Anyone had jaw surgery out there?

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Twylla
Twylla Posts: 51
in Motivation and Support
I have had braces for almost 8 years and have been on a waiting list twice for jaw surgery...the first time it was cancelled because I got pregnant with my now 8 month old son. I am schedualed to have the surgery next tuesday (July 13th) and I am wondering if anyone on here has had the surgery or knows someone close that has. I am finally starting to get my cardio back up and get on the right track with my lifestyle change and I am worried that being bed ridden for a week or two will throw me off? I've also heard you can lose quite a bit of weight but it will most likely be muscle not fat which isn't what I want and then when you start eating normal again you gain all of it back. Is there a way to keep that weight off but build back your muscle? Anyone's stories or motivation would be greatly appreciated.

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  • EyeCanSeeYou
    EyeCanSeeYou Posts: 23
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    My boyfriend had jaw surgery- Twice!
    I didn't know him when he had it, but he and his mother told me it was horrible.
  • NanoReefDiver
    NanoReefDiver Posts: 153
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    I've had jaw surgery! How invasive is it and what kind of recovery did they tell you? It's really going to depend that!

    Essentially they were trying to shorten my gums (my removing slivers) so I could properly close my mouth. I was in the hospital for almost a week though they had told me shorter! Nothing was wired shut but I wasn't able to eat solid foods for a few weeks after that. Lots of drooling! :laugh: My advice is, if you can, get the antibiotic and pain meds in pill form asap over a syringe. Nasty stuff when you can't even truly rinse your mouth out. Oh, and a board to write on was essential since I really couldn't open my mouth for the first week or two. I was down to 118 by the end the month which is super low for me. Don't expect to be able to exercise right away. I slowly moved up from liquids to soft foods to soft normal foods and so on so upping the calories will likely be more of a gradual thing. If you are back to watching your diet by soft normal foods I would think you'd be okay. No idea what type of surgery you are having though! Best of luck!! :flowerforyou:
  • EyeCanSeeYou
    EyeCanSeeYou Posts: 23
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    It was worse for my boyfriend.
    He had his mouth wired shut for 2 months. He lost so much weight, I'd imagine.
  • Twylla
    Twylla Posts: 51
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    I was told the healing period will be about 2 weeks and 2 days in the hospital they are breaking my top jaw and possibly my lower jaw depending if it moves with just the top jaw being broken. I will not have to be wired shut just with elastics for my own comfort.
  • RobynC79
    RobynC79 Posts: 331 Member
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    I had jaw surgery about three weeks ago - not as drastic as yours, I had a plate and screws put in my lower jaw. This time the surgeon did an external incision, but I had the original surgery (this was a re-do) about five years ago with an inside-lower-lip incision.

    I'm just getting back to being able to move my jaw properly now but I still can't chew any really tough foods - even toast is still a bit touch-and-go. I also have quite extensive nerve damage to my lower lip and chin so closing my lips is hard - eating out is on hold until I can do it presentably again!!

    I ate lots of Starbucks frappacinos because they helped with the swelling and it was a way to get quite a lot of calories without too much jaw movement. And lots of flat things, since I could only open my mouth about 1/4 inch. Plenty of sausage slices and bacon.

    My advice - stock up on ice-cream or your favorite low-fat alternative, cook up some fruit into a stew and make some hearty soups. Even cream-based soups, since you will probably struggle to get enough calories while having trouble eating, so calorie density is important. Don't wait until after the surgery to start preparing food because you probably won't feel like it. Insist on good pain meds, and don't be shy about asking for more if you need them. Orthopedic surgery is rough. And forget the scale and the workouts for a while. Healing is more important than dieting in the short term. Good luck!

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