Wow! It's Surgery Eve. It is hard to believe that after 2 years, it is really happening. So, how did we get here? I have complained about jaw pain for YEARS! It would lock up when I was in high school and hurt. The dentist told me to get my wisdom teeth taken out and it would stop hurting. I got the wisdom teeth taken out when I was 22. The locking and pain didn't stop. The dentist recommended braces and I pretty much ignored her. I was 22 - no way I was getting braces. Fast forward to the year I turned 30. (I was still 29, for the record.) I had found a husband and had my first round of kids. (Twins, of course, becase we nevery do things the easy way!) The dentist recommended the braces again and I went for a consult at the orthodontist. He recommended a treatment plan that included the surgery. I said okay and the braces went on the week before Easter (March 30) in 2010. The following year, the orthodontist sent me to the oral surgeon for a consult. We are a military family, so I was sent to the military treatment facility. I am 7 months pregnant and am scheduled to move 8 months after the initial visit. The surgery team said that I didn't really need the surgery - that it was purely cosmetic. After 2 appointments and over 8 hours at the hospital, my pregnant hormones couldn't take in any more. The orthodontist got involved and the chief of the department called to say that I would be a candidate for the surgery. Of course, I was pregnant and moving, so he suggested I wait until the fall of 2011 (after the baby and the move) and have the surgery in Rhode Island, our next duty station.
So, we moved. I researched for days to find the perfect orthodonist who would use the hardware in my mouth and keep us on track to get these stupid braces off on time. I got to my first appointment and the doctor was not pleased with my original treament plan and wouldn't take my case. Found another guy. (As a side note....I LOVE the second guy! He's fantastic!!) Got an appointment with the oral surgeon and we started making plans. Well, the Navy laughs at you when you make plans. Tricare denied the surgery in the civilian sector in Rhode Island. (The fact that the procedure would be performed by a NAVY DOCTOR was beside the point. Because it would be done in a civilian hospital, it was denied.) It left me with two options: appeal or go to a Military Treatment Facility. After much deliberation (and tears), the circus travelled to Virginia for the procedure to be done at an MTF. The husband is here for a week. The kids and I will be here for 3. If the doctor releases me after 3 weeks of recovery, I will head back north and finish with the oral surgeon up there. We are staying with my parents and it has been an adventure already!
I think I am ready. We went shopping for all of the last minute things today and I prepped the big boys that Mommy has to go to the hospital and won't be home until Thursday. They are ready for me not to talk to them and and they are ready for the big band-aid. Tomorrow the husband and I will get up at an UNGODLY hour and make the trek to the hospital for the surgery.
Stay tuned for the recovery process!
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