Surgery this Week!

My surgery is scheduled for this Wednesday, September 5th.  I have done a pretty decent job of not freaking out too much.  I think I've only had a couple of "I'm so scared I can't breathe" moments that I quickly fought back.  I have spent the last two months preparing myself and my family in every possible way for the coming weeks and months.  I didn't get every single thing done, but most of them, and we are in a good place.
As part of my preparation I decided to look into my chronic post nasal drip problem.  Long story short- I am allergic to 10 trees, 5 weeds, and dust mites. Nothing is wrong with my bone structure, nose, or sinuses.  The medicine doesn't help much, but it's something.  Allergy shots or alternative treatments may be in my future.  After my surgery I will not be allowed to blow my nose for 4 weeks or use my neti pot.  I'm a little nervous about that and praying that no colds come my way. So, after 3 doctor. visits for this problem, I'm still at square one with guck dripping almost constantly down the back of my throat, and other annoying side effects.
And I'm ready. I've got my blender.  I've got 5 pounds of Muscle Milk.  I have bran flakes, chia seeds, wheat germ, powdered milk, frozen tomato puree, spinach and fruit.

And the whole surgery is up in the air.  I met with the oral surgeon on Friday for the big meeting- the one where I got to ask my questions. He rescheduled it once because of a problem with an impression, which required an extra office visit for me.  His office called Friday morning and asked to reschedule again and I threw a polite fit.  I said I wanted my questions answered and I didn't want to wait any longer. They agreed that I could still come in to see him.  It's a good thing I did!  When I first was told I needed surgery, it was to expand my jaw.  During  the time I wore the mouth guard and got braces, my teeth have moved  in such a way that I've developed an open bite. This means that when I bite down my front teeth do not overlap at all.  There is a small gap.I cannot bite into food with my front teeth with any success.  I cannot break spaghetti noodles by biting into them.  I have to push soft food against my top teeth and bite harder food with my side teeth.  It's really annoying.  The oral surgeon is planning on fixing this by cutting through my upper jawbone and then shaving some off of the back, bringing the front forward so that I will be able to bite into food. This sounds great! But, that's all he was planning to do.  I asked about expansion.  You know, as in the expansion that three different orthodontists said I needed.  He said I don't need expansion, in his opinion.  He showed me on the model of my teeth.  I could see his point.  My back teeth do match up.  I'm not sure how the front is supposed to be, but he said it was fine.  I'm not even sure if my insurance will pay for it if he does decide to do it because he may have only received pre-approval for the open bite procedure.  The jaw expansion would require a few more cuts and a slightly different after care procedure. I don't really understand how we've been going along since April with this misunderstanding.

My orthodontist is out of the office until Tuesday.  The oral surgeon is out of the office too.  He's going to drive to the ortho first thing on Tuesday morning and have a chat with my orthodontist.  They will decide the fate of my mouth.  I have no idea what is going to happen, but I feel peaceful about it. Maybe I will have expansion, maybe I will not. Either way I'm having a three hour nasty jaw surgery.  Maybe the reason I felt compelled to wait was because I'm not supposed to have the expansion. I don't know.  I just know I feel right about using Dr. Urban.  I carefully selected my orthodontist and my oral surgeon and I am going to trust in their combined expertise.

My teeth will be rubber banded together for 6 weeks.  There's a chance that after a couple of weeks the rubber bands will be loosened and I will be able to open my mouth some.  There's a chance that won't happen.  It depends on if I get both procedures or not.  I do know I'm looking forward to Christmas.  I have another surgery scheduled in November- to fix my pre-existing condition that makes me ineligible for private health insurance.  That surgery will be a cakewalk compared to the jaw surgery- I hope so anyway.

In closing, lest you all feel depressed after reading this, let me conclude by saying that I know absolutely that this is the right course for me.  I feel so peaceful about it.  Yes, I also feel nervous and a little bit afraid, but mostly I feel like I am on the right path.  I am so grateful for all of my body parts that work correctly.  I try to remember how lucky I am that most of my body functions without pain.  My blessings are so vast they are embarrassing.  How many people in the world get 6 healthy, intelligent, fun children?  How many people live in a nice home with electricity, heat, air conditioning, plumbing, t.v., and other conveniences?  In a worldwide perspective, not many.  How many people are lucky enough to have the Gospel of Jesus Christ as a firm foundation for all trials in life?  I'm so fortunate.  I don't know why I have been blessed in mortality with so much more than many of God's children, but I do know that I have an increased responsibility because of my knowledge and blessings.  I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that he came to earth and atoned for our sins, that he died that we might be resurrected.  I know that the family is eternal. I know the things I need to do to return to Heavenly Father.  I am so blessed.  As much as this mouth trial has been difficult, it has given me many opportunities to learn and even some chances to bless other people.  I'm so grateful for the blessings that come from trials.  I hope to be up and blogging again soon!