Friday, September 23, 2011

Braces Update

Hey guys. I made a video yesterday. I also went to my orthodontist today to see what we could do about the horrible tmj pain I'm having.
Basically at this point nothing can really be moved or i'm just going to have more pain.
Originally I had planned to do the surgery in april or may, but because of the amount of pain i'm having I've decided I'm going to do the surgery at the closest available date instead. I'll somehow make it work with school because I am at a point where my headaches and tmj pain are so frequent its affecting my everyday life.

This is in no way rushing the actual process, as I was already going to be surgery ready by december, I just didn't want to do it at that time for a combination of reasons. At this point I am weighing the pros and cons and I would rather do it sooner than later, depending on when I can get a surgery date.
Hope you guys are doing well.
Thanks for all your support and comments.

Terra


Thursday, September 22, 2011

TMJ pain and underbite/crossbite

Hey guys!
So my TMJ is hurting allll the time now. I sort of feel like my bottom jaw is shifted to the left and its really causing a lot of pain. The images are mirrored so the left is your left. I'm getting a lot of headaches. Chewing hurts and it also makes my jaw really tired and sore. I hear a lot of cracking in the tmj when I open my mouth. At this point the surgery is 7 months away. I know its not very far but I wish it was sooner. I really want it out of the way. My underbite is becoming more noticeable. I'll try to post some better pictures when I get a chance. Its pretty amazing how fast time goes by. I started looking into this process 7 months ago, so its been about halfway to surgery from that point. 

The time goes by really fast and one day you seem to wake up with a really horrible bite and realize that you're getting a lot closer. My open bite has closed a lot, which is a relief because it was really effecting my speech. I notice my speech improving with my bite closing which is soooooo nice. I don't feel that weird about the braces anymore since I know I'm getting closer and closer to saying goodbye to them. 

I'm going to the orthodontist on oct 17th for an adjustment, xrays and to book my surgery. I'm really excited to get new elastics because it seems that no matter what colour you get, they discolour to a degree. 

I went to the dentist a few days ago and he said I look like I've lost weight since the last visit, he said my face looks a lot thinner. I've heard this from other people too, I think its just the underbite sort of changing the shape of my face. Eating has been really hard and I try to stick to soft things or liquids. Anyway I just went for a cleaning and he was happy with the movement in my teeth, explained some stuff to me and asked me to have my surgeon send him some information. 

I'm feeling pretty exhausted with this whole pain thing. I sort of wish I could do the surgery in december, oh I wish!!!


 


Monday, September 12, 2011

Thank you and keep in touch

Just a quick little post here
I just wanted to say thank you to all the amazing people I have come across throughout this process so far, the emotional support is a lot more important than I ever thought it would be.
I just want to tell anyone out there who is feeling down about it, or is just questioning everything right now that everything will get better.
Its amazing how we can't predict what will happen in life.
There were times early in this process when I thought I had it all and everything was going for me. Then came times when everything fell apart, when I couldn't stand my family, and there were personal issues evolving and relationship issues. There were times when I realized how important some people are and how some people were never there for me in the first place.
Its an amazing journey and I still wouldn't trade it for the world.
I've become closer to people who value me and appreciate me for my good and my bad. People who accept me the way I am and don't want me to change anything about myself.

Please do this much for yourself, if someone is bringing you down through all this, don't let them in, don't let them affect the way you see yourself. This is a huge challenge, having your appearance change, and the pain involved and all the other emotions and fears. There is nothing easy about it, but we chose this for a reason, because we know we're important enough to deserve the best quality of living and we want to be the best we can be.

Be strong and when you feel down, remember the people who pick you up.

Also, I have a lot of readers who have been really awesome and if any of you want to stay in contact with me either to talk about jaw surgery or just because we've gone through similar experience and found each other supportive, I am more than happy to stay in contact via facebook or email.
My email is trossi@yorku.ca I don't check it too often, maybe once a week or more, but I should be found on facebook via this email address too.

I hope you guys are having a nice transition away from or into summer depending on where in the world you live. I value you all so much more than you'll ever know.

Terra

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Underbites and blah blah blah

Hey readers. I have noticed now in pictures how noticeable my funny bite is getting. Not very fun!!
Anyway, I'm trying to look forward to having it fixed and not focusing so much on the current.
I know my other posts were all over the place, but me and my bf did actually break up about 2 weeks ago. I thought it was very supportive of him to break up with me once I decided to undertake this whole process and once I started to feel insecure about my appearance. Just thought it was nice to know he would be there.
Anyway here are some pictures of my funny bite. Enjoy, while I go enjoy feeling socially awkward and count down the days to looking normal!