'ello Mumzie!
...er, I mean, Hey Mom.! (Yes, I know I'm not British...it's just fun saying that)
Ugh. Where to start. It's 4 a.m., I have an hour until my next round of pain meds and things are pretty uncomfortable right now. Nothing I can't handle, but you know how sometimes it just helps to "talk" to divert your attention elsewhere?
I've crushed up 3 asprins, and mixed them with warm water (yuck), so that's going to have to do for now. Why the asprin? It's the arch-bars. But more about that in a minute...
Okay, first things first. Lots of comments about the "before/after" pics. Let me just say that it's *entirely* too soon to know how my mug is going to turn out, and no, I haven't entered the "Witness Protection Program".
Will my nose be different? Will my face look longer? At this point, that is THE LAST THING I'm concerned about!!...although while out for a little walk last night, Paul and I were sitting near Starbucks with a couple of friends, and one of them said to Paul: "So this must be your boyfriends brother, eh'?" To Which Paul replied: "Nope. It's the boyfriend." Strange that I don't look like myself right now. It's like having aninimity that I don't really need!
Yesterday, I had a couple of issues to address that had been pressing.
The first was a solution for icing my face. For me, those "stockings" the hospital provided are not that great. Between the paper-lined ice "envelopes" and the stocking itself, there was little if any cooling action going on. So, I went to Walgreens and bought a box of the "double zip-lock (quart sized) storage baggies and a big ole' bag of ice.
At home, I used a nice, old, thin tea towel to wrap the well-sealed ice up and then used blue painters tape to secure everything, making sure there was only 1 layer of ziploc plastic and 1 layer of tea-towel between my cheek and the ice. Much cooler, thankyouverymuch. ...and I need to ice.
The second thing I really wanted to address was this stuffy nose of mine. When I went in to Dr KL's the day I got out of the hospital, he cleared out my nose and that was fantastic, but it gets cloggy again and again. I asked him if a neti pot might be a good idea, and he said yes. So, what is a "neti pot", you ask? It's a little gross but effective. Imagine a little tea pot filled with warm salene solution. Then, you tilt your head sideways over a sink and put the spout up to and in your upper nostril and pour the water. It goes though your sinuses and out the lower nostril, loosening and flushing out a lot of boogs and stuff that keep you from being able to breathe.
For a demo, check out this "Neti Pot YouTube demonstration" In this case, the relief, far outweighs the grossness level. It has really helped me sleep at night, by keeping my nose much clearer.
Another thing I needed to do (but wasn't *quite* as successful...yes, I know, I know Learian!) is to not talk so much. Paul allows me to talk a little, as long as my teeth stay together, making my jaw not move. You see, with the thin upper jaw bone and the bone graft Dr KL did to help make it more solid, it's not good to talk and open my jaw. Even though I am rubber-banded together, the pressure of talking kind-of "works against" what we're trying to accomplish. I promised I'd do better today, and even carry around my white-board if need-be.
Okay, so lets talk about why I'm writing you at 4 a.m. My archbars hurt! Don't get me wrong,
I'm glad I have enough feeling in my lower lip to even be able to *feel* pain, but I woke up today and felt like these danged things are *embedded* in to my lip. Glad I'm going to the Doctors today to have it looked at. He gave me wax, but I'm going to wait until I get there and let him dig around to see if the archbars are indeed hooked in to my lip, or if it just feels like it. It's hard to tell just by looking.
..and speaking of numbness, there is plenty of that. My chin is dead. Can't feel a thing, and shaving it yesterday was like shaving someone elses chin. My upper teeth, pallet, lips, cheeks and nose are a little bit numb, but my guess is that I'll get more feeling back *there* before I do in the chin area. Seems that area had the most nerves disturbed by the MMA/GA surgery.
Lastly, heartburn. I know,I'm talking about a lot of different "issues" this morning, but I'm just trying to deal with one at a time, when it comes up. So far, over-the-counter "Pepto" has been working just as good as the by-prescription Pepcid. Definately one of the most challenging aspects of all this, as of late.
....but I'm trying to be a trooper and just work though it. Okay, time for pain meds, and hopefully another couple hours of shut-eye.
Oh, pain killers, don't fail me now......
xoxo:
Pinski
Monday, June 9, 2008
Sunday, June 8, 2008
"Before" and "After" Pics
.
Before (with facial hair)
Before (without facial hair)
After - Day 3 (Post MMA/GA) Wow. My nose is so different right now.
Day 7 (Swelling has gone down a little bit)
Day 14. Left side looking better than the more-swollen right side.
Before (without facial hair)
After - Day 3 (Post MMA/GA) Wow. My nose is so different right now.
Day 7 (Swelling has gone down a little bit)
Day 14. Left side looking better than the more-swollen right side.
Day 21. (Week 3) Still somewhat swollen on the right side
Day 28 (Week 4)-
Day 28 (Week 4)-
Day 42 (Week 6) - Not too much swelling left
.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Welp. It's done!
Hi Mama;Holy Crap! I can't even begin to tell you what the past few days have been like.....but I'll try!
I hope I can be detailed enough. You see, since I've been on the pain meds Paul says I'm easily distracted, but I think he's full of -- HEY LOOK!! A CHICKEN!!
Okay, where to start: How about this:
DAY 1:
Up at 3:45 in order to get to Stanford at 5:30 for check in. Slept really crapily the night before, but I figured that didn't really matter.
Checked in and hung out in the pre-op area. Um, NO Karen Newburger robes!
Checked in and hung out in the pre-op area. Um, NO Karen Newburger robes!
Met Dr B my anesthesiologist. Very nice guy.
After asking all the typical questions and hooking up the main I.V., it was finally time to give me "a little something to relax me" and wheel me in to the operating room. Well, being such a "cheap date", I *barely* remember the operating room. I don't even remember seeing Dr. KL before "lights out".
This was taken after I was given "the little something"
.....and then I woke up. It was over. ...and that was that!! Oh Gawd. I've really done it now, I thought....
Paul said it was in the recovery room for longer than usual because they were looking for space in the ICU. After I finally got settled in, Paul was able to come in and see me.
I had the ice pack on and I think I was half in shock. Not that much pain at that time.
Dr KL came in and told me that everything went well. He was able to fix my slightly deviated septum, and he went with the Genioglossus Advancement instead of the Genioplasty.
I later learned that I unfortunately have a "thinner than usual" upper jaw bone, so the good doc had a little tougher time securing it after he advanced it (about 8mm.). Fortunately, he was able to take some of the bone from the Genioglossus Advancement and graft it to my top jaw in an attempt to make it stronger. I'm going to have to take it easy for awhile. In all, including my lower jaw advancement and the GA, the chin is out about 13mm. Not bad.
My ICU nurse's name was Jason. Totally cool guy and he stuck with me through almost the whole ICU experience and was there with morphine "every hour on the hour"!
Paul took a few pics of me when I got there. I was pretty out of it.
........my attempt at a little "ICU Humor".................................................
Not sure why, but I didn't sleep for one minute that first night. I think it was the morphine, in combination with the fact that my nose was totally clogged up. I couldn't breathe through it and I absolutely could not swallow AT ALL becuase of the breathing tube that was down my throat through the left nostril, and the deviated septum was fixed on the right nostril.
Day 2:
The next morning, I was put in a regular room. I had several nurses, and honestly, I was only impressed with one of them. But, love-love!
Dr KL came by a few times to check on me, cleared out my nose, and discussed the surgery .
I was concerened at first because my teeth seemed to only be meeting in one place (my incisers...clear over on the right), and started to feel rather uncomfortable. He assured me that my bite was fine. He adjusted the rubber bands on the archbars which seems to have helped.
I was concerened at first because my teeth seemed to only be meeting in one place (my incisers...clear over on the right), and started to feel rather uncomfortable. He assured me that my bite was fine. He adjusted the rubber bands on the archbars which seems to have helped.
I also opted to stay another day - mostly because I was really suffering from re-flux and heartburn, but was still in a fair amount of pain as well.
Day 3;
Anyway, We finaly checked me out of there this morning and headed over to Dr. KL's office to get a quick "nose clearing" and for him to check me out. We got home around noon, and I've just been taking it easy since then. Learian came by and brouht me a pitcher of home-made smoothie and to check up on me. I tell you...she has been so nice to us and has given us so much good advice. I don't know how we could every repay her for all she's done.
So, I'll download some before and after front and profile shots in my next bloggie.
There's still a good amount of swelling, but I figured it's time to put em' up here.
I hope you didn't worry too much. By now, I'm an old pro at these surgical procedures.
.....although I will admit. This was definately the most heavy-duty of them all up to this point.
who loves ya, Mama???
xoxo:
Pinski
Pinski
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
The final countdown !! Surgery at 7:30a.m tomorrow.
Hi Mom;
Well, it's the night before my MMA/GA surgery, and we're just about there! I hope I've dotted all my I's and crossed all my T's because it's getting down to the wire now. Tomorrow is the big day. Yikes!
List-wise, I think I did alright and have pretty-much everything I need (and then some!) for now.
On the food front, we were originally going to buy a lot of Ensure, Boost, Instant Breakfast and such, but after talking to a few people and doing a little bit of homework, I found (what I think) is a better solution. We went to a nutritional-suppliment-style shop and got some 900 calorie per serving protein drink (in both chocolate and vanilla) that has a better blend of vitamins, protein, carbohydrates, not too much fat and not too much sugar. We also got some powdered fiber stuff so I will poo.
For now, I'm not too worried about having a lot of soups around, although we did get several cans (to be blended if needed) and if we need anything else, Paul will go to the store (which is not far away). That way, it'll also give him a chance to get out of the house and have a break from moi'.
As far as "food accessories" goes, we have:
Mini Food Processor, Regular blender, one of those hand-held mixers with a bunch of attachments, a couple of those easy-squeeze ketchup bottles that I can use (by cutting the end off to make the hole in the top bigger) in addition to the feeding syringe I'll get from the hospital, a bunch of "bendy" straws (Thanks Shelby!), a strainer and a funnel.
For "non-food accessories", we have;
Ultra-Sonic Humidifier, 24 hour digital timer so I don't miss taking my pain meds on time, TV tray, lots of Burts Bees Honey lip balm and Smith's Rosebud Salve (courtesy of Learian), lots of Kleenex (for drooling;-), and a nice robe that I can also use at the hospital (unless they provide a better one).
Finally, the house has been cleaned (good advice I got from the sleepnet.com site), I called to make sure Juanita at Dr. KL's would be sending my disability paperwork out on time. I packed up most of the things in my office (since we will be moving out of our temporary digs and back to our permanent digs while I'm out), got all my loose ends at work neatly tied up and left my auto-replies in order to "pass the buck" on to someone who's actually there!
Good grief! I'm glad I made all those lists because there's no way in "H.E. double-toothpicks" I would have remembered all that!
Anything else that I forgot will have to be gotten by P.Smitty after the surgery....and speaking of Paul. Poor him. Like you :-), he's always been a bit of a worrier, so I'm trying to assure him that everything is going to be okay. Bless his little thumper. He's trying his best not to show his worry, but I can read him like a book!!
I'm also half-ready to jump out of my skin, though, but I'm working on trying to stay calm. I know it's "to be expected" , so it's nothing to get over-alarmed about. Luckily, I'm feeling good, no sniffles or sore back, so I think I'm in pretty good shape.
I hope you've enjoyed all of my communique's up until now. I think posting pix on the bloggie (like in the last entry) makes it more fun, so I'm looking forward to posting more pics.
..and speaking of pics! Paul and I went out for my last solid din-din tonight. We went to the Westfield Mall to the food court where I had Tri-tip, grilled vegetables and onion strings.
Before...................................................................................and AFTER!!!
mmm-mmm-good! Then it was one last small decaf at Starbucks and that's all she wrote!
....so wish me luck! I think it's all going to go fine, and I'll be sleeping like a normal person before you know it! Paul will call you as soon as he can (you're at the top of the phone tree), so keep your cell phone handy if you're not at home.
All my love;
xoxox
Pinski
Well, it's the night before my MMA/GA surgery, and we're just about there! I hope I've dotted all my I's and crossed all my T's because it's getting down to the wire now. Tomorrow is the big day. Yikes!
List-wise, I think I did alright and have pretty-much everything I need (and then some!) for now.
On the food front, we were originally going to buy a lot of Ensure, Boost, Instant Breakfast and such, but after talking to a few people and doing a little bit of homework, I found (what I think) is a better solution. We went to a nutritional-suppliment-style shop and got some 900 calorie per serving protein drink (in both chocolate and vanilla) that has a better blend of vitamins, protein, carbohydrates, not too much fat and not too much sugar. We also got some powdered fiber stuff so I will poo.
For now, I'm not too worried about having a lot of soups around, although we did get several cans (to be blended if needed) and if we need anything else, Paul will go to the store (which is not far away). That way, it'll also give him a chance to get out of the house and have a break from moi'.
As far as "food accessories" goes, we have:
Mini Food Processor, Regular blender, one of those hand-held mixers with a bunch of attachments, a couple of those easy-squeeze ketchup bottles that I can use (by cutting the end off to make the hole in the top bigger) in addition to the feeding syringe I'll get from the hospital, a bunch of "bendy" straws (Thanks Shelby!), a strainer and a funnel.
For "non-food accessories", we have;
Ultra-Sonic Humidifier, 24 hour digital timer so I don't miss taking my pain meds on time, TV tray, lots of Burts Bees Honey lip balm and Smith's Rosebud Salve (courtesy of Learian), lots of Kleenex (for drooling;-), and a nice robe that I can also use at the hospital (unless they provide a better one).
Finally, the house has been cleaned (good advice I got from the sleepnet.com site), I called to make sure Juanita at Dr. KL's would be sending my disability paperwork out on time. I packed up most of the things in my office (since we will be moving out of our temporary digs and back to our permanent digs while I'm out), got all my loose ends at work neatly tied up and left my auto-replies in order to "pass the buck" on to someone who's actually there!
Good grief! I'm glad I made all those lists because there's no way in "H.E. double-toothpicks" I would have remembered all that!
Anything else that I forgot will have to be gotten by P.Smitty after the surgery....and speaking of Paul. Poor him. Like you :-), he's always been a bit of a worrier, so I'm trying to assure him that everything is going to be okay. Bless his little thumper. He's trying his best not to show his worry, but I can read him like a book!!
I'm also half-ready to jump out of my skin, though, but I'm working on trying to stay calm. I know it's "to be expected" , so it's nothing to get over-alarmed about. Luckily, I'm feeling good, no sniffles or sore back, so I think I'm in pretty good shape.
I hope you've enjoyed all of my communique's up until now. I think posting pix on the bloggie (like in the last entry) makes it more fun, so I'm looking forward to posting more pics.
..and speaking of pics! Paul and I went out for my last solid din-din tonight. We went to the Westfield Mall to the food court where I had Tri-tip, grilled vegetables and onion strings.
Before...................................................................................and AFTER!!!mmm-mmm-good! Then it was one last small decaf at Starbucks and that's all she wrote!
....so wish me luck! I think it's all going to go fine, and I'll be sleeping like a normal person before you know it! Paul will call you as soon as he can (you're at the top of the phone tree), so keep your cell phone handy if you're not at home.
All my love;
xoxox
Pinski
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
It takes a village!
Yo, Mama!
Hope this message reaches you in good spirits. Did you and dad have a decent Memorial Day Weekend? We did too although we didn't do a whole helluva lot. However, we *did* manage to squeeze in a very nice lunch with some MMA "alumni".
Before I tell you about that, I must say that sometimes it indeed *does* take a village.
You may ask: What do you mean by *that*, sonny?? Okay, I'll tell ya! When I got home from that first doctors appointment, and he had explained that I might need MMA surgery, I really didn't know a thing about it. Luckily, between Google and the internet, I was able to learn more than I could ever hope to know, all from my computer. Ain't technology great? As I mentioned, it first started with Rogers MMA blog, and then that led me to the sleepnet.com discussion forums. From there, there are also links to several different blogs (which I am proudly one of now) of other individuals and their personal MMA experiences.
....and I must say. You couldn't ask for a nicer and more helpful bunch of peeps. You have a question, and it gets answered.
Anyway, in reading the sleepnet site and blogs, I realized that there are quite a few "Bay Area" people amongst them, so I wrote to a couple of peeps individually, asking their advice and to ask if they would be willing to meet me for coffee (or lunch) to chat about MMA stuff in person.
The first person I contacted was "Learian", since it appeared she had such a "model" recovery.
Paul and I met she and her husband at Starbucks around the corner and had a really nice time. We both had a lot of questions (I as a patient, and Paul as a potential caregiver) and they were hella-helpful in answering our barrage of questions. We had such a nice time, that we met again for more coffee (Learian LOVES her cafe' mochas!) in Noe Valley a couple of weeks later.
There are a lot of great MMA blogs out there and a few of them are from the "Bay Area". One blogger ("Dreamette"..a.k.a Shelby) who is a clever and very funny writer, happens to live very close to The Emerald City (where I work), so I e-mailed her and invited her to lunch. Cool Chick!! We are also both big Morrissey (who by the way is a singer and lyracist) fans, and both of our boyfriends ARE NOT! Sheeesh!! I guess Morrissey is kind of like cilantro. You either REALLY like him a lot, or you REALLY don't like him at all!! To paraphrase:
Paul said : "Eh, I know him, and he cannot sing"
I said: "That's nothing - you should hear him play piano" ;-)
(Don't worry mama! I don't expect you to "get" that reference!)
Anywoo, she re-capped parts of her MMA journey and gave me some good advice about several post-op issues including pain management and great food possibilities....like warm cake!
Anyway, sorry to get sidetracked. So, it turns out Dreamette and Learian had always wanted to meet, but hadn't. Well, for as lovely and helpful as they both have been, I suggested the 3 of us (and our S.O's) all get together for lunch....so that's what we did last Sunday.
Learian's husband had a previous engagement, so she swung by our house "solo" and picked me and Paul up for the 20 minute trip, south to San Mateo. We met Shelby and Courtland at a nice restaurant and had a whale of a good time. I won't bore you with all the details (although it was anything BUT boring!), but we chatted for quite awhile, had a nice brunch, chatted some more, and then it was time for the photo-ops:
From Left to Right: Dreamette (a.k.a. Shelby), moi', and the lovely Learian!
Learian and Moi'...............................................................Shelby and Moi'
We're all pointing to where our little incisions are (or in my case "will be").
All in all, a fine time was had by all, and I sure hope it's not the last time we get together. I'm pretty sure it won't be, though!
It sure is nice to know that there are great people like that out there. Not just in the Bay Area but like I said: almost anyone you ask who's had MMA surgery.
I just hope that after I'm on "the other side" of my MMA surgery, that I can be as helpful to someone else as all of these folks have been to me.
The rest of the weekend was pretty non-eventful. Paul rented a movie that creeped me out, so I stopped watching it (I don't like seeing people getting tortured, but he just LOVES Diane Lane, so he opted to watch the rest of it [Untraceable] later).
Lastly, I stopped at Walgreens to get a small Dry-Erase board. I figured it'll probably come in pretty handy for the times when I have something to say, but still can't be understood.
"an euuu et nee a glsss um wada?", :-)
Poor Paulie! I'm sure he'll be okay! He just worries a lot! "no eely. m-mm fne!"
I also have some "before" pics, but they look more like mug shots, so I will refrain from posting them until after my surgery when there's some "after" mug-shots to go with em'!
xoxox:
Pinski
Hope this message reaches you in good spirits. Did you and dad have a decent Memorial Day Weekend? We did too although we didn't do a whole helluva lot. However, we *did* manage to squeeze in a very nice lunch with some MMA "alumni".
Before I tell you about that, I must say that sometimes it indeed *does* take a village.
You may ask: What do you mean by *that*, sonny?? Okay, I'll tell ya! When I got home from that first doctors appointment, and he had explained that I might need MMA surgery, I really didn't know a thing about it. Luckily, between Google and the internet, I was able to learn more than I could ever hope to know, all from my computer. Ain't technology great? As I mentioned, it first started with Rogers MMA blog, and then that led me to the sleepnet.com discussion forums. From there, there are also links to several different blogs (which I am proudly one of now) of other individuals and their personal MMA experiences.
....and I must say. You couldn't ask for a nicer and more helpful bunch of peeps. You have a question, and it gets answered.
Anyway, in reading the sleepnet site and blogs, I realized that there are quite a few "Bay Area" people amongst them, so I wrote to a couple of peeps individually, asking their advice and to ask if they would be willing to meet me for coffee (or lunch) to chat about MMA stuff in person.
The first person I contacted was "Learian", since it appeared she had such a "model" recovery.
Paul and I met she and her husband at Starbucks around the corner and had a really nice time. We both had a lot of questions (I as a patient, and Paul as a potential caregiver) and they were hella-helpful in answering our barrage of questions. We had such a nice time, that we met again for more coffee (Learian LOVES her cafe' mochas!) in Noe Valley a couple of weeks later.
There are a lot of great MMA blogs out there and a few of them are from the "Bay Area". One blogger ("Dreamette"..a.k.a Shelby) who is a clever and very funny writer, happens to live very close to The Emerald City (where I work), so I e-mailed her and invited her to lunch. Cool Chick!! We are also both big Morrissey (who by the way is a singer and lyracist) fans, and both of our boyfriends ARE NOT! Sheeesh!! I guess Morrissey is kind of like cilantro. You either REALLY like him a lot, or you REALLY don't like him at all!! To paraphrase:
Paul said : "Eh, I know him, and he cannot sing"
I said: "That's nothing - you should hear him play piano" ;-)
(Don't worry mama! I don't expect you to "get" that reference!)
Anywoo, she re-capped parts of her MMA journey and gave me some good advice about several post-op issues including pain management and great food possibilities....like warm cake!
Anyway, sorry to get sidetracked. So, it turns out Dreamette and Learian had always wanted to meet, but hadn't. Well, for as lovely and helpful as they both have been, I suggested the 3 of us (and our S.O's) all get together for lunch....so that's what we did last Sunday.
Learian's husband had a previous engagement, so she swung by our house "solo" and picked me and Paul up for the 20 minute trip, south to San Mateo. We met Shelby and Courtland at a nice restaurant and had a whale of a good time. I won't bore you with all the details (although it was anything BUT boring!), but we chatted for quite awhile, had a nice brunch, chatted some more, and then it was time for the photo-ops:
From Left to Right: Dreamette (a.k.a. Shelby), moi', and the lovely Learian!
Learian and Moi'...............................................................Shelby and Moi'We're all pointing to where our little incisions are (or in my case "will be").All in all, a fine time was had by all, and I sure hope it's not the last time we get together. I'm pretty sure it won't be, though!
It sure is nice to know that there are great people like that out there. Not just in the Bay Area but like I said: almost anyone you ask who's had MMA surgery.
I just hope that after I'm on "the other side" of my MMA surgery, that I can be as helpful to someone else as all of these folks have been to me.
The rest of the weekend was pretty non-eventful. Paul rented a movie that creeped me out, so I stopped watching it (I don't like seeing people getting tortured, but he just LOVES Diane Lane, so he opted to watch the rest of it [Untraceable] later).
Lastly, I stopped at Walgreens to get a small Dry-Erase board. I figured it'll probably come in pretty handy for the times when I have something to say, but still can't be understood.
"an euuu et nee a glsss um wada?", :-)
Poor Paulie! I'm sure he'll be okay! He just worries a lot! "no eely. m-mm fne!"I also have some "before" pics, but they look more like mug shots, so I will refrain from posting them until after my surgery when there's some "after" mug-shots to go with em'!
xoxox:
Pinski
Friday, May 23, 2008
Pre-op Appointment with my awesome surgeon
Dear Mom;
Sorry I haven't written lately. Things have been going really well. I’m trying start tying up all my loose-ends at work in preparation for the 6 ½ weeks off I’ll be taking…….IN LESS THAN 2 WEEKS!!!!
I was shocked to hear about the tornado yous guys had, and was relieved to hear that nobody was seriously injured. I bet it especially scared the be-jeebas out of Jane, since it hit so close to her house.
There really wasn’t that much to report up until recently, but yesterday was doublely-wubbuly eventful, what with my pre-op appointment with Dr KL and my teeth cleaning at Dr N’s! …and since you’re my mom, I knew you'd want to know all the gorey details, so all I gotta say is “watch what you wish for”!
So, I got up early yesterday (Thursday), shaved off my moustache and beard, (which sort-of disguises my "chin deficit".....awwww...) and left at 7, in order to make my 8 a.m. pre-op appointment with Dr KL. in Palo Alto. The whole experience at Dr KL's office is fantastic. The office is a beautiful facility, and the staff (Linda the receptionist, Juanita, the lady who handles all the insurance stuff, and Daisy the technician) are just the best. You would love them. They are all as nice as can be and very well-organized….but first things first:
After signing a couple of consent forms and giving Linda the biggest check I’ve ever written (gulk!), Daisy led me in to the room where I got a panoramic x-ray and some other type of x-ray, using a different machine. Then she took molds of my teeth. First the lower and then the upper. After all that stuff was done, Dr KL came in looking chipper and ready to explain everything, and answer my barrage of questions.
For starters, he brought in his "display skull" to show me exactly what he will be doing with my upper jaw, and lower jaw. Wow! The reality of it all is finally starting to set in.
He started by telling me that the anesthesiologist will be calling me the night before the surgery (not sure why, but great!). Since my surgery is at 7:30 in the morning, I have to get there at 5:30, which means Paulie and I will have to leave SF by 4:30 and get up at 3:45. (Yawn!)
As usual, no food before midnight. Got that.
The first thing he’ll do in the 5+ hour surgery is attach the arch bars, (but I think they are positioned higher than these on the link) and he explained how they will be attached to my teeth with wire by weaving the wire through my teeth, as opposed to using screws in my jaw to secure them)
After the arch bars are in place, and my teeth are tightly clamped together, he will “liberate (i.e. break-out the “buzz-saw” and “go-to-town” on) my upper and lower jaw, together from where they are. The upper jaw will be cut free first (sorry no video…I asked!) and then the lower jaw will be cut (i.e. “sliced” at an angle, in order for the bone to be able to fuse together). There will be a small incision on the (outside) lower part of either cheek in order for the good doc to sink a couple of screws in my lower jaw at just the right angle. Those will be the only external incisions, and the scars will end up being virtually unnoticable. Cool beans!
He will be doing what is technically called a “counter-clockwise rotation” moving my upper jaw forward 8-9 millimeters and the lower jaw about 12, meaning he’ll drop the back down just a little bit, to enable the lower teeth to move forward a few millimeters farther than the upper.
Then comes the genioglossus. I asked him why he usually chooses the genioglossus over the genioplasty and he said there are different reasons for doing each. He said he would determine which of the 2 procedures is best for me when he is in there, getting a better look. I trust he will do the right thing!
I mentioned to him that first and foremost, I want to be able to breathe better when I sleep, but I hope that asthetically, I will end up with a nice strong chin. He assured me I will be pleased with the outcome.
I also asked him about a possible chin implant, but he said that won’t be necessary and not a very good idea at that. Why? He showed me an x-ray of a patient with one who experienced “bone resorption”. Meaning, the patient had an implant that (over time) actually ate away at the chin bone….(euuuuu!)…so he removed it and did a genioplasty on the patient. Okay, okay! No chin implant already……;-)
So, since he will be moving my upper and lower jaws in unicin, my bite should remain relatively the same, meaning no braces for a third time. There will be numbness at first, but over several months, most of the feeling in my chin, pallet and teeth should (knock on wood) return.
Next, came the battery of questions from me:
Q1: What is the plan for pain management?
A. After a short discussion about my allergy to codine and the fact that vicadin sometimes doesn’t work well, he prescribed something else he thinks will work. He also gave me a keflex prescription to thwart away any infections - which he said was highly unlikely.
Q2: Does my bloodwork and EKG look okay, and will I have to bank my blood?
A: Yes to the bloodwork and EKG, and no to the banking blood.
Q3: Will he be addressing my deviated septum?
A: Possibly, depending on how high up in my nose it is. If it is low enough, yes. If not, no.
Q4: Will you take out my adnoids? (which by the way, I was shocked to hear they were still there because I was under the impression they were removed back when I had my UPPP surgery. ...but I hear they sometimes grow back, so I can't be sure what really happened)
A: No. Not at this time. He doesn’t want to complicate things and do too much.
Q5: What about that stupid stone in my salivary gland (that showed up in my x-ray)?
A: Nope. He said it might be a good idea to have the salivary gland and stone removed along with the adnoids… later.
I wish I would have asked him that if I promised to pee right before they put me under, could I skip the catheter….but I figured I already knew the answer to *that*.
Finally, he took a couple of pics of my teeth and smile, the appointment came to a finish, and on my way out, who do you think I saw? My buddy Learian!!! It's a small world, ain't it? As always, it was awesome seeing she and her hubbsband.
I had Daisy take a pic of me and the good doc, but my stupid camera always zaps the last pic when you take the SD card out of the camera ,(which happened to be the one with Dr.KL.. ANNOYING!) so I guess I’ll have to wait for the next photo-op.Which reminds me: I took some pics myself for you to check out, because in 2 weeks, your kid ain't gonna look quite the same any more. (awwww) I'll post those in a little while.
After that, it was back in the trusty Scion (I love that car!) and back up to The City to see my awesome dentist of 15+ years, Dr N. (I love ha!) to get my teeth cleaned...although she didn't actually have the honors..it was the new dental hygenist Zora. I wanted to get my "pearly off-whites" as clean as possible now, since they will probably be very grungy for awhile after the MMA and GA. Lovely! Looking forward to THAT! ;-) My 6 month cleaning was supposed to be in September, but I figured that I probably won't be able to open my mouth far enough to have it done then. Not a big fan of the teeth cleaning experience in general, though. That's because of the receding gums I was gifted with after my last round (as you recall, there have been two) of braces. Apparently my teeth moved too quickly and it caused my gums to recede. However, I managed to make it through all the scraping and polishing, so that was one more thing to strike off my "to-do" list.
Oh! And I also called Comcast to dump Showtime (now that Weeds is done) and signed up for Logo, so we can get the TV new series "Sordid Lives", which is based on my favorite movie of all time! It should be a hoot!!
So, there you have it. A day in the life of one of Americas Next MMA patients.
who loves ya, mama?!?
xoxo: Pinsk
Sorry I haven't written lately. Things have been going really well. I’m trying start tying up all my loose-ends at work in preparation for the 6 ½ weeks off I’ll be taking…….IN LESS THAN 2 WEEKS!!!!
I was shocked to hear about the tornado yous guys had, and was relieved to hear that nobody was seriously injured. I bet it especially scared the be-jeebas out of Jane, since it hit so close to her house.
There really wasn’t that much to report up until recently, but yesterday was doublely-wubbuly eventful, what with my pre-op appointment with Dr KL and my teeth cleaning at Dr N’s! …and since you’re my mom, I knew you'd want to know all the gorey details, so all I gotta say is “watch what you wish for”!
So, I got up early yesterday (Thursday), shaved off my moustache and beard, (which sort-of disguises my "chin deficit".....awwww...) and left at 7, in order to make my 8 a.m. pre-op appointment with Dr KL. in Palo Alto. The whole experience at Dr KL's office is fantastic. The office is a beautiful facility, and the staff (Linda the receptionist, Juanita, the lady who handles all the insurance stuff, and Daisy the technician) are just the best. You would love them. They are all as nice as can be and very well-organized….but first things first:
After signing a couple of consent forms and giving Linda the biggest check I’ve ever written (gulk!), Daisy led me in to the room where I got a panoramic x-ray and some other type of x-ray, using a different machine. Then she took molds of my teeth. First the lower and then the upper. After all that stuff was done, Dr KL came in looking chipper and ready to explain everything, and answer my barrage of questions.
For starters, he brought in his "display skull" to show me exactly what he will be doing with my upper jaw, and lower jaw. Wow! The reality of it all is finally starting to set in.
He started by telling me that the anesthesiologist will be calling me the night before the surgery (not sure why, but great!). Since my surgery is at 7:30 in the morning, I have to get there at 5:30, which means Paulie and I will have to leave SF by 4:30 and get up at 3:45. (Yawn!)
As usual, no food before midnight. Got that.
The first thing he’ll do in the 5+ hour surgery is attach the arch bars, (but I think they are positioned higher than these on the link) and he explained how they will be attached to my teeth with wire by weaving the wire through my teeth, as opposed to using screws in my jaw to secure them)
After the arch bars are in place, and my teeth are tightly clamped together, he will “liberate (i.e. break-out the “buzz-saw” and “go-to-town” on) my upper and lower jaw, together from where they are. The upper jaw will be cut free first (sorry no video…I asked!) and then the lower jaw will be cut (i.e. “sliced” at an angle, in order for the bone to be able to fuse together). There will be a small incision on the (outside) lower part of either cheek in order for the good doc to sink a couple of screws in my lower jaw at just the right angle. Those will be the only external incisions, and the scars will end up being virtually unnoticable. Cool beans!
He will be doing what is technically called a “counter-clockwise rotation” moving my upper jaw forward 8-9 millimeters and the lower jaw about 12, meaning he’ll drop the back down just a little bit, to enable the lower teeth to move forward a few millimeters farther than the upper.
Then comes the genioglossus. I asked him why he usually chooses the genioglossus over the genioplasty and he said there are different reasons for doing each. He said he would determine which of the 2 procedures is best for me when he is in there, getting a better look. I trust he will do the right thing!
I mentioned to him that first and foremost, I want to be able to breathe better when I sleep, but I hope that asthetically, I will end up with a nice strong chin. He assured me I will be pleased with the outcome.
I also asked him about a possible chin implant, but he said that won’t be necessary and not a very good idea at that. Why? He showed me an x-ray of a patient with one who experienced “bone resorption”. Meaning, the patient had an implant that (over time) actually ate away at the chin bone….(euuuuu!)…so he removed it and did a genioplasty on the patient. Okay, okay! No chin implant already……;-)
So, since he will be moving my upper and lower jaws in unicin, my bite should remain relatively the same, meaning no braces for a third time. There will be numbness at first, but over several months, most of the feeling in my chin, pallet and teeth should (knock on wood) return.
Next, came the battery of questions from me:
Q1: What is the plan for pain management?
A. After a short discussion about my allergy to codine and the fact that vicadin sometimes doesn’t work well, he prescribed something else he thinks will work. He also gave me a keflex prescription to thwart away any infections - which he said was highly unlikely.
Q2: Does my bloodwork and EKG look okay, and will I have to bank my blood?
A: Yes to the bloodwork and EKG, and no to the banking blood.
Q3: Will he be addressing my deviated septum?
A: Possibly, depending on how high up in my nose it is. If it is low enough, yes. If not, no.
Q4: Will you take out my adnoids? (which by the way, I was shocked to hear they were still there because I was under the impression they were removed back when I had my UPPP surgery. ...but I hear they sometimes grow back, so I can't be sure what really happened)
A: No. Not at this time. He doesn’t want to complicate things and do too much.
Q5: What about that stupid stone in my salivary gland (that showed up in my x-ray)?
A: Nope. He said it might be a good idea to have the salivary gland and stone removed along with the adnoids… later.
I wish I would have asked him that if I promised to pee right before they put me under, could I skip the catheter….but I figured I already knew the answer to *that*.
Finally, he took a couple of pics of my teeth and smile, the appointment came to a finish, and on my way out, who do you think I saw? My buddy Learian!!! It's a small world, ain't it? As always, it was awesome seeing she and her hubbsband.
I had Daisy take a pic of me and the good doc, but my stupid camera always zaps the last pic when you take the SD card out of the camera ,(which happened to be the one with Dr.KL.. ANNOYING!) so I guess I’ll have to wait for the next photo-op.Which reminds me: I took some pics myself for you to check out, because in 2 weeks, your kid ain't gonna look quite the same any more. (awwww) I'll post those in a little while.
After that, it was back in the trusty Scion (I love that car!) and back up to The City to see my awesome dentist of 15+ years, Dr N. (I love ha!) to get my teeth cleaned...although she didn't actually have the honors..it was the new dental hygenist Zora. I wanted to get my "pearly off-whites" as clean as possible now, since they will probably be very grungy for awhile after the MMA and GA. Lovely! Looking forward to THAT! ;-) My 6 month cleaning was supposed to be in September, but I figured that I probably won't be able to open my mouth far enough to have it done then. Not a big fan of the teeth cleaning experience in general, though. That's because of the receding gums I was gifted with after my last round (as you recall, there have been two) of braces. Apparently my teeth moved too quickly and it caused my gums to recede. However, I managed to make it through all the scraping and polishing, so that was one more thing to strike off my "to-do" list.
Oh! And I also called Comcast to dump Showtime (now that Weeds is done) and signed up for Logo, so we can get the TV new series "Sordid Lives", which is based on my favorite movie of all time! It should be a hoot!!
So, there you have it. A day in the life of one of Americas Next MMA patients.
who loves ya, mama?!?
xoxo: Pinsk
Monday, May 5, 2008
The dreaded pre-op visit with my GP.
Yo Mom!
This just in:
PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN ANNOYS PINSKI, BUT PINSKI (eventually) "RISES ABOVE".
Details at 11! ....or now!!
Okay, for starters let me say that for the most part, I really like my primary care physician, Dr. S. Well spoken, nice guy, very well educated, never tough to get an appointment, etc.....but when it comes to issues of sleep apnea, I'm not so sure.
As I mentioned before, I had to go to him to get orders for the EKG and bloodwork that I need for my MMA surgery (coming up in a little less than 4 weeks). The appointment was yesterday and I promised my friend Toni that I wouldn't "engage" with him when he started giving his professional opinion about sleep apnea (again). Lets just say, our opinions differ. You see, when he previously saw my sleep study from 05', and it said "moderate sleep apnea", he commented that my oxygen saturation "wasn't *that* bad" and not to worry about it. Okay, fine. Whatever.
So, this time he comes in, was very professional, asks me when I'm having surgery, and who the doctor is (not even asking what I was having done) Then he takes my blood pressure, listens to my heart and lungs, and illudes to asking what kind of surgeon Dr. KL is and where it's being done. I tell him Dr. KL is an oral-maxilfacial surgeon in Palo Alto and the surgery is going to be at Stanford. He says okay, and asks me if Dr. KL was going to do the Pre-op "write up" himself , explaining that there has to be a formal write-up to let the hospital and anesthesiologist know you are in good enough shape to have the surgery.
I tell him that the only thing that might be questionable is actually the whole reason *why* I'm having the surgery, my sleep apnea, and that I'm having a Maxillomandibular Advancement and a Genioglossus Advancement B-z-z-z-T! Shouldn't have even gone there, but really: How can you pass up a chance to say Genioglossus Advancement??
Without much expression except for a slight rise in his eyebrow, he looks at my sleep study and says (and I am para-phrasing) "Dr's are making too big of a deal out of sleep apnea."
I tell him "It says my sleep apnea is 'moderately severe' now, so that can't be good for my heart, long-term, right? Also, I wake myself up gasping, my partner worries I'm not going to start breathing again and die some day and I haven't been allowed to sleep on my back for the past 6 years because of all the snoring and gasping I do"
Then he says "It's not so much about your heart...what we should *really* worry about is if the oxygen saturation too low it can cause brain damage, but with your levels, it's still not that bad". Uh, WHAT???
I mention to him about my 25 RDI, and how I stop breathing for as long as 49 seconds some time and he tells me that he's a diver and he can hold his breath for over 3 minutes, "so if you're in good cardio shape, 49 seconds isn't that much".....and adds that If my RDI was in the 60's, he'd be a lot more worried. Hello??? So would I, but still.....
...and *then* he says "..but I guess you're having this done for 'the other reasons' (i.e. the noise, and trying to make my partner more 'at ease')". WTF??? So, I guess I need to have 60 episodes an hour and oxygen saturation levels low enough to cause BRAIN DAMAGE before gets onboard? Sorry Dr. S. The apnea train is a-leavin' without you!! Toot-toot!
At first, I started second-guessing myself, but soon realized that between my initial gut feeling about my apnea being a real problem and confirmation from *4* oral maxilfacial surgeons who specialize in sleep disorders, I just clammed up after that (a little late, but still not bad) "rose above", and let him say what he was going to say. He wished me good luck (which seemed patronizing, but I don't know...I guess it could have been genuine) and then got out of there.
I stopped at the desk to pay my deductable and he tells me "Come back either before the surgery or after you've healed so we can discuss your bloodwork". After I've healed??
I'm thinkin' "Okay, then I'll see you next year"
WhatEVERRRR Missy!!
So, even after all that, I'm still confident I'm doing the right thing.
Then, it was downhill from there. The EKG was a breeze, and getting my blood taken was easy, and Dr. KL will have the results FAXed to him early next week, in plenty of time for my 6/22 pre-op appt. with him.
Oh! and I'm making progress on the "list-front".
Paul suggested I centralize all my surgery-related stuff, so we bought a nice, sparkley (...okay what do you expect?) folder at Walgreens and it's got everything in it now: The lists. The disability paperwork, receipts, my sleep study. A pretty good idea, P.Smitty!
BTW, thanks for the pics of the new and improved window that got installed in your office.
It looks great, and now you won't have to get up on your tip-toes to see what the (crappy) weather is like outside!
On Saturday, Paul and I are flying to "L.A. - L.A. - L.A." to spend Mothers Day with Rose Marie and the crew. I hear it's going to be a full house, so it should be fun. Probably the last time I'll be going there for a few months. I think I'll bring shorts to wear so I can get some sun on my pale hairy legs and everyone can make fun of them! Oh boy!
much love;
Pinski xoxox
This just in:
PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN ANNOYS PINSKI, BUT PINSKI (eventually) "RISES ABOVE".
Details at 11! ....or now!!
Okay, for starters let me say that for the most part, I really like my primary care physician, Dr. S. Well spoken, nice guy, very well educated, never tough to get an appointment, etc.....but when it comes to issues of sleep apnea, I'm not so sure.
As I mentioned before, I had to go to him to get orders for the EKG and bloodwork that I need for my MMA surgery (coming up in a little less than 4 weeks). The appointment was yesterday and I promised my friend Toni that I wouldn't "engage" with him when he started giving his professional opinion about sleep apnea (again). Lets just say, our opinions differ. You see, when he previously saw my sleep study from 05', and it said "moderate sleep apnea", he commented that my oxygen saturation "wasn't *that* bad" and not to worry about it. Okay, fine. Whatever.
So, this time he comes in, was very professional, asks me when I'm having surgery, and who the doctor is (not even asking what I was having done) Then he takes my blood pressure, listens to my heart and lungs, and illudes to asking what kind of surgeon Dr. KL is and where it's being done. I tell him Dr. KL is an oral-maxilfacial surgeon in Palo Alto and the surgery is going to be at Stanford. He says okay, and asks me if Dr. KL was going to do the Pre-op "write up" himself , explaining that there has to be a formal write-up to let the hospital and anesthesiologist know you are in good enough shape to have the surgery.
I tell him that the only thing that might be questionable is actually the whole reason *why* I'm having the surgery, my sleep apnea, and that I'm having a Maxillomandibular Advancement and a Genioglossus Advancement B-z-z-z-T! Shouldn't have even gone there, but really: How can you pass up a chance to say Genioglossus Advancement??
Without much expression except for a slight rise in his eyebrow, he looks at my sleep study and says (and I am para-phrasing) "Dr's are making too big of a deal out of sleep apnea."
I tell him "It says my sleep apnea is 'moderately severe' now, so that can't be good for my heart, long-term, right? Also, I wake myself up gasping, my partner worries I'm not going to start breathing again and die some day and I haven't been allowed to sleep on my back for the past 6 years because of all the snoring and gasping I do"
Then he says "It's not so much about your heart...what we should *really* worry about is if the oxygen saturation too low it can cause brain damage, but with your levels, it's still not that bad". Uh, WHAT???
I mention to him about my 25 RDI, and how I stop breathing for as long as 49 seconds some time and he tells me that he's a diver and he can hold his breath for over 3 minutes, "so if you're in good cardio shape, 49 seconds isn't that much".....and adds that If my RDI was in the 60's, he'd be a lot more worried. Hello??? So would I, but still.....
...and *then* he says "..but I guess you're having this done for 'the other reasons' (i.e. the noise, and trying to make my partner more 'at ease')". WTF??? So, I guess I need to have 60 episodes an hour and oxygen saturation levels low enough to cause BRAIN DAMAGE before gets onboard? Sorry Dr. S. The apnea train is a-leavin' without you!! Toot-toot!
At first, I started second-guessing myself, but soon realized that between my initial gut feeling about my apnea being a real problem and confirmation from *4* oral maxilfacial surgeons who specialize in sleep disorders, I just clammed up after that (a little late, but still not bad) "rose above", and let him say what he was going to say. He wished me good luck (which seemed patronizing, but I don't know...I guess it could have been genuine) and then got out of there.
I stopped at the desk to pay my deductable and he tells me "Come back either before the surgery or after you've healed so we can discuss your bloodwork". After I've healed??
I'm thinkin' "Okay, then I'll see you next year"
WhatEVERRRR Missy!!
So, even after all that, I'm still confident I'm doing the right thing.
Then, it was downhill from there. The EKG was a breeze, and getting my blood taken was easy, and Dr. KL will have the results FAXed to him early next week, in plenty of time for my 6/22 pre-op appt. with him.
Oh! and I'm making progress on the "list-front".
Paul suggested I centralize all my surgery-related stuff, so we bought a nice, sparkley (...okay what do you expect?) folder at Walgreens and it's got everything in it now: The lists. The disability paperwork, receipts, my sleep study. A pretty good idea, P.Smitty!
BTW, thanks for the pics of the new and improved window that got installed in your office.
It looks great, and now you won't have to get up on your tip-toes to see what the (crappy) weather is like outside!
On Saturday, Paul and I are flying to "L.A. - L.A. - L.A." to spend Mothers Day with Rose Marie and the crew. I hear it's going to be a full house, so it should be fun. Probably the last time I'll be going there for a few months. I think I'll bring shorts to wear so I can get some sun on my pale hairy legs and everyone can make fun of them! Oh boy!
much love;
Pinski xoxox
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