Saturday, April 26, 2014
TMJ Day 32
Nothing new, just wanted to show where my teeth are today. They've closed quite a bit, but one side is still more swollen than the other so I still have that weird bulldog type bite. It doesn't feel that crooked when I bite. I'm hearing some ripping when I chew. Dr. Franco told me to listen for that. It doesn't hurt. The photo of me on the patio is because you can really see that line (laugh line) and how deep it is. Dr. Franco said something about how that will fill out after the surgery, so lets see if there's a difference later.
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
TMJ Day 29
All is pretty well with my TMJs. They still feel a little sticky but my bite feels stronger than before the surgery. My open bite is much more closed now as well! It's crazy that my lack of TMJ tissue made such a difference in space...but I guess that's a big duh moment because of course it would. Anyway I decided to take out a loan for the rest of the $10K. My parents have spent so much already and at this point it's just sad. The bank said I could use my car as collateral. I have the title but I haven't taken it to the tax office to change it into my name. A friend of mine gave me the car when she moved to New York. I was living abroad and when I came back to Texas she gave me the car and I registered it in my hometown. She still had a few payments left on the car and I paid those payments. When the car was paid off she sent me the title. I had already moved to Dallas by then and yesterday I took all my paperwork and the title to the tax office to get the car in my name and they said, "Sorry, you have to wait because the car is already registered in McLennan County." So, they have to transfer towns and they want me to pay $800 in taxes on the car. I'm starting to feel like I can't leave my house without owing someone several thousand dollars. Did I mention that my car was in the shop already this month and it was a thousand dollars. That means I'll have to spend over $1800 this month on my car, just so that I can get a loan to pay 10K in out-of-pocket fees for a surgery that is "100% covered by insurance". Good Ol' America. Also, I received a $140 bill from some diagnostic surgery company and I called Rachel and she doesn't know what it's for either. These bills are so boring. I'm looking forward to this year being over!
Friday, April 18, 2014
TMJ Day 24
On Wed. I went to see Dr. Franco. He took a panoramic X-Ray and said that everything looks good. I told him about a tooth I had that seemed to be moving behind the other (it was the same one as before that moved). He asked me to go see Dr. Simon and have her open some spaces between my incisors and canines to give him room to make cuts. The surgery is still set for May 14th. As of now I'm being told that the final payment is $10K out of pocket. But, I still have that anxiety from last time that I will show up the day before and they will say, "You owe us $65K". As far as my TMJ healing is going, the swelling is almost gone. There are knots right where the TMJ site is that I can feel but they're barely noticeable. I can chew pretty well but rotating my jaws from left to right is still a little resisting. I have zero pain and slight discomfort. Yesterday I stopped by my orthodontist and they changed the wire to put a spring in (to open that space), which means they had to take off the hooks. She said that one of my brackets is broken so I will have to go back and have it replaced. She's out of the office next week, so I made an apt. for May 1st to have the bracket switched out and the hooks put back on. The following week on the 7th, I'll go see Dr. Franco to make sure that everything is looking good for my surgery the week after. On the side, we've had 2 people quit at my work in the past 2 months and my work has doubled. I'm so busy and my boss' are worried about me leaving work again for medical leave. I think it will be ok, but everyday is a wipeout. Isn't this exhausting!
Friday, April 11, 2014
TMJ Day 17
My Joints are feeling ok these days. I'm still swollen just above the spot where my TMJ's are on both sides. My ears itch inside and out. I'm trying not to scratch at them but they're so itchy! I can eat most things, but it's troublesome. I've gotten fat because the things that are easy to eat are pasta, potatoes, rice etc. I have trouble with salad because I can't grind well I can just chomp up and down. I haven't gotten back to a regular exercise routine because I'm exhausted everyday. My digestion is really messed up. I've been constipated for weeks. I've tried different natural remedies but nothing is working well. I'm not really feeling any pain anymore but some tension in my jaws. I can yawn but I can't open as wide as I used to. If feels like he put little erasers in the spot where my joints used to be. It feels rubbery and thick. I can hear small tears happening when I'm chewing, which Dr. Franco told me to listen for. That's a good sign meaning that it's stretching. I called Arizbe at Baylor again and she said that all I owe at the time of surgery is the $1900 deductible. I asked her twice if she was sure, I asked about the turbinates and procedures not covered and she said it's 100% covered after the deductible. When I called Rachel she said that we're supposed to give the deductible to her and that the $10K bill included that amount and was to cover the turbinates. Got that?
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
TMJ Day 14
First day back to work. I was super busy trying to catch up. I called Rachel yesterday to schedule my Orthognathic surgery and she started telling me about a separate copay for Baylor. I told her that I had already spoken to Cigna and that I was to pay $1900 and the surgery was covered 100% which is also what she'd told me. She said that there were 4 procedures that Cigna won't cover and that I have to pay out of pocket for that. HA! Will this ever end? She said that I had to call Baylor and find out what the estimate is. I called Baylor and spoke to Arizbe who is the same lady from last time. She tells me that she can't give me the estimate until 2 weeks before the surgery. I left work at 2 because I had an appointment at Dr. Franco's office for my 2 week post op. I show up and wait 30 min. They took me back and I was waiting again and then Rachel came in and said I didn't have an appointment and I was supposed to come next week. Jeez. I had the reminder card in my purse and I showed it to the girl at the front desk who just said, "whoops, that was me". I talked to Rachel for a bit about the separate charges and she said that the things they don't cover are: The Turbinates and the bone fixation devices. Here is an illustration of the turbinates.Rachel said that they can give me the estimate at Baylor and that she just wouldn't. Uh, rude. Now, we are both supposed to call and beg until she gives us the estimate. Should we place a bet on how much that will be? We've probably come full circle and the quote will be back at $19,000 again! I don't understand why healthcare has to be this complicated, expensive and depressing. Oh, by the way did I tell you that Rachel also gave me a $10,000 invoice for those extra charges that are separate from the hospital? She told my mom that we were done paying because the surgery was covered. It feels like nothing has changed financially since we got the surgery covered. I'm on the schedule for May 14th for Orthognathic surgery, lets see if it sticks this time.
Friday, April 4, 2014
TMJ Day 10
I went to see Dr. Franco on Wed. He removed my stitches and said everything looks good and that I did a good job cleaning the wounds. He wants me to move my mouth a lot and eat all that I can because I have to stretch the muscles. He said, "Either you have to do it or I will." If scar tissue forms on the muscles he has to rip it to stretch it. I don't want that so I've been trying to eat tough things and it's really exhausting and painful. He said that the yellow bruising was ok and that after the Orthognathic surgery I'll have that kind of bruising all the way down to my breasts! Eating gives me a headache and it's painful but I keep trying. I ate some toast and I tried to eat a small salad with cucumber but the salad leaves were impossible to chew and the cucumbers were just too hard. I couldn't do it. But I made the effort! I'm supposed to go see him again on Tues. but I'm not sure what for. My mom was with me and she asked him why the teeth don't die when he detaches them and he said the teeth never become detached at any point in the surgery, there is just a break in the jaw bones and shifting. I'm not taking hydrocodone in the daytime anymore but I still feel like I need it to get to sleep. When I'm laying back and the blood starts pooling it's very uncomfortable. Franco told me to keep putting moist heat on my neck, cheeks and temples so sooth the swelling. When I have my coffee in the morning I put the hot cup against my face and it feels good. I also use a hot,wet rag on my cheeks before bed. I left my apt in Dallas and came to my Mom & Dad's house for the rest of the week. Their home is much more comfortable than mine and there is a wooded path with a stream in the back where I can walk, tons of food and my brother's are all coming into town for the week! I have already laughed a lot which is super painful but a good way to recover. Here are some photos I took today. As you can see my ears look much better without the stitches and the swelling has gone down a lot. My bite is still crooked which Franco said was fine and it's because one side is more swollen than the other. He said it would straighten up in about 2 weeks, but not to worry anyway because he is fixing it all in the jaw surgery. I'm sorry my skin is terribly gross and you can see my pores and I got this weird red rash on my chin. But, who cares, right?
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
TMJ Day 7
Everything is feeling ok. I didn't get out today and I cried a lot. Crying hurts so I wouldn't recommend it. Dr. Franco said I would be emotional after the surgery so I guess that was it. I took a Hydrocodone after the crying and felt sleepy but I didn't nap. I just watched t.v. My ears are still feeling sore and itchy. I have numbness all around my ear and the back side of my cheekbones, temples and eye sockets. The numbness and tender areas extend all the way to the back and top of my skull. There's not really any soreness around my neck anymore. Today I ate eggs, applesauce, a little veggie patty with avocado, rice and more eggs. I've really been using my waterpik a lot lately. I don't have that range of motion to get things out of my teeth with my tongue. So I have to rinse it out. Here are some photos of the progress, That yellow bruising just showed up. I also noticed it a little around my left eye just now.
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