Jaw Surgery Adventures

random self portraits

2009-07-16T01:08:00.000-07:00

EATING!

2009-06-02T22:45:00.000-07:00

Here's me about to EAT a mexican baked potato at Follow Your Heart restaurant. I am actually starting to eat soft and medium soft things...noodles, vegetable soup, salmon, even a chicken breast tonite. Who to needs botox?

I don't look like myself

2009-05-30T00:01:00.001-07:00

I don't really recognize my face. I am kind of disappointed because I don't think I look very natural. I'm kind of lopsided and I am not sure if I will look much better when the swelling goes down. Yesterday I had the arch bars taken off so my mouth isn't wired shut anymore. Dr. Li said that I can chew normally in 6 months but I can eat soft foods such as over cooked pasta and fish. He also made it clear that he wants his patients to be happy and he would consider doing more surgery on my chin if I think it is too long. I am upset that I feel like a freak because my face seems narrower and longer than before. And the cuteness of my flat nose doesn't look as good now that my big lips are shrinking. I can accept looking quirky and I am happy with some aspects like my profile. Last night I slept with my mouth open and woke up with a very dry mouth. I hope I did not snore now that my mouth is not wired shut. I wore glasses for my "Aunt Connie" character 2 nights ago for my "Ookie Cookie" movie premiere. They dug deep into the bridge of my nose leaving a hole which luckily faded after about 12 hours. Dr. Li said it will harden up eventually. I feel like face transplant lady a bit. The face pic above is highly touched up. It is for the badge I will wear at the Frameline film festival towards the end of June in San Francisco.

Ethnicity Switch?

2009-05-25T22:58:00.000-07:00

Here is a site with bad tattoos: http://www.badtattoos.com/tattoos/tattoos_10856.html These tattoos are really depressing.
I have been meeting with tattoo artists for consultations. I've learned that a lot of my ideas may not wear so well over time because of the ink fading, blurring and bleeding.
Wednesday, May 27th my movie, OOKIE COOKIE, is playing at the Egyptian Theater. I will be dressed as Aunt Connie, hand out crafts and cookies, and answer questions.
At the end of June I will probably be going to San Francisco and Tel Aviv with OOKIE to present it in film festivals. I wonder how my new face will be read in Israel.
My arch bars come off on Thursday, May 28th in Palo Alto.
My swelling is going down a lot. I fear I may lose my smooth, wide, flat nose. My chin and upper palate are the most numb.
People are making interesting comments:

You definitely don't have a Jewish nose anymore
You look more Asian or mulatto now.
You look Mexican, Cuban, or Puerto Rican.
Your face is more oblong now.
you have black eyes.
Are your lips going to stay that big? They are very attractive.
You look like a thug.
You look like a Jewish gangster.
They made your nose crooked.
You are really skinny.
You look really healthy.
You look fit.

Anna made me brown rice and chicken soup with chicken breast in blender. It was great. I am going to have to try to start cooking real foods and blending instead of canned.
I have been eating tons of ice cream. I really must stop though I don't seem to be gaining weight. My scale says I weigh 150, which is my lowest adult weight.
I ran out of all of my protein powders at the same time and have ordered a bunch online.
A couple nights ago I ate a can of chicken which is equal to 6 servings and had tons of sodium. I got super constipated because I stopped drinking water and replaced it with shakes and soups.
blended lentil soup gave me gas for hours and hours.
Email quote from Dr. Li in regards to my diet when the arch bars come off: "Soft food-fish, eggs and over cooked pasta for 6 to 8 weeks then chicken and bread for another few weeks. Unrestricted chewing probably 5 to 6 months."
I have started light exercise to get back into top shape.
I have decided I look like Lionel Richie.
I want to grow my hair like my hottie hero, Andy Samberg.

Recipe, latest photo, tattoo ideas, 2 weeks til arch bars come off!

2009-05-15T19:06:00.001-07:00

I took the yellow background picture today after work because my shirt matched and the sun was just right. If i tilt my head up I look good. If I tilt down I still have extra long narrow face.

The tattoo picture is from my photo shoot where I was pretending to be gang member. I really like those black drawn on tattoos and may decide to get only black tattoos instead of the colorful ones I originally thought about. I have been having consultations with tattoo parlours in order to find the best places.

My lower arch bar is loose and wiggly but Dr. Li said no problem. I have only 2 weeks til I fly back to get my mouth unwired.

I have favorite savory recipe:
Mashed potatoes (boxed)
can of tuna, salmon, or chicken
fresh squeezed carrot, tomato, yam, cabbage juice (or any vegetable juice)
one package miso soup
tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Blend til smooth and drink warm
Yummy proteiny and carbys and veges

I apologize to anyone who has smelled my breath because, apparently, it sucks. Last night when switching out my rubber bands I opened just wide enough to scrape me tongue with the water pik tongue attachment. I will need oh so much more cleaning once these wires come off. I will say I still am loving the diet. It's so easy to pull out protein powder and juice or water and just shake it at work. It's quick, easy to clean up, and is really good on my digestion.

Today I ate Ice Cream with a Spoon!

2009-05-13T18:51:00.001-07:00

Today, after shaving my face, I discovered who my real parents must be: Rodney Bingenheimer and Jocelyn Wildenstein.

I also ate my favorite ice cream with a spoon because it had melted a bit: Julie's Moca Java.
It got all over my face and the floor but I slurped that thing down!

Yesterday and Today

2009-05-11T11:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my halfway point of wires on my mouth. Just 2 and a half more weeks and they come off! I am so excited. I worked myself to death yesterday at work and crawled out of my car to take a nap, have a 12 hour migraine/tension headache, and sleep 9 hours. I took this picture yesterday and am happy I look somewhat normal again. I just feel handicapped due to the inability to speak and my weakness.

Today I bought and bid on a bunch of Raggedy Ann stuff on ebay as inspiration for my paintings and possible tattoo!

Last night I had a dream that I was going to be in a childrens beauty pageant in drag, singing "It's Raining on Prom Night" from Grease.

Today I changed my 4 rubber bands for the first time using a little do-hickey. They need to be changed every other day because they loosen.

First day back to Los Angeles

2009-05-10T11:04:00.000-07:00

noticed bad air quality
got into fight with smoothie maker at whole foods because she wouldn't give me the full protein powder serving
client had fear for my life in her eyes when she saw how skinny I am
my tiniest pants were baggy on me
traffic was overwhelming and aggressive
ran out of hours in the day to unpack everything
work schedule is filling up really quick
want to get rid of a lot of clutter in apartment and work
Ky said I didn't snore at all and he could barely hear me breathe
Ky said my breath is terrible, I am so embarrassed, emailed Dr. Li who said that's what happens when the stitches start dissolving
I feel like I look monstrous and I am afraid I will never look normal. Apparently it can take many months for the swelling to go down
"The Cookie Lady" (the lady who brings cookies etc to work) absolutely didn't recognize me and acted as if I was a total stranger

Highlights from my last day up North!

2009-05-08T21:05:00.000-07:00

Here are the highlights from my last day at the Mountain View Residence Inn by Marriott.

1. Gave Sherwood a new non-wispy hair cut.
2. Aly gave my luggage the bondage treatment because I am bringing home more than I brought with me and it burst.
3. Sherwood gave me a massage.
4. Aly found that the soup fit perfectly in my workout bands box.
5. I saw Dr. Li for the last time in the next 3 weeks. I have always been in the chair when I saw him but when I stood up I saw how short he was so I crouched down to take my picture with him because I wanted to be shorter than my doctor.
(He told me how quickly my muscles disappeared,

to get me back for my comment.)
6. I found a modernist playhouse at Stanford mall.
7. Aly was sneaky amongst the mall flowers.
8. I found an adorable candy display.
9. I took a pic of Dr. Li's door display.

10. Ky told me I look like Joaquin Phoenix which I kind of agree with.

Scenes from the Movie I love

2009-05-08T20:53:00.001-07:00

I love this movie. It is so cheap and badly acted:
"The Wonderful Land of Oz" from 1968.
Click on images to see them bigger.

Before and After: X-Rays, Fever and Nightmare and Brad Pitt

2009-05-06T22:39:00.000-07:00

As you can see, my jaw is drastically altered creating a much larger air way down my throat which should end my sleep apnea. I am very excited about this.

Last night was a hard night because I had a fever and layed in a pile of sweat last night never really getting to sleep until about 4am I'm guessing. I had to constantly get up and pee for a long time as well. I am assuming that this was my body's way of ridding itself of the anesthesia that I had running through me as a result of the nose surgery. In my feverish state I had a nightmare:

I was in a big bed with Brad Pitt laying to my left. My neighbor who had failed sleep apnea surgery of another kind, was foot to foot with Brad and across from me, next to him was my friends 4 year old daughter. When I awoke (in the dream) my neighbor told me that I still had my sleep apnea as I snored. I was really depressed after that.

By the way, I wanted to say that I was not really put under all the way during my corrective nose surgery and I felt and heard everything. I wasn't in pain but I felt and heard the cutting of my septum. It didn't scare me because Dr. Li had gone over the surgery so many times with me, I was ready for it.

P.S. the top pic is of my mouth wired (rubberbanded) shut.

Pictures from today's nose correction surgery

2009-05-05T17:12:00.001-07:00

PRE NOSE SURGERY UPDATE: CROOKED

2009-05-04T23:36:00.001-07:00

Explanation of the pictures:
Tomorrow at 9:40 am, Aly is going to take me to Stanford to get my nose straightened out. Picture updates on Wed May 5, in the evening.

Jonathan came to take care of me for a few days and we had fun shopping at Whole Foods, giving him a mohawk, and taking photos in the party store. Dianna came for a haircut in the hotel, too.
Yesterday I spent the whole day in bed except for spending 3 hours clipping my very thin waisted body.
Apparently this liquid diet encourages rapid weight loss as I have lost about 20 pounds in two weeks!
Today I walked to the post office (30 minutes away) to mail a Mother's Day card and a postcard. Then I went to the Mountain View Library and got a temporary library card to check out "The Marvelous Land of Oz" which has been the theme of this adventure. I have been watching a 1968 version over and over again in the hotel room. It is very cheap and wonderful. I am inspired to get a tattoo to commemorate this experience. I also checked out "Raggedy Ann in Cookie Land" for more tattoo inspiration. I never knew how terribly written the Raggedy Ann books are in comparison to the Oz books. The illustrations are cute though.

Dr. Badger, Winchester House, Smoothee recipes

2009-05-01T21:27:00.000-07:00

This part of the blog is the time when I look back on this adventure so far in wonderment to think about all of the surreal experiences that I have been through so far. I think the person who personifies the fantasy-like aspect for me the most could be Dr. Badger. Although I never met him I have thought a lot about him. Dr. Badger is the name of the doctor who I was scheduled to see today, as recommended by Dr. Li. Because of the intense anal pain I had on Wednesday (and also because he wasn't covered by my insurance) I ended up seeing a variety of other doctors sooner and canceling his appointment. It just seems very strange to me that a person by the name of Dr. Badger, would have a career where he dug around in people's butts. Hello Beatrix Potter, this could be your next story!

I have stopped as much medication as I can and am using almond oil and Young Living Oils of cistus and helichrysum just inside and I haven't had any pain. I also bought some apple cider vinegar to take internally and externally which I read works better than medicine on hemorroids. As far as mouth pain, I have discovered Young Living Oil of clove is very numbing.

Winchester House
After reading reviews on yelp about the Winchester Mystery House, I decided not to go there. It is an interesting Victorian house with hundreds of rooms and weird staircases that lead to nowhere. Unfortunately they got rid of the original furniture and the tourguides are mumbly teenagers so instead I bring you this:

http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=winchester+mystery+house

copy and paste into browser for some flickr fun

Smoothee Recipes
(must water pik and/or swish water with salt or clove oil or peppermint oil after "meal")

scoop of canned salmon
tomato juice
Tablespoon of oil and apple cider vinegar
water
boiled quinoa cereal
one small bottle of lentil-vege baby food

macaroni and cheese
scoop of green powder
i teaspoon metamucil (for fiber)
water

2 raw eggs
cooked brown rice cereal
juice
1/8 teaspoon bromelain (for swelling)

Julie's moca java icecream
rice milk
i teaspoon metamucil

boiled sweet potato,
apples, and carrots
water

protein powder
vanilla ice cream
3 teaspoons of stool softener
coconut juice

vanilla ice cream
prune juice
frozen banana
frozen blueberries
orange cream whey protein powder

lentil and spinach dal
beef broth
half can salmon
water

cooked ground beef
butternut squash soup
water

acorn squash
2 eggs
fruit juice
1/8 teaspoon bromelain

half avocado
prune juice
coconut water
1/8 teaspoon bromelain
2 Tablespoons aloe vera juice
orange cream protein powder

P.S. I have a new favorite app for my IPhone. It's called "white noise" i think. It's free and gives you background sounds like chimes, ocean, fan blowing ect.

P.P.S. I haven't had a movement today. Uh-oh! Maybe nature will take it's course.
UPDATE: have had a few small movements since this was first written. I went the natural route with a tablespoon of olive oil in the morning and prune juice in the afternoon.

My Holes, My Holes!

2009-04-29T21:40:00.000-07:00

The following photographs were taken by Matt Johnstone and myself and are among my favorite of the bunch.

The Shirtless one was in the morning. It shows the bruising that I was told would happen as I heal. I like the thuggish, boxer-like quality. Definitely a character actor type.

The Bunny Baby was taken in the waiting room of a doctor today. It represents the down trodden direction my day is going.

The top pic is with synchronized swimmers right outside my hotel room door in the parking lot. At first we thought they were cheerleaders, but then I read their shirts more closely and realized the amazing truth. They have a competition at Stanford tomorrow. I felt great that we captured this incredible experience.

MY HOLES: I thought this was going to be a blog about my jaw surgery adventures and it is. But it is really about all of my holes, unfortunately.

Mouth: jaw and teeth and throat pressures and pain, and not being able to talk or chew.
Nose: crooked as sin UPDATE: NOSE CORRECTION SURGERY HAS BEEN MOVED FROM THE DR"S OFFICE TO STANFORD HOSPITAL ON TUESDAY. THIS GIVES THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEDATE ME.
Ears:intermittent earaches from the pressure of the swelling, which I am happy to say are gone for now.
Pee hole: became painful due to catheter insertion problems. I am happy to say no more pain!
Eyes: no problems except I have to SEE all of this going on on MY body.
Butt: This is my newest and worst problem. More scary than nose surgery, more painful than jaw surgery. This was an unexpected thing that is making me regret everything:

I DIDN'T TAKE THE STOOL SOFTENER IN TIME. THOSE NARCOTIC PAIN KILLERS MAKE YOU CONSTIPATED. WHEN I TRIED TO HAVE A BM I CREATED AN ANAL FISSURE WHICH MUST EQUAL THE PAIN OF HAVING A BABY.

According to the first dr. I went to today, I had a hemorrhoidal thrombosis which could be quickly eased by a surgeon's scalpel cut. But the surgeon said i actually had this fissure thing. I am trying a creme and hot baths first. If that doesn't work, then this nitrc oxide creme which relaxes the sphincter or something with possible headaches as side effect. If that doesn't work there is a surgery option. I am starting to hate that word: surgery. I may have to get a tattoo when this is all done. Maybe some illustrations from the original "Wizard of Oz" books. Now I am back to feeling like that bunny again. Thank goodness Matt was here to chauffer me around today. And also that I can drink from a cup instead of syringe.

(There is a moral to this story: Don't try to do an enema when a stool softener is needed. Also get liquid stool softener, not capsules that you try to blend like I did. It tasted like death and I couldn't get it down. And I shot myself in the eye with the syringe. I think I might have been better if I did that softener sooner. I am getting an unfortunate education in bowel)

MORE PICTURES!

2009-04-28T20:18:00.001-07:00

FIRST WEEK OF PICTURES

2009-04-28T20:07:00.001-07:00

He said not to expect to look like Brad Pitt. Guess what, he was right!

2009-04-28T19:11:00.000-07:00

In case you haven't noticed, my nose is the real concern here. This shows the freakish, lopsidedness of my nose. The collapse will be fixed on Tues. May 5.
Please click on photo to enlarge.

ENEMA, I thought this was about jaw surgery!

2009-04-27T22:25:00.000-07:00

My Surgery was Wed. April 22, 2009. It is now Mon. April 27, 2009. I haven't taken a dump in 6 days! I am going to talk about it here! Soon. Put up with it and in exchange I will spare you any photographs of the red slug that I blew out of my nose (more on that later). Now I will list off various experiences. Many other bloggers have listed the excruciating details day by day. I will just throw you some meaty things.

I was very excited to finally have this surgery. I put half of my life into whatever it took to make it here. I had a little fear but I put on a confident face because my parents were with me and I needed to instill a confident feeling in them.
I made my dad photograph a variety of things to document them and provide distraction from stressful situations.
I have been learning about and using "Young's Living Oils" to help promote healing and reduce blood loss during surgery. The Doctor and anesthesiologist allowed me to use them, SHOCKINGLY. 20 min. before surgery I took a special potion.
Apparently I bled more than most people. It's not to say they didn't work but my previous cosmetic surgeries on my face took it's toll and created more work and complications.
My chin implant was being removed but the tissues were badly scarred making the natural chin advancement tricky. He said it was successful but took longer than most at around 5 hours. I was completely comfortable the whole time.
My nose collapsed due to the instability of it. I look crazy now, like a boxer who'd been punched in the face a lot. And like a Pinocchio puppet head or Donatella Versace. This will be corrected Tues. May 5. (The Happiest Cinco De Mayo Ever!) with an operation that changed times each day he saw me: 20 min, 25 min, 30 min, 45 min. It will be done under local anesthesia. He asked me if I was a wimp. (Hinting it wasn't going to be fun to watch. Hello, my eyes will be shut for sure!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
I was in ICU Intensive Care Unit for one night and then regular hospital for the next. I got to go back to the hotel on the third day at 10am. I was so excited!
There are many different nurses and technicians that you meet when in the hospital with unique personalities and hairstyles.
So my mouth is wired shut for 5 weeks. It's so the new position can hold while bone fills in. I went back and forth about gaining weight before surgery because I didn't want to waste away. I ate junk food for 2 weeks, lost my 6 pak, went back to healthy diet. Now I am experimenting with different healthy things I can squeeze through a large syringe into my mouth. And also some fattening things. But blenders don't liquefy the food enough and eating (drinking) is a whole process that requires nudity, towels, blending, re blending, doing the laundry when food sprays on your clothes, then rinsing the mouth with that syringe so much that it wears out in a day. (There's a Whole Foods pretty close to the hotel). This 60 cc syringe is like a new twist on the "crazy straw". It could be the new fun sensation. It's like a bodybuilder clown's injection of oral steroids. FEED AND GROW

loads of different protein powders and green drinks and meal replacement drinks
sweet and savory juices
soups and broths
macaroni and cheese or beef
liquefied deli meats
rice cereal
gojiberry juice
Julie's Vanilla and Julie's Moca Java ice cream (with a serving of Metamucil) is the best!
boxed cereal crushed
sweet potatoes, yams, avocados
cottage cheese
yogurt
raw eggs just blended in
soba noodles

Which leads me to this word constipation. I usually go to the bathroom 3 times a day. But I have stopped for 6 days. I felt great, unfortunately I panicked and decided I better get things moving. The Dr. suggested Colase which is a stool softener. What do all of these words mean. Sounds strange to me. I don't want to turn out like Dana Hill or Heather O'Rourke though (child stars dead through not being able to go, maybe my own weird memory) so maybe just doing an enema would be a more natural way of starting the process. Will update soon. "Barry takes first dump". Why, today I can write "Barry drank from a cup for the first time". Hooray!
One night I kinda freaked out because I couldn't breathe out of nose or and mouth was filling with saliva too quick. The Dr. said to take steamy showers and use a saline spray in the nose which did the trick. I learned a new home remedy. To release the blockage you force air through the loosened tissues and I totally blew out red slime that looked like a slug which oozed toward the drain in the sink like a real slug. I almost had to photograph it. But I could breathe and all the slime running down my face is worth it.
I decided to buy a new recovery wardrobe so when i flew to San Jose, I purposely didn't bring any clothes. Then I had my friend John whisk me to American Apparel where I paraded around the store for an hour trying on clothes and leaving most in the dressing room somewhat crumpled. But I bought a lot: some gorgeous t shirts and sweats and a weird purple sheer shirt that looks like a long mini skirt dress. (Why did I buy that?) I also got the softest sweatshirt ever in an amazing boysenberry jelly belly color. I thought, who cares how much it costs? I could be dead on the operating table so spend away. Later I realized this was actually not so smart because food would probably end up staining everything. Also some of their clothes aren't so functional, like the x-tra large red sweat pants that are too tight, have no pockets, and a crazy long waistband tie that hangs to the knees!
So going on walks is encouraged and speeds up recovery. I try to take 2 a day even if it's walking around in a Walgreen's. I actually have a ton of energy but my face and head kind of feel like they are filled with rocks. There is a lot of swelling and the bruising migrated from my neck to my chest (all normal).

Goodbye Witch chin, I'll soon be Bionic!

2009-04-21T22:54:00.000-07:00

So in 6 hours my dad will drive me to Stanford where I will have the operation that I should have had at age 18! All of my wishing and preparing is finally about to be. I am so happy that my snoring and apnea will be over and my witch's chin implant will be removed and replaced with bone and metal. I can finally say I have metal screws in me (funny how I was always a bit jealous of those people who could say that). I am happy that I will be allowed to use magical healing oils (the same that a witch would use!) in order to heal faster and not loose too much blood (I am ready for the doctors to be asking for the recipes). I know the first few days will be pretty weird and uncomfortable but I am looking forward to lots of bed rest and watching the 20 videos my friends gave me! Hooray, soon I will say: I'M BIONIC!

"Welcome To My Hell" or UCLA: No Way!

2009-04-20T20:36:00.000-07:00

Over the many years I have researched ways to fix sleep apnea:

Lose weight (I'm thin enough)
Have your uvula shaved down (My dad and neighbor did it, it doesn't work)
Wear a CPAP machine (No one should have to endure that torture device. It makes my skin bloody, deforms my nose, dries out my throat etc.)
Mouth Guard (Who wants to sleep with a chunk of plastic in mouth, damages teeth)
Deviated septum surgery (Been there, done that, no avail)
Sleep on side (Um, hello? Why can't I be free to sleep any way I want?)
If the problem is in the throat it must be some words that need to be acknowledged and flushed down toilet (If only...)
Spend 600 dollars at an Osteopath who can't treat it so finds digestion problems to treat instead.
Special pillows (I don't think so)
Tracheotomy (that's too extreme-even for me)

Ok so I investigated and I found this topic the same as hair growth and weight loss remedies: just a way for someone to make money off of us poor desperate souls.

So I researched specialists who could do a major chop and paste and open the airway in the throat. A combination of operations which has a 95 percent success rate. Mandibular advancement: Moving the jaws forward.

THE COST: Well I thought I would go to UCLA because of their reputation. To make a long story short it was a hell. I decided to let the resident (student) dentists do the work to save money. They would be overseen by the head of the oral surgery department. Unfortunately the administration had problems and strung me along with wrong phone numbers, unreturned calls, and insurance issues. I was ready to pay what ever and have whoever do what ever but they weren't. Every time I called was a disappointment. Even the head Oral Surgeon said "Welcome to my Hell!" (Not a good sign) Oh, then this one went on vacation, then that one, oh and wait a week for that one.

The last straw was a sleep study I had at UCLA on Feb 11,09. They put their sleep study department next to the elevator mechanism, so it sounded like a train/roller coaster was randomly going through the room all night. The nurse told me that everyone complains and I should too. Then she added that that used to be the children's wing and the children cried all night because of that horrible sound! See the photo above to see me the night of the ordeal.

In the mean time I've been having on going emails with the very internet savy Dr. Kasey Li. He is world renown and expensive. Who cares. I decided to stop this apnea at any cost. I decided I have "Infinite Abundance" and that I am worth the best. It was weird at first to think about flying to Palo Alto for a consultation but after I made up my mind, it seemed normal. People do it all the time. He looked at me, talked to me, answered questions and a date was planned: in a couple months. EASY and here I am now. 33 hours until surgery!

BACK STORY

2009-03-18T13:00:00.000-07:00

I come from a family of people who have sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea is a condition when a person stops breathing in their sleep. It can lead to tiredness, heart attack, stroke, low sex drive, among other things.
It can be caused by being overweight, nose issues, tongue issues, throat issues, and jaw issues.
Sometimes people with sleep apnea choke, snore, or stop breathing altogether.
I have always been told I snore very loudly, especially when sleeping on my back.
My lower jaw was too small and receded as well.
I tried to combat this many ways.
I had deviated septum at surgery at age 17 which had no effect. I also got a chin implant to fill out my underdeveloped jaw.
I got braces for the second time in my life to bring the lower jaw forward which had no effect.
I tried wearing a CPAP machine (otherwise known as a torture device) and that had no effect as well.
Surgery for this condition has a very low success rate. It was a failure for my father and other people I know.
However, there is a very major surgery with a high success rate called double mandibular advancement. They cut your jaws off and reposition them. It has a 95% success rate. I decided I wanted that operation. The doctors that I talked to were initially excited but always sort of backed out. So I did some research on the internet...