One week on...

I go back to the hospital for my first post-operative appointment today. The surgeon describes my recovery as "very good; remarkable in fact" which pleases me greatly...It's his opportunity to check that I'm on track, and my opportunity to ask questions. But as everything is coming along so well, the session is not a long one. I do, however, get a chance to ask about the changes in position of the jaws made during the operation. Here's what I'm told:

Maxilla (Top Jaw)
- Back of mouth: rightside up 6mm; leftside up 4mm (this corrects the "cant", also known as "wonkiness" ;-), in my bite)
- Front of mouth: both sides up 2mm
- All: forward 3mm and 1.5mm round to the right (to put the centre line between my front teeth in the right place)

Mandible (Bottom Jaw) N.B. this is a conservative estimate as the jaw was moved to fit snugly behind the top jaw
All: rightside forward 8mm; leftside forward by 5mm (the difference in measurements is to correct the "condylar hyperplasia" (one side of the jaw was shorter than the other)

The strange popping noise I'm occasionally experiencing in my ears, as you would a change in pressure on a plane, is due, apparently, to the eustachian tube not functioning 100% yet. The bleeding from the nose is due to the fact that they've sawn through my sinus and understandably it doesn't like this very much. And the slight jabbing pain I'm getting in my left lower jaw goes undiagnosed for now (I'm hoping this is not why I am sent off for an X-ray at the end of the session).

The radiologist is also extremely surprised at how good I'm looking after a week. All this incredulity lifts my spirits. It makes me think that the path to recovery really could be much shorter than I have been expecting.

I am promised emailed copies of my x-rays. I'll post these up here when I have them.