Back to Crawford Long Hospital today to find out why my voice has not returned to normal. We thought at first it was just temporary due to stress from the intubation tube, but unfortunately that was not to be.

Diagnosis: Left Vocal Cord Paralysis probably due to intubation tube laying on the left cord during my MMA surgery.

Prognosis: Voice often returns sometimes in a few days or a few months. Sometimes damage is permanent. If doesn’t return by 9 months, probably won’t return.

Well, I certainly did not see that coming. Just praying for healing. It’s like the worst laryngitis you can imagine. Normally, the vocal cords vibrate in a lateral motion to make sounds. In the case of vocal cord paralysis, the paralyzed cord just lays over to the side leaving a gap, which the air flows through unmodified except for the little effect the good cord makes. Thank God for that good vocal cord!

In case you haven’t figured it out, I believe in the power of prayer. So, if you do too, please remember me when you pray.

Met with Dr. Roser today for my 1-week checkup. Said he would like to see me once every week for a while. He immediately commented on my voice. It has not returned to normal, so he scheduled me an appointment with an ENT specialist.

Healing is going well. Stitches on the outside removed. Prescribed Lortab 7.5 for pain as needed. I’m still taking the Roxicet, which is stronger than Lortab. I’ll start trying to back off to Lortab depending on how the pain subsides. Roxicet is great for pain, but it makes me sleepy. Right now, I prefer to sleep.

Regarding pain, it’s still quite strong. It’s a persistent ache with sporadic sharp pain in the gums, particularly the lower jaw.

After the surgery, I’m just wiped out both physically and mentally. I’m still really slow at typing, and don’t be surprised if you find a few typos. My brain doesn’t seem to pick them out as well as normal.

Day 1 Post-op

Right after surgery, Drs. Optid and Cho came in to check on me. They kept a close watch on me, but I think everything progressed rather well, and they were pleased with the surgical outcome. Dr. Roser said my occlusion was good enough not to require my jaw wired shut. Thank God for that.

The after effects of anesthesia, the morphine and other meds kept me in what I would describe as a semi-awake dream state. I had about a 1 second span of attention, which made it difficult for the hospital staff to get x-rays.

My son-in-law, Josh, complimented me on how cool my Halloween costume looked. Too bad it was a day late. I’m planning on getting it trademarked and on the shelves by next Halloween. It’s going to be called Orthognathic Man. How cool is that!

Day 2 Recovering

Woke up with a terrible headache. Morphine had ran out. It is was quickly refilled. They gave me a setup where I could click a button, and the morphine would dispense automatically. Thankfully, it has a failsafe mechanism on it to prevent overdose, because I think I was hitting that puppy at night on autopilot.

My voice is shot due to the intubation tubes, which have to go in through your nose. Normally these go in through the mouth, except here they’re operating inside the mouth and can’t have the tubes in the way. I’m very hoarse and hard to understand when I speak.

Day 3 Going Home Today

Woke with head and mouth hurting again. Hit the button for near instant relief. Truly amazing. Ice chips felt great in my mouth, and water was good. I don’t recall eating anything they brought me during my stay.  We requested non-dairy, but the just kept bringing it right on schedule. I asked a nurse for some soy milk, which they brought.

I love Silk Soy products, especially the yogurt. We get them at our local Publix supermarket. Dairy gums you up inside, so I don’t eat it at all. Prior to and during recovery, you especially don’t need anything that gums up your sinuses.

Dr. Roser came in and installed rubber bands on my front braces to help position my jaw. They aren’t too tight, and I am able to eat any soft food that does not require chewing.

Technorati Tags: Dr. Optid , Dr. Cho , MMA surgery

‘nuf said. Hopefully tomorrow, I’ll feel like posting some photos. Just a quick appreciation for Dr. Optid and Dr. Cho, the residents that helped take care of me. You guys are great!

It’s been a long wait since last year when I first realized I needed to get treatment for sleep apnea. But the wait is nearly over. Tomorrow morning at 7am I’ll check in at Emory Crawford Long Hospital in Atlanta with MMA surgery to begin at 9am.

I’m told the surgery normally lasts about 5 hours and requires the work of 3 surgeons. So around 2 or 3pm, I should be in recovery. I’ll spend two nights in the hospital returning home Saturday. Follow-up with the Emory Clinic will come a week later.

I’ve kept myself busy right up to the 11th hour—literally, since I’m writing this post at 11pm. So far, I’ve had no anxiety, but I expect tomorrow may be different. I’ll let you know.

Time to get some rest.

Yesterday was my pre-op visit at The Emory Clinic.

It was to say the least, interesting. My appointment time was 3:30 PM, and I didn’t get out until after 6:00. What took so long?

• More X-rays of my head and neck
• Measurements of my head
• Molds of my upper and lower teeth and gums
• Signing forms
• Q&A with Dr. Roser
• Quick visit with the insurance coordinator

Multiple tries on the molds were made trying to get a perfect impression. I’m sure it was difficult since I now have braces on.