On Tuesday, we have to be at Stanford Hospital at 5:45. The surgery is scheduled for 7:30 (but this still might change on Monday). The surgery will last about 3.5 hours. The doctor will then speak to us, but Tor will remain in recovery for 1-2 hours while he wakes up. After that, he'll be moved to his room and we'll get to see him. So we anticipate that we'll see him by 1 pm.
Tor's jaw will not be wired shut. He will be able to open it. But he won't be talking for a few days and he'll be on clear liquids at first. We've been given a small white board for him to use for communicating.
Tor will stay in the hospital until (probably) Friday. The swelling will gradually increase until day 4, after which point it will start to go down. Swelling will be reduced by 80% at day 10 and 100% by 2 weeks out. So that's when we'll know what he really will look like!
Before Tuesday, we expect to receive a computer rendered prediction of what Tor will look like after the surgery (which is called maxillo-mandibular advancement). But essentially, his lower jaw will be moved forward about 1.5 cm and his upper jaw will move out and tilt so that it's at about 1 cm further forward. The surgeons will also pull the tongue forward (genioglossus advancement). It will all be done so that his bite will remain what it is now. The orthodontist will continue to adjust the bite over the next few months. His braces will come off by graduation time.
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