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Hello, I'm new here and I was wondering if anyone has had the fat graft surgery done? I have met with the surgeon and had all the mri's cat scans and I'm nervous about having any surgery on my jaw.
Hi there, I haven't had a fat graft, but a similar surgery, which used a piece of my temporalis (temple) muscle instead. The process is pretty much identical and the recovery is as well. What kind of questions do you have? stacy
I have so many I don't know where to begin. Have you had to have repeat surgeries? The surgeon I've seen in Florida(not sure if I'm allowed to use his name)said the success rate with the fat grafts are very good. For you was it woth it? Some people say never have surgery on your jaw, but I'm at the point of then what else? Sheila
Hi Sheila, Yes, I have had many surgeries. I ended up having a bilateral total joint replacement in June of '06. The muscle graft did give me the most time out of any of the surgeries, but it still did not last very long. With this being said, everyone is diffferent. Is there a reason your surgeon wants to use fat instead of the temporalis muscle? It's definitely a very invasive procedure and after the joint is opened, it will never be the same. This can be good.. or bad, of course. What is his reasoning for suggesting this surgery first, ahead of other procedures? What has your imaging shown? Stacy
Sheila....Hi and welcome. I agree with what Stacy said. Every joint is different and different result come with different people. (Hope that made sense ) I had cartilage taken from behind my ear and placed into my joint. In my case it did not last too long due to my condyle deteriorating......it chewed up the cartilage.
I also had a joint replacement, but only on my right side. I look forward to hearing more about you and your up and coming surgery. I am also interested in hearing more about the imaging of your jaw.
Nice meeting you and please take the time to update us on your treatment. Take care..........Sue
Sorry I haven't been around, but welcome. If you don't mind my asking, why is your surgeon considering this particular procedure? Is this your first surgery? I literally just had this done in my left TMJ on March 19th, along with a bunch of other stuff that I don't want to go into here.
There are always going to be people cautioning you against one thing or another in life, but the fact is... only you know what you can live with day in, day out. This has to be your decision!
Before you move ahead with any surgery, write all of your questions down and take them with you to the doctor (make 2 copies, one for each of you). Please know that there are NO stupid questions. If it's a concern, it is relevant. I would also suggest you consider a second, and maybe even a third opinion. I am not suggesting you shop doctors until you find the answer you want to hear, but we are taking about an open joint procedure and you REALLY want to understand and consider all of your options. Have you been through conservative treatment?
Without having the benefit of knowing your story, the result of your scans, and the reasoning behind such an aggressive approach... it's hard for me to say much more. I will say that what is being proposed is an open joint procedure, and obviously it is best to keep them to the least amount possible... so (IMO) aggressive isn't always a bad thing. At times, I feel it can be the kindest thing a surgeon can do for their patient. That said_ you still need to do the work. Don't jump in with both feet without having a full understanding of the why, what, and how.
You also need to have realistic expectations of the outcome. If you sprain your ankle, it is never quite the same... the same goes for your TMJ. It heals, but it is always a little more susceptible to stress/ injury.
Please know that we are all here to help you through this as best we can. If you have questions… ask.
Thank you for all of your replies. I've been on vacation and thats why it's taken me so long to reply. I guess I'll start with my test results. I went to the surgeon and this is what he said based on mri's and ct scans. This was two years ago.
Right joint: 1.)Complete disruption of the posterior ligaments. 2.) Stage V is usually found in the presence of severe macrotrauma or from logstanding tempormandibular joint discal displacement. 3.)tempormandibular joint damage with bone swelling. 4.)Decreased blood flow on right TM
Left joint: Stag IVa very early discs completely displaced from the surface of the condyle.
I'm only supposed to have the fat graft on the right joint,fat from abdomen or buttocks. This usually involves disc removal.I've been a grinder since I was young, my jaw has been popping since early teens.I had braces put on my teeth early 30's and instead of correcting my bite they made it worse, pulled a tooth,tried to bring the teeth together and that was the final straw, my jaw locked. Switched dentists who did the plint therapy which I still wear. I've done the physical therapy and I'm going to start that again. I have been dealing with this for many years. It was tollerable until a couple of years ago when they pulled the tooth, now I have constant ringing in ears, can't workout and have to watch all of my movements or I get so dizzy I feel sick and it completly puts me down for a couple of days. I can't handle noise and thats difficult with kids. I just want some normality back in my life. I've had several opinions and it's amazing thier all differnt except that this surgeon is supposed to be the best. Am I allowed to say his name and see if anyone else went to him? This is not a decision I'm taking lightly and am still interested in other options. Oh I am also taking elavil for the migranes.
Sheila, I had a bilateral tmj fat graft done in 2001. My surgeon was also from Fl. I also dont know the rules about if I can use a name. I am from Richmond, VA and was also told similar things about how good this doctor was, and traveled to have surgery from him. I can only speak good things about this surgery. After being in an enourmous amount of discomfort I woke up after surgery with no pain from my TMJ. I did have pain from where he decided to take out my wisdom teeth. The recovery isnt great, but it is bearable, and completely worth it for me. If you want to email me his name, so its not on the board, feel free.
