Will Jaw Surgery Change Your Nose?

Hey guys and gals, A lot of people have asked if jaw surgery changes your nose. It depends. My surgery involved a lefort I osteotomy. This did change my nose. My maxilla was brought forward which widened my nose and change the curve of the nose a little bit. My surgeon assured me it wouldn't be a noticeable difference. To be honest I'm glad my nose changed. As you can see pre op my nose was extremely narrow and not only did it look weird but it wasn't very functional. These pictures are before, 6 weeks post op, and over a year post op.

 

Permanent Numbness

Hey readers,

I notice that I get a lot of questions about permanent numbness and about numbness in general resulting from jaw surgery. I will post a video about permanent numbness soon.

I had my surgery close to two years ago. I knew that there was a risk of permanent numbness when I agreed to have double jaw surgery and genioplasty. I knew this was a risk.

I have permanent numbness in my lower face. It's mainly on the left side of my face, the chin, lower lip, and gums.

Was it worth it to have this numbness? Absolutely.

To be honest, after living with numbness in my face this long I can confidently say that it hasn't had any effect of my life. The whole overreacting about numbness that everyone who is pre op makes isn't even worth it. I thought permanent numbness would make it impossible to eat normally and I thought it was something that would constantly be on my mind. To be honest I have never had food on my face that I didn't know about. The motion in your face doesn't change. Unless you usually eat and get food all over yourself, the numbness won't cause you to suddenly have all your food fall onto your chin.

Do I notice it? No. The only time I notice that I have permanent numbness is if I purposely poke at my face or if the temperature changes suddenly. I don't think that saying it feels like when you go to the dentist is accurate. When you get your face numbed at the dentist you have a hard time moving your face and this hasn't been an issue at all with permanent numbness. I can move my mouth normally and I can smile normally.

Does it change the way kissing feels? At first it does, but at first jaw surgery altogether will change this.  You're learning all over again how to move your face so everything involving your mouth is going to feel weird until you've recovered.

Honestly, ignore the people who go on and on about permanent numbness but haven't even had surgery or haven't fully recovered. You adapt to it and you get to a point where it just feels normal.

VIDEO Jaw Surgery Update: Long Term Results

Accidentally deleted all my photos

Well thanks google +
I was trying to fix my security settings by deleting pics that share with everyone on google plus as I don't really share a lot with people in my life the way I do with my jaw surgery buddies. It appears I deleted the album containing all my blog photos. Hoping there is a way to recover this but we'll see.

Why forums and jaw surgery groups are bad for you

Comparison is the thief of joy.

Dear friends,

I have officially left all the jaw surgery facebook groups and I have't looked at a forum in over a year.
I honestly think all this online information can be good but it can also be counterproductive.

Please to those going for this surgery, before listening to any advice you hear on the internet, listen to your SURGEON!!!
Your surgeon is the one working on your face and their recommendations are vital to your wellbeing!
I'm seeing way too many opinions, and the thing is your experience is not going to be the same as anyone elses. There is also a lot of bad advice on the internet.

First realize there are myths:

• You may be permanently numb even if you don't have severed nerves. I'm permanently numb with absolutely no reason, my nerves are all intact. 
• You probably won't be symmetrical. No one is. Go google a top model and check the two halves of their face, they're going to be different. I'm not symmetrical at all and I never was, so why should I expect jaw surgery to make me perfect? 
• The numbness isn't as big of a deal as everyone makes it to be. At first it's annoying, but you adapt. It's a trade off. 

You need to personally weigh your pros and cons. Get off the forums and stop listening to horror stories and ask yourself why you're going through this. Ask yourself if it's worth it and if the possible benefits outweigh the risks. Talk to your surgeon. If you're post op and you're having issues don't ask a forum, call your surgeon!!! That's why they are there and why they make the big bucks. Don't risk messing up your recovery because you're listening to bob and jane on facebook instead of just calling your surgeon who operated on you and asking if something is normal. 

Sorry for the rant, I just think people need to utilize the right resources. 

And please check with your surgeon before taking some holistic shit that might either put you at risk during surgery or afterwards. There are a lot of minerals and vitamins your surgeon may ask you to avoid as they may alter the way you recover or the way you hold up while under the knife. Just be smart about it. It's better to be vocal to your surgeon than to go on the advice of someone who is not a jaw surgeon. 

Everyone will recover differently. Everyone will be swollen in different places and for a different length of time. Some people will have revision surgeries and some people won't. Everyone will have different results. This surgery shouldn't be confused with plastic surgery. You're not going under to come out looking like barbie, you're going to look like you! You'll be a you without a bite issue but you're not going to be a completely different person. 

And please if you're going to take anything from my experience, don't be insecure. 

It's easier said than done but honestly I wasted so much time being insecure and hating myself. 

Thank You

I have received such a huge outpouring of kindness after posting my last youtube video.
I can't begin to explain how appreciative and thankful I am for this community and for all the wonderful people who have reached out. I have my social media all linked and I usually know after posting a video when friend requests are jaw surgery related. If you send me a request on facebook and I haven't added you then just send a message and let me know you saw my blog. I check my other box daily but sometimes I miss things as life has been crazy busy lately.

I was very hesitant to post that last video but it was exactly what I needed. I had faced a huge mental block and couldn't concentrate with everything I had going on in my mind. I feel a lot better now and I'm back in the library writing this tax policy paper which will be the end of me.

I know it's hard for people to open up and it was in no way easy for me to make the decision to post so much of my life online for the world to see. I have to say I'm glad I just went for it. I'm so appreciative to everyone who I've met along the way. I'm not sure if it's just from the similar struggles we have faced but the people of this jaw surgery community are amazing. It really makes me realize how much good there is in the world and that strangers can turn into good friends.

I promise to all my jaw surgery friends I will try to be as open and realistic about this journey as I can so that everyone coming up to this can have something to relate to. So that when you get stuck between a rock and a hard place you know you're not alone.

I wanted to go a little into what this journey is like for the people in your life. I have to give credit to this amazing girl for posting very real and relatable videos. She shared a video she took which goes into what it's like for loved ones and people who are there helping you get through the process.
AWESOME YOUTUBE VIDEO AND CHANNEL

We face a war in our minds when going through something like this but so do our loved ones. It's sometimes more difficult for them because they can't relate to our emotions. They don't feel and see things the same way we do.

It puts strain on relationships. This is something highly understated and I think it's something that should be addressed. I went from being in a long term relationship that was stable and happy to being in a manic depressive roller coaster while going through this surgery.

I wish at the time I knew how to express what I was feeling instead of just constantly being a crying mess. There is no guideline as to how to emotionally survive this surgery. He tried his best to be supportive and I tried my best to hold it together but at times we break. At times you get overwhelmed and you don't think logically at all, you get scared and you start to feel like a crazy person. I feel like the worst thing was probably the huge drop in self confidence. I forgot how to stand up for myself because I felt like I was ugly and that I was lucky to have anyone like me while looking like a mess. Instead of taking things for face value and appreciating compliments, I would look too deeply into everything and start thinking he was just saying things to be nice. I got scared that my face changing and the braces would turn me into some kind of monster and he would just leave me. To be honest the only reason we probably had issues throughout that process was because of the demons in my mind constantly telling me these lies and not because he thought I was a monster.

We are always told to see the good in others, but at times like this we need to see the good in ourselves first. Love you, love you, love you because you are so lovely. I am usually very critical but I can honestly say I have never met a person going through this process that wasn't beautiful inside and out. You reading this right now are amazing, and you know how I know? Because you're reading this. You are actually that caring that you are willing to look into someone else's experience and listen to their opinions.

I have to admit, I'm almost sorry for the people that don't have this awesome jaw surgery connection. I feel blessed to have met all of you :)

Well I should actually finish writing my tax paper now. Oh and to my buddies out there who are accountants, because I know some of you are, I give you so much credit for being able to get through this. Accounting is mind numbing and complicated on so many levels.

Have a great weekend guys!!!

XOXO

Terra

My Jaw Surgery (Before and After) Video

Finally did my jaw surgery journey video. Pictures throughout the process

Jaw surgery 1 Year Post Op VIDEO