4 Months Before and Afters

4 Months Post-Op

So here I am at this incredible milestone. 4 months and it feels like no time at all. This summer has been absolutely fantastic. I had the mindset that because of the operation I wouldnt be able to do anything, but I have done more than I ever thought I would.
I am now down to 3 elastics. Two either side of my mouth to hold my bite in place (can still eat and talk normally), and one in the back of my mouth in a triangular shape to fix a slight crossbite.









I won 2 pairs of tickets to TWO music festivals!
This is me at the first one which was just 5 weeks post-operation. I didnt tell my surgeon I was going for obvious reasons, I think he would have had heart failure!

But I felt back to normal strong enough to go and enjoy myself and I had a great time. I obviously didnt drink alcohol that soon after the operation.

Now I'm not saying "oh go to a music festival as soon as possible after your operation!". I only went because I felt ready to. My parents obviously were worried about me but I was fine. It was my first time at a music festival when I could just concentrate on having fun and not constantly obsessing about who would be looking or noticing my underbite. It was BLISS. Honestly it's just like a massive weight has been lifted off my shoulders and I can finally enjoy life the way I was supposed to.

I went to a Sting concert with Mum 6 weeks post-op. It's funny because when she was booking the tickets a few weeks before my operation we were worried that I wouldnt be well enough to go.

 I was able to enjoy countless hikes with my cousins as soon as 5 weeks post-op.
I really recommend hiking as a recovery tool. It really helps with the swelling and over-all healing. Plus its super fun!
And again, the simplicity of just being able to tie my hair up comfortably for a hike is indescribable. Nobody who never had an underbite could ever understand how vulnerable you feel having your hair back from your face with an underbite. For years I used my hair to try to hide it, and now I can just throw it up without a care in the world :)

My next appointment with my surgeon is on the 19th of September so I will update with anymore news then. In terms of eating I'm eating everything, except for steak. I've noticed my jaw has become a little "clicky" lately so I'll be asking my surgeon about that next time, but other than that everything is going smoothly. :)

Seeing an "aquaintance" for the first time

So today I went to the cinema with my friend, I suppose you could call it the first time I've been out in my hometown... (I hate my hometown by the way so I''m rarely there anyway!).
Anyways we bumped into a friend of my friends and she goes "You look so different!". I told her and she just couldnt get over it. Like she was astounded by how different I looked. I could tell she was a bit weirded out by the whole thing which made it a little bit awkward but she was really nice about it.
I'm just kind of worried that people will presume I that it was a cosmetic procedure and compare it to plastic surgery. I kept stressing the point that the underbite made it difficult to eat and stuff so she wouldn't think that. But I have to keep reminding myself that I really dont care what the people who aren't my friends in my town think of me! It's not important :) I just have to get used to the initial awkwardness when I meet people in future.

I'm going to do a more detailed update when I get back from Germany in two weeks, sorry I've been super busy lately, now that I can do everything again!
My orthodontist brought me down to just two elastics either side of my mouth which is great! I'm pretty much eating everything now too. Can't believe it's been just over 2 months already!

First hair appointment post-op

So today was a pretty exciting day for me, my first hair appointment post-op! Let me tell you, I have dreamed of this day for years!
Everytime I went to the hairdressers with my underbite I would constantly be on edge, hating having my hair tied back. Having my hair up exposed my long face to everyone and it was my idea of a nightmare, for that reason I dreaded hairdresser visits.
Looking back on it now it really was so sad that I felt that way. My experience in the hairdressers  today was so relaxing and happy that it made me realise just how bad my anxiety during the appointments was. For the first time in years I wasnt sick with nerves watching the hairdresser cut my hair in case he went too short and my underbite would be more prominent.
Before the operation I relied so heavily on my hair to frame my face and make my elongated face less noticeable.
This surgery is truly life changing. My aunt told me today she noticed I was considerably happier, and I am!

In other news, a few days ago I managed a t
hree course meal in a restaurant when we went out to celebrate Mum's birthday, another pretty size-able milestone! :) I had soup, fish and a chocolate fondant. Was quite proud of myself!

I'm going to my orthodontist on Wednesday and then to my surgeon on Thursday so I will update with news then!
Also going to a music festival next weekend which I'm quite excited about! Things are looking up :)

Before and Afters

The side profile to me is the greatest difference. I can't get over the difference between the space between my nose and mouth! That after picture was taken last week so I'm a little less swollen than that now :)

1 month post op! My First Time "Socializing" :)

So sorry about the delay in posting lately. We have a heatwave over here which for Ireland is like having all your Christmases come at once, so I haven't been online!

So much has happened since my last post.

I decided to go to my cousin's 1950's themed 21st on Saturday and I'm so happy that I did. I was a little nervous about people's reactions plus the fact that I'm still quite swollen but I felt it would be good for me to get out there and start living! That's me in the red.
People were really nice about it and said I looked great! I obviously couldnt eat any of the party food but I threw some of the cake into my blender along with some ice cream and it was delish :)

That was a very important milestone for me and I think it's so important to just get out there as soon as possible and let people see the "new you".

Today is June 8th so it's been a month and 4 days since my surgery and I've never felt better. I'm now eating soft foods. No more mush! There are no words to describe my happiness!
I take out my elastics when I eat now which is much easier. Time is going so quickly! If I'm being honest I can manage most foods, I cant quite chew but I can move my teeth up and down.

I had an appointment with my surgeon this week and he said I looked great. I also went to my orthodontist who couldnt get over my recovery. He said in two weeks time he will remove my surgical wires and begin work on my teeth, yay!
I'm still swollen but nothing compared with what I was like! I can go out in public without feeling as self-conscious about the swelling now.

As far as numbness goes I'm only numb on the left side of my chin and bottom lip and the right side of the roof of my mouth, so strange! Everywhere else is completely back to normal thankfully!

16 Days Post-Op

It's been 2 weeks and 2 days since the operation. The second week has gone a bit slower if I'm being honest. Food has a big part to play in the time dragging! But you really do realise how much unnecessary food you reach for during the day when you're not able to eat it! I still find myself reaching for cereal at night or craving a slice of toast.

I've lost a total of a stone in this process but I'm maintaining my weight now. I still allow myself treats such as custard and milkshakes. My mother made a coffee cake the other day and everyone in my family were making no secret of the fact that it was delicious. I got a slice, threw it in my blender along with some Ben n' Jerry's and milk and whizzed it together. It was gorgeous :)

Desserts are quite important to keep your weight up but I wouldn't recommend too much sugar as it wouldn't be the best for healing. Also because you're not fully able to brush your teeth yet you dont want them beginning to rot!

Took this picture after a long day travelling to the hospital and back. Your energy levels can get quite low at times which I'm still trying to get used to!

In terms of pain there is none. The only discomfort I'm feeling is pressure in my teeth due to the tight elastics, but I only feel this at night and it's quite bearable. My bottom teeth also feel quite sensitive. I stopped taking my painkillers 2 days ago which I'm delighted about because I really dont like them.

The swelling has gone down quite a bit since last week although it tends to flare up when I do too much talking and especially laughing! Mum doesn't want my friends to come over anymore as they're making me laugh too much! Ice packs are good for when your face swells.

I went to my surgeon today for my second visit post-op. I was hoping he would put looser elastics on but instead he put even tighter ones and doesn't need to see me until the 4th of June. Am quite disappointed as it's my cousins 21st next week and I was hoping to have looser elastics by then. 

Have to keep reminding myself to be patient. There's no point in trying to rush healing!

He said my mouth was nice and clean. I rinse my mouth with saline solution after every meal. It's very easy to be lazy with this part but its so important to prevent unnecessary infection of the stitches.

I also use a baby toothbrush which my surgeon gave to me to brush around the outside of my teeth.  

He told me to start applying Bio Oil to my face to help bring down the soft tissues that were brought up my face during the surgery which I'm going to start tonight.