Hi, Everybody!
I read and still am reading a lot about jaw surgery: what to expect from it, before and after surgery. Now that I “know” what it is coming to me, I “kind of know” how to prepare myself for it too. In my case, this feels like a military operation because I have other people involved: my children! (everything needs to be planned beforehand, it must be well organised and it is not allowed to fail!). My goal is to heal as soon as possible, so I can be 100% again for my family and be able to take care of them!
So, let me tell you in steps how am I preparing myself for this surgery:
STEP ONE: Exercising. I believe it is important to find an activity that brings fun into your life! To make you forget, even if it is for one hour, all the problems you have. I am a big Pilates fan! It not only helps me to get fit physically but mentally too! And, I adore my Pilates trainer, Kirsten! She really pays attention whether or not I am doing the exercises in the correct way and kicks my backside whenever I start getting lazy! If you live in Vienna, and you are looking for a very good Pilates Studio and an even better Pilates trainer, I HIGHLY recommend Kirsten’s Studio! Here is a link to her website: www.pilatesartsstudio.com
STEP TWO: Exercise again. This time around, at the gym. I realise I feel hungrier when I work out, and in my case, this is a very good thing! I have been lucky to have another very good trainer at the gym! I have this entire set of exercises planned for me, to help me put on weight in muscles. As I lose 5kg whenever I as much as sneeze, he advised me to skip cardio exercises. Lately, due to holidays, sickness (in winter we are constantly getting sick) and migraine attacks, I haven’t managed to go there, but I hope to attend the gym again by the end of the week!
STEP THREE: I have heard, over and over again, that homeopathic medicines can be very helpful during the recovery process. As I am not a fan of getting medicine over the counter, I found better to consult my homeopath before taking anything. I have an appointment scheduled for the 11th of March (I will keep you updated on that!). She will tell me then, which of the homeopathic medicines will best help me to heal, when I should start taking it, how long I should take it for and also the right dosage for me. Like somebody once told me; “why not try it, if can only help and not hurt?”. I also heard the medicine can be prepared in a liquid form to make it easier to take it, in case you are wired shut after having jaw surgery.
STEP FOUR: I am definitely contacting my nutritionist again to make a new appointment. For those of you who don’t know me personally, I am VERY skinny and tall (1.80 m and 57 Kg - Not by choice though! I would love to have some extra meat and a real Brazilian behind!). I have always been this skinny… My entire life I had the opposite problem of everybody else I know: extreme difficulty to put on weight. So, together with Kirsten and my gym instructor, my nutritionist has this impossible task of making me gain at least 100 grams until the day of my surgery!!
STEP FIVE: I am trying to be as positive as I can about all of this. I watch funny videos and I avoid anything that is remotely sad or negative. I avoid people who are negative, people who can only show me criticism and scepticism and don’t know how to give a word of support or comfort. I also avoid those who keep on telling me that I am too skinny. For those people I feel like saying: "Thanks a lot! But just for your information, this is not going to make me any fatter and I have a mirror at home!"...
STEP SIX: I am teaching myself that being helped by other people is not a sign of failure on my part. Help is always a good thing to have, especially if it is offered with sincerity and love. I am the type of person that wants to do everything alone. I find it very hard to accept that I cannot, all the time, do everything to perfection and all by myself (Do I, by any chance, suffer from “Stepford wives syndrome”?). Because I have children, I will need all the help I can get. I am very thankful I have wonderful people to help me take care of my little angels!
STEP SEVEN: I am a member of this wonderful community on Facebook called: “We Need/Got Jaw Surgery”. It is amazing how much you can relate to the people in this group. They are kind people and most importantly, they are going through the same thing as you, same fears, same doubts, same excitement. Whatever questions you have, you can ask them and you will get so much feedback, answers and support back. If you are a jaw surgery candidate, I highly recommend subscribing to this group.
STEP EIGHT: I have prepared a huge list of questions to ask my surgeon when we have our appointment before surgery. My list of question is reeeeeeeeaaaaaally looooonnnggggg, but I want to make sure I get out of that office without any doubts or unanswered questions. At the end of the day, we are talking about my face, my bones, my life! No such thing as silly questions!
STEP NINE: I am planning in advance how I am going to entertain myself during my recovery process. What I will cook - I am searching for some yummy recipes (according to what is allowed by my surgeon), I bought some books, movies and, if this is not enough, I will assemble all the lego of my children. My son is so happy about it! He cannot believe I promised him that! :-D We spent the last days sorting all the pieces by colours and we have searched for all the manuals. We also cleared a shelf so we can make our little private Lego exhibition! :-)
STEP TEN: Writing this blog has been serving me as a therapy. If you love writing, and have a little extra time maybe this can also be something for you. It gives me so much joy to see how much I can help other people just by telling them, in words, my journey! It is an amazing feeling and a great reward!
So, that is all for the moment. I will post soon my long “List of questions to ask surgeon before surgery”. I hope you are all doing well! Wish you a wonderful day!
Hugs,
Andy
