Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Hello World + Monkey business

First I just wanted to say.....
So I was at the surgeon yesterday, trying to understand why oh why I need double jaw surgery instead of just having the top jaw moved. I'm staring at the image and I'm like "well, can't we just move the top jaw?" The surgeon responds, " Well we could and your jaw will likely work out fine but you will look like a monkey, the whole bottom half of your face will stick out." Well that reason is good enough for me.

So as of yesterday I have been aware of the fact that I am getting double jaw surgery, genioplasty, braces, and 4 wisdom teeth removed. I have to admit I am trying not to let it get to me but I think I was in bed for 3 hours last night thinking about the fact that the bones in my face are going to be rearranged. Scary. Well anyway I woke up today feeling a lot better about it. The initial shock will continue to fade I'm sure. I have 3 finals left in the next 10 days so I have taken action to disconnect myself from the world for the time being.
I have become known for deactivating facebook, and throwing my phone under my bed or some unaccessible place in order to avoid distraction. I might not update my blog again until after these finals are done, but my next update will be filled with lots of important information regarding the future of my face.

Just in case you didn't see my last update video, I have been so lucky as to not only need upper jaw surgery, but also lower jaw surgery and genioplasty. Looks like this summer I will be getting my wisdom teeth out as well.

Upon talking to my brother about this whole situation he responded with, "Oh so you're going to look like the bride of Frankenstein?" He always puts such a positive spin on things. This child has been gifted with absolutely no health related issues, and I have been fortunate enough to have them all. From allergies, to jaw issues, to breathing issues, broken bones, many visits to the ear nose throat doctor, etc. I've already had a couple surgeries but nothing like jaw surgery. I'm hoping the jaw surgery will also correct my breathing as I have had sleep apnea in the past as well, it comes and goes. All in all, I'm just going to take the good with the bad and try to see it all through rose coloured glasses.

The one thing that does suck, is that during this process I will have to stay homeward bound for sure. I can foreshadow many visits to the orthodontist etc, in the next two years. I really wanted to look into doing an international exchange for a year in Australia as this is where half of my family is, but looks like that won't be happening. I'm instead fast tracking so I can finish a term early and go there for a while once I'm done my degree and my jaw is in place. To all the Aussies who read my blog, you live in the most amazing place. Oddly enough, I appreciated Canada most when I was in Australia. I think I just want to travel the world and take in all the amazing views.

Thanks for reading, hope you are all keeping well, and I will be back in 10 days :)

3 comments:

  1. I love Australia toooo It's truly the most amazing place:) I love the bluee blue sky and those funny gum nut things that grow on the trees and the exotic smells
    my best friend and my grandma live in Perth, and I miss them like crazyy I wish it wasn't so far away, and so expensive to go (I live in england so it is pretty much the other side of the world)....you will be able to visit your family soon when the time is right I know it!:) xox

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  2. Having the same surgeries as you are - My bite looks much worse than yours, but you are probably having more problems than I have. Today I removed one of my wisdom tooth and one premolar (nr 4 I think). 10 days from now I will get my braces on, on my lower jaw. Finally the journey has begun. I think you should be happy you are doing this when you still are in school. Im 24 soon 25 and had pain through all my university years, and now I have to go through this and search for jobs at the same time and so on, which is so frustrating. I wish I did it during my university years. Good luck with your jaw journey and keep updating a fantastic blog.

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  3. @ Rosa: Yes it is like nothing I've ever seen. My close family is in Sydney, and I have a lot of cousins etc around Melbourne. England must be very beautiful as well though. I think everything foreign to us has appeal. I have to admit I have been lucky enough to find flights as low as $1000 US but that is because I'm pretty close to the US boarder. Its about half the price of flying from Canada.

    @ Niklas: My bite is deceiving, I will say that much. I've already had a lot of work done to it in my teens which has probably helped mask the underlying issue. I'm also 24 going on 25 and I do agree it is more flexible doing it while im in school, but the problem is, my surgeon is trying to talk me into doing it during the fall or at Christmas, which will break into my school year. I hope your extractions went well. Getting the braces seems to be a pretty exciting part, unless you have had them before like me lol. I went through braces and extractions back when I was 15, but I didn't take the surgical route so although my bite may have been much more open had I not done this, I can tell you the side effects are still there. I've also gone through speech therapy in the past as well. Little did I know all my problems were related to my jaw. Thanks so much for reading my blog :) I hope your extractions heal well.

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