Is it really bad that I want to call my doc something like that?  Doc Chop-chop who works at the chop shop or something?  Need a cute name.  I mean really, she basically is going to saw my jaw off my face and put it back together.  Maybe Doc Humpty Dumpty is better?  Hhhmmmm......

I'm not complaining or anything, but my consult was kind of anticlimactic.  I guess I've been waiting so long to see her that this kinda got built up for me, but really she didn't tell me anything I didn't already know.  This is mostly because I've done WAY more research than I should have on all of this, and also because I've already consulted with other surgeons and orthodnotists and they all basically told me the same thing.  So, class II, overbite, yada, yada, yada..... the fix?  Both jaws are getting done.  BSSO on the bottom to slide my bottom jaw forward in the right position, Lefort I on my top jaw to rotate it in the right spot, split it so they can widen it, and impact it up a few millimeters to take care of my gummy smile.  Animation of both procedures can be seen in this youtube video if anybody is interested: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luvRbwtalpA

So, after that everything should line up.  Goodbye bucktooth overbite!  Goodbye gummy smile!  Goodbye not being able to chew to the fullest!  Goodbye uneven wear on my teeth and tired jaw joints!  One thing that was a surprise today is that I definitely will be wired shut after the surgery.  All this time I assumed I was going to be in tight rubber bands since that is what most surgeons do now adays, but she's been doing this a long time and prefers to wire shut still.  I'll have a splint in for 4-6 weeks, but after she cuts the wires off after 12 days, I'll be able to start chewing very small bits of soft food if I can get it in.  Hallelujah!  I thought I was going to be on liquids for 6-8 weeks!  Doc also said my orthodontist really makes the call when I'll be surgery ready, so for now they've put me on the books for March 1st, but the party might go down a little before or after that.  We'll have to see what my ortho says. I see him next on Jan 7th, I think.

Speaking of the orthodontist-- he closed the gap!  Goodbye, gap!!  Hurt like hell, and I was even crying like a little baby in his chair since he put the power chain on to close it and waited an hour to do more work on me after a teeth cleaning, but SO WORTH IT to have that thing gone! 

So... March it probably is!  I'm crossing my fingers for the middle/end of March so I can get most of my snowboarding season in.  Priorities and all that! ;)

As I said in an earlier post-  my husband got a new job, and we were able to pick up Kaiser through his new employer.  Sooner than expected since I wasn't going to get it until after the new year through my employer.  I'm not used to an HMO and the whole seeing a person, who refers you to a person, who refers you to another person, just to finally get to the person who needs to give you the referral to the person you ultimately want to end up seeing.  Things have been a little bit more of a pain in the rear than I expected, but I finally got in touch with the surgeons office, and I have an appointment next Weds!  I didn't think they would get me in so fast since I heard the waiting list is forever just to see this lady, but I guess I won't look a gift horse in the mouth!  I'm so nervous and excited.... but more nervous at the moment for some reason.  Hopefully things go well and she can give me an estimate on my surgery date.  And here's hoping it's AFTER Feb/March when snowboarding gets really good out here! :)