Interesting couple of weeks.  I got the unexpected adjustment and dreaded TPA earlier this month.  Kind of killed the first half of my multi leg vacation I was on from Oct 7-19th.  When I got to FL I had barely had any food for two days, and then my diet was still limited but improved a little through that first leg of the trip from Weds-Monday.  By the time I got to a point where my teeth weren't raging pissed at me, I was still having trouble adjusting to the TPA.  That thing always takes a week or so to get used to eating with again.  Sucks....sucks sucks sucks.  Hey, did I mention the TPA sucks?!

So, I get to Philly for the next leg of my trip and start to eat normally again.  Just my luck, I realize I chipped a little bit off a front tooth.  Not bad, but enough for me to notice and it left a jagged edge that I kept playing with and it rubbed my lip the wrong way too (because my overbite is so bad that my front teeth are resting on my front bottom lip... yep, super attractive).  So, had the family dentist smooth that down for me.  After that, it was smooth sailing for the most part.

On a different note, I got in touch with my team today and got a surgery timeline update.  I had my FAA medical the other day and then talked to FAA HR today.  I explained my surgery situation and the HR rep said that they will probably work with me being on the surgery timeline.  Phew.  I got the ladies name so I can reference here if I get trouble down the line, but at this point I am pushing forward with a plan to do the surgery first and FAA training at the academy later.  I dropped a line to the team and told them the good news and asked what they would rather me do, surgery first or after the training.  I explained my concerns prolonging my time in braces (causing more root resorption and possibly more tooth loss) and said if I had a choice, I would rather do the surgery first and then go to training.  But, I am always leaving these decisions to them since they know best.  The ortho got back to me quickly today and said that he's spoken with my surgeon and feel it is definitely the best plan to do the surgery first.  At this point with the planned adjustments, they're hoping to be surgery ready just after the new year and worst case scenario, February.  Feels good to have this narrowed down finally.  Not good enough to buy airplane tickets for my mom yet, but at least I have a "hopefully Jan worst case scenario Feb" time frame to work from. 

So, on another different note-- I just realized recently that I've been talking about how bad my bite is right now, but I haven't updated with any pictures in a while.  So, here come the not so flattering photos.  My overbite is horrendous.  My bite is completely open up front to the point where if I look down even the slightest when I eat, a bunch of food falls out of my mouth.  Another thing I noticed in these pictures (esp the one showing the TPA), I can totally see that my upper jaw is basically offset to my right.  A few surgeons said it was so, but now that my bite has been set up like this, I can really see it.  I can see it when my mouth is closed too.  My teeth don't sit together right on the one side.  I really can't wait to get through this all and have everything back in it's proper place. 

Had an appointment with the ortho today to talk about the molds he took a few weeks ago.  I wasn't expecting an adjustment out of it since I just got a small adjustment on Sept 23rd when he took the molds.  They called me back and sat me in a chair, which I thought was odd.  And then I see it...... A TPA on the chair work table.  No..... no, no, no, no, nooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!! 

So, this appointment sucked on multiple levels.  I got the TPA back in.  The thing I've had not once...not twice...but now THREE times in the course of both ortho treatments.  It's a torture device, and I've said in multiple posts that for me, it was the worst part of my braces experience.  At least I didn't throw up this time when it went in.  I think somehow my gag reflex is still used to it from the last two times I had it.  But I'm  not used to eating with it again yet.  I hadn't eaten a thing all day because I was busy at work, so I left the appointment hungry and continued to be hungry when I went home and tried to eat some chinese food and immediately choked on the second bite.  And then both of my wires came out and he did some bends on the top and bottom.  This was the tightest adjustment yet.  Like, I took advil before I left the chair.  I wasn't expecting to be adjusted since I just got a small adjustment not even two weeks ago, but here I am-- sitting here sore and miserable now today.  I leave for my FL/NJ multi leg trip today.  I definitely would NOT have scheduled an adjustment before I left.  And most definitely would not have scheduled getting a TPA in before I left.  Such bad timing.  I had no clue this was coming yesterday, so I feel a little bamboozled. 

So... why the TPA?  At first I thought it was going to be why I had it the last time-- to tip my back molars in.  But, after looking at my molds, the ortho and surgeon agree that I need upper pallet expansion.  I needed that through my first round of ortho and it was supposed to be done surgically, but last minute they decided I was expanded enough just with ortho and ditched the surgical expansion.  I wasn't upset one bit about that because that meant one less huge break in my jaw and quicker healing time too.  Oh, and no splint.  If you get expansion you'll be splinted for 6 weeks, so that was a huge relief.  So, through my consults for this revision, expansion has never been brought up to me, but it always lingered in the back of my mind wondering if it was still an issue.  Whelp, I guess it is.  So, he's put the TPA in to help expand my upper arch.  Not sure how much it will do and if it will be enough, but it needs to be done to see if we can avoid doing it surgically.  Surgeon said that I already have a difficult surgery plan with trying to fix both jaws in every direction possible, so if we can avoid doing the break to expand, that will be a huge help and one less thing to worry about.  I am all for avoiding it surgically, so hopefully this TPA can do its thing and get me some results.  Otherwise, the molds look good and they just need to create a mm or two more space where my molar implant needs to go, and then expand my arch and rotate a few teeth.  He did say that both he and the surgeon agree that I probably won't be done for the holidays.  Bummer.  Now I need to spend another $2400 to pick up the second insurance again.  Just like everything else in this process.... it ain't cheap!  I have my FAA medical finally scheduled on the 20th, so I guess I'll have to put everything together and give them the news on the timing.  Hopefully the FAA is willing to work with me on this.  I really hope!

So, I am off to FL this afternoon.  I really wanted to go and be unrestricted for my diet, especially for my birthday on Fri.  Guess we'll be keeping more of a liquid diet in place....which was probably going to happen anyway.  100 sorority chicks getting together for an alumni weekend and university homecoming?  Yeah.... there will be plenty of liquids to be had :)