Reason for Surgery
I realized that my face was crooked when I was in
middle school. I didn’t have any discomforts in my daily life and didn’t
realize that I had facial asymmetry. During high school, whenever I took
pictures, I realized that my face seemed different compared to everyone else.
It made me stressed to the point where it was almost effecting my health. When
I became a university student, I was experiencing pain that I didn’t have
before, and could hear a noise on one side of my jaw. Whenever I opened my
mouth too wide, I experienced discomforts and even had problems with digestion.
I thought if I didn’t get surgery to get it treated, it would get worse in the
future. One side of my jaw developed more than the other side so I had severe
asymmetry. In order to get my parent’s approval for surgery, I started to save
money and went to several clinics for consultations. Everywhere I went, I was
told that I needed double jaw surgery. Since I am a female, I was hoping to
improve it for aesthetics reasons as well but since it’s a big surgery, I was
also concerned with safety which is why I chose EU Oral & Maxillofacial
Surgery. More importantly, they didn’t recommend any unnecessary surgical
procedure. I told my parents that it was a clinic that specialized in facial bone
surgery, it was safe, and that it was not a plastic surgery clinic. It was also
their first time hearing about an Oral & Maxillofacial clinic. I do not
regret my choice of getting surgery at EU.
Day of Surgery
The surgery started at 10a.m and when I
came back to my senses, I realized that it was 6p.m. Instead of the pain, I was
more scared of not being able to breathe properly after surgery. But on the
contrary, I was able to breathe well through my nose and my mouth after surgery
and I wasn’t in any pain. It was fascinating and such a relief. After I
realized that my breathing was okay, I felt sleeping. I couldn’t drink anything
until late at night and I wasn’t allowed to sleep but I fell asleep. After
falling asleep, I woke up in the noon and I was bored so I took some selfies. I
almost cried when I realizes my asymmetry was going to get better. I couldn’t
stop admiring the doctor’s skills.
Post OP 1 Day
I ate and slept well. I was told that my
swelling would increase as time passes but I wasn’t as swollen as I thought I
would be. The catheter and the tube in my nose got removed this morning. I
didn’t even know I had a catheter in me. When my nose tube got removed, I was
told that the inside of my nose would swell so I may have some difficulties
breathing. However, I felt my nose felt more refreshed after the tube was
removed. The blood from last night came out through my nose. I felt proud of
myself for staying strong after surgery. Of course, I also owe it to Dr. Kim
for carrying out the surgery safely. Once again, I want to thank Dr. Kim!
Post OP 2 Day
Today is the day where I get discharged! In
the morning, I got my blood pressure and temperature checked, and got an
antibiotic injection. When I was told that I can get changed into my clothes, I
got excited. Being hospitalized and resting should be comfortable but I get
headaches when I lie down for too long and my glutes were hurting. Before I was
discharged, the doctor came in to tell me that my surgery went well. My jaw is
still lacking some strength so I have to practice aligning my wafers according
to my teeth so that I wouldn’t need braces after surgery. It’s my
responsibility to make sure that I recover well after surgery!
Post OP 3 Day
I came home and slept which was the most
comfortable thing in the world. The swelling increased during the third day and
I had to open my mouth to breathe and slept well. I was able to move around
after sleeping. I’m taking my medications but I still cannot eat properly. I
don’t have a lot of strength in my body. My parents who are conservative told
me that they could tell my surgery went well. There still a lot of swelling
left but taking into account that I did double jaw and facial contouring
surgery, I’m not too swollen. I’m 100% highly satisfied! I want to thank the
nurse who took care of me and also Dr. Kim.
Post OP 4 Day
I received de swelling laser treatment this
morning! There were other people on that day who were walking around the
hospital after surgery. After my laser treatment, the consultant told me that I
could remove my facial tape. I took off the tape while I was washing my face
which was painful LOL. I teared up. It’s only been 4 days since surgery T__T.
It’s a battle with time. My swelling is not as severe as I thought it would be
and it’s decreasing pretty quickly. However, limitations to eating makes me
very upset. I hope time goes by quickly.
Post OP 7 Day
My mouth got disinfected early in the
morning. Since I didn’t consume anything properly, I felt dizzy while I was
outside. The bruising has been moving down my neck. I haven’t been eating
anything properly so I lost 3kgs. I’m already thin and my mom said I look like
I would faint if I lost more weight. I haven’t fainted yet ^_^ When I arrived
at the clinic, Dr. Kim disinfected my mouth and removed the stitches from my
cheekbone reduction surgery. He told me that stitch removal can be pretty
painful so I got nervous but it didn’t hurt at all. But thinking about it
again, the stich removal for the inside of the mouth was going to be painful. I
also received de swelling laser treatment and I fell asleep as soon as I came
home. I’m using the compression band and my swelling has been decreasing
slowly.
Post OP 8 DayMy swelling has been decreasing. The yellow
bruising around my eyes are still there but the swelling is getting better! But
I still have swelling on my cheeks which make me look like I have candy stuffed
in it. If my swelling decreases more in 2 weeks, I wonder how much more the
swelling will decrease in a month. I have no discomforts in my daily activities
but I feel like I’m going to die whenever I see delicious food. Also, due to
the wafers in my mouth, my pronunciation isn’t clear when I speak.
I’m making sure to disinfect my mouth
cleanly! I want to get the stitches on the inside of my mouth removed quickly!
Post OP 10 Day
Some sensation has returned in my face and
the bigger swelling has decreased. But the swelling on my side cheekbones are
still the same. Lately, I feel that my lower jaw has a tingling feeling so I
got surprised. Of course, since I had bone reduction, it could be a side
effect. After my double jaw and facial contouring surgery, I feel like time is
going by slowly. I’m trying my best to go on walks frequently outside. I hope
my swelling decreases quickly so that I can see my facial line better.
Post OP 11 Day
It’s been 11 days since my surgery. I feel
that my swelling is decreasing well. The effects may be minimal but I’ve been
drinking pumpkin extract and going on walks frequently. Before, whenever I took
selfies, the asymmetry looked less severe due to the selfies automatically
being mirrored. But now, whether it is mirrored or not, my asymmetry is not
noticeable. I’m really happy. I made a good decision to pick safety over
aesthetics. I like my face line since it’s more smooth and narrow. When my
swelling decreases, I guess my face line will look more smooth. I’m looking
forward to it!
Post OP 14 Day
While removing the stitches that were
inside of my mouth, my wafers got replaces with something else and I had to
practice putting on the rubber bands. The stitch removal was… pretty painful.
I’m able to deal with pain well but this time, my body was shaking from the
pain. The doctor tried to remove it quickly for me so it ended quickly.
However, I don’t think I’ll be able to do it again. I would rather do surgery
again than get my stitches removed. The new I’m able to bite down more
comfortably now. I’m used to using the rubber bands since I did it before when
I had braces. I was told that they would check my progress after one more week.
Post OP 15 Day
Maybe it’s just my imagination but I feel
that my swelling has been decreasing faster after my stitch removal. I have to
remove the device that I put in my mouth whenever I eat which is much more
comfortable! Using the mouth wash after eating always made me uncomfortable
since the wafer got it the way when I ate. But now I don’t have to experience
that. I still cannot use my jaw to eat since I have to be careful. I feel like
a lot of time already passed by but it’s only been 2 weeks. But I feel that my
swelling has improved so much in that time span. I feel it’s different
depending on the hospital so I feel like I made a good decision. It feels like
I’m making a lot of compliments but I’m really satisfied.
Post OP 16 Day
Lately, I have no discomforts when eating
or doing my daily activities. There’s been so many foods that I want to eat
lately which is the most difficult part for me. In order to recover quickly,
I’m using the rubber bands to keep my mouth fixed. This is my opinion but I
feel my recovery spped is pretty fast. I still cannot open my mouth widely and
I’ve been doing the jaw exercises. As time goes by, I was told that I would be
able to open my mouth more widely. I hope time goes by quickly so that I can
open my mouth more.
Post OP 17 Day
Although my swelling is decreasing, my side
cheekbones got a bit more swollen. But since it hasn’t been that long, I’ll try
to wait until one month. I’m eating better nowadays. Initially after surgery, I
had to blend everything I ate. I’m doing the jaw exercises and trying to slowly
chew a little. Of course, I still need to be careful for one month. Even though
there are a lot of foods that I want to eat, I’m refraining from doing so.
Since I don’t go outside much, time seems to pass by slowly. I hope one month
passes by quickly.
Post OP 17 Day
My swelling seems to be the same. It actually
feels like the swelling gets a little worse when I wake up T__T. I’ll go on
walks more frequently. The clinic advised me to not use my jaw muscles for a
month but I got too hungry so I mixed some rice with bone broth stew and chewed
it. After not chewing anything for a long time, my jaw angle and the muscles
underneath my neck started to feel tight. But I’m happy that I can chew
something after a long time!
Post OP 19 Day
I’m having a battle with my swelling. Maybe
it’s because I see my face everyday but it seems that the swelling isn’t
getting better. However, in order to make it decrease, I’m still going on
walks. I hope the swelling in the inside of my mouth gets better so that I can
feel more comfortable when eating!
Post OP 20 DaysIt’s decreasing naturally! My cheeks look
like I have candy stuffed in it. I think I’ll look more natural if the swelling
in my cheeks decrease more! I’ve resolved a lot of the problems with eating but
I still cannot eat anything that is hard or too tough. I have to eat carefully.
In the past, I couldn’t chew anything and just swallowed what I ate which led
me to have indigestion. Nowadays, I can eat what I want. I think my recovery
time was pretty quick.
Post OP 21 Days
My swelling has decreased a lot so I don’t
wear a mask anymore when I go outside. But my cheeks still look like I have
candy stuffed inside of it. The initial swelling in my cheekbones wouldn’t
decrease so I was worried but now, I can see that the line got smoother. I
guess I have to be patient and keep waiting. There are rubber bands on the
inside of my mouth so I’m not able to eat as comfortably. I want to get the
rubber bands removed as soon as possible.
Post OP 22 Days
It’s almost been a month since my surgery.
I tried putting make up on and going outside. I still have some loss of
sensation so I couldn’t apply foundation but I could tell that the central
lining of my face is more even. I feel happy putting make up on. When the
remaining swelling near my mouth decreases, I think my face will be perfect. I’ve
regained some strength in my jaw and teeth so I’m happy whenever I eat. In the
beginning, my teeth would hurt anytime I ate. Now, I can eat watermelon and
soft fruits without feeling uncomfortable.
Post OP 23 Days
The weather became hotter so going on walks
is difficult. But going on walks make the swelling in the mornings much better.
My jaw and cheekbones tingle sometimes and I have temporary loss of sensation
of the left side of my face. So chewing on the left side is pretty difficult.
Since I’m able to chew on my right side, I keep using my right jaw
automatically. I’m trying to practice chewing on both sides. I want to be able
to eat chicken soon….
Post OP 24 DaysI’m trying to eat my cutting foods into
small pieces. My swelling hasn’t decreased much so I still look puffy. My
facial line near my cheekbones look a lot softer though. The people around me
say that my results look natural and that I got a lot prettier. During the
early stages after surgery, I was so swollen that even going to the small
grocery store in front of my house was difficult. Nowadays, the swelling has
decreased and I can see my facial line a bit better. I’m excited to go to the
clinic now, even it’s over an hour away. Everyday when I wake up, I have a
habit of looking into the mirror. I guess I’m the type where the swelling
decreases slowly.
Post OP 25 Days
The swelling in my cheeks are the same but
the swelling near my cheekbones have decreased significantly. After 1, 2, 3
months pass, my results will probably look more natural. Time is going by
slowly for me which makes me upset. The difficulties of not being able to eat
after surgery got better as it’s almost been one month. However, I cannot chew
with a lot of strength and I can’t open my mouth properly. I’m being cautious
in case my jaw gets loose or crooked. During the third month, I heard patients
can eat almost any food. I want to be able to eat radish kimchi quickly.
Post OP 26 Days
I’m still swollen but I’m able to put on
makeup. I’ve recovered to the point where I’m able to meet people. Unless I
tell someone I had surgery, they aren’t able to tell and say that it looks
natural. They asked if I really did have such a big surgery. I’m not
experiencing any discomforts with my daily activities but of course, I cannot
open my mouth widely so chewing food is a bit difficult. I’m doing the jaw
exercises but I still cannot fit two fingers in my mouth. I hope I can open my
mouth widely soon.
Post OP 27 Days
The swelling from surgery is decreasing
little by little. I thought it would be gone after a month but after reading
several reviews, the swelling seems to remain even after a month. Nowadays, I
can still go outside without any problems so I’m able to meet my friends
frequently. My appearance changed naturally which is a relief. I thought if my
appearance after surgery was too different, everyone around me would notice.
But my appearance improved naturally which is something that I am thankful for
T__T. I still have discomforts chewing foods but other than that, I have no
worries.
Post OP 28 DaysDuring my break, I was able to walk around
a lot so my swelling got a lot better. As expected, going on walks is very
helpful. Since the weather is hot, going on walks everyday is difficult but in
order to recover quickly, it’s best to go outside as much as possible. I wasn’t
able to tell when I looked in the mirror but my face line looks much better
when I take pictures It’s easy to see the surgery results by taking pictures.
If the changes look better now, I can’t imagine how it’s going to look after 3
to 4 months later. My swelling is minimal now and I’m just waiting for the
remaining swelling to decrease.
Post OP 30 Days
My swelling has decreased to some extent.
Since I see my face everyday, I thought I had a lot of swelling left but the
people around me say I look better since it seems I gained some weight! It’s
been about a month since I had surgery. I have no huge discomforts but I still
cannot chew properly or smile widely. I also have some problems with my
pronunciation. I’ll be grateful if I will be able to eat radish kimchi during
my third month. I visited the clinic to get my one-month progress check. I
asked the doctor if my swelling decreased quickly but I was told that I still
have a lot of swelling left. I’m already satisfied with my results so I’m
curious to see how much more I will change when my swelling decreases even
more. I’m looking forward to it!
Post OP 56 Days
It’s almost been two month since my procedure
and I can fit at least two and a half fingers. Sometimes, I forget that I had
surgery so I would yawn widely and then get surprised LOL. I’m having almost no
discomforts with my daily activities. In the past, I had swelling in my cheeks
that made it seem like I had a lot of food stuffed in it. Now it seems like I
have one piece of candy stuffed in each side. I’m already satisfied right now
but once the swelling is gone, my face will be more narrow! I think I need to
practice opening my mouth so that I can get used to it.
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