I picked up my brace this morning after one last fitting. The area under my armpits are still really high making me look like a football linebacker, but my doctor wants to keep it that way for the next week to see if my spine will stretch out. On my break in schedule, it said to start with 2 hours today and add an hour each day until I reach 20-23 hours a day. The decision on how best to wear my brace was made for me by my doctor.
I got home and put it on for two hours as instructed. I tried doing a few things around the house, one of them being laundry- I can’t reach the floor to pick anything up! I went through the two baskets that had a mishosh of the kids’ clothes that I could reach and was able to put a load together. I’ll need a grabber stick moving forward. I tried sitting down, but the brace dug even further into my armpits, so I stood back up. I cleaned the kitchen from breakfast this morning and went through the mail that was on the table. I was exhausted from waking up at 5:15 this morning to get the kids ready for school and the nervousness of picking up my brace, so I decided to try laying down. There was nothing graceful about it. I sat on the edge of the bed, and leaned toward my pillow, which stared easy enough. But when I was almost there, my arms got tangled up and stuck. I managed to arrange my feet to help me roll over, which turned into more of a flop on my back. I laid there for several minutes just taking stock of what my life is about to become. My orthodontic braces are still very present. I still have my cross bite, and haven’t noticed the slightest movement attempting to widen my arch with just arch wires. I’ve gotten pretty used to only having four teeth to chew with. I miss being able to bite anything. I went to a meeting last week that was catered…with sandwiches. I felt like a fool trying to eat in front of everyone, especially considering a few of the attendees are city council members and mayors of cities in my county. I love my orthodontic braces, and secretly like the loss of control over them, but sometimes they can be humiliating. And I feel my embarrassment and humiliation will increase for awhile once I gain the courage to venture outside wearing my back brace. I’m not kidding when I say I’m doing the math to figure out how to get my brace time in at home for as long as I possibly can. I think I have about three and a half weeks before I can leave my house for only three hours at a time, and that’s only if I can tolerate sleeping with it on throughout the night. ?

I hope that you can get used to your brace very soon and it relieves your pain. Must be really tough for you right now.

Best wishes,
NapaCaster

Thanks for your service and for the update. I hope the brace helps and you get relief in your back! Will you be sharing pictures?

I would love to, but have been having difficulty. I’ve previously tried using multiple devices and different browsers to no avail. I ended up changing my profile picture instead. I tap on Mona Lisa and get this:, but don’t know what to do with it. Any suggestions?

https://dereferer.me/?https://imgur.com/a/bZ7fmPD
Here it is.

That looks unforgiving.  I hope it works for you and that your back soon feels better.

Thank you.  That looks like a Scolibrace.  Those arms or outriggers look like they would take some getting used to.  The whole thing does.  But it does seem like a lot of adults are getting improvement from adult bracing now days.  And providers sometimes can make modifications to improve comfort, either with additional padding, removing some material in places, or some combination.  The color pattern you choose is really pretty.  I wish you the best of luck getting acclimated quickly.  I am sure it will have some bumps but I am sure you will.  And once that happens, I hope the brace really helps short term with the pain and long term provides the correction you need.

I hope you will keep us updated.   I can't speak for others, but I do hope you get relief.  I am sure your provider gave you information, but there are some informative videos on youtube that might help with tips and tricks.  Here is one testimonial that seems to mirror your experience.  But the good news is that it will get better.

https://dereferer.me/?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HX0iJj5ZPg

Thank you to all of you for the well wishes. I still have about a year and a half left with my orthodontic braces. I will continue to update my journey with both braces.
I finished my wear time yesterday, and about an hour or so after taking it off, I had worse back pain than when I started. It’s difficult to describe, but I felt like my bones were shifting. My doctor said it was normal and can happen over the next 2-4 weeks. Yikes! It finally subsided a few hours later.
I actually ventured out of the house today with my husband while wearing my back brace. Getting into his truck wasn’t bad, but I realized as soon as I sat down that I couldn’t reach any of the seat controls to move into a more comfortable position. Fortunately, my hubby moved them for me. We went to Best Buy to pick up my son’s computer that needed some work. I feel like people noticed my brace under my clothes, but I didn’t notice anyone staring non stop. Because it was late morning, there weren’t a lot of people there either, which was nice. I’m definitely not ready to venture into Costco size crowds anytime soon. I have developed some pretty bad bruises under my arms from the pressure off the brace. I hope they diminish over time, but I think there are still a few adjustments to be made.
Tomorrow I’ll be up to five hours.
Again, thank you to all of you for the continued support.

Yesterday was one week since getting my back brace. I’m up to 10 hours of wear time, though I was able to tolerate it longer over the weekend. Here I am wearing it. https://dereferer.me/?https://imgur.com/a/awgZsCF

Congratulations! 5 days ago you wore the brace for 5 hours, now you already managed 10 hours!

Maybe in 13 days you will be able to wear it 23 hours!

May your braces help to finaly reach a healthy bite and spine!

Congratulations for the ten hours and thanks for the pictures. What is the next step ?

How old are you ? Does anyone notice your back brace ?

Keep us updated !

I should add that yesterday’s 22 hours in brace was no joke. I woke up to terrible muscle spasms in my middle back. I tried changing positions in bed to no avail, and ended up getting out of bed earlier than I wanted. I took some Motrin and a muscle relaxer that helped tremendously, but left me very unproductive for the first half of the day. I ended up taking a nap a few hours later, and when I woke up I didn’t even notice that I was wearing my brace for the first time. I’m hoping I have more of those experiences. Once I started moving around and doing what needed to be done around the house, my brace constantly reminded me of my new limitations.

I should add that yesterday’s 22 hours in brace was no joke. I woke up to terrible muscle spasms in my middle back. I tried changing positions in bed to no avail, and ended up getting out of bed earlier than I wanted. I took some Motrin and a muscle relaxer that helped tremendously, but left me very unproductive for the first half of the day. I ended up taking a nap a few hours later, and when I woke up I didn’t even notice that I was wearing my brace for the first time. I’m hoping I have more of those experiences. Once I started moving around and doing what needed to be done around the house, my brace constantly reminded me of my new limitations.

Wow ! You managed keeping it all day long so fast. It's impressive, even if it was annoying and painful. I think it'll be less difficult when you will be used to wear the brace constantly, even if you'll need to fight sometimes for not giving up.

What's your next goal ? Did you try going out with the brace on (out of your car) ? Does anyone notice it ?

I hesitate to respond less I stick my foot in my mouth.  But it sounds like you are whipping that brace’s ass.  It is all down hill from here.  I know, easier said than done.   But it sounds like you are making incredible progress.  Thank you for sharing.  I don’t know what a scoliosis brace is like.  But I have broken enough bones to know that after a couple of weeks you do just seem to figure out how things work even though they don’t work exactly like they did before.  You will have driving down in no time.

I’m trying. I found that the discomfort of wearing the brace as things shift around pales in comparison to the deep pain from unshifting that I experienced when I would take my brace off after getting my hours in. It was a decision of the lesser of two evils. I only got 20.5 hours yesterday because when it came time to make dinner, no one was home who could help me get ingredients that were on the bottom shelf of the pantry, the Dutch oven that was in the bottom cupboard, or help me put it in the oven. It seemed senseless to take the brace in and off during that time, so I left it off. As soon as dinner was in the oven, I put it back on knowing my family would be home when dinner needed to come out of the oven. Thankfully, there was no rebound pain in that hour. I’m finding I have to think about how I am going to do things ahead of time now with the sudden and extreme decreased mobility.I could not imagine how difficult life would be for someone who isn’t able to remove their brace or is in some sort of body jacket. These past two weeks have been quite a reality check for me, and I get overwhelmed when I think about having to do this for the next two years.

PS Im enjoying your story “The Split”

Thanks for the encouragement. I wish I was more like Leigh and Rebekah- huge fan!

Your brace sounds like it is much more uncomfortable than the braces my girls wear. From the picture you posted, I don't think that even Leigh or Rebekah would ever find any pleasure in wearing it. I hope that with time, things get better for you and thanks for reading my story!

NapaCaster

Yes, I am still very feminine in appearance. I wear skirts and dresses more often in warmer months. I’m sure my skirts will be fine, I’ll have to see how my dresses work. One of the benefits (and drawbacks) about the brace’s design is that my chest is not covered by the brace. The girls are very prominent, almost more so, under my clothing. I do wear a fitted tank top under my brace daily to protect my skin. I bought them in several colors to compliment whatever I am wearing in case they are visible.  I usually wear light makeup daily, my nails are almost always with polish since leaving the military, and my long hair is styled dependent on my mood and my plans for the day.

I am sorry you are having to deal with so much, especially at once.  Life can be cruel and humbling.  But clouds lead to rain which leads to flowers.  Corny I know.  But true.  Thank you for sharing. 

Good luck with your ankle and your braces. I have six screws in my ankle.  So I have complete empathy.  Maybe your orthodontist will have a simple solution.   

And it is great that you are getting so acclimated to the back brace.  In another month you will just forget it is even there most of the time.

 I am surprised with your story, very encouraged with everything, we are looking forward to an image of the complete pack with your smile and your orthopedic device all together.

https://dereferer.me/?https://imgur.com/a/L3YjFXx
As requested. Not sure if you can see or not, but some padding was added to the underarm area of my brace which has made a huge difference.

Your brace is really aggressive with the outriggers.  I am glad the padding helps.  As it gets cooler it will get easier to hide.  If you had a pullover or jacket on in the “under clothes” pic no one would know.  But you don’t need to hide it.  You are beautiful and rock it.  And the only thing that really matters is how you feel when you are wearing it, not what someone else thinks.

Thank you for sharing.

And just look at that posture 

How is the ankle?

That looks like it does hurt.  I am sorry.  But look at those nails! 

If misery loves company, I have a screw that has backed out of my ankle a good ways.  It is still under the skin.  It doesn’t hurt.  Until I bang it on something.  And then it will damn near bring me to tears.  I also can’t wear most lace up boots because of it.  I really need to go and get it taken out or tightened up.  I have multiple friends that have offered to do so, but I am not sure if a Dewalt drill and pocket knife are medical grade.

Anyway, I am sorry you have to have surgery on yours.  Maybe they can fix you right up this time.

That looks like it does hurt.  I am sorry.  But look at those nails! 

If misery loves company, I have a screw that has backed out of my ankle a good ways.  It is still under the skin.  It doesn’t hurt.  Until I bang it on something.  And then it will damn near bring me to tears.  I also can’t wear most lace up boots because of it.  I really need to go and get it taken out or tightened up.  I have multiple friends that have offered to do so, but I am not sure if a Dewalt drill and pocket knife are medical grade.

Anyway, I am sorry you have to have surgery on yours.  Maybe they can fix you right up this time.

Thank you! During my military service, I always had nice pedicured and polished nails under my combat boots. It kept me feeling girly. Now I go all out and keep my fingernails polished as well.
Sorry to hear about your ankle. It’s worth getting the screw out (by a surgeon) before it breaks thru your skin. It’s not nearly as painful as having it put in, and the recovery is quicker.
I’m hoping I can get fixed up for good as well, and not have the same thing happen to my right ankle which has also had 2 reconstructions. Clearly, my boots were never made for walking- haha!

I had my orthodontist appointment this last week. It was originally scheduled for this week, but my pre-op appointment for my upcoming ankle surgery was scheduled the same day at the same time. I called to reschedule and was given the day before my surgery, but was encouraged to call the next day for any cancellations. I did call and spoke with a different receptionist. I explained my situation all over again and she was very understanding. She didn’t show any availability, but asked if I would be ok on a wait list and available at any time the next gay from noon on. Absolutely. I didn’t want my appointment the day before surgery. It just seemed like too much. So the next day I was called and asked if I could be there in an hour. Since I was being squeezed in, the appointment was pretty quick. My wire wasn’t changed, just my ligatures. My bite blocks were ground down a bit more, which is nice to not have as big of a space between my teeth. I chose metallic blue ligatures. They aren’t really shiny or bright, but have a nice splash of color that doesn’t attract extra attention. My next appointment is in a month.
I’ve been wearing my back brace full time at least 20 hours a day for a few weeks now. Most days I don’t have a problem getting my time in. I’ve only had one or two days that have been short, and only by about an hour or so. I make sure to exceed the 20 hour minimum the next day to compensate. Driving has gotten much easier and far less painful. It’s definitely different than what I’m used to. I find the hardest part is still the underarm area, but it’s numbness that goes down my arm as opposed to pain. When it happens, I’ll move my shoulder and arm around a few times then reposition how it rests against the brace, and it usually solves the problem. My worst experience was last week. I went to my daughter’s choir performance. Her school along with at least 10 others in the area performed and were then critiqued. It went on for more than four hours. The theater seats were rough. I used the restroom multiple times to take the brace off and relieve the underarm pressure. After she went back to school, I went home and laid down for an hour in my brace. It’s the most comfortable position to be in. Aside form extended sitting, the brace is relatively comfortable. I wake up in the morning forgetting it’s there. It’s no problem when walking- in fact my hip pain has decreased tremendously- which is huge. I no longer fight the brace to try to twist or turn, I naturally just turn my entire self around when needed. I can pick things up off the ground when I have to, though it’s not my favorite thing to do. Mainly because it’s a strain to reach that far with such a straight back, and my brace slides up considerably, so I have to reposition it when I stand back up. This morning I did some laundry and housework wearing it, but had to remove it to clean the baseboards.
My ankle surgery is at the beginning of next month with my pre-op appointment this week. I’m wondering if I should match my cast to my braces, or just choose randomly. Anyone want to set up a poll to help me decide?

I clicked on this thread last night.  I almost posted just to ask how you had been doing.  But I didn’t, because I didn’t want to make it weird.  So instead, I will make this response weird 

I am so glad you have largely gotten used to your brace.  I can only imagine how frustrating and tough that was.  And seeing the outriggers, sitting would be tough.  It probably always will be.  But, it sounds like it is helping and working.  That is awesome.  And getting the bite blocks ground down is a win for sure.

As for the color of your cast, I am sure we all will have opinions.  But your family’s and your husband’s opinions are what matter.  And your’s most of all.

With that said, it is October; breast cancer awareness month; and a light pink cast would be quite appropriate even if you get it in the first of November.  So, those are my $0.02.

Mainly I am happy to hear you are doing well.

Thank you for the update.  I really hate you have so much on your plate.  It certainly does not seem fair.  But, you seem like a warrior.  And it sounds like you have some people in your corner too.  I hope things go as smoothly as possible.  I am just certain everything will turn out ok.

It sounds like the surgery went well with no big hiccups.  That is great news.  I hope you have a quick and smooth recovery.

Goodness gracious.  That is a LOT.  But women are so much tougher than men.  It sounds like you are holding up. I don’t know if reading, or movies, or podcasts, or e-books are your thing.  But if any of them are, I hope you are covered up in them when you aren’t sleeping.   If it were me, I know I would do my damnedest to just sleep as much as possible.  I hope you are in good spirits.  The message on your cast is really sweet.  I hope you are just being taken the best care of.  I am sure you are.  Thank you for the update and letting us know how you are doing.

Congrats! It sounds like your surgery went well, that is good news. It is also good they are taking steps to prevent even more surgeries, one is enough, three is way worse. And I bet you look awesome in your new cast.

I will echo the others, Congrats!  It sounds like things are progressing wonderfully.  You will be up and at it again in no time.

Thank you all for the well wishes. My recuperation is going well and everything is healing as it’s supposed to. I had my appointment to get my sutures removed (36 of them), but prior to that my daughter essentially accused me of being a traitor. Why, you might ask? The kids had their fall festival and powderpuff football where the girls in each of the 4 houses play against each other while the boys cheer them on. Their team won the first game and moved on to the finals against the house whose color is purple - just like my cast. They ended up winning the 2nd game as well, earning 1st place for their house. Back to the cast, neither kid had any input when asked what color cast I should have, but all of a sudden it matters. My daughter told me I needed to represent the house with a green cast, no matter what the shade. So off I went to my appointment and returned home with a pleasant Irish green cast for the next 2 weeks. I’ll have one more cast change (with x-rays) for a total of 4 more weeks casted before going into a boot. I’ll still be non weight bearing, getting around on my knee scooter. I’m thankful she didn’t have this color bug before my last orthodontist appointment. I think I would draw the line at green ligatures. I don’t think I’m going to let her know my next orthodontist appointment is in 10 days.

Glad things are going to plan.

Glad things are going to plan.

Thanks Napacaster! Your stories have been a joy to read during my recuperation.

Thanks Napacaster! Your stories have been a joy to read during my recuperation.

I'm glad you are enjoying my story. I just wish it was as easy for you as it is for my girls. Take care and I hope you everything works out for you.

Thanks for following me on my journey.

You’re welcome, but I am more thankful for the encouragement and support so many people have reached out to offer.
In regards to my back brace, I have been doing very well over the last week getting all my hours in plus a few extra. I’m a bit concerned about Thanksgiving tomorrow. We are still having dinner at our house with guests. I will be making the Turkey, stuffing and gravy. I’m grateful that my daughter and I have the tradition of preparing and cooking everything together since she was a toddler. Her now being a teenager will be a huge help in the kitchen tomorrow. There will be times that I will probably have to remove my back brace to get all the cooking done, given my additional limited mobility with my ankle and knee scooter, but will wear it whenever I can even with company.
So when an event is happening that requires some level of getting dressed up, I take into consideration the length of the event. If it’s only a couple of hours, I will forego wearing my back brace and enjoy that time fully. If it’s something longer, for example monthly board meetings that I attend which are several hours of driving to and from, I do wear my back brace. As hard as getting used to driving in my brace was, it’s much less painful to wear my brace while driving. Since, I wear my brace under my clothes, it would be a hassle to take off my business attire multiple times just to not wear my brace during the meetings, so I leave it on. Interestingly enough, one of my counterparts broke her back a few weeks ago. Fortunately, the breaks are stable and there’s no spinal damage, so we will be comparing our braces next month at the meeting. I feel for her, as I can take my brace off to take care of things like going to the bathroom while she cannot. Things like that really give perspective, and keep me from complaining, knowing it could always be worse.
I hope I’ve answered your questions, and really appreciate your support. Thanks again.

So, yesterday when I was showering my cast cover leaked. I didn’t realize until I went to move off the shower chair and felt a puddle sloshing over my foot. I immediately pulled the cast cover off, but could already feel the cold and wet that had seeped through all the layers of padding in my cast. I tried to soak up some of the water by sticking my towel in around my toes as well as using a blowing dryer for more than a half an hour. Nothing worked. I texted my doctor who had already left for the Thanksgiving holiday. Fortunately, his partner was in the office today, so he let one of his staff know that I needed to be seen. I got a phone call about 9 this morning to come in for a cast change. I made it to the doctor’s office in time and immediately had my cast removed. I can’t tell you how nice it was to dry off and warm my foot. My doctor has been applying an ace bandage over my foot and ankle over the stockinet between thee padding to minimize my swelling. I never had a chance at getting everything dry with that on. My foot unpruned relatively quick. It took the doctor about 45 minutes to get to me, but boy did I enjoy having my leg free for that time. I didn’t dare move it around, but did wiggle my toes around to warm them up. My daughter no longer believes I’m a traitor and asked me to get a red cast since after tomorrow we will be celebrating the Christmas season, not that green wasn’t just as festive.
I know I always mention my daughter, but my son (also a teenager) has been just as helpful and caring through all this as well. When I was breaking in my back brace, he tried wearing it around the house for a bit. I say tried because after 10 minutes, he realized how immobilizing it is and couldn’t do anything while wearing it. He took it off and let me know how bad he felt that I had to wear it and that he would always help me with whatever I needed when asked. So far, he has held true to his word the few times I have asked. My husband has been the absolute best though!
I hope all of you celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow have a grateful day. For those of you not in the US, have a turkey feast anyway. Gobble Gobble!

I survived Thanksgiving! My daughter and I set out to get the turkey prepped in the morning, and my son decided to join in the fun. He had the job of removing the neck and giblets, which for a teenage boy was quite entertaining. My son then helped me make the stuffing and dressing using our home laid duck eggs, while my daughter buttered and seasoned the bird. It was so nice to have both kids in the kitchen with me and working together so well with each other. My son was the one to put the turkey in the oven, and my daughter regularly basted it along with my husband occasionally. We had several hours until our guests arrived. It’s the same guests that we celebrate Easter with each year. My MIL brought the most amazing cranberry mold, and our good friends and their family joined us and brought the mashed potatoes (honestly not my favorite recipe) along with another good friend (who most of you would recognize) also came with homemade pumpkin cheesecake. His wife is across the country helping with their new grandbaby. Once the turkey was done, I made the gravy from the drippings, and my work for the day was done. Dinner was delicious, and the company was excellent. I had to take extra pain meds because I was up and about so much throughout the day not putting my foot up, and I was 2 hours short on wearing my back brace. I had planned to wear it except for dinner, but once I got ready the house was so hot that I put off putting my brace back on. Next think I knew, company was knocking on the door and I never made it back to the bedroom. I definitely made up my time in the days following by getting at least 22 hours each day. In fact, the day after Thanksgiving, wearing my back brace and putting my foot up is just about all I did. We enjoyed the weekend as a family, and the kids went back to school on Monday. It was a busy week with 3 basketball games for my daughter and two soccer games for my son. I’ve been driving, but really prefer to have a passenger so they can help me with pulling out and putting away the scooter. This weekend has been all about decorating for Christmas. I realized it’s going to be a challenge decorating the tree with limited bending and twisting on one “good” leg. I say that because my other ankle is really taking a beating. I’ve been wearing a Ritchie ankle brace to try to protect it, but I’m starting to have some specific pain. I have my next post op appointment on Monday, and will talk to my doctor then. I’m not sure where things will end up. I’ve found myself constantly trying to figure out what’s going to have to give. What limits will I have to set to keep things from getting worse? How many times can ankles surgically be put back together? Am I going to have to limit myself physically to prevent more injuries? What is that going to look like? So many questions.
On top of this, I think I’ve developed a latex allergy. My mouth broke out with blisters/ulcers along the path my elastics follow. I stopped using the elastics, and have been applying Ora gel and using dental wax on my brackets. I don’t have my appointment for another week and a half, but will call them Monday. That’s about all that’s going on, but it’s more than enough.

It is very nice to read about your last experiences.

Concerning the problems with the tongue tamers: There are tongue cribs, as well for the upper as the lower arch. They will for sure give a lisp, but they should do the job.

All the best for you and your treatment.

And of course a Mery Christmas for all of your family.

I’m walking! Ok, more like hobbling, but the point being is that I can finally put both feet on the ground. It’s not graceful by any means, but it’s a good start. I got my cast off the Monday before Christmas for a new boot. I also had the cast mold taken for a more sturdy ankle brace for my right foot. The best part of getting my cast off was being able to soak in the bathtub, shave both my legs, and do some serious exfoliating on my left leg and foot. Showering on a chair, while helpful, was not my favorite pastime. I had to promise to not attempt any weight bearing until after Christmas. So I impatiently waited. Tuesday morning I slid my foot out of bed (in the boot) and for the first time in 8 weeks put pressure on it. I was pleasantly surprised to not have any pins and needles sensations. I was also pleasantly surprised to not have pain in any of the places that were reconstructed. My only pain was in my heel, and I think it’s more from the stiffness and swelling than anything else. I intentionally haven’t taken any pain meds so that I don’t overdo anything. I can get around the house without any assistance for a few minutes at a time, but have been using crutches and sometimes still my scooter when out and about. I still am not allowed to move my ankle around or do any range of motion until cleared, hopefully at my appointment next week.
I’ve done an amazing job in the last week and a half of getting all my back brace hours in. I’m able to sit for long periods finally without discomfort. I can also drive without my arms getting numb. I really only notice the brace when I’m changing positions like sitting to standing, standing to sitting, laying down, or turning over in bed- even then it’s not a crazy inconvenience. My neck definitely gets more use since it’s the only thing I can turn. The part that has been the most difficult is getting dressed everyday. I’ve had to rethink the order in which I put everything on. For example, I put my pants on but not all the way because I have to put my shoe and brace on after my pants. Yet, I can’t put my brace on until I put my shoe and boot on because I can’t bend over far enough to do this in my brace. Then I can finally pull my pants up all the way and button and zip them. Then lastly, I can put on whatever shirt or sweater I’m going to wear over my brace. Sometimes it’s exhausting, especially if I forget and do something out of order.
I had my routine dental appointment and cleaning this week. Nothing like entering the new year with metal sparkling pearly whites. I did ask to speak with my orthodontist while I was getting my wires put back on. I expressed my concern about the tongue tamers not working. I went a lot deeper into my history of severe allergies that resulted in me becoming a mouth breather, sinus issues (concha bullosa and deviated septum) that included surgery, and my grade 3 tongue tie that was released earlier this year before becoming her patient. It’s the trifecta of tongue thrusting, not to mention lip incompetence and a gummy smile. My focus had been on my bite and jaw alignment, but I’ve realized that there are so many factors affecting it, that it’s difficult to sort through them and know what to address first. I use my tongue to create suction to keep my mouth closed, so fixing the tongue thrust puts me back at breathing through my mouth because of the lip incompetence mostly due to my gummy smile. There are a few ways to fix the lip incompetence, one is Botox- two shots just about on each bottom corner of my nose to bring my lips down, but this is temporary and may or may not be enough to allow my lips to close naturally. The second options is using tads to raise my teeth. My orthodontist’s concern is that my teeth might come up too high which would cause them to not be seen when smiling. There is a 3rd option that involves surgery and removing bone, but I don’t want to think about that. My ortho is pushing to try the Botox to see if it helps since it’s the least invasive. We circled back to the tongue thrust and I showed her how the tongue tamers aren’t effective. I flat out asked if I could have a tongue crib, pointing out that I have literally had this habit for more than 50 years. It’s not about reminding myself how to swallow properly, but learning how to do so, even if by force. All the mints and lifesavers in the world have not been helpful. I know where my tongue needs to be, but inevitably every time  I try to swallow it slides forward over my back teeth and tongue tamers. The few times (and I really mean only about two times) that I have been successful in swallowing properly, I couldn’t get all my spit swallowing. I immediately swallowed a second time the wrong way to get everything down. She is hesitant because of how much they interfere with speech. I reminded her that I was retired and a stay at home mom so I’m not really concerned about that. The worst part is that I live in an area that has no myofunctional therapists as an alternative. We finished the discussion with both of us left to to think about things and mull everything over. My next regular appt is in the beginning of February. In the meantime, I’ll be sucking on my mints trying to learn how to swallow properly and eat without pushing my food forward. Whatever goes on while I’m sleeping that was causing my elastics to snap is out of my control for now.
I hope everyone has a very happy New Year, and that any resolutions you may make come to fruition. May 2024 be a better year for all of us!

This was for sure a great update. And a very good one to finish 2023.

I wish you a very successfull treatment in 2024 and all the best!

Ugh!!  My teeth are killing me!!! I’ve been taping my mouth at night to keep it shut and wake up with two dents on the tip of my tongue from thrusting against the tongue tamers in my sleep. My teeth hurt every morning, then I put my elastics in and they hurt even more as they work to undo the previous night’s thrusting. It’s a viscous cycle. I’m seriously leaning toward trying the Botox to at least be able to keep my lips together, but am concerned my tongue isn’t abandoning its habit anytime soon. I try to work on my thrusting during the day, but can’t control what happens at night. I think it’s time to call my orthodontist sooner than later.
On a happier note, I’m spending the weekend in the Eastern Sierras with my daughter and a few of her friends. Getting around in the snow has been a bit challenging, but I’m being super cautious. The best part is that I was able to make the 5 hour drive in my back brace without my arms going numb! That was huge for me. I hope you all make the most of your weekend and enjoy yourselves. I’ll let you know what happens.

I had a meeting tonight, so I put on some semi casual business attire. Is my back brace hardly noticeable now or is it that I’m use to it? https://dereferer.me/?https://imgur.com/a/rYBJ1G7
I spoke to my orthodontist yesterday. My next appointment was changed to allow more time to try Botox for my lip incompetence and to troubleshoot my nighttime tongue thrusting. She discussed using super strong elastics to keep my jaws together while I sleep. Not sure what that entails, but it’s clear she is not a tongue crib proponent for adults. I’ll see what she has to say at my next appointment. She wants me to really stay on top of my current elastic use, and push through the TMD flare they cause even considering full time wear to get my bite aligned to be able to proceed with that elastic pattern. I’m intrigued, but not sure it will help given I just caught myself thrusting my tongue beneath my tongue tamers with my jaw closed. Sigh.

Looking at your picture, I would have no idea you are wearing a brace.  Kudos to you.

What about floating the idea of a removable tongue crib by her?  She obviously has concerns about your speech. But what if it was removable and wouldn’t impact your speech when you need to speak, but was there in your down time and when you sleep?

It’s been a couple of weeks since I last posted, so I thought I would give you an update. Yesterday was the first day out of my boot! My day started off good and it felt great to put my foot in a real shoe for the first time in seven months, even though I have to wear ankle braces (https://dereferer.me/?https://i.imgur.com/RrsWTa2.jpg). The euphoria was short lived when a couple of hours later, the outside of my ankle really started to hurt from my brace. Both of my current ankle braces were made prior to my injury because I noticed an increase of instability in both ankles and wanted to avoid further damage. The irony is there was a delay in getting them and my scheduled appointment to finally pick them up was literally the day after I hurt my ankle. I don’t know if getting them on time would have changed anything. I could Monday morning quarterback the events forever, and nothing would come of it. It’s unlikely that I would have been wearing the Richie braces the day of my injury because I was hosing off my back patio and intentionally wore waterproof sandals to avoid getting my tennis shoes wet, and my ankle braces were mainly to be worn when I would be on my feet for long periods or for walking on uneven surfaces-but I digress. Having the ankle braces made before my injury and now having an extra plate and screws has changed the contour of my ankle inside the custom brace, which became very painful yesterday (and today). The location of the brace hinge is directly over my plate, so it isn’t smooth beneath the padding ( https://dereferer.me/?https://imgur.com/a/lfCXteI ). I had PT yesterday afternoon and brought it up to my therapist. They were able to add a small piece of foam to offer some relief, but not completely. To add insult to injury, a wind storm kicked up and the change in barometric pressure became unbearable. I wasn’t home at the time, as I was waiting for my son at his soccer practice. Every few minutes my ankle would have excruciating intense pain that brought tears to my eyes and profanity from my lips. It was all I could do to finally get home, take off my shoes and braces, and put my foot up with some ice and pain meds. I know I have a lot of rehab remaining to get back to some sense of normalcy with my ankle, but yesterday, with the amount of pain I had, was very discouraging for me- especially since it wasn’t because of anything I had control over.
Last week my doctor texted me with the style of the new ankle brace he wants me to have for my right ankle and my left ankle once all my swelling subsides ( https://dereferer.me/?https://imgur.com/a/xonVB92 https://dereferer.me/?https://imgur.com/a/IgKOdZJ). It’s somewhat sobering to realize my ankles will never be 100%. I had a heart to heart with my doc at my last appointment where we discussed what my rehab goals should be to avoid a 4th reconstruction on the left or a 3rd on the right. I’ve known for years that I will never be able to do the same things I did 20 years ago, but finding that limit without pushing too far is difficult mentally and physically- as clearly demonstrated by having had 3 and 2 reconstructions respectively. Seeing the new ankle brace(s) was disheartening. I think they will definitely provide the support I need, but short of wearing pants the rest of my life there’s no hiding them. It was one thing when my ankle braces had been for certain activities, it’s a whole new ballgame to learn they will need to be a permanent fixture. It also really limits my choices in shoes. I should be thankful that the new braces are still hinged and not fixed, as that would be a whole different level but it doesn’t remove the current dread I feel. Who’s to say a very occasional day in something other than a tennis shoe won’t be ok, right?
In regards to my orthodontic braces, I’m still fighting with my tongue thrust. I’ve developed a gap in my teeth again in spite of the tongue tamers (https://dereferer.me/?https://imgur.com/a/eRDK2fR). I still have two dents on the top of my tongue every morning from thrusting in my sleep. I continue to tape my lips at night and have been wearing my elastics full time. Most mornings, I wake up to at least one of the elastics broken, and have several more break throughout the day. I don’t recall this happening before, but I haven’t used non latex ones previously. Here’s how things currently look: https://dereferer.me/?https://imgur.com/a/FwVXYTe . You can see how my upper teeth are now tipped out to try to address my crossbite by widening the arch wire. I’m not certain it’s been very effective. My next appt is in two weeks.
I have a follow up with my oral surgeon next week for my TMJ/TMD. Full time elastic wear has definitely made it worse, even with all the meds I’ve taken for my ankle. I’m hoping if I can power through this, I can get relief sooner instead of dragging out my jaw pain.
I also have an appointment with my back doctor next week. It’s finally time to have in brace X-rays taken to see if it is correcting my scoliosis properly. Then the following week, I’ll have out of brace X-rays taken to see if any progress in correction has been made. I have to be out of brace for at least four hours before that x-ray. That’s really the longest I can tolerate being out of my brace without my back starting to hurt lately, though I rarely if ever go that long on any given day. Most days I only spend an hour or two out of my brace now, and it’s usually for my physical therapy.
While I will always tell you that I know things could be worse, it doesn’t mean that sometimes in the moment my situation doesn’t stink. I really can’t tell you how much I appreciate being able to share my journey with all of you, and am always surprised to see how many people have taken the time to read my posts. It’s been very cathartic for me, and all your words of encouragement have been uplifting during the times when I’m frustrated with the events of my life and struggling through them. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I’ll update again soon.

It’s been a busy few weeks. Between my ankle physical therapy, back brace follow up, jaw surgeon and orthodontist appointments, it’s a little crazy. PT is going well. My ankle range of motion is slowly returning, my strength is coming back and my swelling has greatly decreased. My pain is also well managed with only Motrin now. I see my ankle doctor next week to get my new right ankle brace and the mold taken for my new left ankle brace.
I had in back brace and out of back brace X-rays taken early last week. My doctor is not happy with the in brace correction that I am getting, so I’ll have to wait for him to confer with his colleagues to see if I will need a new brace. On a positive note, I have 3 degrees of correction on X-rays after being out of my back brace for 5 hours! I still have a ways to go. I didn’t realize until this last appointment that I not only have S curve scoliosis, but also kyphosis. Not that it matters much, just makes more work for the back brace to fix. It’s reassuring to see actual results no matter how small after putting so much effort into maintaining compliance of 20 plus hours of wear time a day.
My appointment with my jaw doctor wasn’t as exciting as my back doctor. The discussion of jaw surgery came up-not for the first time, but in a more definitive manner. I’ve been expecting it, so it wasn’t a surprise. It won’t be for at least a year, but I do think when the time comes, it will make a difference.
I had my orthodontist appointment today. My orthodontist noticed that my tongue tamers had no affect over the last two months. I specifically asked again if she would consider installing a tongue crib. After a lengthy discussion with me telling her that I understood it would not be easy and all the issues it will cause, she agreed. I go back in three weeks to have spacers put in, then return again to have my bands put on and have molds taken, then finally have the tongue crib installed. In the meantime, she will begin designing it. I asked for my tongue to not be able to get under it, and to not be able to create any suction with my tongue and front lips. She completely agreed those were important features. I had already had my ligatures changed with the same wire when she requested a different wire be put in. The ortho tech ended up popping one of my brackets off trying to get the wire in place, so they ended up putting a softer wire back in with a power chain on top. My teeth have been super sensitive, now they are on fire. I’m relieved the stronger wire couldn’t be used. She kept the same class 2 elastic pattern since my overbite/overjet did not improve. She also didn’t grind down any more if my bite blocks, which I have mixed feelings about. I’d like to be able to chew with all my back teeth, but the bite blocks do slightly still help with my TMJ. https://dereferer.me/?https://imgur.com/a/eGS9LV2  I’ll update again after I get my new ankle brace and/or spacers.

Thanks for the update @bracesx3 Your powerchains look great

Interesting process. So the sock had resin in it like cast tape?

Pretty excited for your tongue crib! Keep posting, thanks for sharing

Great news! I found my old AFO for my left ankle from 2013 in a box on the top shelf of my closet! I tried it on, and it’s so much more comfortable than my Ritchie brace. I can’t tell you what a relief it is. I can now wear it for the next month or so while I wait for my new one. Here are some pics to show the differences. https://dereferer.me/?https://imgur.com/a/haYtwoP It’s more solid than the Ritchie brace, and comes up a little higher than both of the other braces. I can’t believe it has held up so well. I previously wore this AFO for 4 years once my first ankle construction failed. It’s been to both coasts of the US and trekking the Freedom Trail and Grand Canyon. I was able to hold out until 2016 for the 2nd reconstruction. Ironically, once I knew the time had come that my ankle had too much instability and I had set a surgery date, I broke my ankle after a misstep getting out of bed literally 8 weeks before the set date. I ended up being in a cast non weight bearing for 18 weeks straight.

Thanks, I asked my doctor if I could get the same one made this time. It’s not possible for two reasons: the office doesn’t work with that company anymore, and that brace really doesn’t provide the support that my posterior tibial tendon, calcaneous, and talus need for stability. Fortunately (or unfortunately) I still have a few (not many) ligaments and tendons that haven’t been reconstructed or repaired, and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to keep it that way.

Bracesx3 you have my utmost respect.  You seem to be making the absolute best of what would make some people so angry or upset.  It can’t be easy.  But you make it sound like a piece of cake.  Thank you so much for sharing with us. 

Yeah, I think keeping as many ligaments and tendons intact as possible is a good idea. They’re kind of important things.

Has anything cleared up on the orthodontic side of things? I know your back is going good in the grand scheme of things, your ankle is… going…, and you are getting a new appliance, but how are the braces going? From what I understand, you are getting a tongue crib to replace the spurs, and you also have braces and bite blocks which are there to stay for a while?

I had my last ortho appointment 2 weeks ago. I did try the Botox to see if it would help my lip incompetence. My ortho was very conservative and injected only 1 unit on each side of just under my nose. I haven’t noticed but a slight difference in how far down my lip comes over my upper teeth. I still have to strain to close my lips together. My bite bocks are very small compared to where they started, so they aren’t a part of the problem at this point.  I have noticed my upper lip is slightly fuller. I never planned to use Botox or anything of the like for cosmetic purposes, so it’s an interesting development. I think I’m the only one who notices it.i go back next week to have my lip checked again and possibly have another injection. I’ll be sure to get a before picture to have a comparison. I will also be getting spacers put in at that time. My elastics are still the same as before, though they could be changed in the near future. Hope this answers your questions.

Thank you very much for the explanation and very good luck to you! 

I guess see how you do with the tongue crib. If it interferes with speaking too much then ask for it to be removed for the weekend.

I just hope all goes well for you.

I’d just proceed as is and cross that bridge when you get to it.  I bet by then you will be speaking fine with it.  And if not, then you can have it removed.  That is easy for me to say, it’s not me having to deal with it.  But you will do fine.

I promised an update after my orthodontists appointment today, and I’m betting it’s not what any of you expected to read. So here it goes. In all my appointments with my jaw doc, it’s been brought up that surgery would be my best route to get everything corrected that is going on in my mouth and jaw. I’ve been ruminating over this possibility for more than a year. I’ve mentioned after a previous orthodontist appointment that she didn’t want to expand my jaw even though it’s needed. I didn’t mention that she also brought up jaw surgery. Well, my husband is finally retiring, which is great news. The downside is that it means entirely different medical and dental insurance. The insurance our family has now is amazing, we actually pay money out of pocket over what my husband’s employer provides for benefits. While my husband has worked enough years to qualify for free medical and dental benefits upon retirement, the policies are not nearly as robust and would require an inordinate amount of referrals and essentially have me start the entire process all over again to be approved for surgery. With this knowledge, I reached out to my jaw doc a few weeks ago and asked him if I was far enough along orthodontically to have the jaw surgery before our insurance changes. He reached out to my orthodontist and they conferred. He finally got back to me saying my ortho is on board and to schedule to get the ball rolling. I called to schedule an appointment and asked to speak to the person who knows the insurance ins and outs and also does the surgery scheduling. I went through everything, then she let me know that my doc’s surgery schedule is all booked up through when my current insurance ends. Sigh. But she gives me his soonest appointment that has enough time to get the process started at the end of March. So, today I go to my orthodontist. She tells me she spoke with my jaw surgeon and is very excited for me to proceed with jaw surgery. She noted that I still have some tooth alignment and bite correction that needs to be taken care of, but they can be addressed after surgery. She also pointed out that jaw surgery will give my tongue the room it needs, and since that’s where things are going, there is no need for the tongue crib. I asked her if the brackets on my crowns would hold the tension of my jaw being wired or if I needed bands on those teeth, and she was confident that they will be fine. She also mentioned I would need to be in braces for  8 more months after surgery. So the takeaway is both my doctors are of the impression that I am having jaw surgery within the next 2 months even though the surgery scheduler says there’s no availability. My bite turbos were taken out completely for my “upcoming surgery”, but my tongue tamers were kept on? I need to let her know when there is a date so she can do whatever else it is that she needs to do. In the meantime, I have an appointment with her in 8 weeks. Back to the bite turbos- having them gone is good and bad. My lower jaw is so uneven that without the turbos, only the teeth on the right side of my jaw come together. The left back teeth don’t touch. So while I finally have more than 4 teeth biting together, it’s only on one side, and the unevenness is exacerbating my TMJ pain on the left side of my jaw. In the meantime, I am still continuing full time wear of my Class ll elastics. The question as to whether I will be able to get this done before my insurance changes is annoying.I won’t have a tongue crib for Memorial Day, but could have a wired jaw instead. We are also planning a cross country trip this summer for my God daughter’s wedding, and I have to wonder if my jaw will be wired for that as well. This is not the direction I thought this year would take. I’m not even 6 months out from my ankle reconstruction yet. I’ll let you know how things go as I get more information.

Wow! That's a lot to take in. Wishing you well and I hope everything works out for you.

My husband is finally retired! But we aren’t sure if our current insurance will last until the end of this month or next. The current policy was negotiated by his union, but costs more than the benefit allowance his work provided. That wasn’t a problem this month because the overage is taken from his paycheck, but next month doesn’t have a paycheck to have anything taken out. So, it may be possible to pay the amount separately. We have also discussed the possibility of using COBRA to continue the same policy for the time that I may need it. I would then have 2 insurance policies, while my husband and kids would have three during that time if we aren’t able to COBRA for just one person. Crazy right? Total feast or famine situation.
On a side note, I had my back brace adjusted Monday. I didn’t realize how much my body has conformed to the brace, and I swear it squeezes the fat out of my midsection. A good inch and a half was taken off at the opening and the straps had to be moved out to be able to have enough Velcro coverage. Boy is it ever tight again!
My TMJ is off the charts. I’m limited in my mouth opening again and have been favoring softer foods. I’ve been taking Motrin like I’m back in the military-there’s a reason it’s called Ranger candy. I’ve even resorted to voltaren cream and lidocaine patches at night.
I’m continuing in physical therapy for my ankle, and it’s progressing well. My therapist has been using a Graston tool to break up some of the adhesions from so much scarring, but it’s caused a huge bruise on the top of my foot the color and circumference of a plum, but nowhere near as painful as my jaw. One pretty cool thing that happened is one of the other patients at PT during my last appointment is an army vet like myself that I recognized from having crossed paths with a few times many years ago (like close to 20). It was fun catching up and sharing stories from so long ago. The therapists and staff were surprised to hear us talk about different aspects of the military. I’m pretty quiet for the most part during my appointments, so it was definitely a different side of me being seen. I joke about being an unassuming stay at home mom because anyone looking at me would never guess half the things I’ve done. Next week is my ankle follow up and in 2 1/2 weeks is the big appointment with my jaw doctor. Is it just me, or does it seem like my life right now could best be summed up as a medical 3 ring circus with lots of jugglers?

Congratulations to your husband for his retirement.

And all the best to you and your treatments.

All the best for you, I keep my fingers crossed.

Thanks both of you!
I had a long appointment yesterday. I was looked at and measured, and looked at again and measured a different way. I didn’t even know so many measurements could be taken of the face and jaw. It was a very strange feeling to have my doctor stare at me and write down all my flaws onto a piece of paper- not that I have any control over my facial symmetry or the height of my maxilla, or the placement of my chin. I didn’t feel self conscious because I’ve always felt that nobody has control over their immutable characteristics, but I did kind of feel like damaged goods in a sense after having it all objectively laid out. There are like seven different things that will all be addressed, most of which I didn’t know were a thing. The overall plan remains mostly the same. My lower jaw will be widened first, then the upper jaw to match. Once that’s done, both jaws will be moved forward with the upper jaw height being shortened. The upper jaw may be sectioned into 3 pieces for the widening and to correct the minor open bite that still remains. He also wants to do a genioplasty and move my chin forward, but has to do so in a way that won’t affect the hardware that will stabilize my lower jaw after it’s widened. I’ve never given any thought to my chin before yesterday aside from my teenage years when it had the occasional blemish. I have never been one to stare into a mirror to scrutinize my appearance, but now I’m left wondering about my chin. The discussion over ensuring that I understand that my facial structure will change was brought up a few times. I know this will happen, but all the before and after jaw surgery pictures that I’ve searched through have had very positive changes. In the back of my mind, there’s a bit of fear that I’ll be the statistical outlier and look like Quasimodo or something when all is said and done.
The worst part of all this is that it looks like this won’t happen before our insurance changes. The scheduling and insurance person in the office is still going to try to get authorization in the off chance a date can be set in time. I knew this surgery was complicated and takes many hours, but did not realize it also takes two surgeons, which is what complicates the scheduling.
Today I took a copy the CT I had done yesterday to my ENT and am waiting to hear how my sinuses look, and whether or not I’ll need to have the procedure to have them cleaned out before surgery, whenever that might be. In the meantime, I’ll keep letting my braces do their thing and try to be good about wearing my elastics.

It sounds pretty intimidating.  And I can imagine stressful.  Thank you for sharing.

So do I.

Please do tell us the exact day of the operation.

We will have our fingers crossed!

Again I have to call you a very brave patient and I keep my fingers crossed for you to have less pain and very successful treatments! 

Around 4 weeks.

In my humble opinion there may be a contradiction, because being comfortable and doing well the job there will be the problem of not working well being comfortable.

There is this saying no pain - no gain.

Let´s hope I am wrong. 

Once again, I hope all goes well and this is all over as soon as possible. Take care and know that there are people out there wishing you well and sending prayers.