A Little Over a Month....

So I went to see my orthodontist on September 14th, and not only was she shocked by how quickly my teeth had spread apart, but so was everyone else there! Goes to show how well and quick everything was working. She said I was ready for braces, but she didn't have anything available on her clinic days for three more weeks. I was disappointed and obviously so was she, because she asked If I could hang around and she would get at least the front braces on, because if she were me she wouldn't want to walk around with the huge gap that I had either. Below is the last pictures of the gap before the braces were put on....

I rescheduled and moved some of my customers around so I could stay and hopefully get the front braces put on. My orthodontist I got assigned to is awesome, funny, stylish and great at what she does. I am so lucky to have been able to do this journey with her because she has been there through everything. She worked her tail off in between other patients to make sure all of my braces were put on. I was so ecstatic, the process of getting that gap closed had begun. It took a little adjusting, but compared to surgery and widening my palate, this was nothing. They put a special band on the front teeth to brng the gap together within a few weeks, it is moving slowly but definitely making progress. And now that I have braces on people are thinking less of having lost a tooth in the front!! Hahaha!

In the past 2 weeks I have been able to eat more solid food by cutting it up and chewing with my back teeth. Gosh how I have missed food that isn't mushy :) This past week I was asked if I was ready to try to sing again at church, I was hesitant at first but was very eager to at least try. Not only would I be singing, but 3 songs, one of them which was new and I had to learn. I got the cd on Sunday and practiced as much as I could. Practice was last night and it couldn't have gone better! I was worried about the lisp I still have because of the gap and palate expander and braces but God must want me back up there, so I am hoping and praying Sunday goes as well as practice did. It may be hard being in front of that many people with the gap not yet closed but I am as ready as ever to get my sing on!

So all in all things are going great and I couldn't be more thankful....for family, friends, work, and life in general. I am so blessed and happy right where I am at this moment. Below is the most current picture of me with braces....

One Week!

So just one week ago today I was laying in the hospital bed at University of Maryland waiting for them to tell me I could go home because surgery had gone well and I was doing good considering. This week has had it's ups and downs but I am so glad I am doing this regardless of the painful times, restrictions, or moments when I feel like I don't look like me. It will all be worth it in the end, and this gap that gets bigger everyday during the widening of my palate is only temporary, even if I have to repeat that to myself multiple times in a day. I woke up this morning and it was a another beautiful morning, as the whole weekend has been gorgeous! I drove up to honeygo park and walked for about 45 minutes. I was told I can walk, ride a bike, and stuff but nothing strenuous yet. So started off today with a nice walk, and really enjoyed it. Then I went with Gina, Rocco and Gemma to go see Grandpa, then go to the State Fair for a little bit. It was fun, but really crowded. I managed to slurp some sloppy joe down without the roll and drink an icee, which isn't your best state fair food but it was more than I thought I was going to eat :) It's been a really nice day, just tired because it's the most I've done in over a week. Just going to relax the rest of the evening and maybe watch some movies. Back to work tomorrow!

Sunday!

So I woke up with a little pain this morning, but I went through the night without any pain medicine, so I took some when I woke up and applied ice to the parts that were sore and it quickly went away. The swelling gets less and less every day. Turning the palate expander can be a little difficult at times and causes a little aching in my jaw and a headache, but it's working. This gap in between my front teeth sure is getting wider everyday and it's only been two days. I'm not so much worried about it, but I am a hairstylist and when I go back to work on Tuesday I will be working in front of a mirror and will be talking to alot of people. I hope I can hide it but then again this is only temporary. I went out with my family for a bit yesterday, and could swear people were looking at me funny but my mom swears that I didn't look funny, but then again it's my mom saying that :) I just want to wear a sign that says I had surgery and that's why my face is swollen and bruised! It was nice to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather and I managed to eat some mashed potatoes with gravy and cream of crab soup, which were all slurpable. Afterwards my brother and I took my niece Madison to Gunpowder and went on a little hike and played with her at the park there. What an enjoyable day with the family on such a beautiful day. I am so thankful for my parents, family and friends being there for me so much this week, I couldn't have made it through without them. I am getting ready to go do a wedding party this morning, which I was worried pre-surgery that I would feel ok to do it and I knew right after that I would be just fine. A co-worker Melissa is coming to help me and I am thankful and excited to be doing this with her today. We have 6 people total to do and am praying all goes well. I love doing formal hair and am excited to do some hair since I have been off all week. So I'm going to go get ready for that, enjoy this beautiful day!

Oh what a beautiful morning

Good Morning! What a beautiful morning, I woke up feeling pretty good. The inside of my mouth is a little sore and my face still a little swollen, but other than that I am feeling great. I went to the doctor yesterday and they took a look at everything and said everything looked good and was healing well, other than the swelling but as long as it was better than it was things are good. They activated my palate expander and showed me how to do it. I have to turn it twice in the morning and twice at night, which will expand it 2mm a day. I have already noticed a small space in between my front teeth which is what it is going to do in order to prepare my mouth for braces to reshape everything into the shape it is supposed to be in. I found it a little difficult to turn it myself but I am pretty sure I managed to do it twice. It doesn't hurt, it just feels awkward. I have a slight headache and am not sure if it's from that or my sinus area healing because it feels a little raw in and around my nose, but I am also trying to take the minimal dose of pain medicine so I only need it when the pain is unbearable. As of Monday, the doctor said I can start adding soft foods to my diet instead of just liquids. Things like mashed potatoes and soft things I don't have to chew much, which I am looking forward to.

Recovery Days 1-5

My first night home, after receiving all my medicine that I needed(Thanks Dad), I got comfortable and laid around with my Mom waiting to fall asleep. I wasn't too uncomfortable, but definitely could feel some pain. I used the different ice packs they sent me home with, because that felt the best on my huge lips and swollen face. I am usually a side or stomach sleeper and because they cut through your sinuses, they require that you sleep slightly sitting up so if your nose bleeds, which it does some especially the first few days, that it drains down and not back. That was difficult trying to sleep like that the first night, especially with my mom snoring, I couldn't wake her up for anything :)

I woke up Tuesday, feeling groggy, drank a little juice and laid around on the couch with ice. Not as swollen as the first day, but definitely still puffy in the cheek and lip area. Gina brought me a huge vanilla milkshake from McDonalds which was delicious and just what my mouth and stomach needed. My mom had a bright idea of cutting up peaches my neighbor brought over and mixing them in with the milkshake in the blender, oh so very yummy and got some more fruit in my body! The more nutrients, the better and quicker you will heal. I napped on and off throughout this day. My friend Brittany who just had a baby 4 weeks ago was still on maternity leave and stopped by with a new recipe she tried called Vichyssoie(hope I spelled that right). It's a french cold soup, and it tasted so good, considering all I had been drinking was sweet stuff, this had pureed leeks, potatoes and watercress and some other stuff I don't remember but it went down very smoothly. It was a beautiful day, so my Mom and I took a very slow walk to my mailbox to check the mail and just feel the sun, which was nice. But have to take it slow and be careful cause if you are up for too long these first few days, it causes your nose to bleed and that's not good.
  My Mom stayed with me again that night, but slept on the couch so her snoring didn't wake me. I slept ok, but with napping during the day it didn't allow me to sleep throughout the whole night. Wednesday, my mom left to go to an appointment and I just took it easy and iced up, and took a shower. I was having company today!! After lunchtime, Gina, Gemma, Mrs. Irene and Melina came over. Melina and Mrs. Irene brought me over a ton of homemade and bought soups that will help me have a variety of choices over the next few weeks. Only a few I can eat this week without chewing but look forward to all the others in the weeks to come. Split pea soup was one that I could eat this week that Melina made homemade and I crumbled up crackers in it so it made them mushy so I could just swallow them, so good! Gina also knows I love peanut butter and was able to get me a milkshake made that was smooth with peanut butter and chocolate, and just think I though I wouldn't be enjoying all this liquidy food, yeah right!! It was the best thing I've tasted! We put all my soups away and chatted for a bit, they were all surprised at how well I was talking and doing. Other than the pain and swelling I was feeling pretty good! They left and I went with Gina to her house for a bit so Gemma could take a nap and I could get out of the house for a little bit, the change of scenery was nice, and so was watching tv and catching up on some of the housewives shows :) My dad picked me up and brought me back home for the evening. It was my first night staying alone, so I made some soup and was ready for a good night of sleep considering I didn't nap all day. And boy did I sleep, for like 10 hours! I woke up once or twice because when the pain medicine wears off you know it, your jaw and mouth starts to get sharp pains, but took my medicine and back to sleep. I felt so good when I woke up Thursday, I wanted to dance, but can't yet of course :) I will just call it Thankful Thursday, because it made me realize that the power of prayer is amazing, I knew I had so many people praying for me and to feel this good after just a few days was definitely a God thing. I started my blog that morning, and didn't realize I had so much to write. My best friend had reminded me I wanted to blog this because after reading some when I was doing research on Sarpe I wanted others to know my story also. Especially now because it has been going so well! Gina brought me over a McDonalds frappe before she went to work, and we hung out a little bit. I love those things and time with my best friend when we can just chat! Mrs. Karen was working from home and asked if I wanted her to bring me to her house for a few hours. I said sure, she has a pool and I can relax in the sun a little bit. It was nice of her and nice to hang out, but it was hot and my face kept feeling puffier, so eventually I went home and took a cold shower and iced it up. If it was a little less hot, maybe I could have enjoyed it longer, but it was still nice to get out. My lip swelling has pretty much gone down to almost normal, but the cheeks are still puffy certain times of the day. The inside of my mouth is numb in some spots and sore around the stitches, but not feeling too bad.

    Now it's Friday, I slept pretty good last night, but feeling a little anxious about going to the doctor today for him to start turning the key in the palate expander. Just nervous about a new kind of pain, but I think if I can get through this ok, I can do just fine with anything. Phillipians 4:13!! Maybe going to get dressed a little better today and fix my hair to stop by work before my appointment so I can see everyone. Have a good day I will update after the appointment!

Surgery

Monday, August 30th

I had to be at University of Maryland Hospital at 6am to check in and be prepped for surgery. I had never had anything done at this hospital, so I was a little nervous. My dad picked me up at 5:15 and off we went. From the moment we walked in I have never seen so many happy, warm and friendly people in one place. We checked in and they took me back to get me set up. I met my nurse Barb, who is by far one of the nicest people I have ever met and felt so lucky to have had her as my nurse that day. My anesthesiologist came in to go over some questions, and then Dr. Caccamese, a few of his residents and Dr. Askari was scrubbing in to take pictures so she could document everything from start to finish, which I look forward to seeing it all. They told me I would be out to sleep, a breathing tube would be put in, which I wouldn't feel, and they would wake me up with oxygen later after surgery. Made me a little nervous, but my Dad said a prayer with me and I knew I had alot of people praying, so I began to feel calm and once they put the medicine in the IV and rolled me off to the OR, I didn't remember a thing. They woke me up and I was surprised to know it was over, it happened so quick(or at least it felt like it did) I was surprised to know I could talk just a little and they took me back to my room where Barb was bringing me ice for my face and apple juice to drink, I was so thirsty from the breathing tube. I didn't feel as in much pain as I thought, and they were all surprised to see how well I was doing. I slept on and off for the day and was able to come home that evening after being checked on by some of the residents and Dr. Caccamese.

My dad and I went to pick up my mom who was going to stay with me the first few nights, and drop off my prescriptions, which they have you on pain medication, nausea medication, nasal spray, sinus medication and bacitracin for your mouth. You are not allowed to blow your nose because of them cutting through your sinuses so they have you on things to keep you from getting congested. Then off to get a milkshake, because I was starving! Then off to relax in my own bed and sleep off the pain and swelling. I made it through surgery and so far so good!

My Journey to Sarpe Surgery

For as far back as I can remember, smiling has always been a little difficult for me. One, because my teeth didn't meet together and 2 because they were crooked and small. Alot of school pictures and just pictures in general I was never showing my teeth. Growing up I became more confident and found ways to smile without it being as uncomfortable and ways to adjust my mouth so it would work. My parents didn't have dental insurance for us, or the money to take us to the dentist unless it was an emergency and braces or anything of that matter were not an emergency. So, I put braces onmy list of things to catch up on when I was financially capable.

Back in 2006, I began seeing a great dentist, Dr. Russ Anton, whose office is in Timonium, MD. He started doing my routine cleanings and also pointed out how crowded the top of my mouth was, and recommended getting my wisdom teeth out as a first step to provide a little more room for my teeth to hopefully space out a little bit. So in 2007, he removed those and my mouth recovered very quickly. He recommended then that I go have a consultation with an orthodontist he recommended to his patients. I did, and was surprised to hear that there was no way my teeth could be straightened without having to do oral surgery. Surprised and a little discouraged, the orthodontist explained that as a child I should have had a palate expander which would have helped my mouth grow into the 'U' shape that it should have, not the crowded 'V' shape it was. As an adult, a palate expander alone wouldn't do it because my mouth was already grown into place. He recommended coming back for another consult and I left feeling discouraged and that there was no way I would be getting my mouth/teeth fixed anywhere in the near future. With the chances of it getting more narrow and crowded over time, it would also cause my face to become more narrow and the sides of my face to droop way before the time it should. Oh well, add it to the list of things to save for and pray, that's all I was left to do at this point.

After some research and consideration of some friends that I know very well that had orthodontic work done at the University of Maryland Dental School, I figured what would it hurt to at least go have a consultation and hear what they had to say. After all, the cost would be a bit more affordable for me, and those who had work done had some beautiful smiles. After my first consultation, I can say I was impressed right from the start. I told myself that if I felt the least bit uncomfortable I would not have anything done there. But I felt very comfortable, and the orthodontic student I was assigned to is already a dentist looking to specialize in orthodontics and I liked her right away. We set up a few more appointments, one of them being with the oral/maxillofacial surgeon at the University of Maryland.

During that appointment, Dr. Askari(my orthodontist) met me there, along with Dr. John Caccamese and one of his residents. He agreed with everything I had heard before and explained more throughly that the name of this surgery was called SARPE (Surgically Assisted Rapid Palatal Expansion) It sounded scary and I trusted when he said it sounded worse than what it actually entailed. We set up the surgery date and before then I needed to get fit for a palate expander, have that cemented in, have a pre-op physical and surgery was scheduled at the University of Maryland for August 30th. (woohoo my birthday was the 27th, so you better believe I ate all I could to celebrate that week before, considering I would be on liquid/soft foods for some weeks to come) During surgery they would cut above my front teeth, split apart my jaw and through my sinuses and seperate the upper palate.

After hearing all of this, it was beginning to make me nervous, I have never had anything like this done and it sounded scary. Thankfully, I had another vacation week at work to use, so everything seemed to be working out and happening very quickly.