Very Nearly 9 Years Later

Life is still good after almost 9 years post surgery.  I still have some numb areas from the cutting of nerves, but I don't really notice it most days.  You get used to it.  The one positive is dental cleaning visits are less painful and therefore less stressful. 

I was not happy with my smile afterwards.  The healing/jaw wiring process left my teeth in pretty poor alignment.  I went to two orthodontist after life returned to normal to ask about getting them straightened. The consensus was, it would take more surgery to fix them, so that was the end of that.  I was not about to sign up for another round of oral surgery, no thanks!  If it can eat with them, and maintain a healthy sleep pattern, I'm okay with not having a movie star smile.

Regarding the Sleep Apnea: It did return for a short stint when I gained a bunch of weight. It then went away once I decided enough was enough and lost the weight. That chain of events led to some doubts if the surgery was the fix, or the weight loss that went along with it was the fix?  I concluded it was both.  Even when it returned with my weight gain, it was not nearly as severe.   If I would have gained the same amount of weight prior to surgery, I'm confident my condition would have been even more severe.

Also, during that short time of weight gain, I also found that I tolerated the newer CPAP machines way better then the 2010 era machines. Maybe if the CPAP tech was as good back then I might not have started looking at alternative treatments. Who knows?  I've been out of the Sleep Apnea game so long now, that I'm not even sure if they are doing BI-MAX surgeries any more, which might just negate the usefulness of this blog.   Either way, it was a traumatic surgery both physically and mentally and to re-read my experience is at a bare minimum a reminder to myself of this journey that helped define my life.

The one year mark!

It has been exactly one year and one day since my surgery. Who would have thought this journey was even possible? I'm amazed at the difference in my life.

There is one thing that brings my journey into perspective....... I like to play video games online with one of my childhood friends who lives out of state, its one of the only way we can really "hang out"...the bad part comes by occasionally staying up to late playing on weeknights when I should be in bed sleeping so I can get up and go to work in the morning. But I don't go to bed, I stay up. And in doing so I only get three or four hours of sleep. Waking up in the morning after one of these nights, I feel a bit drained and tired, but what really brings it into perspective is.....I still feel better than I did after 8 or even 12 hours of sleep every day in the past 9 years. Its night and day difference. I'm not yawning all day, I'm not falling asleep every time I stop moving. I actually have struggled to fall asleep some nights. This was unheard of prior to my surgery. I'm changed.

As for an update on the other after effects: I think I'm finally getting used to the shape of my face. Its been an adjustment for sure. I didn't like it, I guess I still don't really, but getting used to it has made it better. I keep telling myself its a small price to pay for better quality of living. My mouth still has numb areas. Roof of my mouth and some small area's below my front lower teeth in the gums and on the surface of my chin in the same area. It's annoying to say the least, but again, I tell my self its a small price to pay. I still have hope that feeling will return. But again. I'm getting used to not having feeling..so if it never comes back, I'm confident I'll get so used to it, it won't bother me anymore. I kinda feel like a broken record, my ears still get plugged from time to time. Mostly when I have a sinus problem, blowing the green stuff from nose usually yields some of it in my inner ears. It drains eventually, but this is a problem I never had prior to the surgery.

My teeth have move around a bit. I'm not to happy about this either. I'm toying with the idea of getting orthodontics again. The thought of that takes me back to being 12 and I remember the pain of teeth moving after having new wires, or bands put in. Ugggghhh. Maybe I'll just live with some crooked teeth! :) I've wavered a bit on whether the surgery was worth it...especially in the early days of recovery, but I can tell you now it was worth it. For all the worry, pain, fear, depression, stress, chaos and all the other feelings that went through my mind, I look back on it and know that I'm much better off.

I thank my God, my friends, my family, my doctors, every one who brought me through this, I don't think anyone could go through this alone. The support and help was a huge part. To this day, there isn't any way I can thank my wife enough. She was a super wife. She took the "in sickness" part of our wedding vows to the extreme, and amazed me every day. Normal life resumed quite some time ago, but today, sitting here reflecting on the 13 weeks after my surgery, it has really brought to light how much help I really had. If anyone is reading this, contemplating the surgery, know that you will need a TON of help.

I have a feeling that the milestones for blogging are pretty much over now, this may be the last blog, I guess I could foresee one more...if my feeling ever comes back.

Life is normal. I'm cured. I've traded some annoyances for better health. BIMAX for me was the cure for OSA. If anyone is reading this and has any questions about my experiences, please comment, send me a message. I'm happy to share.

Coming up on a year.......seems like yesturday.

Here it is January 2011. My life has been fairly normal now for quite some time, but there is still a constant reminder of my surgery. I'm still numb. Partial lower lip/gum line and the whole roof of my mouth. Will it every return? Only time will tell. The other reminder....my face.....I'm still not totally used to my new look. The mirror and especially pictures of myself is very disturbing at times. This is all mental though, I just remind myself I did it for my health.

Sleep is still good, eating isn't really a problem....as I've gained the entire 30'lbs I lost right back. If you need to diet....just wire your mouth shut for 13 weeks....its great for weight-loss! The surgery isn't recommended for weight-loss though!! :)

Another problem that is still plauging me is my inner ears....I still find that they fill with fluid and occasionally plug, sometimes for weeks. It's very annoying. I'm thinking about going to see an ENT Doc to see if they can do anything for it. My guess is, the movement of my jaws has just changed the shape of my sinus system enough that this is just going to be the way it is.......again, time will tell.

Back to the positive. I feel great when I wake up. I have more energy, the sleep is great. This is what I wanted, and I have it. What else could I ask for????

The saga continues

I'm back at the blog, 6 months have passed since my surgery. Updates first: My ear cleared up about a month ago, still fills when I blow my nose, but it re-drains, so I'm very happy to be able to hear again.

I'm still numb in the chin and roof of the mouth. I think my chin has regained a little more feeling, but its not full feeling. The roof of my mouth I think it still totally numb. I'm thinking I'm never going to get that back.....but I have hopes.

I had my sleep study, and went to my 6th month checkup. The good news, my doctor is a comedian. In relaying to me the results he said with a straight face that my sleep apnea events pre-surgery was 69 per hour. And post-surgery, 63!!! Not very much improvement right!! So after he sees the puzzled look on my face, he says...just messing with you.....5.3. So yes, 5.3 events per hour. 62.7 less events per hour! I'm cured, I have the report to prove it.

So I'm Cured!!??? I'm one of the 90+% success stories. Well except for the reclusion. My jaw muscles have pulled my lower jaw back a little bit opening my bite a bit. I'm now going to have to go see a orthodontist to see if that can be corrected. Of course at my own expense, health insurance isn't going to pay for this!! And if Orthodontics can't....another minor surgery can. My first question to the Dr. "what do YOU consider a minor surgery?". His reply was only the top jaw would be moved again. Since its easier to move and less complex because it it stationary.....sounds like fun....eh? I don't know if I would do this "minor" surgery if all it would fix is my ability to eat a bologna sandwich!

I still have issues with my looks, I can't get over the fact that my face looks different. I'm just not used to seeing myself in the mirror every day and looking different than I have my whole life. I suppose I'll get used to it, but after 6 months I still haven't!

What else can I say....the sleep is great....my wife doesn't have to listen to me snore, I feel more rested than I have in years. Its been a wild ride, I can't recommend this to anyone, it has not been pleasant. But it surely will change your life, it has change mine, for the better. Side effect aside it has been worth it. I'm confident that this decision has added years to my life both in health and in time not lost to worthless sleep. Maybe more to come..... I see my normal dentist next week and then a Ortho consult, sometime after that. Looks like the road keeps going for now!

My Bimax recovery@ 13 weeks.

At 13 weeks post op, I found myself back in Ann Arbor, Michigan for my next appointment at the oral maxillofacial surgery dept at the University Hospital. This was the day they told me I would be free of the arch bars and bands. Could it be true.....well.....time would tell. We waited for 2 hours before we were seen by a Doctor. Of course it was by an Attending Doctor and after discussing my history and my problems, he said he had to check with Dr. Helman for final approval.

Of course he was not in the department, he "stepped out" and we had to wait again. Another seemingly eternity passed and I got the approval!! I was getting unwired. Of course my first question was, if it was going to hurt. The Doc says of course it would and that numbing it would be just as painful due to the amount of shots it would take. So I was destined to be tortured with my wife sitting by watching with a big smile on her face.

So it began, he started on the top left, un-twisting the wires that wrapped around my teeth and through my gums. Then he clipped them with wire cutters and ripped them out one at a time. So I should be screaming in pain about now right????? Well......I didn't, I sat there as he tugged and pulled. I could taste the blood as it was flowing down into the back of my mouth. Meanwhile my wife and Dr. Kloostra talked of their favorite TV shows. Then came the comment....."wow your a pretty tough guy!" he says. Apparently most people squirm, scream, and cringe at every pull. I sat there with no pain.....why you ask, well. My whole roof of my mouth is still numb due to the nerve damage from when they cut my upper jaw off and moved it forward. It was more painfull for him to tug and pull my lips back to get access to the back of my mouth than it was to have the wires ripped from my gums.

Then came the bottom teeth. Well this was a little different. I have more feeling in my lower jaw than my top, and yes it did hurt. Not bad, I was still the tough guy, but I actually had to work at tuning out the pain. But it was over quickly, thank goodness!!! I was free of wires.

So they measured how far my mouth could open, 20mm. Whoo hoo! a whole 20mm. But I won't be eating right away, all my gums are spewing blood, who wants to eat with a bloody mouth. I spend the next 1o minutes or so rinsing my mouth out with cold water. Finally it stopped bleeding and I was done. Whats next....3 month follow up and a sleep study.

Oh, and did I mention I still have the ongoing issues. Plugged inner ear, numbness in various areas of chin, lips and the roof of my mouth. Strange pains, sore jaw joints, sore teeth. 13 weeks + and I'm still recovering. Looking forward to the day when I can say I feel normal. Its a long road, but one that I'm already glad I'm on. Sleep has been wonderful! I'm looking forward to what I think will be my last sleep study. I can't wait to see the piece of paper that says what I already know......I'm cured of my Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea!!!

Bimax = Maximum? how about Bimax = Minimum

After 10 weeks of post surgery healing I found myself back at U of M hospital, Ann Arbor, MI. This is the day I might get to open my mouth. I was pretty anxious to see what was going to happen, I sat in the dental chair that I've become so familiar with over the past 6 months and proceeded to talk with the Dr. about my healing. What hurts, what is numb, how is my sleeping, inner ear pain / fluid. Then it came down the question of if I was going to open my mouth today, the Dr. resident was saying yes, we would put on some weaker bands that would allow me to open my mouth, but he needed the blessing of Dr. Helman, the department head, and master sleep apnea MMA/BIMAX surgeon. Except one thing, the resident miscalculated my time and told him it was 9.5 weeks, and we were really at ten, so when Dr. Helman came and said they were going to keep me wired shut, I was like....no......its been 10 weeks. With a little discussion of dates we convinced him and he gave his blessing.

Moments later, they removed the bands, and he told me to open. I tried to open and basically could not. It only moved a tiny bit, millimeters....... and it hurt......the muscles and joints that had not been used in 10 weeks failed to much of anything. This is expected I guess. The Dr. said this is normal and that it will get better as I use them. So I was sent home the promise that in another 2 weeks they would remove my arch bars and bands for good. Yay!!! Of course I get to scheduling and find out they don't have and opening for 3 weeks. Grrr.... but I've lasted this long and now that I'm able to open I think this last 3 weeks will be a cake walk (mmmm speaking of cake, maybe I can eat some!! )

On the way home I tried to eat french fries from McDonald's....couldn't even get a fry into my mouth....so I ate soup when I got home, this was not what I had in mind. I was hoping for a buffet and extreme eating!! The next day however was another story. I was able to eat scrambled eggs, and oatmeal, WITHOUT a blender involved. THIS IS PROGRESS!!!! Mind you it took me an hour to eat an egg and a small bowl of oatmeal, but I was VERY happy to have some real food sitting in my stomach. Its the simple things that make life what it is......eating eggs brought me extreme joy. Something that has eluded me for 10 weeks.

As of this writing I'm now 10 weeks and 4 days. I'm still not opening wide to chomp through any food, but its getting a little better every day. I can open nearly twice as wide as I could on day one. I actually fit some buttered toast in my mouth and bit it. Small steps I guess. So the Bimax surgery some extremes and in the end stretch, the minimum opening is the current extreme you focus on.

Bimax = maximum discomfort

8 and 1/2 weeks past my Bimax surgery. I'm a mostly functional human being again. There are some exceptions. My body gets wore out pretty quick most days. I think it is mostly due to being down so long. Laying around a lot in the early weeks has led to fatigue now that I'm active. I'm still not eating solids, the liquid diet is no fun. Pain is still limited to the teeth area. Numbness is still a factor, although I think I'm getting a little more feeling in my left lower chin. I'm hoping for a full recovery on the nerve damage. Overall I'm still pretty miserable though.
The Bimax surgery (aka MMA) does a real number on you comfort wise.

I'm still very cautious about getting hit in the chin, worried if I get bumped it's going hurt and possibly do some damage. I went down a water slide the other day, and hit my butt on the pool bottom. I felt a little bit of pain in the jaw, the jostle was enough to remind me I'm still healing.

So I have an appointment in 1 1/2 weeks. Looking forward to the possibility of removing or loosening the bands so I can open my mouth even a little. I still find looking in the mirror is strange. My face I think is settled into what appears to be my final new look. I look different. Most say they notice I lost weight, only 1 or 2 people I know, said they most likely wouldn't recognize me if they didn't know it was me. I've not been on a scale in a couple weeks, so I'm not sure of any more weight loss. My guess, maybe 35-40 by now...only a guess.

My sleep still appears to be good, I'm curious to have a follow up sleep study to prove that I'm "cured".

Back to what is still bothering me......my sinuses. My inner ears are still full. Making hearing a chore. Talking is hard too. All I hear is myself, and you can't talk at the same time as anyone else as your own voice is amplified and overpowers anyone else talking in the room. This brings new meaning to "he like to hear himself talk!" Only I don't really....I rather not talk or listen to myself talk.

So what can I tell you about 8 weeks plus? It's still very frustrating, keeping positive is hard, pain is minimal, the desire to chew food is extreme. I'm not back to normal yet, and it feels like it will never happen, even though I know it will.

PS. I found most restaurants will blend their soups for you...sometimes you have to ask for the manager to get it done(Applebees). But most are very accommodating.