Check Up- Pre-Op Surgery 12

What a journey it has been! Though these last 4 months have been a little slow for me as for surgeries and my journey towards the finish. I had my most recent surgery last June when my doctor tried another way to grow jaw bone into my upper jaw. Since the surgery before that wasn't successful he took 3 core samples of my right hip bone (illiac crest) and added that bone to cadavar bone (someone else's bone) as well as a bone morphogenetic protein to enhance the bone growth. From June I had 4 months to grow as much bone as I could to see if I could grow enough to move on.

On October 12th I went in to see my doctor because lately the bone and mesh screen growing through my gum tissue once again and causing pain and discomfort. We also hadn't had a chance to do a check up on the bone so it was a good appointment to have all around! I got to have a CT scan of my face to see where the bone was growing or wasn't growing. I'll admit, I was really afraid down in the pit of my stomach of what this scan could say. After last year when my mom and I went in for an appointment just like this we left with such disappointing news of the bone graft failing.

The news of this scan was overall good with a minor disappointment, but not enough to ruin anything. My doctor had my mom and I to follow him to the computer screens to see the results of the scan, we looked at my mouth and saw majority of the bone had grown, there was just one location that he had a minor concern about. But Dr. Dierks had a solution to the problem which would allow us to move forward. In this next surgery, which is scheduled for November 6th at 7:30am, my doctor is going to remove a piece of my lower jaw bone to then graft to my upper jaw where the bone is a bit thin. The piece he is taking is called the Coronoid Process. It a small, thin piece of bone that connects the lower jaw to the muscle that allows you to chew. So if you were to flex your jaw as if you were chewing something you would be able to feel the muscle on the side of your head coming down to jaw. Somewhere in there the coronoid process is located :) I can live without this piece and hopefully in 10 years it will be fully regrown! It is said to be a 2-3 month recovery for me to be back to opening my jaw completely, good thing I don't just walk around with my mouth gaping open :) This piece of bone will act like a "venire" as my doctor compared it, it will just be a thin piece of bone that will be screwed onto my upper jaw and eventually grow into it. While my doctor does all this, he will also put in the bases of teeth implants. The moment I've been waiting so long far!

Diagram of where the bone will be removed from my actual jaw!

It's been almost surreal to realize the end of my surgeries are so near. Once this surgery passes I could have 1 or 2 more surgeries left, possibly 3 depending on how this step all works out! After 15 years of working to reconstruct my mouth and nose, the end doesn't seem possible! It really is hard to imagine once again that this year could be last through this journey, after last year at this time I was thinking the same thing, but God had a plan and he made it clear to me that his "ways are higher than my ways" (Isaiah 55:9).

The time leading up to this surgery has given me a lot of time to be afraid of this next step. In my previous blogs I talked about how fear is not something to be afraid to admit and this time I felt fear within me at its strongest. I think that this fear came from the emotional wear within me as I have to mentally prepare myself for another big surgery and all the effects it has on me physically. But truly God is good through all this. These past 2 weeks I have felt him at his nearest, while fear was its strongest. It was a battle within me of two great powers. But God is greater than fear because fear is of the world and as I heard from someone the verse John 16:33 "... In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Every where I turn I am constantly reminded of His presence and constantly reminded not to fear. :) 

This next surgery will be hard, but not impossible. Never impossible. As some would say "it'll come and go like a blink of an eye" and it truly will! I would love to ask everyone to please pray for me Tuesday, November 6th as I will be entering into my 12th surgery. Please pray that the doctor will have a peace of mind and know exactly what needs to be done. That the surgery will go smoothly as well as the recovery for me! Thank you all for taking time to read this and be apart of my journey! God has truly blessed me with great support and loving friends and family! You are all such a wonderful blessing to me! :)

Genesis 12:3
I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”