It took me a really long time to decide to have the surgery. My biggest concern was general anesthesia. It was not a simple procedure under local anesthesia, but a surgery that required general anesthesia, so I was very anxious about whether it would put too much strain on my body. Since it is a surgery that directly involves the bone, I was also worried about side effects such as nerve damage or sensory abnormalities. There was no one around me who had undergone the same surgery, so it was difficult to get information, and online reviews varied so much that making a decision was not easy. So I had several consultations and was only able to make my final decision after looking into it thoroughly.
When choosing a hospital, I initially compared several places, and the biggest reason I chose this hospital was that it specializes in performing this surgery. Rather than being a place that offers it as just one option among many different surgical procedures, it gave me confidence that this hospital had focused on this procedure and built up long-standing experience with it. After hearing that the director had performed this surgery many times, I went in for a consultation myself, and the detailed explanations about the surgical process and recovery reduced a lot of my vague fear.
What changed after surgery was both functional issues and my mindset. Before surgery, whenever I took photos, I always tried to take them only from the front. When someone looked at me from the side, it really bothered me, and only after the surgery did I realize that this had been quite a major source of stress in daily life. Now I can go out confidently without a mask, and I am satisfied because my side profile comes out naturally in photos. Also, breathing while sleeping has become much more comfortable, and the severe snoring I had has mostly disappeared. Only after experiencing it myself did I realize that this was a much bigger change than I had expected.
To be honest, the first week right after surgery was really difficult. The bone pain was much stronger than I had expected, so I could not eat proper meals at all, and even swallowing liquid food was uncomfortable. It hurt several times more than when I had my wisdom teeth removed, and the swelling was significant enough that I was afraid to look in the mirror. During that period, I honestly even had thoughts of regretting the surgery. I did not know recovery would take this long. But after 2 to 3 weeks, the swelling started to go down and the pain gradually decreased, and now, about one month after surgery, I have no discomfort at all in daily life. Looking back, I think it was a process worth enduring.
What I would like to say to those who are considering this surgery is that if you have been under stress for a long time, it is a surgery worth seriously considering. However, because the early recovery period is not easy, it is important to gather enough information before surgery and allow yourself plenty of time for recovery. If you think, like I did, “I’ll recover quickly,” you may be caught off guard in the beginning. Above all, I think the most important thing is to carefully choose a hospital with extensive experience.