Author Topic: Knocked off - tell me what I need to do (Read 41649 times)

mrcharly-YHT · « **Reply #125 on:** 25 October, 2016, 01:23:35 pm »

The cosmetic improvements will hopefully help a lot with things at home.

I can imagine your frustration with eating. Are you able to now use molars to chew?

Asterix, the former Gaul. · « **Reply #126 on:** 25 October, 2016, 04:25:47 pm »

It sounds a nightmare and all because of a stupid f***ing driver.

Hoping it starts going a bit better v. soon.

DrMekon · « **Reply #127 on:** 25 October, 2016, 04:52:25 pm »

Quote from: mrcharly on 25 October, 2016, 01:23:35 pm

The cosmetic improvements will hopefully help a lot with things at home.

I can imagine your frustration with eating. Are you able to now use molars to chew?

Yes - exactly. I've never seen my eldest (the one being tested for autism) as happy as when I smiled with my denture. He went scarlet with happiness. The molars work okay. I'm introducing quorn, mushrooms and sweetcorn.

I'm not sure how to handle work - whether to ask to be signed off for longer so I'm in control, or trust them to manage my role. Am really uncomfortable with the prospect of 2hrs teaching on a Friday PM, albeit I'll have new dentures in January.

Colleagues have confirmed that they'll just keep covering my teaching this term - bless them, because SMT won't give this a second thought.

barakta · « **Reply #128 on:** 25 October, 2016, 08:18:49 pm »

As a disability adviser who supports people with speech impairments public speaking can be done, it isn't always easy but there's no reason people shouldn't make an effort to listen to you - I agree with Kim, confidence to pretend you believe you have the right to be heard helps...

I often point my students at speakers with speech impairments to copy their ideas and find their own way of doing public speaking:
* Laurence Clarke https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_U_byvTzW4w
* Jess Thom https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jmTlQld2Z8
* Francesca Martinez https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYqcql8wSh0
* Jody McIntyre (50s onwards) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ku2sWnwe3CQ

It's not so much the content, it's how each of these people manage the cadence of their speech which I find interesting - the pauses, 3 of them are comedians, less is more for some of them. I'm deaf so find impaired speech really hard work, but I can follow these speakers if I focus.

One issue about 'speech' impairment specifically is the instinctive reaction by many people to "switch off". But that is overcomeable and I often say to people, push through the discomfort of listening to a speech impaired person, it does get easier. (and a dose of welcome to my life all the time!).

I don't know what you lecture in but could you try mixing and matching text to speech software content? Some of the voices are not bad and it would spice things up a bit. I considered doing this the other week at a job interview and maybe should have done it today as I've 50% lost my voice cos lurg... I had my mum's new mac which does 'reading out any text' by a keypress and I think windows has some stuff in it too which I haven't played with yet.

Bunker22 · « **Reply #129 on:** 25 October, 2016, 09:10:41 pm »

Quote from: DrMekon on 22 October, 2016, 12:23:30 am

So, yesterday saw the metal splint that had been taking lumps out of my cheeks hacked off, and got the "best guess" denture they fashioned from the mould they managed to take while I had the splint in and my face was all wobbly.

The prospect of lecturing over the next year isn't something I'm relishing, given current reactions to my speech, but maybe it'll improve. If not, I'm going to have to see how my teaching load can be managed.

You should be able to adapt surprisingly well and quickly to your new denture. As your current limitations are due to a lump of plastic where you didn't have one, rather than any actual nerve or muscle damage (I assume?) your adaptive capability should mean your speech returns towards normal fairly rapidly.

closetleftie · « **Reply #130 on:** 26 October, 2016, 07:14:00 am »

Goodness, it's rough. When my leg was disfigured, I got pretty withdrawn pretty quickly. The thought of repeating the same conversation ("Found a rabbit hole on the moor. No, really. Yes, of course it hurt.") yet another time was simply too much some days. And that was my leg - facial disfigurement must be rough.

Regarding the speaking, teaching & so forth - even small lumps in the mouth can make a big difference, so as the splints become less guesswork and more accurate over time things should improve pretty quickly. Good luck. Truly.

tonyh · « **Reply #131 on:** 26 October, 2016, 11:14:10 am »

Ongoing good wishes Ian.

(And a small point just in case it helps - when my voice was even a bit dodgy [eg bad cold] I used to indicate that I would teach without speaking at all, resorting to writing/signs/etc [minor entertainment possibilities], and then make small use of voice as last resort - when its dodginess was no surprise, and its input actually welcomed!)

fimm · « **Reply #132 on:** 08 December, 2016, 03:40:37 pm »

I hope you are doing OK.
I registered chiefly to post the following then forgot...
My O/H had a chunk taken out of his hip to go into the roof of his mouth because he'd been born with a hare lip/cleft palate. He's got an impressive scar on his hip. Big caveat that he was 17 when this was done but since then he's cycled loads (including some 260km Alpine thing); done a lot of triathlons including 4 Ironmans and one double-iron-distance; and then got into ultra marathons and run about a dozen of those including UTMB (100 miles round the Mont Blanc massif). So it doesn't seem to have had any long-term consequences.

Hope that's of some reassurance.

mrcharly-YHT · « **Reply #133 on:** 08 December, 2016, 03:59:43 pm »

Thanks for the reminder, re hip grafts, wisob!

When I did the 25miles last weekend, I didn't even notice the graft site on my hip, not even when riding out of the saddle. Sure, I wasn't putting in much effort, but I'm still only just 3 months post-op and I didn't notice it at all. Yes, there is a 4-5" scar on my hip and it is a bit lumpy (although you have to have a good grope to feel the lumps, phnaar), but I didn't feel any tugging or weakness.

hellymedic · « **Reply #134 on:** 08 December, 2016, 04:07:22 pm »

I think 'donor' bone graft sites are chosen to cause minimal disruption.

This seems to have been successful for the two posters.

caerau · « **Reply #135 on:** 08 December, 2016, 04:14:11 pm »

Cripes,

only just seen this, went a bit AWOL on this site for a while.

Looks like you're gradually recovering. I hope you get more sympathy at work than I did earlier in the year when I had a month off after surgery. But I think the face is a little more outward looking than a tendon.
How's it going with Slater and Gordon? When I claimed through them some time ago now, they quite quickly got an admission of liability from the other party's insurance company and I was offered fairly unlimited private rehab which they would pay for immediately. Completely unnecessary in my case, but in yours...

GWS!

DrMekon · « **Reply #136 on:** 08 December, 2016, 04:54:44 pm »

Thanks for these replies.

I've got an appointment with the bone harvester in the new year. I've asked for them to use my jaw rather than leg on the basis that Zwift is keeping me sane.

I went with http://www.alysonfrance.co.uk/ based on recommendations and a couple of people I know having had sub-optimal experiences with SG. That SG screwed up some correspondence with me was the final straw.

Work have been pretty good. Signed off from teaching, phased return for other duties. There seems to be some proper planning in place, whereas when I had my hernia op, they bodged it.

Blodwyn Pig · « **Reply #137 on:** 08 December, 2016, 05:11:34 pm »

Gosh! i've only just noticed this thread

, get well soon, small words , but meant with the utmost sincerity.

Moultonaught · « **Reply #138 on:** 08 December, 2016, 08:25:26 pm »

Likewise. Ye gods!! Heal swiftly DrM...

CrinklyLion · « **Reply #139 on:** 10 December, 2016, 10:04:52 am »

Get well soon but also, perhaps even more importantly, get well properly.

handcyclist · « **Reply #140 on:** 10 December, 2016, 01:19:21 pm »

Quote from: hellymedic on 08 December, 2016, 04:07:22 pm

I think 'donor' bone graft sites are chosen to cause minimal disruption.

This seems to have been successful for the two posters.

I had a fair chunk taken from my hip to stuff into my femur. Almost no problems with the donor site, apart from the minor inconvenience of tight or heavy belts tending to bruise the area where the notch is.

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #141 on:** 22 February, 2017, 05:33:10 pm »

Just wondering if there's any progress on the bone graft and stuff?

DrMekon · « **Reply #142 on:** 22 February, 2017, 05:56:07 pm »

No - I think I'll find out more in the 3rd week of March - I think he's decided he can do it with animal product.

He's said there's not really enough room for implants - 2mm less than desirable. However, I said I'm willing to risk nerve damage and him "having to butcher me if it goes wrong" (his words) over plastic teeth.

I've got a few dentist mates, and they said the chances of him nicking the nerve are really low, and using the thinnest implants just means I'll have to be diligent in caring for them.

Am so sick of my grandma teeth.

He said the fracture is still obvious on the scan, but I didn't clarify whether he meant my jaw or my face.

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #143 on:** 22 February, 2017, 05:57:39 pm »

Well, here's wishing you... teeth.

hellymedic · « **Reply #144 on:** 22 February, 2017, 10:02:45 pm »

All he wants for Christmas is a few front teeth...

DrMekon · « **Reply #145 on:** 22 February, 2017, 11:22:15 pm »

True that!

It's pretty dispiriting - I find the denture really uncomfortable, albeit it looks okay. The loose tooth that requires root canal is so wobbly, and the gum has receded a lot. My usual dentist made noises to the effect "I don't know why they left that in but I suppose they are the experts".

Got diagnosed with acute stress reaction - PTSD minus the arbitrary 6 month cut off. I'm doing graded tasks, and have been referred for EMDR

https://www.emdr.com/what-is-emdr/

Fortunately, a tacx neo an zwift means I don't have to worry about traffic. I was fine on a recent 200 in to wales, and fine on my MTB around Gisburn. The thought of riding through Headingley fills me with fear and dread. Feel shitty about driving in, but cycling in doesn't feel like an option. It does suck.

DrMekon · « **Reply #146 on:** 10 October, 2018, 12:06:57 pm »

Latest version of the plastic teeth they are trying to shape my gums with today. Must be about two years in, and still not done.

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tonyh · « **Reply #147 on:** 10 October, 2018, 12:11:34 pm »

Best wishes to you Dr M!

citoyen · « **Reply #148 on:** 10 October, 2018, 12:21:02 pm »

Sorry to hear you're still having ongoing problems with the teeth. That's a bit shit.

How is the mental state these days? Are you back to cycle commuting?

DrMekon · « **Reply #149 on:** 10 October, 2018, 12:28:03 pm »

Quote from: citoyen on 10 October, 2018, 12:21:02 pm

Sorry to hear you're still having ongoing problems with the teeth. That's a bit shit.

How is the mental state these days? Are you back to cycle commuting?

No, haven't got the heart for it. Plus loads of changes to my circumstances. Am running and going on Zwift to stay in shape - but I'm doing more like 7hrs a week rather than 20hrs. Will probably do an SR this year, and am targeting the Dark Peak trail Ultra this time next year. Still fearful around junctions, taking about the crash makes me anxious.

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