First Placement!

So I am now on my first hospital placement and it's totally nerve-racking! It's mainly been inductions etc but there is going to be a LOT of work to do. I'm stuck out in a remote hospital which has actually worked out really well, as all the staff etc are so helpful and chilled out compared to their inner-city counterparts. I think I'll be sad to go at the end of it all. My updates probably won't be too frequent, as there's no net connection in our accommodation. And that's not the only reason why it feels like we're living in the 80's - you should see the mismatched decor. I love it!

I met with my co-ordinator who is a lovely lady and told her about The Impending Surgery.. And it turns out that her brother had it done a few years back. It's amazing how many people come out the woodwork and tell you about friends/relatives/etc who have been through orthognathic surgery, and yet I never knew anyone in the same boat growing up. She proceeded to tell me what a huge difference it had made to his life, and that he used to cover it with a beard but is now so confident and outgoing. I was a bit disturbed that she may have been implying I'm neither of those things, but then realised it was my first day and I probably did come across that way as I was nervous as hell.

However, the long and short of it was that she was extremely supportive and assured me we'll be able to work around it and it won't be a problem.

So I guess the next step is my next ortho appointment next week, and will try and discuss it then. It'd be nice if my teeth are *actually* ready though...

Feels like things are in motion. Still exciting, but the nerves are starting to kick in as are the new anxieties... It will all be fine, I'm sure.

Tutor meeting

So after months of agonising, I finally got to meet my clinical tutor for the next few years...

... And he was a bit of an arse. Not that he is a bad guy, just super-busy and made it quite clear he's impossible to get hold of, which in my opinion is a pretty bad way to start out a pastoral role. I don't really see the point of getting involved if you don't really care and are looking around for other people to talk to. Still, I braved it and mentioned my upcoming maxfax journey.

He was a bit vague and unsupportive, but did say that someone had been through a similar surgery a couple of years ago and managed it. He did then mention that it'd be worth speaking to my year head, which was a good idea. I accosted said guy and basically deduced that what I had been thinking was probably going to be the least disruptive sequence of events. However, will need to run it by my placement co-ordinators next week when I meet them. There was a lot of talk of 'as long as you're not struggling with your work... we can make concessions...' No pressure then!

Am feeling generally a bit less lost though, and the sense of relief to *finally* talk to someone about it all got me choked up, although doesn't account for the foul mood that has set in over the last couple of weeks, due to various events. That will pass, I'm sure; will just get plenty of hugs. They always help. Virtual ones are appreciated too!

So next ortho appointment is on the 10th and should hopefully have spoken to the co-ordinator by then. I'll keep you all updated about whether things progress. Fingers crossed (although the fear is starting to creep in...)

Holiday!

Hi all,

Have just returned from the most amazing holiday, myself and some school friends went to Turkey for just over a week on a diving holiday. I qualified 3 years ago and haven't done any scuba diving since, but absolutely love it. So when one of my schoolfriends organised a trip, as he used to work there as an instructor in a previous life we all jumped at the chance.

A few of my friends did their PADI too and also fell in love with it, which makes the experience even better. The life was amazing, and the town was fantastic, and it was generally a good time, with one unforeseen problem..

As I said before it's been 3 years since I last dived, and my bite has changed since then. A lot. It was such a challenge keeping the regulator in my mouth, and it kept slipping out as well as ending up with a pretty sore TMJ from all the clenching. But then I got to thinking, will I be able to dive once I'm all fixed and healed?

Another question I hadn't thought of before yesterday on the way home: My passport doesn't run out til 2014, will I need to get a new picture before then when I have an entirely different face??? It's amazing, that despite the amount of time I spend thinking about not much else other than the surgery, I'm still finding questions and problems that I hadn't anticipated. It just goes to show, yet again, how life-changing this whole thing is!

Final Adjustment?

Had another adjustment yesterday, but only the top archwire. Apparently my pre-molars need their roots kicked outwards so my ortho bent the wire up accordingly and re-inserted it, so hopefully that will do the trick. I genuinely find it all very interesting and remarkably clever, so am always trying to get her to update me with what's going on.

So fingers crossed, this should be the final adjustment now. I have another appointment booked early October where we'll take some more snaps and assess whether or not the teeth are in the right place. But it looks as though I'll be ready for the Christmas break hopefully - it will all basically depend on how school goes, but hopefully by my next appointment I will have a better idea with how this term will pan out, seeing as it's all change now that I'll be on placement.

But potentially will be eating my Christmas dinner through a straw which amuses me no end! May have to have one before I go in for surgery - now that would be a great 'last supper'!

My ortho was also impressed at how much better my problem area of gum is - she hasn't really had any patients using a water pik but it sounds like it will be incredibly useful post-surgery to keep my mouth clean...

WaterPik and pictures

Thanks for all the helpful suggestions.. the area of my gum that wouldn't stop bleeding has now cleared up. I absolutely love my new WaterPik, so much so that a weekend away meant I only ended up desperate to use one on my return.. I DEFINITELY recommend using warm water if you have sensitive teeth (like me) - it's quite uncomfortable otherwise and almost painful. I got some orthodontic tips too, they are really useful for use after you've eaten/before you brush to get out the big chunks of food that are lodged in. I wouldn't say it was essential to have one, but they are pretty helpful. And the way I figure, I can carry on using it even after the de-bracing (though Lord knows that's a LONG way off yet...)

Not really anything to report brace-wise, still waiting for my next appointment and enjoying my time off (despite the English weather ruining my camping trips..) so I thought I would actually take the time to show my latest photos of my bite and how horrific it's gotten (although all the gaps have now closed up). They all show me biting down fully, even though it looks as though I have my jaws apart, this is just how large my crossbite is now. I think this is pretty much how they will stay until surgery; there aren't too many archwire changes left now I don't think. Still, we will see how it goes after the next ortho appointment.





Above photos: natural, and smiling (though not my full grin that I normally do without thinking!)




Closed bite.

It's odd, I used to hate the fact I had a 'big chin'. It's become ever-increasingly apparent now that I know what work I'm having done surgically is that a big part of it is how narrow the gap is between my top lip and nose. It's kinda scary to think about how much of a difference there will be, particularly in this region post-surgery. Really tough to envisage!

Gums..

So the party was a great success, a good time was had by all and the breakages/tears were down to a minimum... Finally got everything cleared up and now am settling into having a nice relaxed summer..

I E-mailed my tutor who told me the people who I'll need to be in touch with next year about surgery etc. She specified that once I know the date they'll be better-placed to advise me about exams etc. So I can see this going round in circles a bit. Still, she was very reassuring saying that every year lots of students get sick etc and they find ways to overcome it. Hmm. I guess I'll just have to wait until next term now, to see what the clinical tutors have to say, and what my ortho has to say at my appointment next month.

The last couple of weeks have been hell on my poor gums. No matter how much I brush and mouthwash the gums lining my bottom right teeth have been a complete state and look as though they are rotting, and bleed all the time. Perhaps I've not been eating enough fruit. So I reached the end of my tether today and ordered a WaterPik seeing as some of you fab blogfolk love them so much. I just want my mouth to stop tasting so foul 10 minutes after I've brushed. So will let you know how it goes when it arrives!

Otherwise all pretty quiet on the orthodontic front. I don't think there's a whole lot of movement left, so my teeth are pretty much in the position they're gonna be for a while now. I'll take some pics soon and put them up.

Post-exam anti-climax

Wow, it has been a long while since my last update.. but guess my time got swallowed up preparing for my exams, and besides all was fairly quiet on the ortho front. Find out the results on Thursday, so fingers crossed!! I couldn't bear it if I had to go back to the books for the resits... Not going to think about it...

So today was my 25th birthday. The second birthday I have been wired up. And am feeling pretty lousy (usual for this time of year, not usually quite as bad though). I voiced my concerns with my ortho with regards to the fact that my Christmas holiday consists of 2 weeks off followed by exams. As does every holiday for the next year. Not ideal candidates for surgery time, needless to say. She kept trying to hint that it wasn't an emergency, and that I could wait as long as I needed but it's so hard to try and put across how big a deal it is having to live the way I am now, and that I can't really keep on like this for more than a few months. So, basically I am going to have to email my tutor and find out what the deal is with the school. It's a complete headache, frankly.

On the flip side I did something incredible today and actually donated blood. Now that might not sound like a big deal, but anyone who knows me would tell you that I completely go to pieces at the mere thought of blood donation. But I plucked up the courage today, and it really wasn't so bad.

So generally speaking am just feeling a bit numb and depressed. We're throwing the party on Saturday so am hoping that will cheer me up a little but am not feeling too hopeful, especially knowing how many folks have bailed on me already. Ah well, there will be a good crowd there and plenty of silly costumes to make up for it!!