but perhaps because I was home, I felt psychologically more at ease. * Post-op day 3 (3/1) When I woke up, my face was even more swollen than yesterday. For me, the feeling that the swelling was growing even while I slept was so uncomfortable And while I hardly had any nosebleeds in the hospital, once I got home they kept happening. So I turned on the humidifier to keep the room from getting too dry, and even though it was uncomfortable, I tried my best not to touch the inside of my nose. Today too, as usual, I drank porridge and a protein drink, but I found the fishy-ish taste that protein drinks have so awful that I forced myself to drink it... then I blended a banana with a protein drink (chocolate flavor!) and vanilla ice cream to make something like a banana shake. It was really delicious, so if you don’t like protein drinks, try making a shake like I did. It will help a lot!! During the day I went out for a walk, ate my meal (well, a drink...), and spent the day doing ice packs diligently. * Post-op day 5 (3/2) This was probably the peak of my swelling, in my opinion. I thought, it can still swell more than this? And yes... it swelled more.. Even while I was in the hospital, the nurse said my face didn’t seem that swollen and that I was blessed, so I thought, oh, maybe I’m the kind of person who does well with surgery? But it seems swelling is something you can’t avoid Bruises that hadn’t been visible also started to come up little by little, so I applied bruise cream too! In other reviews, people said they didn’t wear the compression band much because of facial swelling, but I actually wore mine more diligently because if I took it off, the unbearable pain from the swelling was worse. * Post-op day 7 (3/4) About a week after surgery, porridge got so boring that I couldn’t even eat it. So I ordered shrimp porridge and beef porridge from Bonjuk, even though they were still basically porridge, and that was much better. In the afternoon I went to the hospital for a follow-up visit! I got suture disinfection, a progress check, and swelling laser treatment. I was in pain when they disinfected the stitches, so I worried about how much it would hurt when they removed the stitches next week And since it had been a long-distance outing after a while, I was worried, but as expected, when I got on the subway I got such severe motion sickness that I felt sick and almost collapsed on the spot... On that day especially I had a lot of nosebleeds too, so it was a pretty hard day for me * Post-op day 14 (3/11) A week later I visited the hospital again, and that day they removed the stitches. I went in quite scared, but it hurt more than I expected! It didn’t take that long to remove them, so in its own way it was okay... And since I couldn’t eat normally as usual, I lost about 4 kg and my stamina also dropped a lot I usually tend to get severe nausea if I have orthostatic hypotension symptoms or if I’m not feeling well, and after surgery I could feel it had gotten worse. Even if it’s hard, eat diligently! And walk diligently! You have to... pleaseㅠㅡㅠ * Post-op day 17 (3/14) This was the first time I went out far from home other than for a hospital visit, and since I did my makeup for the first time in a while, I felt that my face had changed a lot from before surgery! Since I was wearing the wafer, my speech was a bit off and my lower face still felt awkward, so I wore a mask when going out. * Most recent, post-op day 19 (3/16) On this day I went out without a mask, but I think the swelling was still at a level that was okay for daily life..! Now, if I eat mostly soft foods, I can eat well. Since I ate out, I cut noodles with scissors and mashed fried rice with my tongue. I still can’t eat hard meats and things like that, but even at this stage I’m so, so satisfied with how things are going.. It really feels like time is the best medicine, and I’m spending my days seeing myself change and improve little by little each day after surgery. At first I even wondered if I had done this for nothing, but whenever I thought about those days of stress, I kept going by telling myself that this is nothing. If you set your mind firmly! You’ll get through surgery well, and time will pass quickly too. I hope everyone who is about to have double-jaw surgery, or who has just had it, recovers well!! I hope this helps, and thank you for reading this long post ♡
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This review is a post-surgery review pursuing a natural look.