7:30pm: Stace is out of surgery, trying to negotiate going home with the doctor. That’s our Stace. Oh yeah, she can open her mouth wider than ever before.
We love you Stace!!! Congrats!!!!
Ok.. not today.. but maybe tomorrow, and definitely Friday. I was given the go ahead to chew ANYTHING I want when I wake up. Except for gum. I can’t have gum ever again… but being wired for the past month and a half has made me really appreciate the finer things in life…. like steak, cheeseburgers, salad, and the almighty popcorn.
The second stage of my surgery is tomorrow, June 22nd, at 10am. People keep asking me if I’m excited… well, I wasn’t, until yesterday when I was walking through Atlanta Hartsfield airport to go to my gate. I am excited now. I’m excited for the prospect that this could be the end of my personal journey with TMJ disorder. I don’t want to get too excited though. I will be happy no matter what happens, because I *will* be able to open my mouth, and I will be able to eat pretty much whatever I want.
I have to be at the hospital at 7:30am, and they will admit me and take me to my room. Then they will take me to pre-op. I wanted to see the joints, and even keep the model of my jaw that they made from the CT scan, but I’m not allowed. My surgeon has to keep it. 
He said I could probably get my own model for $2,500. Yeah, right! I think I’ve paid enough for these things!
So, I will hopefully be back here blogging on Friday afternoon… like last time, I will have pictures for each day. Let me know if you have any questions!
Hi everybody. I know I haven’t posted as much as I should have been, but up until today, I haven’t exactly been in the mood. This is the first day that I can honestly say I am starting to feel a little stir crazy, I think the shopping gene is starting to click in… no visions of sugar plums in my head, I’m thinking.. “Neiman Marcus..” “Purses..” “Shoes..” but I’m afraid if they took one look at me, they would kick me out of the store. The long mohawk I’m sporting is not exactly fashionable. I’ve been in what feels like the black hole of Calcutta for 4 days, and I’m wondering if there is life outside the Residence Inn. Having said that, I’m going to put on my big girl panties and deal with it… today I am going to venture outside. I feel a little like a bird leaving the nest for the first time. What if I run into the wall? What if the trip down the elevator hurts (you know, the change of altitude thing)? Judging from how I look in the mirror, I think my Mom might want to take me out the service entrance.
I will post later and let you all know how my adventure went. If you don’t hear from me in 24 hours, send help!
My left ear burns like hell and my right eye is black.. today the pain has been fairly bad. I took a bath earlier, which was nice, even though it didn’t sound too good when my Mom brought it up. We’re slowly finding out what works best in a blender and how to take medicines… we’ll type up some tips soon. Other than that, there’s not much to report. I’m still going through the hot/cold thing, but I’m sure that’ll stop soon. I’m definitely ready to stop sweating!
Are there any questions I can answer? I know there are some of you reading who will be having this surgery, and I want to help as much as I can.
Well, the swelling is kicking in. I can feel it in my cheeks, they are getting caught more on the wiring. My Mom says she can see it too. My throat is more sore, and it’s harder to swallow. I’ve gone from really hot, to shivering… effects of anesthesia, obviously. I’m going back to sleep (not like things will be any better in a couple hours, but one can hope, right?)!
Hi everyone - it’s Stacy! So, this morning they did rounds and the resident told me they would be moving me out of the ICU to another floor where I could walk around. He told me that my doctor would be in soon to check on me. When my doc came in, he said that I could move to another floor, or I could go home. I chose to go home… so, by 1pm I was here at the hotel. 
When I called my Mom this morning, she was already on her way with my Dad. They were floored; as was everyone else. The difference between me last night and this morning was crazy. I have to admit, I was flabergasted myself!
It’s weird, the things that hurt are the small things. They had IV’s in both of my feet, so they are really sore. My gums and teeth are sore from the arch bars (like stakes that go through my gum and into the root of my teeth), the wires make my cheeks sore, and my throat is sore from the tubes.
My surgeon said that the joints were pretty bad, especially the right one (which doesn’t surrpise me- I had been saying the same for a while), and that he was surprised I had been functioining so well. My joints and some blood are on the way to Minnesota to particpate in the TMJ Registry. Hopefully they will help someone!
I do have pictures, which I will post later, but I just wanted to let everyone know that I am home early and feeling ok. 
:) Thanks for all of your support!!!!!
3 pmish: Stacy is finally out of surgery and is on her way to surgical ICU. She is doing ok. Will keep the updates coming.
Update….sleeping soundly…thank goodness! NG Tube is gone! Getting 3-D CT scan done before settling down for the night.
On one hand, not much has happened over the past couple weeks. I don’t have a surgery date yet, and hell, I’m not even sure that I have surgeon. Doing this surgery right the first time is one of the most important things about it all. The best complication, if you could call it that, would be having to redo the surgery. The worst complication, well, that’s something that I don’t think I have to expand on. People always say that TMJ disorder isn’t live threatening when in fact, that isn’t true at all.
In the past, I’ve had physicans who have completely disregarded my imaging and treated me like someone who has just been diagnosed. This week, for whatever reason, I decided to go back to my original surgeon to ask him some questions about my imaging and my pending surgery. When he read the CT scan report, he immediately knew that it wasn’t necessary or helpful to examine me at all. He didn’t even ask me to open my mouth to see how small my opening was.
He explained to me that this surgery needs to be done as soon as possible, because the longer I wait, the more degenerative changes can happen, and it puts me at risk for things like exposed nerves.. which just the thought of, makes me sick to my stomach.
He did tell me that he was proud of how I was dealing with it all, and that I have a good tolerance for pain. He always knows when I’m down and just what to say to make me walk out feeling better. That is the type of surgeon I want.
I’ll continue to update here as things happen, particularly over the next couple weeks as things will probably be changing a lot.
We have decided to go through with the total joint replacements without insurance coverage. I really hate that it has to come to this, but my condition is getting progressively worse, and I’m not sure how much longer I will be able to deal with it.
I will be walking you through the process, surgery, and recovery as it happens with pictures and detailed accounts of how I am feeling each day. Hopefully this will not only help others who will be having this surgery but will also increase the awareness among those who do not have TMJ disorder.
The website and message board are extremely important to me, and I will keep them up and running as long as my financial situation allows. I want to thank all of you for your continued support.
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy Hanukkah, Selemat Hari Nata, Feliz Navidad, Buon Natale, Gezur Krislinjden, Frohe Weihnachten, Buon Natale, Joyeux Noel, Feliz Natal, Boas Festas!
Note: It is May 2008, and I am restoring posts from my joint replacement process so that information is available for those who seek it. Please let me know if you have any questions.
