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.
