The Greatest Adventure

Hello! It has been a really long time since I posted last, but as you can see from the photo below, I have been a bit busy! I am still doing extremely well!!! Thankfully, I had no pain or complications with my jaw during my pregnancy. I continued to do Pilates and exercise until 40 weeks. I believe that this really helped prevent my neck pain from returning, and it also assisted in keeping my blood pressure normal. This was important to insure my jaw joints received adequate blood flow. I must admit, I really was worried about how my jaw would react the first few months after having my daughter. It is such a sleepless, high stress time (especially with a colicky baby). But, I made it though without any issues. I have remained pain free and off all medications! I never even have to take Tylenol or Advil. Without having my surgeries with Dr. Piper, I would not have been able to get off of my medications and feel healthy enough to have a baby. I am forever grateful to have my life back and for this new adventure! 

For all of you who are in the midst of your pain and suffering, know there truly is HOPE and HEALING. Stay STRONG and keep the FAITH! 

I am here to help if you have any questions. I am wishing you all the very best!

I'm HEALED!!!

Today I am TOTALLY, 100% HEALED! It has been two years and ten months since my first surgery. I feel FABULOUS and I wouldn't even know I had two major surgeries if I didn't feel so great now (and remember how terrible I felt before meeting Dr. Piper).  I am off all of my prescription medications and I only take a daily multi vitamin and Calcium with Vitamin D. I can eat normally for the first time in almost eight years. My retainer only has to be worn when I sleep. I have no headaches or muscle spasms and ZERO pain!!! 

No More -B-R-A-C-E-  -F-A-C-E-

August 19, 2014
DR. PIPER + DR. JACKSON APPOINTMENTS
I had my 6 month check ups with both Dr. Piper and Dr. Jackson in one day. Everything still looked perfect, so I was cleared to get my braces off and discontinue all of my meds! My only stipulation was having to wear my retainer 24/7 for 30 days. Jay and I were so excited to start a new chapter in our lives, that we booked a trip to celebrate in BORA BORA. Can you see my JOY?

I am SO THANKFUL to God, Dr. Piper, Dr. Jackson, Jay, my family, and friends for helping me through it all. It wasn't an easy path, but it was my path, and I am grateful for the strength and perspective I gained while overcoming so many obstacles along the way. Above all, I know that diligence and faith can move mountains, and mostly, that I am BLESSED BEYOND MEASURE.

6 Week Post-Op RepoRt

April 21, 2014
DR. PIPER APPOINTMENT- 9:40 AM
My appointment started out as always with an MRI. I was first seen by Lisa and then Dr. Piper. I updated them on the fact that I am feeling really good and have no bone pain of which to speak. I have fully regained normal feeling in my upper lip and the entire left side of my jaw and chin. However, I am still pretty numb on the right half of my lower lip and from the middle of my chin over about two inches to the right.

I have normal feeling in the right side of my face. The numb area is also the place that I continue to feel tingling, and little jolts from the nerves. I feel some swelling throughout the day in this area, but it is unrecognizable to those who look at me. My smile is still a little crooked, as well, since this part of my face is still numb. This is nothing to be concerned about, as they told me it could take up to 6 months to get all of the feeling back.

BITE
Dr. Piper examined me and noted that my bite was almost completely back together, but would still require approximately 6 more months of orthodontic work to make it perfect. Measurements of my bite were taken and it was noted that my vertical opening had shrunk down to 30mm. This is a result of having limited movement while wearing the splint and being on the no-chew diet. He was not concerned, but wants me to regain the height of my opening, so I am to begin using my Therabite again. I will start on hole 3 and work my way up to hole 5 by doing 30 pumps, five times per day. My linear protrusion was good at 6mm to the front, 9mm to the left and 7mm to the right.

MRI
Next, we viewed my MRI together. Dr. Piper was thrilled with how well my bones were healing. The nerves on both sides looked great and were the ideal 4mm distance away from where the bone was cut. It was really amazing to see all of the work he did and how it has healed.

DIET
I get to move from a no-chew to soft chew diet. I am very excited not to have to puree my food anymore!

MEDICATIONS
As a result of the stability of my bones, Dr. Piper said I could start weaning off of my Klonopin and Trazodone. I will take smaller amounts of each until I am off of them totally. Then he said I should use them on an as-needed basis. He also gave my a script for 25mg of Lyrica that I am only to fill if I get the really bad burning/throbbing again as I get the feeling back in the last portion of the right side of my chin and lip. I am hopeful that this will not be needed, but thankful to have it just in case.

BRACES
Since my bones are healing so well, Dr. Piper cleared me to begin the final orthodontic movement with Dr. Jackson. Today, once Dr. J starts moving my teeth, my splint will no longer fit, so I am finished wearing it for good. Yippee! Dr. Piper noted that my teeth need slightly more cuspid guidance to get my bite back into the ideal positioning. I am to continue maintaining vertical support by wearing elastics for 10-12 hours per day from the cuspid to bicuspid (a triangle). I can wear the bands after dinner and at night, so this won't be a big nuisance at all.

DR. JACKSON APPOINTMENT- 2:00 PM

Visiting Dr. Jackson was a pleasure, as always. As a result of not having to wear the splint anymore, I was very exited to get rid of my wires with all of the splint hooks! They were really digging into the inside of my lower lip, near my scar, and causing pain. I was always having to wear a lot of wax on my lower brackets. Dr. Jackson informed me that the wires that he put on will be my last set! He believes I will only need a few more appointments and tweaks and I will be finished with my braces forever. I will return to St. Pete in two months for the next appointment. I am really in the final stretch now!

HERE IS HOW MY CHIN AND SCARS ARE LOOKING...

PREP + SURGERY #2

FEBRUARY | MARCH 2014
POSTS COMING SOON…

Round Two

This is just a quick update, but I wanted to let you all know that I am currently in St. Pete and I will be undergoing my Mandibular Sagittal Split Osteotomy and Genioplasty tomorrow morning.  I am feeling great and I have no pain at all. I am ready to get the show on the road! I will update everyone along the way, just like last time. Here we go again…

My Next Steps

Wow, it has been exactly two years since I met Dr. Piper for my first consult on Halloween in 2011. It is truly remarkable how far I have come. I am very grateful that I feel so good and that I have no jaw pain or headaches. I still travel to St. Pete every two months to see Dr. Jackson, I am eating all normal foods again, I'm off almost all my prescriptions (except 25mg at bedtime), I continue to work out daily and do Pilates twice a week to keep my neck and shoulders from hurting, and most importantly, I'm talking and smiling to my heart's content! I couldn't be happier about having my life back, even though I know I have another journey ahead. I guess that's the funny thing about life...

October 7, 2013 
DR. PIPER APPOINTMENT- 1:30pm

My checkup appointment with Dr. Piper went really well. He was pleased with my progress and the fact that I am feeling so wonderful. However, as I stated in my previous posts, my bite isn't going back together properly, so although I am going to continue with the brace work, it looks like I will require the jaw lengthening surgery (Sagittal Split Osteotomy) and the chin lengthening surgery (Sliding Genioplasty) to get everything back together, so that my joints aren't damaged from a misaligned bite. These surgeries will be done together to reduce my recovery time. I will return to see Dr. Piper at the beginning of February 2014 and then have the surgery within a month. I am happy to report that the recovery time for these surgeries is only a couple of months. That seems like a walk in the park! I am actually not even dreading it. I am so excited that the end is almost here. I have a real inner peace about it all, so as for now, I am going to take nothing for granted, focus on living in the moment, and enjoy my health each and every day!

18 Months Post-Op

June 24, 2013
DR. PIPER APPOINTMENT- 10:30am

I went into this appointment feeling really fantastic. I was having no pain and no headaches at all. As with all of my other appointments, I started out with CT Scans and measurements. Then Dr. Piper spent a lot of time with us going over all of his findings and answering all of our questions. He's truly the best at never rushing and making you feel like his only patient. Here was his report...

Because I was feeling so good, and things were progressing so well, Dr. Piper said that I could start chewing regular foods again. I cannot begin to explain how very excited I was that my 18 months of a soft diet had come to an end. My first meal was a salad and a few chips! I had a little bit of muscular soreness from chewing at first, but nothing that required medication. Now, I pretty much eat anything I want within reason and have zero pain or soreness. Ha, I have also gained 5lbs. Oh well, this girl loves food!

I have continued to work out daily and do Pilates twice a week, which really makes a difference for me. I am still taking all of my vitamins and supplements, but Dr. Piper said that I could wean off of my Trazodone at night. I've cut back from 75mg to 25mg at bedtime without any problems or clenching. He wants to keep me at this dose until he sees me again in October. Until then, the waiting game continues, but I don't mind because I feel so wonderful!

LESSONS LEARNED

Everyone keeps asking me if the last year totally changed me as a person. It’s funny, because when people asks this, they're clearly wanting you to say yes and explain why you’re so different. At first I wanted to tell people that it did, because I guess I thought that if everyone kept asking, it really should have. I don’t want to sound dismissive about the whole process, because it was a huge ordeal and is still ongoing, but I think more than changing me into a different person, it made me more myself. This surgery and healing process solidified who I am, what I stand for, and most importantly, it made me appreciate the people who love me unconditionally even more. So, my pain is gone, which has totally changed how I feel, and thus changed my lifestyle, but I don’t really think I am a different person at the core. Today, I am just a stronger, more blessed and appreciative version of myself.

THE BEST LESSONS LEARNED

1. For better or worse and in sickness or health, can sometimes get very ugly (aka wearing a splint for a year), so marring my best friend was the greatest decision I ever made.
2. Patience truly is a virtue.
3. I am stronger than I ever imagined.
4. Sometimes only siblings can make you smile and help you laugh at yourself.
5. There is healing power in positivity.
6. I only get by with a little help from my friends.
7. Tears heal you as they flow.
8. As a child, my parents gave me the greatest gifts in the world… faith and confidence.
9. A dog really is a girl’s best friend.
10. Nature heals and running outside refreshes the soul.
11. Even during the darkest times, a bright light can shine from within.
12. And finally, that there is a plan for my life and that everything truly happens for a reason. There is no point in asking why things happen, only how and what one can do to turn negative circumstances into positive situations.

1 Year Post-Op

December 18, 2012 
DR. PIPER APPOINTMENT- 8:30am

My appointment went as usual... CT scans, explaining how I was feeling, measurements, etc. After looking at everything Dr. Piper concluded that, although my condyle bones are stronger, and my left side is much more defined and my right side is becoming more calcified, the bones are still very small and fragile and not finished calcifying. In addition, my ball and socket still don't line up perfectly on the right side yet, but the left side looks good. Sadly, my open bite was also 1mm larger than at my nine month appointment, because of the seeding of the bone into the fat graft. So unless some miraculous bone growth occurs, I will have to have the bite corrective osteotomy (lower jaw surgery) for sure now. Bummer! At this point Dr. Piper just doesn't feel that the braces will be able to move my bite as far as it needs to go.

Next, I was disappointed to find out that I couldn't get the Incognito braces. Dr. Piper said that I should get regular braces because of the need to use rubber bands on the fronts of my teeth to keep the pressure off of my joints. Without the rubber bands, he felt that my fat grafts would get unduly compressed. By keeping the pressure off of my joints my bones will have a greater chance of continuing to calcify. Regular braces would also be needed for banding into the splint again when I have the bite surgery. Although I was wishing for anything other than regular braces, I knew that it was the best thing to do, and above all, I will always follow Dr. Piper's advice. The best news was that getting the new braces meant an end to my year long partnership with my splint. YAHOO!!!!

So for now, Dr. Piper wants me to stay on my vitamins and nighttime prescription (to prevent clenching while I sleep), and also remain on a moderate, soft diet. The good news was that I now get to chew the soft food at every single meal. I still just cannot bite with my front teeth and I have to always be sure to switch from side to side while chewing. With more time on a soft diet, we are hoping for continued progress and healing in the joints.

DR. JACKSON APPOINTMENT- 2:30pm
For my orthodontic appointment I got X-rays taken and then had the braces put on. I was sure to take a muscle relaxer and an anti-inflammatory before the appointment, just as Dr. Piper directed. They worked quickly and were good about letting me rest my jaw as needed. They placed six brackets on the top and eight brackets on the bottom...

Dr. Jackson did say that he would like to see me every two months, rather than every three months as was first discussed. My jaw was sore and I had a "normal person" headache after the appointment, but it wasn't anything a nap on the flight home couldn't fix.

BYE, BYE SPLINT
I no longer have to wear the splint (HALLELUJAH) and I only have to place one rubber band on each side while I sleep. Of course, a random thing did happen to me, though. By the time I got home that night, my two front teeth had separated and I had a huge gap...

I called Dr. Jackson and sent him photos. He said that it is something that can happen, but it usually doesn't happen so quickly and make such a large space. Normally, he would have just had me come back into the office that next day, but since I had already flown home, he told me to wait a week and then go to a local orthodontist to have it fixed by adding an elastic chain to close the space. I followed his advice and it worked like a charm. My teeth were sore for about a week and I took Aleve to help with the pain.

FUTURE SURGERY
As far as a timeline for bite surgery goes, Dr. Piper said that it isn't even an option until my teeth fit together properly again. Thus, he doesn't want to see me again until June, when I have had the new braces for six months. At that point he will assess my joint and orthodontic progress and he will have a better idea of when the surgery might happen. However, he did say that even after six more months, my bones still might not be strong enough to withstand bite surgery. We shall see...

February 18, 2013

DR. JACKSON APPOINTMENT- 2:00pm

During this trip to Florida, I only went to see Dr. Jackson. He was very pleased with my progress and said everything was looking great. They changed out my wires, replaced one of my front brackets, and added more wire support between my two front teeth so that the gap would thankfully never return. 

He wants to see me again in two months.

March 15, 2013

PROGRESS UPDATE

At first it was so strange not having to always worry about my splint schedule. I constantly felt like I was forgetting something, because it had become such a huge part of my daily routine. But now I feel such freedom. The new braces have been such a breeze compared to the surgical braces. They don't shred the insides of my cheeks like the other ones did, which is so nice. I have also gotten my pills down to only taking them with meals and at bedtime, so this simplifies things, too.

Overall, today I feel really FABULOUS. My muscles stay loose as long as I do Pilates and exercise five days per week. I no longer have any pain or soreness when I talk or smile a lot, I don't clench, and soft chewing at every meal doesn't make my joint or muscles fatigued, either. I would say I now feel like I never even had surgery, but I cannot really say that because I feel so good now and I felt so bad before. So I guess now, I just feel fixed and totally back to normal. Whether I have to have another surgery to correct my bite or not, I am open to and ready for whatever the future holds for the rest of my recovery.

9 Months Post-Op

I FINALLY reached the 9 month mark on October 4th!!! Originally, this was supposed to be the end of the road for my splint and pureed/soft chew diet. But, as most of this has played out on my journey of recovery, I am on my own path and an exception to the rule.

September 17, 2012
9 Month Appointment

 {Waiting for Dr. P and the last photo of me with -b-r-a-c-e-s-}

10:00 am
My checkup started off as usual with a CT scan. Next, I met with Tonya and Dr. Piper to discuss my progress. I let them know that I was feeling really great, but that I had experienced some achiness with the cooler temperatures and rain. Dr. Piper assured me that it was normal for changes in the weather (barometric pressure) and altitude (from flying or going into the mountains) to cause discomfort, but that this would subside and then totally go away in another year or so. This was great news, as I thought that I would have to deal with this soreness forever.

Dr. Piper took measurements of my widest vertical opening and side-to-side movement. He was very pleased with my range of motion, as it was even better than my last appointment. My right side moved from 5 mm to 7 mm and my left went from 7 mm to 8 mm. My vertical opening increased from 37 mm to 39 mm and my protrusion decreased from 5 mm to 3 mm. However, I do still have a Class II anterior open bite with molar occlusion of about 1 mm on the left and 2 mm on the right. Next, we were off to view my CT scans to see what was happening inside the joints.

CT SCANS
In viewing my scans, we saw that the condyle on my left side had increased in height, but the best news was that the bone on my right side had finally started to grow, as well. You might remember from my last post that my left side showed boney remodeling with expansion of bone dimension posterior and superior to the original condyle, but my right side had no such reaction. Thus, Dr. Piper said if I gained no new bone on my right side, that I would have to have another surgery, this time to lengthen the jaw bone, to get my bite back together. However, with the latest progress, he said it is much less likely that I will have to have that bite corrective osteotomy.

At my 6 month appointment, both condyles were slightly forward positioned. The left condyle has now centered itself more in the fat graft in the joint, but unfortunately, the right condyle isn't completely centered. This is why it is forward postured along the slope of eminence and why the occlusion on this side is more Class II than the left side.  

In all events, Dr. Piper said I will still need another surgery (in about 9 months) to pull my chin into a normal forward position, because it receded so much with the original condylar bone loss. But hey, one more procedure is much better than two!

SPLINT + EATING
Since my right condyle just started to grow, and is very fragile because it has not totally calcified, Dr. Piper decided to keep me in my splint for three more months. He also increased my splint time to 12 hours per day (8 at night and 4 during the day). I also have to stay on the soft diet with only one soft chew meal per day.

This news was a let down, as I had gotten used to my freedom from the splint and I was so ready to finally eat real food again. When you start out on a huge journey like this, you get through the tough days by having an end goal in sight. Nine months was my mark. After one deep breath, I accepted that my finish line was pushed out. No matter what, I totally trust Dr. Piper and I have chosen to look on the bright side and do whatever it takes to fully recover.

BRACES

After a little bad news, the WONDERFUL NEWS came next. Although I had to keep wearing my splint, Dr. Piper said that I could still get the braces off, except for eight brackets in the back, top and bottom, around which I would just wrap the bands. So, I was off to Dr. Jackson's office to have the ugly metal taken off. HALLELUJAH!

12:00 - Dr. Jackson Appointment
Getting the braces off only took about 35 minutes. The little wire cutters were a sight for sore eyes. It wasn't a pleasant feeling, but it wasn't horribly painful either. Basically, the orthodontist just put a ton of pressure on the brackets until they popped off. And several of those little guys didn't want to go. She also buzzed off all of the discolored glue. Although all of the noise made my skin crawl a little, it was music to my ears. She let me take breaks as needed, and I took a 1/4 of a Klonopin and Advil beforehand, so I was fine.

Here you can see my NAKED TEETH and slightly-off bite right after.

 

Overall, I'm hoping that my right side will continue to grow and that my bite will start to come back together enough that my Incognito braces (which I'll get in December), will be able correct my bite enough that I won't have to get the jaw lengthening bite surgery. I don't need to take the Klonopin anymore either, which is great. I've made it through so much and progressed so well thus far, so until then, I'm just going to...

So it's back to wearing the splint for half of the day, three more months of not eating regularly, continued therabite and jiggle exercises, and remaining on all the vitamins and supplements... but the braces are gone, and I am feeling so much better that it is all totally worth it. And really, what is three more months in the grand scheme of things?

I am just so thankful to be where I am today. For the first time in 5 years I can smile and talk to my heart's content without having pain! What a true gift and immeasurable blessing.