BUSY WEEKS BEFORE SURGERY

Hi, guys!

I am really sorry I haven't posted for so long. I have got really busy before my surgery and sick as well and I did not find the time to write on my blog. Then I had my surgery and I finally had the time to write a post, but no laptop as it broke and on the top of everything, I had no energy. Despite having difficulty to concentrate in the first days post-op, I still took notes of everything that happened, so I could tell you all about it afterwards even if with some delay…. So lest’s get started!

BUSY 3 WEEKS BEFORE SURGERY

Well, those weeks were for me extremely stressful. I spent 11 long weeks fighting whatever kind of cold I had. No matter what medicine I took, this cold would go away for 2 days then it would come back again - full force. I was already panicking, thinking I would have to delay my surgery because of it, and then luck hit my door and I finally got healthy again. You could not imagine my relief! 

I have also kept an eye on my weight and I was over the moon for putting on 1.5 Kg with this diet my nutritionist gave me. Believe me guys, I never managed that before in my life! I was literally smiling to the sky! People on the street were staring at me like I am a mad woman! My mom’s cooking skills also made a huge difference on my diet and everyday since she arrived in Vienna (14th April) I ate the famous Brazilian feijoada (loads of iron) and steak! 

So, one week passed by and exactly two weeks before my surgery, I had a scary moment. I got an allergy to whatever unknown thing. I woke up on a Saturday with my entire face swollen and numb (it looked like I have been punched all over my face). I truly could not feel anything! I went the following Monday to my general practise doctor, who sent me to an allergy clinic. Next day, all I did was jump from one clinic to the other thanking heavens for my mother already being here to help me out with the children. I did my pre-op exams and the allergy test and all that was left then was waiting for the results, which turned out to be negative for everything I have been tested for. Including Penicillin, that I used to be allergic to as a child. The lady in the clinic said that most likely the allergy was already gone by the time I got tested. Anyways, once that was out of the way and I was deemed fit by my GP doctor, I got what they call in German, Op-Freigabe. It’s a clearance from your doctor that allows you to undergo surgery. 

On the week preceding surgery (on Monday 20th April 2015) I went to the Hospital to make my mouth moulds and take my X-rays and pre-op photos. The clinic of Prof. Dr. Watzke is in the Hospital so that makes everything a lot easier! The first thing to be done was the X-Ray. When that was finished, I was sent to another room and a lovely doctor took my photos. That took some time because every time she positioned the camera to take a photo I had a laughter attack! I was expecting by then to be totally freaked out but I was just soooooo strangely calm that I felt like laughing! Thank God she was laughing together with me and didn’t get annoyed! I guess I was the only patient of them that ever laughed while taking these kind of photos! :-D Anyways, when that was done, I was sent to another room. Once there, the doctors introduced themselves to me. All of them were part of Prof. Dr. Watzke surgical team. You could see from the first second that they are really good at what they do. No trust issues there! They measured my face completely (and so exactly) from the left to the right, from right to left, up - down, down - up. At the end of it, I was actually feeling very, very excited.. All I could think of was “IT IS FINALLY HAPPENING!”. I could dance “YEAH” from Usher right there and then! :-) Like I said, I did not feel scared or anxious as I expected to, just really, truly excited! I had loads of questions popping in my head and one of the doctors kindly had a short talk with me. She went through all my concerns and also advised me to think whether or not I would like to have a double jaw surgery to fix my gummy smile. She said if I had upper jaw surgery my teeth would be lifted up and my upper lip (which is apparently long) would cover them completely making me look toothless while my lips are on rest. She also said, if I had the upper jaw operated that my septum deviation could be fixed too without any further costs. With a lot to think about, I was given some paper work and sent to my health insurance to get my splint payment approved. 

Next morning, at 8am I got a call from Prof. Dr. Watzke assistant. She told me that my surgery had been anticipated by one day. You cannot imagine what a difference a day can make in your life! So there I go, calling everybody and re-arranging things all over again. This is not easy when you have kids involved but we found a way to get organised again. And actually, to be very honest with you, I was happy to get it done sooner! Had enough of waiting! :-) 

On Wednesday, 22nd April, I went to Dr. Meissl's clinic to get a professional mouth hygiene and put my surgical hooks on. They also made some pre-op photos of me during this appointment, which I will try to post on my blog soon. 

One day later, on the 23rd April 2015, I finally got to meet my surgeon personally. Univ. Prof. Dr. INGEBORG WATZKE. What a joy! She is a very friendly, wonderful, kind person. The kind of person you get to look at once, and you know you can trust her blindly. I immediately had the feeling I was in very good hands! Another interesting thing is that I, somehow, felt like I knew her for years! Don’t ask me to explain this. I just would not know how! 

I was in her office for over an hour and I went through most of my “long list of questions to ask” with her. She was very patient and kind and she really did take the time for me. We discussed the best surgical plan for my case and she advised me to go for BSSO (Bilateral Sagittal Split Osteotomy) and  Genioplasty (chin reduction). Like the other doctor said, if I had double jaw surgery, my upper jaw would be cut to reduce my gummy smile but my upper lip would cover my teeth completely making me look toothless while my lips are on rest. She also said I would look older, my nose would get wider and she could even try to shorten my upper lip to fix the lip incompetence but that would change the shape of it too and I would look like a totally different person. She also reckons that, once my lower jaw is advanced, I will not be able to lift my upper lip that much when I smile/laugh and therefore I won’t show much of my gums. She said over and over that she likes my smile and she doesn’t want to do anything that will change it dramatically. As for my midline, it will be corrected with elastic bands. My upper jaw is about 1.5 mm off centre (rotated to the left) and my orthodontist, Dr. Meissl, will work his miracles with the help of orthodontics to make it even.  

After this meeting, I went back home and I had a talk with my children. This was BY FAR, the hardest part of this whole process. Even though we tried never to speak about my surgery in front of the children, my son managed to pick a few things here and there and when I spoke to him, it was like he already knew all about it. I saw how big my little grown-up 6 year-old boy is. I explained everything as nicely as I could but he did not take it well. He cried, so heartfelt, that I did not manage to hold back my own tears. He went literally into panic mode and I felt his anxiety as if it was my own. My daughter, still too small to understand what was really going on, started laughing and making fun of us and that made my son relax a little bit. I, on the other hand, just felt like crying some more! 

Next day, I let them stay at home with me. No Kindergarten. We played together and I tried to spend as much time with them as possible. They helped me decorate my house for my upcoming birthday party and they went also shopping with me. I love my children so, so, so much, I can not find words to describe or make justice to my feelings towards them! 

On Saturday 25th I celebrated my birthday with my family and a few friends and on Sunday, the last day before admitting myself to the hospital, I just tried to relax as much as I could, packed for my stay at the hospital and spent some time with my family. At night, after bringing the kids to bed I cried again. I was just very emotional about being away from my children. Then I just went to bed. I knew I would have to get up very early the next day and Thank Heavens I was so tired from all the events of the previous days/weeks that falling asleep was not a problem!

To be continued…