<Before Surgery>
Looking at myself in the mirror, I didn't think it was that bad when viewed from the front, but I started getting teased by boys since middle school. My mom wanted to get braces for me since I was young, but the dentists said I need surgery when I grow up, so they didn't agree to give me an orthodontic treatment.
After passing my teens, I finally got braces at 20 ａnｄ corrected my bite for two years, but my teeth started shifting again, ａnｄ my front teeth weren't touching again, ａnｄ my back teeth were misaligned. I lived like this for 10 years, giving up on my appearance, but people still teased me about it even as an adult... This bad memory from my childhood came back to me, ａnｄ I was upset. I didn't want to live as someone who’s cowed by someone whenever they talk about my appearance, so I decided to undergo surgery! There was a bit of impulsiveness in my decision, haha.
I searched through various clinics on YouTube, avoiding many that seemed overly promotional, until I came across videos from WHY Oral ａnｄ Maxillofacial Surgery, ａnｄ the results of the patients seemed genuine, so I immediately booked a consultation. During the consultation, both the consultant ａnｄ the head surgeon were so kind ａnｄ only said what was necessary, which made me trust them even more! Above all, seeing numerous reviews on their website gave me confidence that this was a safe clinic.
<Surgery Day>
I went to the clinic alone without any nervousness, but things went by in a flash, ａnｄ before I knew it, I was lying on the surgery table. It was my first time with general anesthesia, ａnｄ when I woke up, I found myself sitting on the bed... With the anesthesia smell still lingering, I was already sitting up... When I woke up, my whole jaw felt like it had been hit by someone. I was alone without any family members, so I had to press the call button. The nurse came ａnｄ said the surgery went well ａnｄ that I needed to breathe deeply ａnｄ not fall asleep because they needed to remove the anesthesia gas, warning me that it might be cold. I kept feeling drowsy because of the anesthesia gas. There was a blood pack, ａnｄ a nasal tube was connected,so I couldn't swallow saliva, making it difficult to breathe. Oh, there was an oxygen respirator in my nose! At first, I could breathe slightly through my nose because of the oxygen respirator, but after it was removed, I couldn't breathe through my nose at all, so I had to breathe through my mouth. My mouth was dry, my throat hurt, ａnｄ it was the first time I experienced such pain. I was told to drink water at 8 p.m., but every time I tried to drink, It went down the wrong pipe ａnｄ failed. I completely forgot how to swallow liquid through my throat. When I coughed, my nose bled... I repeatedly woke up ａnｄ fell asleep, but still managed to sleep well every two hours.
 
<Days 2-3>
In the morning, the blood ａnｄ urine tubes were removed, ａnｄ while receiving laser treatment, I waited for the head surgeon. When the head surgeon came to remove the blood pack inside my mouth, it felt really strange... It didn't hurt, but thinking about it again, it was creepy. Breathing was still difficult, ａnｄ it was even harder than on the first day. Fortunately, after removing the blood bag, my mouth closed, so I could drink water ａnｄ swallow saliva properly. My face swelled up. From this point on, my face continued to swell.
I was discharged on day 3. I recommend you to have your guardian when you discharge.
you need to get the medication from the pharmacy, ａnｄ you will still be in pain, won’t be able to carry your belongings. ａnｄ foodwise, you can only do liquid diet. ａnｄ even when you gargle, you can’t do it properly, the mouthwash just runs through your mouth.
 
<Days 4-6>
I went back to my parents' house as it was new year holidays in my dad's car right after being discharged, which took about an hour. Surprisingly, I could withstand an hour-long car ride. When my nose got blocked, I used Otrivin, ａnｄ if it still didn't clear, I took a couple of sprays of Coen into my nose, ａnｄ even though it dripped down, my nose cleared slightly. From the moment I was discharged until now, my face has been gradually swelling up. I applied ice packs frequently ａnｄ wore a compression head bandage. I didn't walk outside but kept walking around the house. My face changed so much that my family members wondered who I was ａnｄ how much my face had changed. Until a week ago, I couldn't brush my teeth, so I felt really uncomfortable ａnｄ miserable... I switched from NewCare to MediWell because NewCare didn't suit me, ａnｄ MediWell tasted better. On the 5th day, I started using warm compresses. Until the 4th day, when I woke up in the morning, my jaw felt swollen ａnｄ stiff, making it difficult for me to move, but interestingly, on the 5th day, I felt less discomfort than the day before.
 
<Days 7-8, First Check-Up>
I returned to my house in Seoul for my first check-up. By this time, my nose was still runny, but my nose was clear. So, the pain in breathing disappeared. Until just before the first check-up, I couldn't brush my teeth, ａnｄ I hadn't touched the inside of my mouth because the head surgeon was the first to touch it, so it hurt. After disinfection ａnｄ laser treatment, I was told that I could brush my teeth gently, so I came home ａnｄ immediately removed the wafer ａnｄ brushed my teeth. It felt like I was flying! Oh, even though I was wearing a mask, I looked at myself in the mirror, ａnｄ my proportions looked much better than before, haha.

 
<Days 9-15, Second Check-Up>
Now that my nose is clear ａnｄ I can brush my teeth, you can consider that the difficult times are over. While brushing my teeth, I also indulged in ice cream ａnｄ didn't even bother to blend my porridge!, although the urge to chew was strong, I diligently searched for foods I could eat while watching jaw surgery vlogs. It felt like paradise to be able to brush my teeth. On the 14th day, I finally went to have my stitches removed. I mentally prepared myself for discomfort during disinfection, but surprisingly, removing the stitches wasn't as painful as I thought. I heard it would hurt to remove the stitches in the center, but for me, the sensation was similar whether it was in the center ｏｒ on the sides. However, the lower front teeth area was a bit painful... haha. They also showed me X-ray images, ａnｄ because of the swelling, I realized they had cut a lot of bones. After removing the stitches, I ate bread, crushed ramen, cooked it, ａnｄ melted snacks in my mouth... I feel like I'm alive now! I can't wait for the swelling to go down so I can start orthodontic treatment.
<2-Month Update>
Honestly, there isn't much difference from the one-month mark. My nose continued to be blocked, so I went to an ENT clinic ａnｄ received medication for allergic rhinitis, which cleared it up! It might not be due to the surgery, so if you continue to have a runny nose ａnｄ congestion like me, I recommend visiting an ENT clinic! I continued practicing mouth opening exercises diligently, ａnｄ now I can fit three fingers in. However, there is still swelling inside my mouth, so my jaw feels stiff when I wake up in the morning:(
Wearing rubber band braces has been applied for about a month ａnｄ a half, so I can chew with both back teeth. I started going to the gym in the second month, ａnｄ after exercising, I could see that the swelling had decreased.
From the second to the third month, the swelling is said to gradually subside, so I guess I could raise my hopes up, haha. Although I've had some discomfort since the surgery, I'm very satisfied with the fact that my jawline has been corrected. Oh, as for meals,I can't eat anything hard because my teeth hurt due to the bracesㅜ
Most of my friends say I've become cuter, ａnｄ some ask who I am, so the reaction is mostly that I've become a different person. The side profile looks beautiful every time I look at it, so I'm very satisfied. My vibe feels more feminine ａnｄ youthful now!! There may be individual differences, but personally, I'm very satisfied with the recovery process from double jaw surgery!