I am currently just shy of 2 weeks post-surgery. Everything has been healing magnificently. My facial sutures were removed before I left Florida and my intraoral sutures are slowly starting to dissolve now. I have very little pain, just some soreness.
I wanted to share this image because THIS is why I did the surgery. THIS is why it was a necessary, life-altering, even life-saving, surgery. The image on the right was prior to surgery. It is taken in a sitting position. In a sitting position, my airway was almost completely closed in some areas. Imagine what happened when I laid down. Or when my throat became inflamed. The image on the left was taken the morning after my 11 hour surgery. Even with all the swelling, my airway had TRIPLED in size!
I was talking with my mom and sister this weekend of “whose fault is this?” (I’m sure my parents have some guilt over me going through this, but they shouldn’t.) We didn’t know what we didn’t know 30+ years ago. I had allergies to everything as a kid and was always having breathing issues. I developed a narrow palate and crowding of my teeth. I had sleep apnea. The doctors didn’t recommend that my tonsils and adenoids were removed until I was 12 years old. That surgery was a traumatic surgery that likely lit the fuse to the stunted growth of my mandible and Temporomandibular joint.
Today we are very aware of the risk of airway problems at a young age. They can contribute to sleeping and behavior issues, dental issues, and overall health issues. People with airway problems live shorter lives. We know this now. As a dentist, I screen my young patients for those tell-tale signs of airway constriction and make appropriate referrals. Physicians don’t hesitate to remove tonsils and adenoids anymore, especially when there is a risk to the airway. We start orthodontics at an earlier age to expand palates to increase airways. We as professionals learn and grow and make new recommendations as the evidence becomes apparent. I was just born 30 years too early.
Or was I? Maybe now my case can be used to teach and support and help other professionals make new recommendations as more evidence becomes apparent.
I can breathe easy with that.