Interview: "Can jaw surgery be life-changing?"

Goedemorgen,

Onlangs werd ik voor een studieopdracht geïnterviewd door een student 'International Communication and Media'. Aangezien ze zelf de operatie nog moet ondergaan, was ze zeer geïnteresseerd in mijn verhaal. Het interview (in het Engels) wil ik graag met jullie delen. Mocht Engels niet je sterkste punt zijn, gebruik dan de 'Google Translate Widget' linksboven op de pagina. Enjoy!
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WEERT - ‘’I can do things I was never able to do’’ says Cindy van de Moosdijk, a 25 year old woman who had jaw surgery a couple of years ago. The surgery completely changed her life; in a good way.

‘’A lot of people don’t understand how important this surgery is’’, says Cindy. If she hadn’t agreed on having the surgery, she wouldn’t have had any teeth left in her thirties. The surgery had to be done, even though Cindy was –terrified- of undergoing the procedure.

‘’It was one of the scariest things of my life. Many times I decided not to do it anymore, but then my boyfriend supported me to just do it. I am grateful he did.’’

Outside and inside

The surgery has changed a lot of everyday things for Cindy. Not only did she change on the inside, she also changed on the outside. It made her the person she had always wanted to be. But before having the surgery, Cindy was a different girl. ‘’I used to be a shy girl who didn’t like to be the center of attention. My self-esteem was really at its lowest point back then.’’ If she looks back at that time, she is proud of what she has achieved today. ‘’I am currently presenting a program and I am doing things that I was never able to do before. I always hated giving presentations, but now I love it!’’

Cosmetic reasons

What a lot of people do not understand is that the surgery is not for cosmetic reasons.

In Korea a lot of women undergo the surgery for cosmetic reasons only because it is currently an extreme beauty fad. This is also why people think jaw surgery is for cosmetic reasons.

‘’I only underwent the surgery because I had to do it for medical reasons’’, says Cindy. But she also changed from the outside. She is a lot happier with herself then she used to be.

Medical reasons

Jaw surgery is not something to undergo if it is not necessary. A lot of people need it for medical reasons, but most of the time people forget what the medical reasons are. A lot of people who need to have jaw surgery have problems with eating-, or speaking, they don’t have a normal side profile-, or their mouth will hang open because they have trouble breathing. And of course, the most important reason is to avoid future complications.

What to expect

You should not underestimate the surgery. A lot of people think it is a quick fix, but it is not. ‘’You will be visiting the hospital and dentist a lot. This takes a lot of time and energy’’, says Cindy. ‘’Make sure to bring someone with you who can support you.”
 

‘’Also, try not to search for too much information in the internet. There is so much information and you will be driving yourself nuts by looking at everything. Of course a lot of people are curious (like myself). I only got more scared when I looked at all the pictures. Your face will look like a swollen hamster the first few days, so be prepared.’’

There are also some negative sides to having the surgery. The most horrible for Cindy were the days immediately after the surgery. ‘You will be eating liquid food for a least six weeks. It took me longer than six weeks. I was getting sick of eating the same thing every single day.’’

Tips from Cindy

Before having the surgery, it is a good thing to make a list of what you need before and after the surgery. Cindy came up with a few good tips: ‘’First of all, try to do as many nice things as possible before having the surgery. Try to fit in a lot of different activities. For example shopping, or going away for a few days. You should really try to clear your head because in my case the nerves were horrible.’’

So, don’t search too much online, and try to do a lot of nice things before having the surgery. Now last but not least, some tips for after the surgery.

‘’Try to make as much liquid foods as possible. Drink a lot of shakes with protein, you don’t want to lose too much weight. Also, try to watch some nice series or bring your iPad to the hospital, you will be get bored easily.’’

She looks back at everything with a smile though. ‘’If I would have to do it all over again, I would.’’

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Het was ontzettend leuk om mee te werken aan een interview dat werd afgenomen door een gemotiveerde studente. Leuke bijkomstigheid: ze sloot haar opdracht af met een dikke 8. Dik verdiend!

Komende donderdag staat mijn bezoek aan Dr. de Jonge gepland. Als het goed is krijg ik dan mijn splint. Volgende week hoor je uiteraard hoe dat is gegaan en hoe ik de eerste dagen met de splint door ben gekomen.

Tot dan!

Liefs,
Cindy