Jaw Surgery Post Op

 So I got to my Post op Appointment early and prepared with questions.

1) I’ve started taking alpha lipoic acid for the tingling and hypersensitivity I get from nerve activity, what else can you suggest for helping the odds of getting total sensation back?

2) my bands have been breaking a lot, why do you think this is? Where can I buy them or get supplied with extras?

3) what jaw exercises should I be doing now?

4) What are some suggestions to better incorporate protein in my diet for this recovery, I absolutely hate protein shakes and as a vegetarian I have struggled my whole life with this issue.

5) in Germany it is routine to get the plates taken out before the bone fuses with the screws and hardware. If I elect to get this done without having a reaction, who do you recommend I see, if Kaiser won’t do it?

6) The interior stitches seem to have unraveled with the friction form swelling against the braces, will they need to be replaced?

7) how would the upper jaw surgery have changed the results for the better visually? Can I get a copy of the modeling I saw at the surgery?

8) when should I stop NSAIDS?

9) When should I stop sleeping at an elevation?

10) Do I still need to walk to avoid blood clots?

11) what kinds of exercises are acceptable at week 2-6 what weight limits?

12) what are your thoughts on using fajas? Or any compression of the face such as lying face down for a massage?

13) Do you approve of vibrating massage tools, microcurrent, red light therapy, for healing?

14) will the exposed sutures on my face dissolve on their own or need to be removed?

15) How much weight loss is too much?

16) having frequent ear issues, feel like I’m underwater and valsava technique won’t work, but eating and drinking it usually resolves by itself. When should I be concerned? 

17) should I continue to avoid using sonic face brush to exfoliate? Concern being bacteria transfer to exposed sutures?

18) I feel like I have Botox face, limited facial expressions like frowning, how long will it take to regain muscle motility?

19) Low energy and lethargy feeling, is that from the low appetite and diet? Concerns about how that will affect my work. I will be on intermittent fmla so I can let my higher ups know when my battery is feeling drained and I work from home, but is there vitamins etc. I should be taking beyond daily b12, multivitamins and alpha lipoic acid?

20) There was a point where I thought the jaw would be boxy after 8 days of icing my face, I’m glad I trusted the process and started to feel less regretful by day 9 post op..but are most jaw surgery results fairly subtle? Or do some people have facial dysmorphia afterwards. Does age factor into how fast you see the results?

21) Would my recovery period been longer if I had opted into upper jaw surgery and what are common issues that could have arisen from it? Had a lot of bloody oral discharge from lower, couldn’t imagine bleeding from nose too, while trying to breathe the my mouth.

Be prepared with any issue that has been annoying you or you have curiosities about. You will impress your doctor by your preparedness and efforts!