Hey there, Mama!Good lordy! I can hardly believe that one year ago today, I had my MMA surgery! Since then, there have been so many ups and downs and challenges, but in retrospect I'd do it all again in a heartbeat.
There are so many people to thank along the way, starting with Dr. R, my ear, nose, and throat specialist. He was the one who suggested I see a specialist since I had never had a follow-up (which was not smart) after my sleep study 2 years previous to that.
He referred me to UCSF, which didn't turn out to be my ultimate destination, but quite a learning experience. They suggested MMA surgery, but as soon as I heard the words "precautionary tracheotomy" I was out of there!
....which led me to the World Wide Web where I started to educate myself about this mysterious "MMA surgery" stuff. The first stop on the WWW? Rogers MMA page, which was *super* interesting, very well-written, and had so much good information in it. I contacted him to compliment him on his site and told him about my upcoming surgery. He wished me luck, and suggested I check out the Sleepnet discussion forum. There, I really got an education about all the things that have happened to others and that may or may not happen to me if I went through with the surgery. Scarey!!
The next stop after that was Dr's R&P in Palo Alto. Then, due to some circumstanses (mostly financial), I decided to check out yet another doctor, Dr. KL. After seeing him, I knew I had found the right man for the job. So, I scheduled the surgery and started doing a LOT more homework.
I contacted a couple of people privately from the Sleepnet forum ("Dreamette" and "Learian", who had both had MMA surgery) who lived in the area, not far from me. After many, many questions and answers, I was ready for the big day.
Of course, I not only had to get mentally prepared, but physically prepared which meant getting a good blender, humidifier, and all the "accessories" I'd need. Oh, and did I mention the food part? Lots of protein shake material, yogurts and many cans of soup!
When the big day came, I was as ready as I'd ever be and the surgery turned out to be pretty intense, but not as hugely intense as I thought it would be. I was finally on "the other side"!!
The hospital stay was good. The staff in the ICU and Ward C were great, but after 3 days, it was good to go home.
Paul was key in my recovery because if I needed anything, he was there to lend a hand or do it for me. The unfortunate "ICU Part Deux" a week later was unique to me, and just a little setback. No biggie! ;-) I wish Paul wouldn't have had to go through that part, but he did survive. A little traumatized, but he's okay now!
From there, my recovery was slow but the progress was good. I started feeling more rested and had a lot more energy by the time I returned to work 7 weeks later. Those 7 weeks were for recovery, but to me it felt like a long vacation!
The one to thank the most though is Dr KL. His level of skill and care are unmatched by any doctor I have ever had and many others would agree with me. His staff are also the greatest and they made my MMA experience a really good one.
Fast-forward to today. I'm still recovering, and my progress is pretty good. Unfortunately, because of my weak upper jaw-bone, it moved a little bit after the surgery and now my bite is out of line. So, I am scheduled to get braces for yet a third time in mid-July. No biggie! This will help me get my bite back in line, and hopefully take care of the TMJ issues that have recurred from 15+ years ago, before having braces the second time.
Then there's the numbness. The feeling in my lower jaw is good. There is still a little bit of numbness but if I didn't get any more feeling back down there, it would still be okay.
The upper jaw is another story. I think the "re-cauterizing" of my upper jaw during "Part Deux" was quite a setback. The front half of my hard pallet and teeth are still pretty much numb, however I do get some infrequent "sensations" in the front which makes me think I still have potential to get more feeling back. I have noticed lately that my top molars (especially on the left) have more feeling in them than before.
I also have really changed my eating habits. Since it took a while longer for my top jaw to
stabelize, I wound up eating a lot of pasta. That in turn made me gain back all the weight I had lost after the surgery and then some. I was up to over 200 lbs, which was just entirely too much. So, I started changing my eating habits, and have lost 26 pounds since the first of this year. Now, along with the great nights sleep I get, I have more energy than I know what to do with. I know I'm 48, but seriously, I feel HALF that age. (Alas, all that hasn't made my eyesight any better;-)
Over the past year, I have also been contacted by some people who have read my blog and reached out to find out more about my MMA experience. It has been great talking with them, letting them know how my experience went and assuring them that it's not going to be as bad as they think it will be. Shout-out's to Wayne, Terrie, Neil, Bobby and Sara!
Anyway, I just wanted to touch base with you and acknowledge this landmark date.
I hope you and dad are doing great, and we are looking forward to our trip home in July.
See you soon!!
love:
Pinski
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