The Actual TJR Surgery(s)

Here's how it all happened:

                                                    My new right joint  (a pic of my left one is later on in the post)

Sunday-May 7^th-arrived in Miami close to 3:30. 

My parents and I checked into our hotel rooms, which were conveniently located 2 miles from the hospital. 

                                                                                      My room

                                                                              The final beer :) 

Monday-May 8^th-Embolization

Arrived at the hospital at 6:30am.

Once in the operating room, they decided to give me propofol.  They embolized both sides of my face using one incision located on my right pubic region. 

This procedure lasted nearly two hours and then I was brought to recovery.  They decided not to keep me asleep, which is a good thing. 

Because they don’t use stitches to close the artery, they use a compression bandage, and the patient must lay completely flat for four hours.

I was brought to a room to stay the night.

Tuesday-May 9^th-The TJR of TMJ

Around 5:30 am I was moved to pre op. 

Some time just before 8am, the anesthesiologist came to get me and gave me a sedative.  He wheeled me into the operating room, and that’s all I remember for a long while.

The surgery lasted 12 hours.  My old, deteriorated joints were removed and my new, titanium joints were put in.  Overall, the surgery was a success.  My OMS told my mom that everything turned out better than expected and they even removed the metal guides and my teeth aren’t rubber banded to hold my jaw in place.  I was woken up out of anesthesia (I have a story about that, but I won’t post it here) and brought to recovery.  No drains or anything.

It was a relatively restless night as the hospital is so understaffed that they struggle to find time for their patients.  I needed anti-nausea and pain meds every four hours.  I would have to buzz the nurse who would give me my meds two or more hours late.  It was excruciating pain. 

Day 1 Post OP

                                                                      Not the most flattering picture-lol

The next morning, I had little to no voice and my lips were severely chapped.

I was sore from the shoulders up.

In addition, my neck was bruised.

I struggled to urinate because of the catheter.

I had horrendous hot flashed.

I had 80 external stitches on my face in four different sites, luckily my face wasn't bruised.
There are four separate incision sites (two on my face and two on my neck) 
Because of swelling, I couldn't open my mouth.  

                                                   

A tiny bit of my hair was shaved, but no one except me will notice.

At times, I was close to vomiting from the pain.

When the surgeon came to visit, I requested and received a pain pump, so I could be in control of my pain meds. 

I was on liquids and drank everything that was given to me.
I used an oral rinse instead of brushing my teeth.

Day 2 Post OP

After a discussion, I was taken off the pain pump and oxygen.  I felt more confident in regulating my pain. 

My parents and I (via a wheel chair and a driver) went to the surgeon’s office located on the other side of the hospital. 

They took really cool three-dimensional x-rays.  

                                                Here's the other side of my face!

Overall, he was pleased with the surgery and my progress.  He began discussing physical therapy.  

My face is currently frozen: I can’t lift my eyebrows, my right eye closes but my left one doesn’t, and I can’t smile.  Because my left eye doesn’t shut properly, my surgeon wants me to see the hospital’s ophthalmologist.

Day 3

This was the start of a change for me.  I was officially having no problems urinating and my lips weren’t as chapped.  The first thing I did was make my way over to the sink and find the toothbrush the hospital gave me.  Even though I was rinsing every day, my teeth where gross.  I fit the toothbrush awkwardly into my mouth and carefully brushed.  I went for walks around the hospital floor.

Day 4

It’s time to go home. 

The surgeon wrote me four prescriptions, one for Clindamycin, an anti-nasuea, Percocet, and an oral rinse.  My dad filled them before we left the hospital.

Finally, I walked from my room all the way to the other side of the hospital to see my surgeon.  He is pleased with everything. 

He explained my physical therapy exercises.  I must pay $300 to rent an Orabite, as it is not covered by insurance. 

He also informs me that the insurance has denied his claim and I can’t see the ophthalmologist.  He’s displeased.  Then we drive home. 

That night I walked once around my mom’s block and then relax.

My face is very swollen, and I swear that I look like Sloth from The Goonies.

                                            Day 4 after surgery-my swelling is at its worst

 Overall, the surgeries went well and now I'm healing.  I'm thankful every day that this is over.

People ask me if it hurt?  Of course it was painful, but I knew it was going to be before I had the surgery.  The first couple of days were the worst, and I have never felt pain like that before.  Luckily, I had been warned before the surgery, so I knew what it was going to be like.  

Showing Your Support

I know that most people expect my next blog post to be about the actual surgery, but it’s not.  That will be the content of my upcoming blog post.  So what could be more important than all the details of the surgery?  Well, it’s the support and love I felt by so many people.   Having a wonderful support group was imperative for my health and continuing recovery.  Do not underestimate the power or love and prayers, for those two entities can work wonders on your mind, body, and soul.

     1)I don’t care what you religion you are, you need religious support to help you through this.  It’s always comforting to feel enveloped in God’s love.

     For example, I attend Coral Springs Community Church and have a wonderful church family there.  The Sunday previous to the surgery, after the service, Pastor Bob called me to the alter and everyone came up to pray over me.  This was my first experience with this and it made me feel loved, blessed, and at ease.

Laurie contacted a church near the hospital I was at, and a woman(Erika) came by Monday night to pray and to see if we needed anything.

Also, the pastor and his wife came the day after my surgery with a beautiful bouquet of flowers.  I was grateful to see them, even though I don’t think I said a whole lot. 

In addition, countless people from the church text me often to let me know they are praying for me.  They have offered to prepare meals for my parents and/or anything else that is needed.  My parent’s church is also praying, and I believe several other churches. 

My mom's neighbors, Diane and Jim, gave me these flowers.  I was also added to their prayer list. They also brought me flan and rice pudding-Yummy :)

    2)The support of your family.  

     I’m incredibly lucky to come from a massive, loving family.  I am the youngest of 7, have 6 nieces and nephews, and 6 great nieces and nephews.  My parents have been together for 44 years and they come from large families as well.  My mom is the youngest of 7 and my dad is the middle of 7.  I have 50 cousins (we actually counted last year). 

                                      My parents-most of my brothers, my sisters, nieces, nephews, etc

My family called, texted, messaged every single day.  They not only wanted to see how I was doing, but also wanted to encourage me. 

Every day my parents sat at the hospital and acted as an advocate for me.  I didn’t have much of a voice, so they helped.  They relayed messages from the doctors to me (sometimes I just couldn’t remember).  They also read the messages from my friends and family to me every single day.  I might not remember what was said, but I know it happened. 

Now that I’m home, they help me with bandages, driving, and food. I'm very thankful for them.

   3) Hopefully your job will be supportive. 

     I teach at a local high school and needed to make sure that everything was covered.  This year I teach 11^th and 12^th grade English, which means two completely different curriculums. 

My bosses have been extremely supportive and sent me a get well soon card.  My colleagues/friends have been even more supportive.  They text me quite frequently to see how I am doing and they even sent me a beautiful bouquet of flowers.

Beautiful flowers from the English department-thank you

Beautiful Bamboo Plant from Sunshine

Also, many of my students have reached out to say they miss me and they hope the surgery went well.  I receive messages from them daily.

   4) Your friends need to be understanding and supportive.  

     My friends have been fantastic.  My phone was off for close to a week because it wasn’t a major priority for me after surgery.  Many of my friends circumvented this by reaching out to my mom.  They also became friends with her on Facebook.  Furthermore, Karlee made it easy for a majority of my friends to know what was happening by creating a thread (thank you). 

                                              Thank you Kristen :) I can't wait to see you

When I finally turned my phone on, I had well over 70 missed texts, many Facebook messages, etc.  It felt good to see how many people were actually on my side.

Friends have been coming to visit and I am thankful for that.  I’m bandaged and am not all that fun, but I try.

    5)I also had the support of my rescue family:  100+ Abandoned Dogs of Everglades Florida.  So if you are involved with any groups or organizations, make sure they are aware of what is going on.

They offered to help in any way possible.  There were several Facebook threads about my recovery, and my mom read them to me while I was in the hospital. 

Approximately two weeks before I had surgery, my mom and I were at the vet to walk the dogs when we noticed cage after cage of Yorkies being brought in to the exam rooms.  Fourteen Yorkies in all were saved from a breeder turned hoarder.  My mom fell in love with the four-year-old female and wanted to adopt her.  They held the dog for her, and the day after I got home from the hospital (Saturday), they even had Tiffany delivered to her house.  Tiffany has been a great addition to my parent’s furry family. 

Day four after surgery, I'm recovery at my parent's house and trying to comfort our new, scared rescue dog when she first arrived.  Yes, my face is fat and I'm carefully eating a bowl of mac and cheese.

6) If you don’t know how to meditate, learn. 

I meditated prior to surgery.  I blocked everything and everyone out and attempted to calm myself. 

I also meditate through the pain, which is much easier said than done.  I just focus on something in the room and block everything else out.  This actually helped me out the most. What am I thinking about at the actual time?  It might be nothing, it could be prayers, or it could be some sort of positive mantra.

Remember that meditation and prayer are closely intertwined.  You just need to practice and find what’s best for you.

  7) Find support groups and people who are similar to you.

   I am a member of TMJcure? and TMJHOPE on Facebook.

I  I have met several women who went through this same surgery and they kept in contact with me throughout my surgery process. 

   

    Be careful with these websites.  People can sometimes be negative and not helpful at all, but for the most part the are a valuable source of information and support.  It's comforting to meet people who are in a similar situation.

  8)  Obviously, I could not go through this process without the support of many doctors, surgeons, nurses, etc.  They were kind, helpful, and did a fabulous job with my jaw. 

Understanding, support, recovery time, and updates

I must admit that I am blessed to have so many understanding, supportive people in my life. 

What I have learned throughout this journey is not to be dismissive of someone else’s pain or struggle.  If a person feels up to sharing their journey, listen and ask questions.  Try to understand, but recognize that you never will fully get it unless you are in their shoes.

My family and friends are extremely supportive.  They show their love and encouragement when we spend time together, through texts, and phone calls.  They want to know what is going on.  They may not fully comprehend it, but they try.

The most challenging aspect of explaining my upcoming surgery is attempting to explain the recovery process.  I have read what other people have experienced after the surgery, so I have an idea of what it may be like.  People have said, “It’s the most horrendous pain I have ever felt.  At times I wished for death to take me away from the misery.”  Several people said something similar to this and almost everyone said they questioned whether they made the right decision or not.  Now, I recognize that sounds quite scary and pessimistic; however, when I specifically asked if they regretted the surgery almost all said no and then explained why.   For me, I prefer this prior knowledge.  It helps me prepare.  

The recovery for this is unique because it is your face, and most people don’t understand the amount of things you use your face for in a day:

1)    The length of time is approximately 3 months to at least a year.  Obviously, I’m hoping to recover quicker, but will do what the doctor orders.

2)    I will have physical therapy exercises I must do every day.  Even though I should not be wired shut, my jaw will be swollen shut, so I need the muscles to relax and in order to open again. I will have bars on my teeth with rubber bands that will hold my jaw in place.  I must wear them for 4-6 weeks.

3)    I will be on a soft/liquid diet for a long (long, long) time.

4)    It will hurt my face when I walk.  The best way I can explain this is that when you walk it causes vibrations throughout your entire body.  Why do women wear sports bras? The vibrations.

5)    It will probably hurt me to breath.  The swelling can press on a person’s sinus cavity and cause it to be painful when they breath.

6)    Hearing-some people report hearing problems.  Many people report tinnitus (ringing in the ears).  I already have a form of tinnitus.  

7)    Some people have vision problems.  Some people have difficulty closing one (or both) of their eyes. 

8)    Headaches-this is a given.   My face will be swollen and have stitches in it, so I will have horrendous headaches.  In addition, bones have been removed and replaced. 

9)    Swallowing-some people have reported great pain in swallowing that never goes away.  I can’t remember what causes this, but I believe it is a nerve.

10)  Hair loss-being under anesthesia can cause people to lose large amounts of hair.

11)  Teeth pain/sensitivity

12)    Facial paralysis-the muscles in my face might be frozen for a while. 

13)    I will keep my face upright and forward for awhile-I will not be able to tilt my head to read or anything like that.  I will not be able to bend over.  In addition, I will be sleeping propped up and not flat.

14)   Talking-I won’t want to do much of this
15) The sensory nerves are in the area where the incision is made, so I could feel face/neck numbness, tingling, or prickly.
16) Nerve pain-ugh.  That's all I can say about that.

The most supportive things my friends and family can do:

    1) Keep communicating with me (via phone calls, texts, social media)

    2)Come over for a smoothie night!  Lol

    3)When you do see me, please don’t hug me.  I won’t be offended.  In              fact, I’ll be grateful.  Sometimes people bump my face when they hug          me. Instead give me a high five or squeeze my hand.

   4) Don’t quit inviting me out-even if you know I can’t go.  It makes me            feel loved to be included. 

I just want to thank all of my friends and family for their continued support throughout this entire process.  I know this has been a lengthy process, but you all have stayed by my side throughout the entire time.  I know that I am blessed to have such supportive, loving, understanding people in my life.  I am forever grateful :)

Pre-surgery update

Also, I went to 1 dentist and several surgeons yesterday (5/3).  Most of the information I already knew. I did, however, find out that when they put me under Monday morning (5/8) at 6:30 am for the embolization, they will not wake me up until Wednesday (5/10).  I guess it's good because I will have no knowledge of either surgery and/or the stress that goes a long with it.  My parents will be there with me when they take me away for the embolization, but not for the TJR because the doctors will take me straight from my room to the OR.  They made it very clear to me that I will not wake up with any tubes in me because they will make sure I am asleep the ENTIRE time.  

This is my actual titanium jaw :)  They have arrived!

100+ Abandoned Dogs of the Everglades just rescued 14 Yorkies-This is my happy place!  My parents adopted one :) They will pick it up when I get home!