Please read this if you’re getting double jaw surgery for malocclusion!

<Before surgery><Before surgery><Before surgery><2 months><2 months><2 months><2 months>Since I was very young, whenever I went to the dentist I was told that my jaw was protruding. Later, in the upper grades of elementary school, my lower teeth gradually started to cover my upper teeth during my growth period, and no matter which dental clinic I went to, they told me that it would probably be best to have double jaw surgery later on. In 5th or 6th grade, I had about two years of orthodontic treatment in order to improve things just enough so my jaw would not protrude any more, and there was a time when my jaw moved back slightly and my bite looked normal! But as I entered middle school and high school, my lower jaw protruded again and the malocclusion started to get worse again! After a lot of deliberation, while looking through sites like Gangnam Unnie, Babitalk, YouTube, and Yeowooya, I searched for a clinic where I could get the kind of result I wanted: natural after surgery, but with clear improvement, and after receiving consultations in person, I decided to have double jaw surgery and contouring type 2 surgery (square jaw + chin) at Y Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery!When I went for the consultation, what I liked most was how kind the consultation director, front desk staff, and dental hygienists were. And when I spoke with the chief surgeon, the way he explained which surgery was needed and what could be improved, saying only what was necessary, made me feel set on having the surgery~!I decided to do presurgical orthodontic treatment before surgery, so I underwent about 1 year and 2 months of presurgical orthodontics! (Before surgery)I was still in presurgical orthodontics, and since I had plenty of time until the surgery date, I visited the clinic every month during the orthodontic treatment for orthodontic checkups! They said I could do the orthodontics at another hospital too, but since I live in the provinces, I did it at the dental clinic inside the hospital so I could also see Seoul while I was at it! Starting one month before surgery, I had blood tests and internal medicine exams, and I tried on the wafer in advance while waiting for surgery! Until the surgery date, I ate a lot of the foods I wanted so I wouldn’t regret as much the time when I wouldn’t be able to eat after surgery, and I also gained a little weight before going in! They said I might lose a lot of weight after surgery! Also, starting one month before surgery, I took iron supplements and exercised to build up my stamina~I also bought the things I’d need before surgery in advance after watching YouTube and Yeowooya! The hospital had things like a neck pillow, cushion, humidifier, and more, so I never even took out half the stuff I brought. After surgery, I only used things like a towel, iPad, phone, charger, sauce containers, extra underwear, and sleep socks! At home, I only had things like New Care and pumpkin juice ready!Surgery dayMy surgery was at 10:00, so I arrived by 9:40!Because the surgery was under general anesthesia, I fasted from 10 p.m. the night before. After one last consultation with the chief surgeon, I changed clothes, filled out a questionnaire with the nurse, rinsed with mouthwash, and went into the operating room. After lying down and getting an IV, I don’t remember anything from the point I started breathing the gas. When I came to, the surgery was already over, and I think the time was around 2:30 to 3:00. The first day was so chaotic that I don’t remember it very well, but I just kept taking deep breaths while listening to music because I wanted to get rid of the gas as soon as possible~ Once I regained a little composure and exchanged messages with my mom, who came with me, by typing, we said our last goodbyes after 7 p.m., since guardians couldn’t stay with me after that. The chief surgeon also came by the ward before leaving work, told me the surgery had gone well, and said to just endure this one day. That gave me strength! If you keep going like that, evening comes quickly. On the first day, I didn’t have the mind to look at or listen to anything, so it was best just to play music and videos like Surprise and Infinite Challenge on repeat~ I didn’t have much facial pain after surgery, and every hour the nurse came in to check my blood pressure and oxygen saturation and to administer medication through the IV, so I just spent the day with music on repeat. My throat was very dry after surgery, but I couldn’t drink water before getting rid of the gas, so that part was a little hard! But my urine catheter came out in the middle of the night, so the nurse had a hard time in the middle of the night I was so gratefulDay 2On the second day, they removed the drain from my mouth and the tube from my nose, so I felt a lot more bearable! But the feeling of having the drain removed was so strange that I got goosebumps. It was like a suction sound in my mouth, and it felt like a snail was coming out from inside my mouth. Since I could move around a bit that day, I went for a walk, got swelling laser treatment, drank a lot of New Care and water, and watched dramas too. A big screen you can prop up and watch is better than a phone! That was the day I understood why people say to bring an iPad! The chief surgeon also checked on me from time to time, and I got through the second day well too~ In reviews, many people said they had vein pain when painkillers and similar things were administered, but I didn’t have much pain at all apart from a brief soreness. I kept taking short naps too. The nurses took good care of me on the second day as well, so I could spend it comfortably~Day 3I couldn’t believe it was the day I was being discharged, and all I could think was, could I do well at home too? I only wanted to stay right next to the nurse, but the chief surgeon checked on me one last time, removed the IV and other things, I took my time getting ready, and then went through the discharge procedure. Since I live in the provinces, my older sister came to pick me up, so I got home safely,, but the trip back wasn’t that easy and was exhausting,, At home, it was basically the start of a period of endurance,, I thought I should naturally accept the discomfort and not push myself for at least a week. At home, the day ends once you drink New Care and take your medicine. And I really worked hard at gargling and rested well. My face swelled up to its peak, and I was so surprised it was to the point that I wondered if I was just going to burst like this. I’ve always been someone who swells easily, but I was so swollen that I wondered if this was really normal.Day 4From this day on, the swelling started to peak,, My face felt like it was going to burst, which was a little scary, but it didn’t burst and just kept swelling. I just kept drinking New Care, taking my medicine, moving around a little inside the house, and going out for a walk once in a while! Taking medicine was so hard for me One time, a pill got stuck and my throat felt tight, so I kept drinking water to help it go down! I did cold compresses and used a compression band to manage it as much as possible, and I spent the week settled on the sofa with the back raised. I just slept whenever I was exhausted and tired. My mouth was still dry, so it was hard to sleep straight through the night, and I kept waking up after one or two hours at a time.Day 5I was even more swollen than on day 4, and I kept getting bloody phlegm from my mouth, a slight cough, and some runny nose, which was hard. When I went outside, I got so dizzySo I replaced outdoor walking with walking around the house and moved around a lot at home. Since I kept living seated, my butt hurt, which was rough! I made things as soft and comfortable as possible with blankets and cushions~ As my nose definitely started opening up, I felt like I was becoming more bearable, and because I couldn’t really eat proper food, I held on all day by watching mukbang videos,,Still, starting from the evening of day 5, I began sleeping through the night, so it was much better~! That day also passed with New Care, compresses, medicine, movement, and videos!Day 6I felt like the swelling just kept increasing. Maybe because I tend to swell a lot, my face kept getting so tight that for about a week it felt huge and like it might burst? My mom said that when she looked from behind, seeing both cheeks was cute and she hoped it would just stay like that~ But of course the swelling would go down little by little! I worried that it might not be going down as much as for other people, but I still thought it would gradually subside, and I ended the day by resting well!Day 7By the time one week had passed after surgery, I had been eating well, taking my medicine properly, and sleeping well until the day I came in for my progress checkup! But since the only thing I could eat was liquid food, I lost a lot of weight. I had gone into surgery after gaining weight up to 50 kg, but in just one week I dropped to 45 to 46 kg, and when I went outside the dizziness got much worse, so my walks were limited to 10 to 15 minutes at most, and even shorter when I wasn’t feeling well. I thought my body came first, so after contacting the clinic I focused more on moving around at home and getting lots of rest. On day 6 after surgery, the skin under my chin turned red and I could feel something hard there, so I was worried and came in on day 7 to ask about it. They said it was something that can happen after surgery and would gradually go away, and just in case they prescribed a week of anti-inflammatory medicine. After disinfecting the inside of my mouth, getting swelling laser treatment, and having my progress checked, I got my medication and went home!Until the stitches were removed, I spent my time eating a liquid diet, taking medicine, and going for walks. Since the two-week mark after surgery fell during the Lunar New Year holiday, I came in the Saturday before that week and had the stitches inside my mouth removed. A lot of people in reviews said stitch removal hurt, so I went there quite scared, but it didn’t hurt as much as I expected! The area around the philtrum did sting, so there was a sharp, ouch-like feeling, but it was manageable. That day, they checked my progress, gave me swelling laser treatment, and I went home! Around the two-week point, the dizziness had mostly gone away, so going out and moving around wasn’t bad, but because the swelling was still pretty severe, I didn’t really go out except for short walks!After the stitches were removed, I started eating some foods with a bit of seasoning too, but for ramen I used less powdered seasoning, cooked it, cut it into small pieces, and swallowed it. Since noodles and rice were hard to eat, I ate a lot of soft foods like cake and bread, and especially a lot of cream soup!<3 weeks>As I entered the third week, I felt something hard in my cheek, which made me anxious, so I asked the director and visited the hospital. The chief surgeon felt it and said it seemed like there were signs of inflammation, so he suggested I try two weeks of antibiotics. That day I also got swelling laser treatment and a prescription! From then on, just in case, I’ve been keeping the seasoning as light as possible, eating without making it spicy, and making sure to take my medicine properly three times a day~ I just hope the medication helps the inflammation!Right now, while taking the medicine and taking care of it, the pain in my cheek has gone down a lot! I’m going to keep taking the remaining medicine properly too!<4 weeks>I’m not sure if it’s because my swelling is pretty severe or because I keep looking at my own face every day, but it feels like there hasn’t been much change in the swelling, so that’s a little disappointing. Still, it has only been a month, and I think the swelling is going down slowly because of inflammation and similar issues, so I’ve been doing warm compresses, walks, and light activity within a range that isn’t too strenuous! Even so, I feel good because my face seems to change a little every day!The first week after surgery was truly hard, both staying awake and sleeping felt difficult and painful, but after solving a complex I had worried about for a long time, I feel both relieved and a little sad. This was the kind of month that made me understand why everyone says to just endure the first week and then endure the first month well! Double jaw surgery is not a simple or easy operation, but I’m happy that I was able to resolve the malocclusion and underbite that had been a lifelong complex, and now that each day passes and I’m reaching the one-month mark, I’m starting to feel more and more like it was the right decision!<2 months!!>Now, before I knew it, one month has passed since the surgery and it has become the second month! The first month had many difficult moments, but as time passed, the restrictions on sleeping and eating gradually disappeared, and unlike right after surgery, the types of food I can eat have increased. As long as I’m careful with hard foods and actions that could strain my jaw, there doesn’t seem to be much difference from before surgery! When I visited the hospital for post-op orthodontic treatment, I couldn’t open my mouth well enough to start orthodontics right away, so I hope everyone does mouth exercises diligently before going! And right after reaching the two-month mark, I started a part-time job, and speaking and working weren’t a big burden either! I think that’s thanks to exercising steadily at home! I think taking care of your stamina after surgery really helps in daily life afterward! The difficult period after surgery now feels dreamlike, and I can hardly remember it anymore! I also met my friends after a long time, and they were all surprised, saying my face had become so much smaller and my image had changed! There is still a long way to go before the facial swelling and intraoral swelling are fully gone and the sensation returns, but even so, as time passes I feel more and more like things are becoming manageable, and I’m happy with how my face seems to change a little every day! I hope everyone who is planning surgery researches well and gets good results~ I’ll come back with another review~!