My malocclusion orthodontic treatment failed, and I eventually had double-jaw surgery

I had malocclusion from a very young age, so I started orthodontic treatment in elementary school, but I lost my retainer/appliance partway through and just stopped. As an adult, I went through orthodontic treatment again. I thought that if I got braces, my lower jaw would move back, but the treatment ended with my upper teeth just feeling like they were sitting on top of my protruding lower jaw. Because of that, the angle of my upper teeth flared outward, and it showed clearly when photos were taken while I smiled. I had originally been examined at a university hospital for double-jaw surgery, but back then I didn’t have the courage, and it didn’t cause major inconvenience in daily life, so a few years passed like that. My face shape wasn’t extremely angular, but my lower jaw protruded, so I didn’t really take selfies and it did bother me. Then, because of the YouTube algorithm, I ended up watching a double-jaw surgery vlog, and after binge-watching all of that hospital’s YouTube videos (Y Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Clinic), I felt that the doctor’s words were trustworthy. Maybe because he seemed like the type who doesn’t just say empty words, I liked it even more. So after discussing it with my family, I scheduled a consultation at the hospital, and on the day of the consultation, I set the surgery date and paid the deposit. The counseling manager was extremely kind and explained things very well. The doctor also explained the expected effects after surgery well, and anyway, I felt I could trust them. Other people seem to get consultations at several hospitals, but I only went to this one place!! (Something about it just felt right) It was a satisfying consultation. -Before surgery I had the preoperative tests (wafer fitting, internal medicine tests), and they sent me everything by KakaoTalk about when to start being careful with which foods, so it was convenient because I could ask right away if I didn’t know something. I have atopic dermatitis and allergic rhinitis, so I asked whether I could use the relevant medications, and they replied quickly, which was nice! I prepared everything well before surgery, like a baby toothbrush, Daiso sauce bottles, underwear, and so on. -Day of surgery (double-jaw surgery, 2 types of contouring: square jaw and chin) People say they get nervous on the day of surgery, but I wasn’t particularly nervous. I went to the hospital with my older sister, and my mom was going to come partway through as my guardian, so I wasn’t too worried. I changed clothes, went into the operating room, lay down, and then I don’t remember anything. While I was in surgery, my sister apparently took photos of the CCTV monitor and watched. (She said seeing me lying in the operating room somehow looked pitiful.) When I woke up, the surgery was over, and I wasn’t very clear-headed. But it didn’t hurt as much as I had expected! I guess it was because they were giving me painkillers. It was uncomfortable to breathe, but I could breathe through my mouth, so it didn’t feel like I was going to die or anything. First of all, they said the anesthetic gas had to leave my body, so it was hard because I was sleepy but couldn’t sleep, and the surgical sites themselves didn’t hurt. Actually, the hardest thing was my butt. I seriously felt like I was going crazy. Since there was nothing to do, time wouldn’t pass, and my butt felt like it was going to break. The director came by in the middle, but all I remember is sending him a heart. Because I was swallowing saliva, I wasn’t that thirsty (I normally don’t drink much water except when eating). When it became time that I was allowed to drink water, I thought I’d try some and drank a little from the sauce bottle, then vomited blood. Once something went down with a gulp, my stomach started feeling nauseous. Also, when medication went in midway, it made my stomach feel really bad. The nurse said it could make me nauseous and told me to take deep breaths, but not long after receiving the medication, I vomited again. I vomited 3 times in total and changed clothes twice. (I feel so sorry to the staffㅜㅜ) -The day after surgery It felt nice once the urinary catheter was removed and the IV line was removed too. I just accepted that I couldn’t breathe through my nose. Instead, I had so much saliva. Since I couldn’t close my mouth well, saliva kept dribbling out (I really didn’t want to swallow it), so I lived with tissues tucked in, then felt tissues were a waste and wiped with a towel instead. I had nothing to do alone, so I only remember watching mukbang videos on my phone. For reference, I couldn’t sleep. I’m the type who can’t sleep well when my body is uncomfortable, so if I slept 30 minutes at a time, that was a lot. I actually slept a bit during the swelling laser treatment because it was dark and somehow warm, which was nice. They also gave me 2 packs of New Care, but I drank about half a carton. It was uncomfortable, and the taste of New Care didn’t suit me. Also, the mouthwash tasted so bad that I didn’t want to use it, so that was another reason I didn’t eat. It really tastes like your tongue is going numb. It tasted so bad that I even asked whether it was supposed to taste like this. I thought maybe the Devil Fruit from One Piece would taste like this. <The hardest things after surgery: my butt and the mouthwash> -Discharge day They removed the IV and I got ready to be discharged. I packed my things, changed clothes, and my mom came to pick me up as my guardian (my mom had already picked up the medicine in advance), so I went home comfortably by car. After getting home, I had to take medicine, and instead of New Care I had Vegemil. I thought my stomach might hurt, so I made sure to drink soy milk before taking each dose of medicine. I liked that the medicine was in pill form. I’m good at taking pills, so it was much easier than bad-tasting powdered medicine. At first I swallowed the pills one at a time, but later I swallowed two at a time. I had no energy, so it was just a day of lying back against a triangular cushion. -During week 1 After that, for almost a week, I lived on 3 soy milks a day, so whenever I got up from bed, I felt dizzy. The instructions originally said to drink 6-7 soy milks (postoperative precautions), but filling my stomach only with drinks made me feel bloated and full of liquid, so I couldn’t take in more. I barely managed to drink only before taking medicine, and the day before my week-1 hospital visit, I thought, “At this rate, I’ll collapse on the way to the hospital,” so my mom blended porridge and gave me thin rice gruel. That was when I realized why people need to eat carbohydrates to live. I definitely felt energized and like I could survive. In between, I also used the mouthwash diligently. I was worried because the mouthwash at the hospital tasted so horrific, but the prescribed mouthwash didn’t have much taste, which was nice! After recharging with carbohydrates, I went to the hospital the next day without any issues. I had a lot of bruising on my face, and the director asked whether I bruise easily. I said yes, because both wrists where blood was drawn and the IV was placed were also bruised green. Even at week 1, I couldn’t put strength into my neck, so my voice wouldn’t come out, and I communicated with my hands and phone. They said there was no inflammation and nothing abnormal, so I came back feeling relieved. -Weeks 2 and 3 Now I could take the wafer in and out, and I could eat porridge instead of only soy milk, so I was happy. My main foods were porridge, steamed egg, and soft tofu! I don’t get tired of foods easily, so even eating them every day, they tasted good every time, which was nice. I also did warm compresses diligently, wore the compression band, and walked in place inside the house! I’m normally someone who doesn’t sweat easily, but after surgery, when I moved, I sweated easily. I walked 5,000 steps a day and then showered. At first, my face was so swollen that I wondered, “Is it going to burst at this rate?” It was extremely puffy, but still, moving around did help the swelling go down. I also kept brushing my teeth diligently. At the week-2 hospital appointment, there were no issues, and at week 3, I finally had the stitches removed. I was so worried that I searched a ton of reviews about stitch removal. Some people said it hurt so much they cried, and others said, “It didn’t really feel like anything?” So I went thinking, even if it’s hard, could it be as hard as my butt after surgery? Stitch removal... it hurt. Flipping my lips back did hurt. Since they hadn’t been moving and then were moved, it hurt, but it wasn’t unbearable. It also ended more quickly than I expected. After the stitches were removed, I felt good. I received the follow-up care well and came back. -Week 4 Finally, finally, I started orthodontic treatment..!! Actually, by week 4, the swelling should have gone down more than before, but when I was at my mom’s house, I walked diligently, then once I returned to my own place, I stopped being active. (I was studying, so I really didn’t walk.) So there was no difference in swelling compared to before..!! Because I was starting orthodontics, they also unscrewed 4 gum screws, and maybe because I’d experienced it before, it wasn’t difficult (I’m experienced with orthodontics). When I looked at the before-and-after photos with the manager in charge, wow. Seriously, once the lower face changed, my overall image became much softer. I’m looking forward to how I’ll look after the swelling goes down!! Sympathy emoticon Translating Would you like to scrap this review? +0 This review is a surgery review pursuing natural beauty.