Subhro's Blog

Medical Science has reached new heights. Reconstructive surgery has gone places and this time I am under the knife. I had a birth defect in my lower jaw which is called Class III Maxillofacial Osteotomy. To keep it short and simple, its a defect in which my lower jaw did not meet my upper jaw and it was impossible for me to incise anything using my incisors. I decided to get it corrected by surgery.

The first question which everyone asked me was was it required? Everyone thought that this was mostly a cosmetic defect which can be dealt with. Specially considering that the treatment for this is an invasive surgical procedure and there are risks, everyone was suggesting me repetitively to reconsider my decision. However in my case, the problem was much more than a mere cosmetic defect.

The first and foremost problem that I faced was my teeth were getting out of place. I was having pains in my teeth and my dentist had to say the reason for that was my teeth being loaded unevenly while I was eating.

The next problem was of course that I was having problems in pronouncing certain sharp consonants like “s” “f” and a few more. This was audibly spoiling my accent, something which I am really concerned about.

The third and the most irritating one was of course a lot of spit coming out of my mouth which I was speaking. This is extremely irritating I know that. But I just could not help.

Now the million dollar question. How come I have stayed with this defect for 27 years and now suddenly find this intolerable? The reality is however otherwise. Most of the time of this 27 years I have not “worked” in a corporate environment and therefore it really did not matter that much. So technically I have decided that I can not live with this defect just for 4 years of of life. Ergo, this decision of going through with the surgery.

The day was last Sunday, 14th of March, 2010, 0900 hrs. I was scheduled for surgery at the Park Clinic. My surgeon Dr. Amit Ray is known to be one of the best surgeons not only in this part of India but he is one of the best in the whole of India. He consults at the Wockhardt Clinic on Sarat Bose Road, Calcutta. I had visited him the first time in the month of September 2009, expressing my desire to get my jaw surgically corrected. At that point of time I was still undergoing an Orthodontic Decompensation being done by the best Orthodontist in India, Dr. Sadashiv Shetty. There were some initial hiccups but finally I was prepared to be on the table.

I was woken up 6 ‘o clock in the morning and asked to complete nature’s call and I need to take a bath. When I am at Calcutta, no one wakes me up this early, that too for a bath. The feeling was pretty strange. I was otherwise completely healthy and it seemed pretty odd that I was to be carried in a stretcher to the Operation Theatre. I wanted to say that I would like to walk down my way. But so many people around me in my cabin kind of got me scared and I did not dare to express my opinion. My mum, dad, uncle, maternal uncle everyone was there to see me through the surgery when the ward boys came and transferred me from the stretcher and started rolling me to the Theatre. All my family members, specially my dad seemed to be be pretty tensed. I was greeted by my surgeon in the elevator as he wished me Good morning. I was not wearing my spectacles, so I was not able to see around very well but I could recognize him from his voice.

The Operation Theatre was a 15×15 room and no way looked similar to the theaters shown in the movies. I expected that it would be a HUGE room with lots of gadgets and a huge observation gallery. There would be lots of people standing to see my surgery and there would be lots of lights and cameras to capture every detail of the process. There were lights, but there was no camera. At-least I didn’t notice any. I met one more doctor inside. I remember his first name, Sandeep. He spoke to me in English and told me that he would take my photos before the surgery. He was equipped with a Lumix Digital Camera and started taking photos from various angles of my face and jaws. At this point, Dr. Roy came and used a couple of clamps which had LEDs fixed on it to separate my lips so that he could take a better look of my jaw. I was asked lie down. The table seemed pretty small for me. I was scared that I may roll off after I lose my senses. The attendants there smiled and said that they are there to take care of me. I lay down and my hands were tied to the sides so that I could not move. The IV channel was made in my left hand and Sphygmomanometer was attached to my right Biceps. An earthing pad was attached to my right calf muscles. I was pretty curious about what are the different devices to be used on me and their functionalities. I must say, the personnel were really nice answering all my questions. I could hear someone comment that I have a very low pressure, which I had inherited from my grandfather and father. The only other thing I remember was a black mask which was put on my face. I remembered that once it was removed and then it was put on again before I passed out.

3 and a half hours later, I felt someone was unclasping the pads from my hand and feet. I immediately understood that its over. I could feel a difference in my jaws meeting together although I could not feel any pain apparently. I heard my surgeon say that it was a very successful surgery as I was transferred back to the stretcher from the Operating Table and being rolled out. Dr. Roy again met me at the door with my dad standing near to my stretcher. I heard him say, “Is this the same boy you had sent for the surgery?” I understood I must have had a major facelift . I could also see that my dad took out his mobile and took a couple of snaps. I shook the hands of Dr. Roy as I was moved back to my cabin.