Post-Procedure

11 Weeks After the Release

It is now 11 weeks after the procedure. These past few weeks I really haven’t put many demands on myself – mostly due to COVID-19 keeping me at home. With everything in our area shut down, there is little to do (I’m unable to work from home) and like thousands of others, I must content myself with activities that I can do here in the house. But with every great challenge come opportunities and this is a chance for me to regroup, continue to strengthen and focus on my tongue exercises and positioning.

A few weeks back, I downloaded a Mindfulness Bell App. I programmed it to ring randomly five times every hour and I use it as a reminder to check my tongue position – it has really helped. I have had a FaceTime appointment with my oromyofunctional therapist twice and although there are new tongue exercises to do, they are not as time consuming as before. She has a plastic mouth model that she can use to effectively demonstrate tongue position. Who knew that the tongue could be strengthened in so many ways? I am still quite tired (but maybe that’s the pandemic as much as anything!). And my upper spine has been uncomfortable at times, as if it’s moving around, but I’m regarding that as a positive.

My thumbs are still numb or feeling strange at times. A few weeks back, the left thumb became so painful that I really couldn’t use my hand at all. But it healed quickly with rest. Still working on sleeping with my mouth closed – that could take quite a while. I use the tape over my mouth every night to assist with this. Apparently, it will follow naturally once I am breathing with a closed mouth throughout the day.

It will be interesting to see what the future holds. But even if this is as good as it gets, I am so much better off now than I was before I embarked on this journey! Don’t forget, if you’re thinking of your own tongue tie release, that everyone’s experience is different and that you need the help of knowledgeable professionals to guide you.

13 Weeks After the Release

Back again! It’s week 13 and I’ve had another virtual appointment with my oromyofunctional therapist. My exercises have been updated with the goal of gaining full control of the tongue. They also seem to be about tongue articulation as well, since there are some exercises where the front of the tongue is doing something entirely different from the back. With the pandemic still controlling our life choices, I am able to take my time with my entire exercise routine and to focus on body positioning. My upper back is bothering me a lot less and both thumbs and wrists have been feeling good.

Thankfully, I no longer have those two tight muscles (ligaments ? nerves?) running down each arm into the wrist. I don’t believe I am clenching my teeth at night as much as the headaches around the temples are very infrequent! And the sleep has been blissful!! Although my health tracker doesn’t indicate that I’m getting any more deep sleep (my normal reading for that is 0 minutes!), the sleep feels more restorative and the trend line is in the right direction. Here’s hoping this all will last when life gets busy again!

4 Months After the Release

It’s week 16 now, or the 4 month mark, since the procedure. We are still in self-isolation and I’m finding it tricky to tease out where the muscle discomfort is coming from – is it muscle memory kicking in?  Or is it inner tension from this constant uncertainty and separation from those we care about? There are things in life that drain our energies and make us feel unmotivated and tired – and then there are the activities and passions that build us up and inspire us to reach out, create and make a difference. Right now I could use a little more of the latter! 

Nevertheless, it’s a time to be grateful for good health and I am thankful that I was able to get my TT procedure done before CoVid-19 made its appearance here. I’m trying, with some success, to stay loose, be active and build upper body strength. And of course, I’m doing my tongue exercises daily – they’re new ones, as I‘ve had another virtual appointment with my OMT this week. She seems pleased with my progress and is providing encouragement which I seem to need more of these days. The goal for these new exercises is to have more muscle strength in the tissues that support the temporomandibular joints. As well, she has recommended that I practise the Buteyko Breathing Method with the aim of making breathing more efficient. So I’ll have to explore that exercise.

Although I’d love a physio or an osteopathic appointment right about now, I feel stronger than I ever have and even though my upper back is still bothersome from time to time, I’m confident that things are realigning the way one would hope. It’s difficult to think back to the chronic pain I had a five or six months ago.  Oh, and my sleep seems so improved! My health tracker says I’m now getting about an hour of deep sleep, compared to my previous 2 minutes or so. That’s something to celebrate! Now if I can just keep my attitude, or ‘quarantude’, as I like to call it, in line, I’ll be all set! Talk to you soon!

6 Months After the Release

Hi again! Here I am at the 6-month mark and the results are not as positive as they were before. With the pandemic , our area has still not completely opened up, so I haven’t been able to get to see my osteopath or physiotherapist, or even Dr. Gambacorta. I’m still working hard though, with my weekly Pilates classes on Zoom and my daily exercise routine, including the tongue exercises and the Buteyko Breathing exercises. The latter have been terrific! I now find myself nose breathing during most of the day. And I’m wearing the tape to keep my mouth closed all night with no apparent issues! There is, however, some pain and tightness returning to the temple area and some stiffness in the shoulders – no doubt I’m still clenching my teeth at night sometimes (I’ll blame that on the pandemic). And when I looked under the tongue recently, I was surprised to see that it looks like much of the tissue of the lingual frenum has grown back. Not what I was hoping for!

I’ve still been having my regular FaceTime appointments with my OMT, which has allowed me to continue to move forward. I now meet with her bi-monthly, and she gives me 2 sets of exercises, each one to be done for a month. Who knew the tongue could go in so many positions and be strengthened in so many ways? Recently, I asked her when we could stop seeing each other so regularly (hope she took that the right way!), as I feel as if I’m almost ready to go it alone. She indicated that it’s just like going to the gym – you strengthen the tongue and then continue with a maintenance regime to keep the tongue strong. Of course, she’d still be available for consultations if need be. But it will take a lot of self-discipline for me to continue on my own, without the contact points with her. We’ll see what the next few months  brings!

One Year After the Release

It’s hard to believe that a year has passed since my tongue tie release! I continue to see the benefits and am so happy that I made the decision to go ahead with the procedure. My tongue exercises are updated virtually by Geneva, my oromyofunctional therapist, every second month, and I’ve finally accepted the fact that I will need to do some daily tongue exercises from here on in. Can you believe it – by my count, I have done over 50 different tongue exercises over the past year – usually 4 of them at a time, 3 times a day for a month or two. It’s really only about a 5-minute time commitment for each set, which isn’t too onerous, considering the outcome.

 

Let me itemize the recent results for you:

  • I’m a nose breather now ! No more taping over the mouth for me, even at night!
  • I no longer clench my teeth and am able to keep the jaw relaxed
  • My tongue tip rests just behind the ridge on the upper palate and the back of the tongue is up against the soft palate – that’s huge, apparently, and has ramifications for the whole body!
  • I can hold the jaw still while my tongue is moving
  • I am able to work the tip of the tongue independent of the back of the tongue
  • All of this has brought improvements in my posture and overall health – yahoo!

 Working on the tongue is challenging and fatiguing. The benefits, however, are so far-reaching that It becomes a journey that’s well worth taking! I encourage you, if you think tongue tie may be an issue for you to check it out with your local experts – and to share your story here! Let’s get some dialogue going, as we can learn so much from each other!  If you’d like to share your story, head to the Share page, and leave me a message. With your permission I’ll post your stories for others to benefit from. Thank you for taking the time to visit my site and learn about this life-changing path  to a freer tongue and a more relaxed approach to life!