je-cullerton Posted November 19, 2018 Share Posted November 19, 2018 Hello again. So half a year ago I underwent v-line surgery with a very well-known clinic (you can check the other thread I started about it under my Profile). The surgery was badly botched as the doctor decided to shave past my nerve-line, leaving me disfigured and exposing my mandible nerve. Ever since then, I've been frantically researching ways to reconstruct my face. I landed on The Face Dental. I ended up picking them to fix my issues for a few important reasons:-Korean doctors are more familiar with v-line than Western: Believe me, after my terrible experience in Gangnam I really didn't want to come back. I searched high and low for Western doctors that were familiar with extreme Asian jaw-contouring and capable of creating custom implants to mold around my defect. The few doctors I came across were either unfamiliar with the procedure or only used stock implants. (And the one Doctor I did find that understood both issues has way to many lawsuits against him.)-The Face Dental Uses Titanium Implants: Silicon implants and anything porous ultimately scares me. I'd rather use something that's easier to remove in case of an infection.-The Face Dental seems to have actual -real- reviews: The clinic that botched me has fake accounts on both Realself and Purseforum. The reviews seem to be written by their consultants (something they offered to do for me if I didn't want to write my own reviews). So far, the reviews I've seen from TFD appear to be written by actual foreign patients. To be frank, I'm choosing them to ultimately get my life back. They're the only option I have. I've been speaking to Doctor Lee for a while now (both on Facebook and Skype). He has been very honest about possible complications and what he can and can't do. He was actually the first doctor to point out my exposed nerve, informing me of the possibility that it had healed/adhered on to my muscle. He's also made the implant fabrication process a lot easier than I expected (as I'm located in a different country.) He took the previous clinics CT scans and we built what I wanted from there. He listened to EVERY request I had. For example, adding horizontal width to the back of the implants (to widen the jaw). I'm having correctional genioplasty to fix my chin area as well, so a lot of the implant design had to based off of that. He sent me videos of them building the implant. We've spoken over Skype many times. He was able to print my custom implants and took pictures of the end result right before I left for Seoul. He also has amazing bed-side manner. I've been terrible distressed and manic over the whole situation (it's very apparent in our conversations), but he took everything in stride and listened to my concerns. So I'm here again, hoping for the best. I'll be doing my first in-person consultation with them tomorrow and I'm scheduled for surgery the following day. I really hope everything goes as planned. Thanks for reading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purrrina Posted November 19, 2018 Share Posted November 19, 2018 Good luck Je! What happened to you was horrible and I hope dr lee is able to help you start feeling like yourself again. I’m also in Seoul and we have a kakao group if you feel the need to vent or want to meet up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheonlylooks25 Posted November 20, 2018 Share Posted November 20, 2018 Yes all the best. You are so lucky to have found Dr Lee. He sounds incredible and so honest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
je-cullerton Posted November 20, 2018 Author Share Posted November 20, 2018 Can you PM me the group information? I might join to share my experience with you all. (I'm really nervous.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
je-cullerton Posted November 20, 2018 Author Share Posted November 20, 2018 He's been really sincere and giving me as much of his time as possible. I'm not looking for perfection (my case is insanely complicated), just somebody who can perform this surgery as safely as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
je-cullerton Posted November 20, 2018 Author Share Posted November 20, 2018 Got back from my consultation with Doctor Lee. The clinic seemed a lot cozier/smaller than the last one. Got my bloodwork and EKG done. Filled out paperwork and paid. Finally I was able to meet him in person. We talked for a while about risks of this surgery. Apparently some of my jaw bone grew back (just a little though). This is something I didn't realize could happen, but we're going to work around it. I was also informed that he would remove the implant for free if I suddenly had an infection. I feel a tad better knowing that. Surgery is tomorrow. I'm beyond nervous and I don't think I'll be able to sleep much. I'm trying to remain positive though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motty26 Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 All the best! Please update us with your PS journey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cherryontop Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 OMG hope everything will turn out okay! All the best!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoebebuffey Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 Wishing you all the best on your revision surgery! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emma99 Posted November 22, 2018 Share Posted November 22, 2018 wish you all the best!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
je-cullerton Posted November 22, 2018 Author Share Posted November 22, 2018 Thank you everyone! So I went into surgery yesterday. Didn't feel a thing after general anesthesia.... But boy have I been feeling everything since I woke up. My first surgery wasn't painful because my jaw and mouth was very numb. But, with the implants, I felt I lot of pain (I'm guessing this is due to us having to work around my nerves more.) It was like intense muscle cramping in my jaw for the first 4 hours (pain level at an 8 out of 10). Good thing is, I've been receiving pain killers consistently and it's been helping the pain subside. I also noticed less pain with the compression garment off... but I think i need to keep it on. Argh. I was giving anti-biotics throughout the night as well. Doctor Lee checked up on me several times, something very different to my previous surgery. He checked how I was feeling, told me the results (I guess everything went as planned) and cleaned my wounds. The nurses have also been pretty great about making sure I'm okay. They bought my medicine for me, got me some liquid meals to drink, walked with me, and helped bring me water. I also received my ice-pack fairly early. This is much better aftercare than the last hospital. I stayed over night and I'll be coming back for another check-up tomorrow morning. As of now, all I feel is a dull aching sensation in my right jaw. Its not bad - maybe a 2 on a pain scale. I'm waaaaay more swollen than the last surgery and I most likely will be for 48 hours. I have to be very careful about keeping my wounds clean - so I'll be using mouthwash throughout the day now that I've been discharged. Still crossing my fingers that everything goes according to plan. Best case scenario is my body accepts the implants and my chin comes out the shape I originally wanted it to be with my first surgery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yumigumi Posted November 22, 2018 Share Posted November 22, 2018 Does the doctor you mentioned with too many lawsuits happen to be Barry Eppley? I discovered him during my research for a doctor that can perform custom cheek implants and he is my first choice so far. Which lawsuits made you not choose him? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madambutterfly89 Posted November 22, 2018 Share Posted November 22, 2018 Its alledgedly Dr. Eppley or Dr. Yaremchuck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yumigumi Posted November 22, 2018 Share Posted November 22, 2018 Dang, that's a shame considering Eppley's the only doctor I've found who is talented in making and implanting complex customized facial implants. Can anybody recommend another doctor who's good at custom facial implants? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohsolovely99 Posted November 28, 2018 Share Posted November 28, 2018 How are you feeling? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
)
Recommended Posts