Hello Everyone!
I am sorry for being MIA for so long and giving no updates. As for my TMJ surgery- ya girl is 100% good! Dr. Piper did bring up the option of a sliding genioplasty. He said it was not absolutely necessary, but it would make my airway bigger and reduce my chances of getting sleep apnea, PLUS I would get a chin (that balanced out my face) out of the deal... so I mean why would I say no?
I did receive this surgery in July 2018, so a little over a year ago and I am very satisfied with the results. I will break down how this surgery works down below.
The Sliding Genioplasty
So, once again I would like to preface that this was a completely optional surgery for me. I chose to go through with it because it would increase my quality of life then and in the future.
This surgery concept-wise is very simple. The way the sliding genioplasty works is Dr. Piper will take measurements to see where the best placement for the chin will be in regards to the structure of your face. The procedure is only about 1 1/2 hours long. He will make an incision on your bottom gums, where you can't even see them, then they will saw the bone in half and slide it forward to the recalculated measurements and anchor the bone in the place. You also don't have to wear that beautiful mouth piece!
Simple right?
Unfortunately for me, Florida has passed a new opioid law to where a patient (who isn't a chronic pain patient) can only get 3 days worth of pain medications, and if necessary- a 4 day acute pain extension. Let me tell how bad this sucked. I am not going to sugar coat the situation, but this surgery was much more painful the the TMJ surgery, which was surprising to me. My post-op experience was also quite interesting. In the PACU, I was in tachycardia and I overheard one of the nurses when I came around for short second that I chocked on my own blood. Lovely. This surgery actually sucked. This is of no fault of Dr. Piper and his team, they were magnificent as always... but man. I would also like to note this. My nurse for this surgery was one of the best nurses I have ever had. I had a little fashion show with the TED hose she gave me. I was not "anxious" about the surgery or anything, but she really calmed my nerves and made me forget what was about to happen to my face.
ANYWAY
Though getting through the surgery was an extremely rough process, I felt an almost immediate difference in my airway. I feel like I can pass more are through my airway and my breathing episodes decreases a ton! Also, this surgery gave be a confidence boost because now I am satisfied with my side profile and my face in general.
This surgery is not for everyone. I would not recommend doing it unless you need to. My main reasoning for doing this surgery was for my airway, the side profile was just a bonus.
Once again, if any of you have any questions, you can go to my previous post and I have my Facebook linked. Feel free to shoot me a message if you have any questions.
This will probably be my final post, so I hope if you are taking this journey that all will go perfectly!
All the best,
Olivia Fulton
