FAIL

No wonder turning was so easy. It wasn't working. When he went in for his weekly checkup yesterday, the X-rays showed that there hadn't been any advancement and the bone had begun to consolidate. Dr. G had to *cringe* crank on the screws to make up for lost mm and to basically un-consolidate the bone. You can imagine what that felt like. My poor boy. Amazingly, he is already back to normal and doesn't seem any worse for wear. He even still sleeps through the turnings.

They took the 'bling' off to make turning idiot (or Julie) proof, so now there is just a tiny metal 'cylinder' sticking out under his jaw instead of the long dangly whatsahoosits.
before ................ after

Click on the first picture and you get a really good close up of one of his danglies. (heh heh.... danglies)

I much prefer it this way. The bling was constantly getting caught on his shoulders when he would turn his head putting pressure on the screws in his jaw, which undoubtedly hurt like hell, he'd panic, struggle and make it worse. With them off I can clearly feel the difference between when it's working and when it's not so hopefully I'm doing it right but we're going back Tuesday just to be 100% sure. If not, he may have to have another surgery so let's pray I'm the sharpest tool in his head.

I write this for friends and family but I also know how much I appreciated the one blog I found on the Internet about another mothers experience with a jaw distraction. So, in case someone comes across this in their Internet surfing, the rest of today's post is just for their reference.

When turning it, it shouldn't feel smooth like slicing through hot butter, there should be some resistance and it should feel slightly... gritty, like tiny little gears turning. But it shouldn't take more torque than what just the fingertips can manage. I can now see that the metal cylinder sticking through his skin is turning, which is what I should have been watching for the whole time instead of just concentrating on the screw driver.