T-Minus 2 Days

hello everyone! i guess i should explain what's going on for my first post. about 4 or 5 months ago, i was diagnosed with severe obstructive sleep apnea. during my sleep study, i stopped breathing for over 10 seconds about 130 times. also, i sometimes snore like a truck driver. my doctor validated how i've been feeling by telling me that interrupting the sleep cycle like that basically makes me feel like i didn't sleep at all! since it has started to seriously affect my cognitive abilities in school, work, and in general, i began looking for treatment.
the first course of treatment was to try using a CPAP machine. yes, the fighter-pilot face mask machine that forces your airway open while you sleep...that is, if you can even sleep at all. i had a horrible time with it. i couldn't get comfortable, the mask hurt and chapped my nose (like when you blow your nose too often and it starts to hurt), and the sounds it made kept me awake literally all night. did i mention that i'm a 22 year old college student? having to wear a CPAP machine for the rest of my life at this point was a very depressing thought. it's not practical, it's not easy to use or take anywhere, and it's not exactly...uh, sexy. darth vader status for sure. 

needless to say, the CPAP machine was not going to work for me. my sleep doctor sent me first to an ENT, and he sent me to an allergist (i'm allergic to my cat and to horses, both of which i am around a lot), and then to an oral surgeon. since i am far younger than most sleep apnea patients and not overweight, there had to be something else that could be done. after looking at my jaw and face, Dr. Jackrit Mongkollugsana (what a mouthful...no puns...) decided that the best course of treatment would be jaw surgery. i have a very short lower jaw, which i HATED all my life due to the 'double-chin' effect it gives in profile, and the x-rays showed that my airway was nearly half as wide as it should be because of the way my jaw sits in my face. i'll post the soft-tissue x-ray here a little bit later.
so, months later, i'm going in for surgery on june 29th. i will be having mandibular BSSO, maxillary osteotomy, and advance genioplasty. the video below shows kind of what i'll be getting done (the lady is having her jaw pulled backward; mine will be moved forward, but the general mechanism is the same). in addition, the doctor will be breaking horizontally across the base of my chin and advancing that in order to move the base of my tongue forward from my airway.

it's only 2 days away and i'm starting to freak out a bit. last thursday, i went to the red cross and gave a pint of blood in case they need to do a transfusion during the procedure(eeek!).i go in tuesday to have a stabilizing bar put in the night before my surgery. so today, monday and most of tuesday, i will be eating everything i possibly can in preparation for being stuck eating liquids only for 4-6 weeks while my jaw's wired shut. also, since i'm apparently an idiot, i smoke cigarettes and will have no choice but to quit forever (this is a plus, actually). dr. jackrit told me repeatedly that the first week is horrible and super depressing, and once i get through that, it will still be about 3-6 months until i am fully recovered.
i've read a lot of other people's blogs to learn about jaw surgery, and i try to make sure i listed them all in the "other bloggers" section on the right side of the page. so, if any other jaw surgery patients happen to stop by, i hope my blog will help you out like theirs helped me! at least now i know realistically what to expect and how to deal with it.