The Musical Stylings of Lord Huron

This post has absolutely nothing to do with braces, braking jaws, or any of that jazz.  I just want to write a snippet about music.

I love, love, love music.  If there were no music in the world, I literally think I would die.  It is such a personal thing and what everyone prefers is different in one way or another.  I don't think you'll ever find someone that likes everything you like and dislikes everything you dislike.  And what fun would that be anyway?

I have a new favorite artist it seems like every month.  This month it is Lord Huron.  They are pretty fantastic and I feel like I am a little obsessed.  My favorite jam is She Lit a Fire...and Stranger.  Take a listen:

She Lit a Fire:

There is also a video for She Lit a Fire on YouTube that I couldn't find when I searched to upload this one.  It is a Rollo Grady Session where they sang this song.  Awe-Some. 

This is Stranger:

This song has one of the best lyrics ever:  "Of all the strangers, you're the strangest that I've seen."  Love it.

I need to find some good workout music...Lord Huron is not exactly threadmill running material although I am sure I could make it work.  In the past week or so, I found two songs I have added to my Workout Playlist:

ALT-J Breezeblocks

Kinda a bizarre video, if you ask me, but sure...I like the beat and can run to it.

And finally...the second song added to my workout playlist: 
AWOLNATION - Megalithic Symphony - Sail

And there you have it folks.  These are my musical obsessions...for now. 

Surgical Wires...and other fun stuff

I had an orthodontist appointment yesterday (shout out to Dr. Henry!).  He took a look at my teeth and the alignment and said I am pretty much ready to go.  That being the case, they changed out my wires to surgical wires.  Surgical wires are basically just heavy duty, strong wires that will keep my teeth together when Dr. Turvey starts moving bones.  (Sounds awesome, no?)

With the surgical wires, I am ready and could have the surgery at any time now, but my day isn't until August 28th.  Dr. Henry suggested I get on Dr. Turvey's "call" list in case someone cancels.  While I am tempted to do that, I don't think I would be prepared for say a days notice that I would be having my jaw broken.  Even though August 28th is quite far away, I like having a set date -- it is really helping me prepare and get ready.  Right now, my biggest concern is work.  I know they'll live without me, but there are a fair amount of things I am responsible for that someone will have to take over for me while I am out. 

Anyway...while I was at Dr. Henry's I snapped a few photos of the photos they took of me pre-braces:

This is my collage!  The side profile shot is really telling, I think.  You can see how my bottom jaw is a little longer.  Below is a bigger version of the middle pictures of my teeth.  When I was with the technician, she actually said if you flip the pic upside down, it would look normal (when flipped upside down, this is how my bite should look if my bottom teeth were actually my top teeth, yada, yada, yada.)

Ok...below is the rotated version:

Bizarre, right?  I guess this could be, sort of like looking at the future of my teeth?

And finally -- an X-ray shot.  This is one that was taken in February I think:

Well, that's all I have for now.  Time to sit and wait for the big day!  I'm going to throw some fun stuff in here between now and then, but probably not a lot of posts about braces and surgery.  Disappointing, I know.

Birthday

Today is my 32nd birthday!!! 

For my birthday, I ran the Color Mania 5k with a couple of friends:

Then after the color run, I showered.  For a long time.  Then I went up to Durham to the Rock and Shop event.  It was pretty awesome and I got a lot of cool things made my local artists (2 necklaces, a ring, an iPad cover, a pic of an old Beetle Convertible, a couple of cool buttons, and a few cool pics).

GREAT WEEKEND!

Peace Corps

Ok, so I know just like with my BBBS post, this one also isn't totally related to having my jaws broken.  But...I can and will link it all together.

Ahhhhhhhhh, the Peace Corps.  It is, and for a long time has been, a dream of mine to join the Peace Corps.  If I ask myself why I haven't done it, I have two answers:

(1)  No electricity, no running water, disease, civil strife (in some parts), no family, no friends, no comforts of a first world country.  (Ok, so this was several answers all wrapped up into 1 big one...but I still consider it one!)

(2)  I've done pretty well for myself over the years.  I have a well paying job, a car, a house, and the ability to get pretty much anything I want when I want it.  Who in their right mind would give that up?

Along with thinking that myself, I have tons of other people reminding me of those things in addition to how horrible it would be and how they think I wouldn't be able to hang.  And over the past ten or so years, I've listened. 


But, just like with this whole jaw surgery thing, the thought of joining the Peace Corps has never once left my mind.  It is there.  All.  The.  Time.  I think about it a lot and if there was a program that could count the number of times I've visited their website, I think it would show a gajillion times.  

I think there are actually days that I don't think about the PC, but the days I do think about way out number the number of days I don't.  And so, I ask myself again -- why don't you just DO IT?  And my answer is FEAR, which is 100% unacceptable.  I do not want my life to be guided by fear.  Fear is just the enemy trying to get in our way of doing something amazing or what we were meant to do on this Earth.

Well, about a month ago I took a pretty big step; I started filling out my Peace Corps application.  I have it about 80% complete.  I just need to write my essays and boy oh boy do I hate writing essays.  Like I said before, I am not really a "writer".  Anyway...that is not the point of this story.  The point of this story is, during one of the bazillion times I visited their website I saw they were doing an on-line recruitment presentation and then a Q&A session. 

I signed up and then on the day of the session, I could not see or hear the presentation through my computer (I run linux...so there were probably some techy problems I would have no idea how to resolve).   While I was upset that I couldn't be apart of the session, I think it could have been a blessing in disguise.   This snafu forced me to reach out to the recruiter directly.  Not only was I able to speak with her about all of my questions on the application and what experience I would need, but she also pointed me in the direction of the Peace Corp Medical Office (PCMO).

I needed to speak to the PCMO because I heard there was a two year (TWO YEARS!?!?!?) waiting period after surgery before you are allowed to join.  When I heard that I just could not fathom waiting that long.  NO.  NO WAY.  It made me want to rip the braces off my teeth right then and there and forget this jaw surgery all together.  I couldn't wait two years.  But, in talking to a nurse in the PCMO, I learned that the two year waiting period was not true (whew!) and all I needed to do was complete my treatment (which includes orthodonticts, etc.) and not have a need for in-depth follow up. 

With that being the case and my surgery scheduled for August 28, I have a year and a half to get all my stuff together (like selling my house and finishing those darn essays), and then I'll be off.  I'll be off to a third world country to help those that need it most.   I don't know what I'll be doing yet, but I know that I will be a part of something larger than myself to help humanity....and that is all I really, truly want to do in this life.

"If you choose to use your status and influence to raise your voice on behalf of those who have no voice; if you choose to identify not only with the powerful, but with the powerless; if you retain the ability to imagine yourself into the lives of those who do not have your advantages, then it will not only be your proud families who celebrate your existence, but thousands and millions of people whose reality you have helped transform for the better." - J.K. Rowling

Dr. Timothy A. Turvey

So, today I am going to get this bus back on track!

After I met with Dr. Zaytoun (again) for a consultation, I decided that this (braces and surgery) is what I wanted.  I wanted a nice, pretty smile.  Once that decision was made, it was time for all those awesome teeth molds, models, and pictures (next time I make it to Dr. Z's office, I will see if I can get pictures of that stuff).  These models and pictures were not just for the braces portion of this treatment; they were also being sent to the surgeon's office.

And into this story walks Dr. Timothy A. Turvey, surgeon to the stars!

(Ok...he may not be a Surgeon to YOUR definition of "the stars", but he is my surgeon and that's all it takes to meet that definition for me!)

Dr. Turvey comes highly recommended...from my dentist and my orthodontist.  Apparently, he does like 90% of all cases in North Carolina.   And if you read his business card, it's pretty impressive:

Dr. Timothy A. Turvey
Professor & Chair
Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery
Director of Craniofacial Surgery
Practice Limited to Surgery of the FACE, JAWS and CRANIOFACIAL REGION
At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

I would say according to all that written above, Dr. Turvey is a ROCK STAR.  And while he isn't much to talk to (the really, really, really smart people never are for those of us not quite on that level), he is the only person I really feel comfortable sawing my top jaw into pieces and putting it back together again.  So...he really is the "Jaw Breaker, Bone Taker, Smile Maker" of this production (and yes, I did just link to my own blog.  Don't judge).

The Date is SET

I haven't quite gotten this far in catching everyone up on how I got to where I am today with this whole braces and jaw surgery thing, but.......

The DATE IS SET!  Over the past week or so, insurance approved my surgery (still a little shocked that they approved it on the first ask!...more on that later).  Then yesterday, I talked to my surgeon's office.  They originally wanted to do my surgery in May, but since it's April already, May was BOOKED.  They only do students (kids in high school and college) during June and July, which is better for them because they are out for summer break.  So, the earliest appointment I could get is August 28th.

I can't believe how far away it is -- 5 months.  While I am not the happiest about it, there is really nothing I can do.  So, I'll wait, enjoy my summer (hopefully get a beach trip in there), eat wonderful crunchy, chewy food and...wait.

But it's real.  And it's actually happening.  And I can't believe it.  My teeth will be semi-perfect, jaw popping and headaches will hopefully stop, and I will be able to bite into things like a normal person.  I am scared and excited all at the same time.

Because this post is short and kind of randomly placed, here is a fun factoid for today:

Overbites are extremely common.  Underbites...not so much.  Only 5-10% of the WORLD's population are affected by an underbite and most of those are of Asian decent. 

Since I am not Asian, does this make me a part of 1% of the World's population with an underbite?

Check more out here:  http://www.dentalhealthmed.com/conditions/underbite.html

Big Brothers, Big Sisters of the Triangle

Today I interviewed with Big Brothers, Big Sisters of the Triangle.  No...not to become on of their employees, but rather to become of their volunteers.  The interview lasted about 45 minutes and they asked me questions like:

Q:  Do you own any guns? 
My A:  Absolutely not.  I do not like guns.  There are no guns in my house and there will never knowingly be a gun in my house.  (Side note:  found this article super interesting:  What would Jesus Say to the NRA?)

Q:  Would you prefer an active or inactive little sister?
My A:  Is this kid going to be bouncing off the walls?

Or are they going to be a slug?

Can we find one in between????

Q:  What will you do with your Little?
My A:  Hopefully, we'll be able to get into LARPing, and one day I will get all "Dungeon and Dragons"ed up and role play a fight where my little can be Queen of their thing?

Role Models, btw, is one of my favorite movies.  If you haven't seen it...shame on you.

In all seriousness, they asked me questions about my family and friends.  What I like to do in my leisure time, and what I like about children and what I find annoying.  They were trying to determine my interested and background so they could pair me up with a child that maybe has a similar history or interests.  They want to make the match as successful as possible so that I don't get annoyed and quit and so that the kid doesn't get annoyed and quit. 

If you are reading this and thinking, "this is a jaw surgery blog, why is she talking about volunteering?", I have a few answers for you:

(1)  First and foremost, it's my blog and I'll do what I want and write what I want
(2)  This blog is mainly for me and I'm not sure anyone else will ever read it, so your (as a made up person, right now) question or opinions aren't really relevant.
(3)  My jaw surgery actually does play a part in my volunteering with BBBS

My "Match Enrolment Specialist" told me that I could be matched with a "Little" within the next 2 to 3 weeks.  This is great!  At one time, they told me I may not be matched til July-August.  Anyway...the next two to three weeks will be mid-April.  Tentatively, my surgery is planned for sometime in May.  Once I have my surgery, I will be completely out of commissions for 2-3 weeks and then maybe only up to 50% of my regular self for the next 2-3 weeks, and I doubt I will feel up to hanging out with anyone...not my family, not my friends, not my Little.

This is pic of a girl who had this surgery...looks like she's having F-U-N, right?!

Me being out for a while could be traumatic for the child.  They may think I don't like them or don't want to hang out with them.  Wouldn't that be tragic?  Imagine what it would do to their poor, little psychy?! 

OR -- think of this:  I told my Match Enrollment Specialist (MES) that my face would probably be bruised up (I mean...they are breaking my jaw!) for a while.  My MES said that was good to know so they could explain that to the child.  If the kid was unaware, they may see me and think someone may have beaten me.  And for a kid that has been in domestic violence situations -- NO GOOD.  I can only imagine what would go through their minds -- I'm not safe.  They're not safe.  People are always wanting to hurt other people. 

Doesn't it just break your heart that these thoughts could even cross their minds?  It does mine...and that is why I wanted to volunteer with BBBS.  I would like to be a positive influence in a child's life where they may not have one or where it is not always constant.  I want to help those who need it most.  It's who I am. 

The Z Team

As I finished my post last night, I realized there is so much I want to talk about or a lot I want to tell.  There are two long posts just about the history behind why I am doing this, but I guess when there is 24 years of history even two long posts may not even do it justice.  Anywhoodle...

So, like I said, I was finally at a point in my life where I am ready for this...mentally, physically, financially.  In September of 2012, I went to Dr. Sink's office for my regular 6 month cleaning and check up.  (Have I mentioned how much I love Dr. Sink?  He's been my dentist practically all of my life, with the exception of the 4 years I lived in Atlanta.  Even though I live an hour away, I still drive to Clinton to see him.)  Every time I go for an appointment, he checks my bite and this time was no different.  For a while we didn't really talk about the surgery because after that last stint, everyone pretty much thought that ship had sailed and I wasn't going to do it.  But the thoughts of the surgery never really left my mind, so I brought it up.  Dr. Sink talked about the process:  Get braces (again), surgery, post surgery bands and healing, remove braces.  He also mentioned how far technology had come in the past eleven years and that if this was something I wanted to pursue, Dr. Timothy Turvey of UNC - Chapel Hill would probably be the one to do it.  However, I first needed to see an orthodontist to really kick start this process.

Choosing an orthodontist really wasn't that difficult of a decision for me.  It's not like this was my first rodeo.  I could try someone different or I go back to Dr. Henry's office (I've learned that Henry Zaytoun Sr. is THE Dr. Zaytoun.  Henry Zaytoun Jr. is Dr. Henry.  Don't get them confused.). 

Dr. Henry:

Dr. Zaytoun:

Dr. Henry was my orthodontist during my 2001-2003 stint with braces.  He knows my case, he knows my teeth, and he knows my apprehensions.  It really was a no brainer.  Plus, he is super nice.  All of his staff are super nice.  And oddly enough a lot of people I know go to that office (though most of them see Dr. Mary Paula, Dr. Henry's sister.  Wow...a family full of orthodontists.  Interesting, right?).



Even though I knew exactly who would be my orthodontist, I didn't make that call right away.  I deliberated more, and then something...clicked.  I called Dr. Henry's office immediately and set up an appointment for a consultation.

Where to begin - Part 2

Here I sit in 2013, with braces...again.  Why again, you ask; well, allow me to tell you.  I think everyone has that one thing about their appearance that they just HATE.  I have a few, but my smile is kind of at the top of my list.  As I mentioned yesterday I have a bulldog smile -- see for yourself:

Aren't I lovely?  Look at that mug!  Haha, I kid!  Is it weird that I found this picture on a website for braces?  I think so.

In all seriousness, I do have a bulldog smile:

Please excuse the hair and rather tragic appearance...this is from my trip to Africa (July 2012) and it was the first day...and it was hot...and I wasn't about to dry my hair or really care that much of what I looked like.  But I digress...If you look closely at my smile, you will see how my front teeth sit behind my bottom and I.  Hate.  It.

I realize having a "unique" smile is a very vain reason to put yourself through the torture and agony of jaw surgery (or maxillofacial surgery, if you want to get technical), but it was/is one of the driving factors.  However, it isn't the only factor.

My top jaw, in actuality, isn't that much shorter than my bottom.  In fact, it may only be 1/100th of an inch shorter.  You wouldn't think this would cause a lot of problems, but it does.  It has become second nature to me so I don't really notice it, but I force my front teeth to sit behind my bottom teeth.  It's the only way teeth other than the two front top and bottom touch, and is the only way I am able to chew (which may not be a bad thing.  I could stand to lose a few L Bs).

While this forcing of my teeth to close together is essential to my life it also causes:

(1)  My top and bottom front teeth graze each other every time I close my teeth together.  This is wearing the enamel down and if not stopped I will require false teeth.
(2)  My jaw joints are under some serious pressure causing terrible headaches and the potential for TMJ.
(3)  I can't bite all the way through things.  Eating a sandwich in front of people is rather embarrassing.  Close your eyes (just do it), imagine your top teeth behind your bottom and then imagine yourself biting into a sandwich...see what I mean?

With all this going on, I've been asked why I didn't go through with this before, and the answer is quite simple:  it wasn't the right time.  After getting my second set of braces off, I didn't want to set foot in my orthodontist's office for a while (no offence Dr. Z!), I had just graduated college and was poor, and I was scared.  But over the course of the last eleven years, things started to change; I changed.  I found a pretty stable, "adult" job with great insurance.  I am still scared, but my "want" and my "need" out weighs the fear.  Technology has come a very long way too.  Right now I am being told that only my top jaw will have to be broken, which is a gajillion times better than both.  And they don't wire you shut anymore.  They place these pretty tight bands on your braces to keep things together while you heal.  And last but certainly not least, I am ready and it's the right time.

Where do I begin... Part 1

I've been toying around with the idea of starting a blog about my jaw surgery for a while (it seems to be a popular thing among us so *lucky* to go through this).  I've never been one to really write much and I wasn't really sure if my surgery would be approved so I just didn't do it.  Well, today all of that changed... 

But first, I feel like I need to back this bus up.  My story starts in 1989 -- so I guess we are backing this bus waaaaaaaaaay up.  I start here because I was 8 years old when I was *blessed* with my first set of braces.  I don't remember much from back then...it was a long time ago (yes, I am old-ish as compared to some of you young folk traipsing around out there).  But I do remember a few other people I knew had braces or some form.  My older sister had one of those palate expanders.  I thought she was pretty cool (still do) and anything to be like her was A-ok in my book.  So, much to almost everyone's surprise I was pretty excited to get braces.  I don't remember what my teeth looked like before those braces nor do I really remember what they looked like after, but obviously something wasn't quite right.  

Let's drive this bus to 2001.  By this time I was 20 and finally reached a point where I wasn't growing any more (thank goodness...being 6ft tall is hard on a girl, but only when I go shopping for pants).  My bite was horrendous so my parents and dentist (shout out to Dr. Robert Sink, DDS) decided it was time for me to try this braces thing out again.   I was in college at North Carolina State University (go WOLFPACK!) and not terribly excited about getting braces for a 2nd time....alas.

After having this set of braces on for about a year, year and a half, my orthodontist (Dr. Henry Zaytoun, Jr.) thought I should see an oral surgeon because I have an under bite that braces would never correct.  My consultation with the oral surgeon was pretty grim:  Break both jaws, be wired shut for 6+ weeks, lose feeling in my face, and on top of all that insurance would consider this cosmetic and not cover a dime.

My Mom decided that this was not a process she wanted to go through, so I finished up my orthodontic treatment and kept my bulldog smile for the next 11 years.  This brings us to present day...but I've had enough writing and I am sure you've had enough reading (if you've made it this far...not sure I would have).  The EPIC saga will continue tomorrow...