很久以前我已被診斷為「患上」倒及牙；醫生說要解決這問題唯一的辦法是接受顎骨矯型手術。But one condition is I have to wait until the bone have grown into final position: i.e. nothing can be done before teen ages.
Year ago (mid-2003?) I started the orthodontics treatment and had the brace on my teeth. It was uncomfortable on the first few days, but I had adopted to that quickly. It's really not as pain as expected, in fact no pain at all after the first week.
手術期定於到了 2004 年 12 月底。在此之前，醫生替我拍了數十幅照片，印了數個牙模，照了十數幅側面和橫回 X 光片。
At the last visit to his office before being hospitalized for operation, I saw a broke-and-glued teeth model of mime screwed onto a model holder, and also a computer simulated picture of my outlook from the right after the operation. He also had an operation plan to show me.
今天我要入院了。在他的診療室裏，他向我和媽媽解釋過數次手術過程和風險；簽過手術同意書後，便辦理入院手續。
Because the orthodontics department does not have its own ward, I were arranged to stay in Neurosurgery's (腦神經外科) ward. The behaviour of paitents' there are strange enough...
我在醫院吃過手術前最後的夜餐，在這之後要至少一個月才能再吃東西。
Nurse have put a tube in my vein on my back of the hand, so they could injection any medication later.
The operation is scheduled in the morning. It was a cold day.
由於手術時間很長，他們要替我先插尿喉。痛很要死，插了後一直沒精打采很不自在。And they have injected me some medication to prevent me from vomiting.
I changed my dressing and laid on the gurney. It's my first time to take a lift in position other than standing.
原來大堂的手術室門後有一個空間，再進去才通往復甦病房和五個手術室的走廊。When entering each door a nurse would come to me to ask the same quetnions: "Do you know why are here? Do you understand the procedure? Is this your signature?..." 我被編在手術室一，在該門前等了十數分鐘才被推進去。It's still cold when waiting, it were much warmer in the ward than here.
從輪床移到手術床上，只見兩名護士和麻醉科醫生。Finally a nurse passed me a big tube and heated air are blowed out, or else I think I would cold to die. 麻醉科醫生一邊替我注射了些不知明的藥物，一邊講解麻醉過程。At last, he put a mask on me injecting anesthetics air, my vision became blurred then double vision, splitted horizontally...And in twenty seconds my eyes closed unconditionally.
My hearing were restored first, but I don't remember what I have heard exactly. At that time I tried hard to open my eyes and speak, but failed.
到視覺和意識恢復的時候，我已經在深切治療部躺著，如預先的安排一樣。I can't speak, because I was ventilated. I can't open my jaw because it's zipped as planned. I can't close my mouth either because I can't control the muscles around at all.
一段時間後我發覺身上插了很多喉：鼻上分別插了氣喉和胃喉，手上本來的靜脈插管換到另一隻手，還駁了數個「三向分插」，手上的動脈亦駁了監察器，尿喉當然還在但已經習慣了。They have connected the vein to the IV drips, morphine injection.
I knew my mum and one of my aunts has come, but I were too tired so fell asleep.
護士們為我抽口水和氣道裏的痰。幸好我還能寫字……在深夜，他們撤換呼吸機到較少幫助的操作模式，換言之我要更勤力去呼吸，否則那個含氧量計會呱呱大叫。
I don't feel any pain though, may be because of the morphine injection? I don't know.
到了中午，醫生說我有能又自主呼吸，所以可以替我拔掉呼吸機。When they pulled out the tube, the pain were undescrible. After some ten minutes, I can finally speak again.
They also did some test on my lower lip to check my sensation, because there were a major nerve involved in the cutting area. Well, although I felt him touching me, but the sensation is 80% worse than before.
忘了說，口其實是「鎖著」的。從網上得知，未必所有同類型手術都要把牙胶鎖上，但是我的程度便要。口也是腫著的，跟本合不上，連吞口水都有困難。
In fact, other than saliva, blood are coming out endlessly from the cut. My tongue can even feel the bone fragments through the cut. 護士把抽口水的喉管放在我床上，我可以自己抽口水了。
My left hands is connected to the IV drips and medication, while right hand is connected to artline monitor, so actually it's hard to suck the liquid out by myself too.
說起右手的動脈監測器，那個是一條很幼的管，插進手碗的動脈內的，護士就可以從監察器上實時看到我的血壓，無需用氣泵測量。But as I said, the tube is narrow and yes it is fargile, yet it's hard to get installed correctly...I have been scolded for times for moving my hands and disturbing the signal.
Artline有另一個作用，就是可以方便抽血，無需每次再插針入動脈內。They sample the blood every 6 to 8 hours, I don't remember exactly. Sometimes it's really hard to get the blood, possibily because clot is formed in the tube, the nurses are really paitent to try for many times to get the blood from it.
今天晚上很冷，他們說冷峰將至，所以特別冷。正常人耐性較高，當我過了數小時終於忍不住問他們空調怎麼了，才得知剛剛才將溫度調到攝氏26度。隔了一陣子，久違了的暖意終於回來。
Doctors said I can be transferred back to normal ward. Well, actually I like ICU more, because the services are superb. Anyway, it's not a bad news though, because that means I am one more step towards leaving the hospital and recovery.
喉被拔掉了，返到病房（其實是被推到病房吧），果然……護士比例少很多呢。醫生安排了營養師來。She arranged me to have 4-can of Ensure and some bottle of apple juice every days.
終於拔掉了尿喉，但我極不習慣用小便壺呢……由於我還在進行生理監水點滴，手指也駁著手跳和血含氧量監測器，所以不能自行走到洗手間去。
探病時間，除了媽媽和親人外，特別感謝到來探我的兩位好朋友呢。第一次嘗試用口進餐，雖只是很淡的鹹粥水，但已經比什麼都沒有好無限倍。Of course the mouth was still swelling, the "congee" was spilling from my mouth. By the way, I eat it by using syringe to inject it into the mouth, spoon NEVER works if you can't control the lips, trust me.
晚上，護士按營養師的指示把雲尼拿味(即是香草味啦)的Ensure倒上餵食機上，透過餵喉輸入我的胃。過了半小時已經很飽，但眼見還有三份二才餵完！！如是我自行把速度較慢。
Some more minutes passed, the vanilla smell were coming out...I was surprised the smell was so strong, in fact, the canned Ensure is much denser than its powder form. I was so regret that I didn't request for chocolate taste when the nutritionist asked me!
不行了，那雲尼拿味實在令人作嘔，胃喉在乾涸的喉嚨上磨擦也很痛苦。若真的嘔那會是很麻煩，因為我的口是鎖著的，說不定會窒息至死，或者弄斷被鋸開過的顎骨。幸好沒有發生，我還是請護士把那些Ensure拿走……直至出院前都沒有再喝過這個。
Doctor came, I told him about the Ensure happened yesterday. Great! He ordered to have my feeding tube removed.
接下來唯一可以做的就是等食飯，等探病，還有就是那兩罐蘋果汁，無所事事。由於牙科沒有自己的病房，我住的病房是腦神經科的，這裏的病人都沒什麼活力，有一兩個床位還會自言自語的……
I guess because I didn't eat enough, and due to the atmosphere, I can't concentrate on reading the comics book that the friends gave me...
晚上深夜來了一個很古怪的病人，經常自言自語，說話雖非亳無意思，但他自己一個也可以獨自「想當年」數小時，很擾人。從他的故事看，應該跟壞份子有點關係，因為聽說警方也在找他錄口供，他的頭腦應該是被毒品沖昏了吧。
醫生見進食還好，說可以把點滴拔走。When the nurse came, I asked him to take away the heart and SaO2 monitor away too and he granted! Yeah, final I am off from all tubes and cables. And I can walk to the toilet now...
Doctors gave me some mouth-wash medicine, but it's so difficult to use it in this sistuation...
The nut guy were discharged. He spoke to himself for another more than half an hour before he really disappear from my eyes.
數日未洗過澡，問準護士後便去洗了。很舒服的感覺，尤其是在冬天，暖上流在身上的時候。
到牙科見醫生，他看過口的程況後很滿意地問我要不要出院，當然說好啦。他說他看過病房內的病人都感到情況不太好 :P。I went there by wheel chair, it's first time for me to sit on the wheel chair. Feel so fun to pull the wheels around.
終於等到出院，我坐著等媽去配藥，等了很久，肚子很餓。這幾天的所吸收的能量跟本不能夠支持我走動的需要。感到很暈，很肚餓。
Finally at home! Congee were ready for me...although it still kind of watery, or else it can't pass through the teeth, but it taste so much better than the hospital's one.
現在精氣好得多，可以用電腦玩了。天天吃粥水也很悶，我發現了百福豆腐花、燉奶、麥當勞的新地和奶昔等也可以入口呢。
The scar of the lips started falling off, everytime I washed my mouth, lot mixture of clot and food residues were flushed out. 刷牙時發覺靠在切口內的牙肉都無有了感覺，有點緊張。
口終於可以自控地合上，要多練習才行。The sensation of the lip area was recovered up to 70%
有次返醫院處覆診，醫生要把定位的咬牙膠除口。他用盡力把箍著牙的鐵線剪斷，我第一次可以張開口……口好像不太受控，像換了別人的口一樣呢。不過張口的時間只有數分鐘，醫生再將鐵線扎上。
終於……終於……關鍵的時刻終於到了。This day all arch matel bars, wires and threads were taken away from the mouth, I had regained the control of my own mouth, except that the mouth didn't feel like my own :P. 不過面還是有丁點兒腫著。Strictly speaking, doctor said it probably took 6 weeks before taking away the stuff, but because he were going to have a long vacation in Lunar ew Year holiday, and because of the New Year too, plus my sistuation is so far so good, that's why...
第一時間去食麥當勞。之前的時間喝奶昔也很辛苦，因為唇含不實吸管，吸管也只能淺淺的插在牙前，很易漏氣，現在可以張口就好多了。點了奶昔和薯條，吃薯條對我剛用我這個的口使用者新手來說其實是一大障礙，平時看起來是很軟的，到這一刻覺得有如硬糖般硬，吃一條也花了不少力氣，骨頭還忍忍作痛。但美食當前，怎能錯過，結果用了一小時多才吃夠，還有半包剩下來。
I started to adapt my new mouth. The taste of the food was becoming stronger than before, probably because I had not eat for such a long times. It's so good to be able to eat...
The sensation of lip was 100% by then. The sensation of gum was also recoverying from 0% to 70%.
感覺全都回來了。Need some more practices to smile in front of a camera though~
我要到美國作一交換生一年，醫生建議把鈦金屬片和螺絲都取出來，因為牙周的皮肉太薄，手其實都可以摸得到金屬片的存在，萬一在那面出什麼事令到金屬片外露或移位便不好了。
So the screws were taken out in two phases, once for upper jaw and once for lower, a week seperated. The operation were done in his room, with anesthesia applied at affected area. 手術後痛了一至兩日，傷口大約四五日便癒合。
It's perfect. I love my new mouth!