Surgery

[ZenFrost]

Note: I'm posting this in the FTM forum because this is where I hang out most and is the only place where anyone might notice I'm gone.

I haven't been on here much lately (in case you've noticed) and will continue to not be on here much for a while because I'm having major surgery next week. And now I'm going to answer all the questions that people usually ask me about it (skip this all if you aren't interested):

No, it's not gender related. It's double jaw surgery. Basically, they're going to break all the bones in my face and then bolt them back together, throw in some bone grafts, and then wire my jaws shut for several months. Total recovery time will be a year but I should be able to eat almost normally by the end of October, as long as there aren't any complications. And yes, it's going to make my face look different, not that any of you know what I look like...

I've been busy lately getting pre-surgery stuff done (I had to donate my own blood twice so I can recieve a transfusion immediately after the surgery) which is mostly doctor appointments and various tests. Also, I'm very annoyed with the surgery because they changed the date twice and created a HUGE amount of trouble for me, TWICE.

The main reasons I need the surgery are 1. The bones in my jaws line up in a way that will create a serious problem by the time I'm 50 so should get corrected now to spare the trouble, and 2. My airway is much, much smaller than it's supposed to be and moving my jaws will fix that. Braces alone can't fix the problem, as I've discovered after wearing them for 7 years only to find they didn't do anything.

I'm going to have to go to California for the surgery, and I'll be staying a couple days in the hospital and a couple weeks at a special recovery place there. I'm bringing my computer but I'll be pretty doped up on pain meds to use it for a while. I'll try to check the forum when I can, but I can't promise anything. Sorry for not being around but it can't be helped. I'll let you guys know how it goes.

P.S. Wish me luck...

[kerrianna]

:eek: owwww! That sounds grueling Zen!

I wish you the best dude. Here's to a smooth surgery and a full and speedy recovery. Keep your spirits up through the tough times, you will be in better shape at the end of it all.

We'll put the brownies in a blender for you. Keep in touch if you can - if not we understand. And know that we will be thinking about you and wishing you a full recovery.
Take care Zen. :hugs: :love:

[GACountrygal]

Wow, sounds like a case of TMJ.
Hope the surgery goes well, and you have a fairly pain free recovery!!!
Take care and get lots of rest!!!:hugs: :hugs:
Nic

[deniedtoo]

wow. That does sound like a lot to go through, but it seems you have tried the alternative. Good luck, and speedy recovery :hugs:

Denied

[bi_weird]

Wow man, that's intense. I've had a couple of friends go through jaw surgery, but nothing that crazy. I wish you luck with that, and I'll be thinking happy thoughts for you. Hope all goes well!

[pocoyo]

Aawwwww Poor Zen :(

Sounds like it's going to be a bit of a rough time, but I know you can get through it dude :hugs: .

We will be thinking of you and sending loads of positive vibes.

I will be looking forward to seeing you posting again! So we know you're feeling better!

Awwwwww Good luck matey. :itsok:

http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/6403/zentreeqy9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Hurry up and get back! :love:

[Tristan]

Awww, Zen, that sounds so brutal. I hope the pain meds are awful good so you can sleep it up and heal. Hope the recovery and the surgery goes extremely well for you. We'll have the rum and brownies ready for when you are back and feeling better again.

[Felix]

Hi Zen no worries man just get ya self better and sorted and worry about us later! It will be great when ya feel up to it to see ya pop in and let us know how ya gettin on. Ya will be missed Hun. Take care now xx Felix :hugs: :hugs:

[suzy]

Hi Zen,

I will be praying for your speedy recovery....:hugs: Please do try and stay in touch to the extent that you are able to!:love:

[Adam]

hope it all goes well for you

[CaptLex]

Sorry to hear you have to go through such an ordeal, Zen. I'll be thinking about you and wishing you well. I hope everything goes smoothly - with the least amount of pain and the quickest recovery time possible. Looking forward to seeing you back and hearing about how everything went. Take care, dude. :hugs:

[mylitta]

Ouch!
Hope all goes well for you.

Look after yourself. xx

[Annaliese]

Good luck I just had Back Surgery 5 weeks ago doing well I hope everything goes well.

Anna

[Question Mark]

Ow. Good luck with that. I'm sure that everything'll go okay.

[Sharon]

Geez, this sounds like an arduous ordeal, not to mention painful, but I'm sure it will be well worth it.

Good luck to you, Zen!:hugs:

[Tamara Croft]

Good grief :eek: Good luck with it all :hugs:

[RevMoonSerpent]

Good luck with the surgery and I'll keep you in my thoughts for a quick recovery. :hugs:

[MJ]

Zen i wish you all the best , my thoughts for a quick recovery
huggs marissa

[flatlander_48]

Best Wishes for a Speedy Recovery!

[AllieSF]

Hey Zen,

I hope you have been eating everything and anything that you like. It should be like fattening the hog for slaughter. Except in your case, it is so that you can use it as an excuse to do something drastic like a stomach bypass or wire your jaw shut just to lose the fat while you can only drink liquids.

I am in the SF Bay Area, so you can PM me if you will be hospitalized in this area. If you want, I can come to visit to make you laugh. Nothing like being in a sh**ty situation and then someone makes you laugh. I know you can only giggle, but that is cool too. Will they do a nose job and tummy tuck too?

May God bless you and help you deal successfully with the long recovery period. Keep you chin up, your mouth closed and keep in touch.

:hugs:

[ZenFrost]

Thank you all for wishing me luck. I'm pretty anxious about the whole thing because it's such a big deal. Well, I gotta go work on packing my bags because I'm leaving tomorrow. TTFN.

[happyfish]

You probably won't read this in time, but good luck!

[ZenFrost]

This is the first time I've felt well enough to turn on my computer since the surgery so here's a update (for anyone who wants to know).

The operation (double jaw surgery, if you remember) was on April 18th at noon and lasted five hours. I stayed overnight at the hospital and went home the next morning. The doctor said it went well except for one complication, one of the main nerves in my face was severed. Hopefully it will grow back so I can have sensation and mobility of that area. It'll be numb and not entirely functional for perhaps years or more. My jaw is wired shut (that's no fun) so I can only eat liquids. This will continue for several months. Another slight problem with the surgery is that there is a very sharp piece of metal poking through the roof of my mouth. The doctor said he'd work on that in a week, but for now it stabs my tongue when I try to swallow.

I also reacted badly to the antibiotic they gave me and needed two trips to the ER (one at 1:00am) and I haven't been able to take any pain meds due to severe nausea. This past week has not been fun. But the worst is over (hopefully) and I should be getting better. There's still pain, swelling, bruising, and numbness, which will take a while to go away. Total recovery time is 1 year. I also seem to be having trouble sleeping (more so than usual) so that's a bit of a problem.

I'll be going home (I'm in California in a recovery house) in a little over a week. That's all for now.

[bi_weird]

Wow, that's intense. Bet you're glad that at least it looks like the worst is over...sorry that so much bad stuff happened! *BIG HUG* I made a special surprise for you: liquifed brownies! I've been practicing them, and borrowing some magic from Harry Potter, and everyone says they taste better than my normal brownies! I'll talk to Harry and see if I can't get some anti-pain magic put into the brownies...
Hope you start feeling better soon!

[Question Mark]

Ack, that sucks. Get well soon!

[GACountrygal]

hope they get that metal piece figured out!!
Thanks for lettin us know how you're doin!!
Hope things get better enough for you to get a good bit of sleep!!!
Hopefully soon you can have some ice cream :heehee:
Nic

[pocoyo]

Awwwwwww Zen poor thing *hug*
I'm so glad it's over now though and that you have got through the worst bit and now just need to concentrate on getting better.
Awwww it sounds like it was rough dude. I hope they get that metal bit sorted out soon.
Dude... well done for being so brave :hugs:

I hope you are feeling much better soon :happy:

[Shelly Preston]

Hi Zen

Glad the major surgery is over but it still sounds horrendous

GET WELL SOON :love:

:hugs: :hugs: :hugs:

[CaptLex]

Thanks for the update, Zen, I've been wondering how things were going. Sounds like it's still a terrible ordeal - especially with that metal thing and the reaction to antibiotics. Wish things were better, but I hope they will be soon. Get well soon, dude. We're all pulling for you. Big hugs and lots of positive vibes. :bighug:

[Tristan]

Awww Zen sounds rough, glad your surgery is over. Hope you are feeling better soon.