I was admitted to hospital on Monday the 19th March 2007 and went in for surgery on Tuesday the 20th March 2007 about 2 and a half years after starting orthodontic treatment.

The hospital staff were lovely. I had my own room and bathroom which was really handy! After being shown the ward etc i tried to calm my nerves by getting to grips with the hospital TV/Internet thingy. Finally i managed to get some sleep.

Day of the operation

Up nice and early! ug. My operation was scheduled for 9am that morning so i had to be in pre-op by 8am. The hospital gown was gorgeous as ever v. stylish! Walked down to the theatre with the ward nurse my stomach flipping over. The only time i felt like Bolting in the other direction was when i was wheeled on the trolley into the anaesthetic room!

I remember the anaesthetist putting the vent in the back of my hand and my blood pressure being taken (for the first of many times!) and even joking with him. I had the mask put over my face while another needle was being put in and then that was it!

They say you very rarely remember waking up in the recovery room but i vaguely do. I could breathe quite comfortably through my mouth and i can remember having a breathing tube loosely round my nose. I was propped up on the trolley and had a nurse by my side telling me to move my feet around! I didnt feel that bad at all and was just glad it was all over. The only thing i had done in recovery was the nurse using the suction tube in my mouth after i asked her to. There was nothing there i was just a little paranoid! I came back up from recovery apparently without an IV drip so i must have done something right!

 I must have fallen back to sleep as i discovered i was in recovery for about 2 hours. The entire operation took about 3 and 1/2 hours.

The next thing i remember is waking up in my room back on the ward and being introduced to the nurse who was looking after me for the next 8 hours. She was such a godsend that night! I had a little suction tube that i could use, a wipeboard i could write on to communicate and water to sip through a straw (even though i was connected to a drip by this point). Most of that night involved being woken up to have my blood pressure taken and to have very glam ice packs attached to my cheeks. I had no pain (probably because i was still loving the morphine!) and no aches.

Day 2

The next day i managed to walk to the bathroom and get a look in the mirror. I felt a little rough because of the little sleep i did manage to get was interrupted and it was uncomfy sitting up to sleep but other than that i was so glad i was into recovery time and not the other side of things again! I was really swollen but even then i could get a look at my profile and smile inside!

The worse part wasn't even anything to do with my jaw! The drip in the back of my hand hurt the most. It sounds silly doesn't it!

It was great to have my parents and boyfriend coming to see me the day after the operation but frustrating that i couldn't talk as much as i wanted! haha! Better for them though!

I wasn't banded or wired shut so the doctors encouraged me to talk as much as i could to exercise the jaw. This proved easier with practise. The most exhausting thing was eating. When presented with a bowl of porridge and a cup of tea the morning after my operation i felt like crying! I wasn't hungry but at the same time i hadn't realised i hadn't eaten for 2 days! It took me over an hour to finish it but it felt good that i had conquered the first meal! In the evening i poked at hospital style soft food but felt exhausted after a couple of mouthfuls. I concentrated on drinking water and tea to keep my fluids up so i could go home. That night in hospital i only woke up once in the middle of the night to get comfy again and to have blood pressure taken, other than that i was ok.

I was on strong painkillers, liquid antobiotics and liquid steroids for the swelling. I had the choice of extra paracetamol but i really didnt need them.

Day three

In the morning the doctors came round and said i could go home! Wahey! They were impressed that i felt so good and that the swelling was already going down. They fitted me with two bands (both attached to my incisors) connecting my top jaw to my bottom jaw merely just to take the weight off my muscles trying to restrengthen themselves.

I went for xrays and then to the orthodontic clinic to get discharged. After being shown how to take the bands off myself to clean things at home and being poked by the orthodontist i was discharged two days after being admitted.

And that was it. I ventured home alongside a packed lunch of drugs next to me in the car!