I found out that I had a malocclusion where my upper and lower teeth were overlapping when I had a dental checkup in my first year of high school. This was the reason why I ate longer than others, food (especially on slippery surfaces) would fall out through the gaps in my teeth, and I had severe indigestion. ㅠㅠ
I thought it would be resolved with orthodontic treatment, but all the dentists I consulted said that they were surgery cases, so I was at a loss. ㅠㅠ
I never even thought about surgery. However, I really didn’t want to live the rest of my life like this, and I also had functional problems, so I started considering surgery.
I joined a cafe, searched YouTube and the internet, and narrowed down to a few oral and maxillofacial surgery clinics that were not plastic surgery clinics. One of them was Y Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, where I had the surgery!
I liked the fact that the guardians could view the CCTV in real time during the surgery and that the director only performs one surgery a day. In addition, it was convenient to be able to receive orthodontic treatment in one place, and I thought the director and the orthodontist would be able to communicate smoothly. The directors were all very kind, and in particular, the director in charge of me was kind and quick to respond whenever I contacted him, and he took care of me even after the surgery!
During the consultation, the director explained clearly why I was a surgery case based on the test results such as X-rays, CT scans, and oral photos, and did not recommend unnecessary parts (such as clowns). The director said, “This is a case where surgery will be effective, and I don’t think I will be criticized after the surgery.” I felt confident from the director’s calm voice and soft speech. However, that doesn’t mean that he will make me pretty like a celebrity unconditionally. Although the cosmetic aspect is important, the functional issue is more important! Even though the consultation was long because I had a lot of questions, he answered all my stories with sincerity without showing any sign of exhaustion. That's why I trusted the director and had the surgery at Y!
I attached the orthodontic device bracket to my lower teeth on 3/2 and had the surgery on 3/18. Originally, the surgery was scheduled for June after the missionary correction, but due to personal circumstances, the surgery was brought forward. Since I was originally a case that could undergo surgery first, I was able to bring up the surgery schedule. Not everyone can undergo surgery first! You have to receive a direct consultation to know!
During the pre-surgery consultation, he showed me pictures of a model he made of my oral structure to explain the plan. I told him that I wanted to improve my lower jaw, which was heavy and protruding and angular, although I had some asymmetry, and I brought pictures of my desired face shape. I had bimaxillary and 2 types of contouring (square jaw, chin)!
I arrived at the hospital by 9:30, unpacked my bags in the hospital room, changed into my clothes, filled out the consent form for the surgery, consulted with the director, washed up, gargled, and finished all the pre-surgery procedures before going into the operating room a little after 10. I went in on my own two feet and laid down on the operating table, shaking like crazy... The doctors in the operating room laid me down properly, gave me an injection, and told me that my arm would be sore. They told me to breathe with the oxygen mask. I don't remember anything after that, not even closing my eyes. ㅋㅋㅋ When I opened my eyes, I was lying on the hospital bed, and the nurse woke me up, telling me not to sleep. I was barely able to keep my eyes open, fighting off the drowsiness, when the director came and told me that the surgery went well. The surgery took about 3 hours, and I don't remember exactly, but I think he said that I didn't bleed much. I couldn't drink or sleep until 8:00, and I had to just breathe. I don't know how time passed. The only things that hurt were sore jaw muscles, a swollen throat, and a stuffy nose. My butt also hurt... I think the nights were especially hard. It was cold and throbbing ㅠㅠ I think I slept for 10 minutes, woke up, and repeated it. The pain wasn't bad enough to be bothersome, but it was really hard to breathe. It was more like discomfort and difficulty than pain or ache!
<3/19, 2nd day after surgery>
At around 9:30, I had the blood tube, nose tube, and urinary catheter removed, and I got laser treatment for swelling and met the director. He asked how my condition was and put a wafer on my maxilla. He told me to go around the hospital if my condition was okay. It definitely got better after the hoses were removed, especially the urinary catheter ㅠㅠ It was much easier to sit down after they removed it.
And I saw my face for the first time and I was so satisfied. The swelling wasn't that bad and I really liked the lines. Even though it was swollen, I could see that my face had gotten smaller. The right side was more swollen, but I think it's because my right side is bigger and longer and I also had my wisdom teeth removed during the surgery. I
had to start eating slowly, but Newcare actually went down better than water. Maybe because it was sweet and thick, it didn't go down my throat right away but went down slowly. Water was rough and went down too quickly, so I was afraid it would get stuck in my throat ㅠㅠ It was my first meal after the surgery, and I drank an entire bottle of Newcare.
During the day, I went around to improve my condition and I was okay because I had a guardian with me, but at night, I didn't have a guardian and it was dark. My breathing got more difficult, so it was scary and difficult ㅠㅠ Still, the nurses came right away when they called me and gave me medicine, so I survived. At this time, I had a low fever, so I felt hot and cold. They changed the cold compress every two hours, so I barely managed to bring my fever down and slept for an hour.
<3/20, the third day after surgery, the day of discharge>
I got laser treatment for the swelling at 9:30 and had the Ringer's needle removed. After packing and waiting, the director came and told me to practice aligning my occlusion with the wafer and not to be too surprised because the swelling would continue. Fortunately, they only put the wafer on my maxilla and didn't fix it, so I was able to breathe well. The nurse explained all the post-surgery care to me the night before, so I was discharged safely after receiving a discharge kit with a compress and gauze.
When I got home, my mind was at ease, but my body was uncomfortable. I had a recliner, but it was not as good as a hospital bed, and I had to do everything myself, so it was hard, especially applying a hot pack frequently at night. ㅠㅠ Anyway, 1 hour was the limit, so I slept for 1 hour, changed the hot pack, and slept again, and repeated this. I kept the humidifier on and used tissues to blow out the mucus little by little. I held out like that at night, and it was similar during the day. I ate Newcare, The Dan Protein, orange juice, and Gatorade in turns, and I also took medicine. When I felt a little swollen, I rode an indoor bike really gently for 10 minutes each time.
<3/21, 4th day after surgery>
It was crazy swollen... My palate and uvula were swollen to the point where it was hard to swallow saliva. ㅠㅠ At that time, I had a little jaw muscle pain, but it wasn't bad. Rather, the pressure pain due to the swelling was worse. On top of that, my nose was blocked, so I thought my face was going to burst. But I thought it would get better if I kept using my throat, so I drank a lot and took my medicine regularly. When I ate, I always drank water and Hexamedin. I gargled and walked a bit from my room to the living room using a hot pack and water as an excuse. I didn't have the courage to go out and take a walk ㅠㅠ
At night, I felt swollen and it hurt, so I took Tylenol ㅠㅠ The hospital told me not to use Otrivin a lot, so I didn't use it at all, but when I tried it once because I thought I was going to die, it cleared up a little. Thanks to that, I slept for two hours at a time, and I think I slept for three hours at the end.
<3/22, 5th day after surgery>
The swelling was worse, but my condition was better than before. Maybe it was because of the Otrivin, but my nose was about 50% clear, so I could breathe through my nose occasionally. When I woke up in the morning, I bravely prepared and ate a meal by myself (even though it was just Newcare and The Dan Protein), and took medicine. I gargled, changed the ice pack, ventilated the room, and spent time watching Netflix. The pain got worse at night, so I took painkillers.
<3/23, 6th day after surgery>
I slept really well, even drooling. Although I slept for three hours and woke up repeatedly, the quality of my sleep is getting better day by day. ㅋㅋㅋ When I woke up, my face felt like it was going to burst, so I dragged my heavy body through the living room, ate breakfast, and took my medicine. Then I squatted down by myself and took a shower. When I washed my hair, I tilted my head back too much because my jaw would hurt if I tilted it back too much. So I just tilted it back a little and washed it. My long hair felt quite heavy when it was wet. ㅠㅠ I barely did it by grabbing my hair. ㅋㅋㅋ Even though I did it while sitting, my body was so tired and I was out of breath... ㅠ I took a nap and bought some sweet red bean porridge and ate it. The sweet red bean porridge went down so well. I totally recommend it! I tried cutting the rice cake and eating it, but it was just tiring and didn't seem to fill me up, so I just took it out and ate it. It's clear that the swelling got better after walking a bit. It was hard to walk slowly for 30 minutes. I still had some pain, stuffy nose, runny nose, and phlegm, and yellow bruises appeared.
<3/24, 7th day after surgery>
The phlegm and swelling were less, so my breathing was okay. Usually, I can't sleep and it's hard even at 8 in the morning, so I force myself to wake up early, but on this day, I slept well from 1 to 10, waking up once or twice in the middle. My diet consisted of Newcare, The Protein, Misutgaru, banana + ground blueberries, and custard in rotation. I highly recommend eating custard rolls! It melts and goes down well. It's not castella bread, it's Orion custard sold at the market! I changed the compress to a warm compress, and I wore the Ttaenggi-mi as much as possible except when I gargled after eating.
<3/25, 8th day after surgery>
I could see the swelling going down! My lower lip was returning to its original shape, and the side of my philtrum also sank a bit. I’m not sure about my cheeks yet, lol. My bruises have gotten more yellow. My nose is 80% pierced! I just
ground up anything I could eat. I didn’t season it! I ground up bananas, blueberries, pumpkin, tofu, boiled eggs, and things like that and ate them. Just so they wouldn’t irritate me! I had been dieting before the surgery, so it wasn’t hard to hold back on food, but I really wanted to exercise. ㅠㅠ I lost about 3kg compared to before the surgery, but I thought it was because I lost water and muscle, not body fat, so I was going crazy. ㅠ My skin is dry and flaky… I feel like my hip volume is also dying because I keep sitting. ㅠㅠ But if I do aerobic exercise (walking, cycling), my eyes get dark whenever I sit down, so I just stand there with my hands on the wall and stare blankly… ㅋㅋㅋ Instead of doing specific exercises, I replaced them with daily movements like gargling while standing, preparing meals, and doing housework.
<3/26, 9th day after surgery>
My lower lip has completely returned to its original shape! The swelling is gradually going down, and I think it's true. The eye area is almost gone, but the middle part still remains a little. I don't have a stuffy nose or any pain. It's still swollen and I can't eat, so other than feeling dizzy, there's nothing difficult. When I spit out phlegm, blood clots come out, and I'm surprised every time I spit it out... ㅋㅋㅋ I sleep mostly lying down now, with my head raised about 30 degrees! I must have been tense for a few days without realizing it, because my shoulders and trapezius muscles are so stiff and sore ㅠㅠ I want to stretch, but I can't because it hurts when I lower or tilt my head ㅠㅠ I can't straighten my right arm out straight... It's numb and I can't straighten it at all, so if it's severe, I'm going to go to the hospital ㅠ And when I lie down to sleep, my chin is pushed back, and my teeth are hanging on the wafer, so my teeth take all the weight of my chin and it hurts a lot ㅠ It wasn't like that before, but I suddenly felt the weight and it hurt.. ㅠ
<3/27, 10th day after surgery, first outpatient visit>
I went to my first outpatient clinic! I received laser treatment for swelling, and the director checked my condition, removed the wafer, and disinfected the surgical area. I also saw the X-rays before and after the surgery, and the difference was huge. They were almost symmetrical and clean. I was happy that I could now attach and detach the wafer when eating, and brush my teeth with a Waterpick and a baby toothbrush!! As soon as I got home, I took out the wafer, ate, and brushed my teeth refreshed. I also cleaned the wafer thoroughly!! I felt much more refreshed ㅠㅠ I didn’t have to use a rubber band or anything like that!
<3/28 11th day after surgery>
The swelling on my double chin has gone down a lot! I think the bruising is also starting to fade. Since I felt like I wasn’t moving at all, I ate every meal and climbed the stairs. Climbing stairs raises your heart rate more than walking leisurely, so I think the swelling goes down well in a short period of time. It’s also a butt workout! I didn't get dizzy because I didn't climb for a long time. It felt good to work out for a short while because it felt like I was working out for a long time. I want to work out soon. ㅠㅠㅠㅠ Health Pilates, Stairway to Heaven dance... I worked out 6 times a week, but I'm dying because I can't even do simple squats or planks. My body is stiff. ㅠㅠ It was an unexpected hidden danger... And I didn't feel it before, but my jaw often feels unstable. When I tilt my head from side to side to gargle, I can feel my jaw moving when I lie down. It hasn't even been 2 weeks yet, so I thought it was natural and was careful. I don't feel anything in my lips, around my lips, left jaw, upper gums, or roof of my mouth. ㅠ I'm a little worried, but when I try to sleep at night, it feels itchy, so I think time is the cure.
<4/1 Surgery 15 days (exactly 2 weeks)>
The swelling is going down little by little and the bruising is fading!
I am eating non-chewable foods like beverages, bread that dissolves well in liquids, and yogurt (I started eating dairy products after finishing antibiotics!) because the wafer is detachable, and I am not eating spicy foods because the stitches are not removed yet! Even the toothpaste tastes a bit spicy, so I don’t think I can eat spicy foods even if I want to ㅠ I have lost about 5kg compared to before the surgery! It’s not body fat, but I think it’s water, swelling, and muscle loss ㅋㅋ ㅠㅠ I sleep mostly lying down now, but I’m not completely lying down yet, but I sleep slightly upright.
I don’t have any major discomfort other than dizziness because I can’t eat well, and the stitches hurt sometimes! I just hope the swelling goes down quickly ㅠㅠ I don’t know because I look at my face every day, but my family says that my face has gotten smaller and my impression looks kinder even though it’s still swollen! They say it looks like I’m smiling even when I’m not smiling ㅎㅎ I think my mouth has also changed to a smile! The first week was so hard that I regretted the surgery, but time really does heal ㅠㅠ It’s not a lie that it gets better day by day! Looking at my changed face, I think I would go back and get the surgery again lol
This is the end of the 2nd week review! I can answer all your questions except for the cost of the surgery, so if you have any questions, please leave a comment!! Please contact the hospital for inquiries about the cost of the surgery!
SUNGYESA
