Sorry this might end up being a long post. Just one of those days.....
Back in the orthodontist chair for a few hours today getting molds done, even though he knows my teeth aren't surgery ready. I pretty much knew that after walking out of Dr. Gunsons office on Friday. Doc just wants to see where the teeth are anyway, and start making a few adjustments to follow the guidelines Dr. Gunson recommended for what he would like to see done on the ortho side before surgery.
I dropped in the office yesterday to drop the molds back off and see if it was worth me even coming in for new molds with Gunsons recommendations that were just made. And I'll be totally honest, I was hoping Dr. Wadden would catch me at the front desk and maybe have a few minutes to chat with me if he had heard from Gunson, and that is exactly what happened. He got a call from him in the morning but was too busy to talk, so he basically asked me for the run down. I was pretty honest with him. For the first time told him how I feel like I've been brushed off by Dr. O'Ryan for the last 7 weeks and it was just so nice finally having answers now. He had the same look on his face that he had that day he took the molds and finally decided that I was a revision case. It's that look where he just looks really sorry for me. I told him I don't know what to do at this point. I got such great care and attention from Dr. Gunson, and given my circumstances right now, I don't want care less than what he gave me. There will be no third time on this. It has to be right this time and I have to know I am going with the person I know will fix my now twisted lopsided jaws once and for all. He had that look on his face still, and basically said "sorry...nobody should have to go through this a second time either." He agrees with Dr. Gunson that I should at least present the info from my consult to Dr. O'Ryan. I don't even feel like getting in touch with her at this point, because I've done that multiple times in the last 7 weeks just to be pushed off to my ortho. Or I get a general "I'll talk to Dr. Wadden and get back to you," and then I never hear anything. I'm sick of being the one to have to not only initiate conversation, but just get brushed off when I do. Anyway, since he didn't have time to talk to Gunson, I gave him a copy of the write up and files from the appointment so he could look at it and talk with me more in the morning when I come back for the molds.
Before I left for the ortho office, I got a call from Dr. Gunson. He wanted to let me know he chat with Dr. Wadden a few minutes ago and they talked about the things we talked about. I was so surprised to get a call. My surgeon has never done that. Hell, she didn't even check up on me the morning after my surgery, and instead it was one of her residents. God, I wish I could just shut the door on any decision making now and just sign up for work with Gunson!
Molds are never fun. I hate doing them. And I had to do two sets this morning so one could be kept with the ortho, and he asked if he could send one along with all the info from my Gunson consult up to Dr. O'Ryan. Better him than me at this point. I already said I was done being the person to get in touch with her. I got a new chain on the bottom and a now a chain on the top too to help close up the space that opened up way too much on my left K9. I also get to stop wearing the elastics since Gunson convinced my ortho to stop doing bite correction when really what I need is bone correction. What I've been saying from the beginning after the surgery-- this is NOT an ortho problem. My bite is off because this is a bone problem. The jaws are NOT aligned, and the best he can do is basically cover it up by extruding teeth and putting things where they really shouldn't be for a stable bite. Gunson actually told him to reverse what he's done on me post op. Reverse the cant "correction" (bring the teeth back up on my left that have been extruded down), and put everything back basically where it was after the first surgery. Kind of my feelings all along, but then again, I'm no doc so what do I know? I've actually been dead on right about everything so far. I think I'm going to trust my instincts a lot more from here on out, despite the fact I'm no doc. Anyway, almost two hours later, and I'm out of there. Late for work again. BUT, before I left, a few chairs down somebody got their braces off. An adult patient, which is a little more rare to see in the office. I've seen the song and dance before (they come out and sing a little "yay, you got your braces off song," which I have asked them to NOT do for me. lol), but today it got to me for some reason. I actually cried in the chair for a second. Thankfully the assistant that was working on me walked away for a minute to help with the song and dance and didn't notice when she got back, but I think I had a moment of "wow... that was supposed to be me around now." Really, it was. All was supposed to go well, just needing minor tweaks after surgery, and maybe out of braces 3-4 months post op. Yep... not so much. So, had a little pity party for myself for a hot second.
So, Dr. O'Ryan knows I got a second opinion with Gunson now. Guess I'll wait to see if she contacts me to follow up. The past three months have been an emotional roller coaster (Yes, I am three months post op this week. Time flies.), but the last five days have been killer. The emotional stress of the past 3 months is NOTHING compared to the surgery itself. Don't even get me started on physical pain. For the first time in my life, I am having TMJ issues. There is pressure on my left side, and it's clicking now too when I talk and chew. I'm getting headaches too. My jaw in general just feels really stiff right now for some reason. And maybe it's because I've been out of elastics for a few days and finally feeling the force of how far my jaws are off without rubber bands trying to pull it one way or another, but my bite is so screwed.... like, seriously screwed. One day I feel like "OK, I can tough through this," and today is one of those days where I feel like I can't live with these jaws for another second. I guess people who are this far out of alignment their whole lives just don't know what they don't know. I had a problem going into this, but not even close to this bad, so I think knowing what better alignment feels like is really making it a lot tougher for me. So what do I do about it? That is the toughest part right now. I might go for a third opinion and see what they say and feel out a doc maybe a little more local (and affordable). I guess I'll listen to what Dr. O'Ryan says if she gets back to me, but I am only human for feeling the way I feel right now with doubts about having her try to fix this. I guess I just feel bad for feeling that way.
Back in the orthodontist chair for a few hours today getting molds done, even though he knows my teeth aren't surgery ready. I pretty much knew that after walking out of Dr. Gunsons office on Friday. Doc just wants to see where the teeth are anyway, and start making a few adjustments to follow the guidelines Dr. Gunson recommended for what he would like to see done on the ortho side before surgery.
I dropped in the office yesterday to drop the molds back off and see if it was worth me even coming in for new molds with Gunsons recommendations that were just made. And I'll be totally honest, I was hoping Dr. Wadden would catch me at the front desk and maybe have a few minutes to chat with me if he had heard from Gunson, and that is exactly what happened. He got a call from him in the morning but was too busy to talk, so he basically asked me for the run down. I was pretty honest with him. For the first time told him how I feel like I've been brushed off by Dr. O'Ryan for the last 7 weeks and it was just so nice finally having answers now. He had the same look on his face that he had that day he took the molds and finally decided that I was a revision case. It's that look where he just looks really sorry for me. I told him I don't know what to do at this point. I got such great care and attention from Dr. Gunson, and given my circumstances right now, I don't want care less than what he gave me. There will be no third time on this. It has to be right this time and I have to know I am going with the person I know will fix my now twisted lopsided jaws once and for all. He had that look on his face still, and basically said "sorry...nobody should have to go through this a second time either." He agrees with Dr. Gunson that I should at least present the info from my consult to Dr. O'Ryan. I don't even feel like getting in touch with her at this point, because I've done that multiple times in the last 7 weeks just to be pushed off to my ortho. Or I get a general "I'll talk to Dr. Wadden and get back to you," and then I never hear anything. I'm sick of being the one to have to not only initiate conversation, but just get brushed off when I do. Anyway, since he didn't have time to talk to Gunson, I gave him a copy of the write up and files from the appointment so he could look at it and talk with me more in the morning when I come back for the molds.
Before I left for the ortho office, I got a call from Dr. Gunson. He wanted to let me know he chat with Dr. Wadden a few minutes ago and they talked about the things we talked about. I was so surprised to get a call. My surgeon has never done that. Hell, she didn't even check up on me the morning after my surgery, and instead it was one of her residents. God, I wish I could just shut the door on any decision making now and just sign up for work with Gunson!
Molds are never fun. I hate doing them. And I had to do two sets this morning so one could be kept with the ortho, and he asked if he could send one along with all the info from my Gunson consult up to Dr. O'Ryan. Better him than me at this point. I already said I was done being the person to get in touch with her. I got a new chain on the bottom and a now a chain on the top too to help close up the space that opened up way too much on my left K9. I also get to stop wearing the elastics since Gunson convinced my ortho to stop doing bite correction when really what I need is bone correction. What I've been saying from the beginning after the surgery-- this is NOT an ortho problem. My bite is off because this is a bone problem. The jaws are NOT aligned, and the best he can do is basically cover it up by extruding teeth and putting things where they really shouldn't be for a stable bite. Gunson actually told him to reverse what he's done on me post op. Reverse the cant "correction" (bring the teeth back up on my left that have been extruded down), and put everything back basically where it was after the first surgery. Kind of my feelings all along, but then again, I'm no doc so what do I know? I've actually been dead on right about everything so far. I think I'm going to trust my instincts a lot more from here on out, despite the fact I'm no doc. Anyway, almost two hours later, and I'm out of there. Late for work again. BUT, before I left, a few chairs down somebody got their braces off. An adult patient, which is a little more rare to see in the office. I've seen the song and dance before (they come out and sing a little "yay, you got your braces off song," which I have asked them to NOT do for me. lol), but today it got to me for some reason. I actually cried in the chair for a second. Thankfully the assistant that was working on me walked away for a minute to help with the song and dance and didn't notice when she got back, but I think I had a moment of "wow... that was supposed to be me around now." Really, it was. All was supposed to go well, just needing minor tweaks after surgery, and maybe out of braces 3-4 months post op. Yep... not so much. So, had a little pity party for myself for a hot second.
So, Dr. O'Ryan knows I got a second opinion with Gunson now. Guess I'll wait to see if she contacts me to follow up. The past three months have been an emotional roller coaster (Yes, I am three months post op this week. Time flies.), but the last five days have been killer. The emotional stress of the past 3 months is NOTHING compared to the surgery itself. Don't even get me started on physical pain. For the first time in my life, I am having TMJ issues. There is pressure on my left side, and it's clicking now too when I talk and chew. I'm getting headaches too. My jaw in general just feels really stiff right now for some reason. And maybe it's because I've been out of elastics for a few days and finally feeling the force of how far my jaws are off without rubber bands trying to pull it one way or another, but my bite is so screwed.... like, seriously screwed. One day I feel like "OK, I can tough through this," and today is one of those days where I feel like I can't live with these jaws for another second. I guess people who are this far out of alignment their whole lives just don't know what they don't know. I had a problem going into this, but not even close to this bad, so I think knowing what better alignment feels like is really making it a lot tougher for me. So what do I do about it? That is the toughest part right now. I might go for a third opinion and see what they say and feel out a doc maybe a little more local (and affordable). I guess I'll listen to what Dr. O'Ryan says if she gets back to me, but I am only human for feeling the way I feel right now with doubts about having her try to fix this. I guess I just feel bad for feeling that way.
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