OJW Julie to Robin

Hi Robin,

Dr. Ted has asked me to contact you regarding OJW. I went through with it last Thursday, October 28th. I can tell you immediately that it is THE BEST thing I have ever done for myself.

The actual process of getting the hardware on is simple. If you've had braces before, then this is no problem. The only real discomfort is your lips being stretched to reach the back teeth, and that is not bad at all. You sit in the chair, and before you know it you are done. The first two days feels weird, but I am very used to it already. Sneezing, coughing, and yawning aren't bad at all.

I don't know where you live, but his office is in a nice neighborhood in Brooklyn. We didn't even try to find a parking spot, we went straight to the parking garage he mentions online. His staff is wonderful! They are all so sweet.

Now for the important part. How am I feeling?? Well, actually, WONDERFUL!! I do have some hard times, which means if I were on a regular diet without OJW, I would've "cheated" about one hundred times already. It is a saving grace. There have been a few times I literally wanted to cry...and I actually shook. Withdrawals. Not fun, but my husband helped me though it. The idea of what is to be, what I am going to look like, how I am going to feel about myself was motivation enough. Also, I would lay down and take a little nap, and in 15 minutes the stress and cravings were gone.

I don't want it to seem like a cake walk (what irony), I am actually having a little stress right now. It doesn't help that my 22 month old is running around eating the cookies I baked last night. Actually, my whole entire family are junk food eaters. Pizza is our biggest offender, living so close to the "Pizza Capital of the World". I actually went to a restaurant Saturday night with 6 other family members with 3 trays of pizza on the table, and had no problem. I ordered a diet coke, with one refill, and I brought a slim fast with me. I recall saying to my husband that I felt quite full.

It's actually a little hard to get all the calories in, in a day. Drink a lot of water. I have been using SlimFast, Carnation breakfast drinks (powder packets), you add fat free milk to. Target and WalMart also have their own brand. Which by the way Dr. Ted, the EQUATE brand is sold at WalMart. It is the generic WalMart brand. I got some of that yesterday, it is very good and about $2 cheaper. Everything I've had already has been very tasty...not like the old days when, I'd rather drink tar.

As of this morning, I have lost 7 lbs.

I can't think of anything else right now, but if you have any questions, please don't hesitate writing me at all. I am so very happy with my decision to get OJW, I almost cry daily...tears of joy that is. I'd recommend this to anyone I knew with obsessive eating problems.

Sincerely,
Julie

That sounds good to me.

I was thinking about you today, actually. I can't believe I haven't had solid food in almost two weeks. I am so proud of myself. ( that is something, I have rarely ever said about myself.) I am doing very, very well. Although I must say that I think about Thanksgiving every day. I am going to cut the wires off on Thanksgiving Day. That will be exactly 4 weeks. I know it's a week earlier than I am supposed to. I figure I deserve it :-) Actually the only thing I have been "craving" at all is salad. Not sweets or snacks, but salad. Brings me back to being a kid, when that is all I really ever wanted to eat. Hmmmm????

I also can say, safely, that I think I am passed the anxiety stage of it. The withdrawal. I don't feel like I am going to go mad, not in any need of crying. I get hungry, drink something, and I am good for hours. And VERY happy about it.

I don't know how I could ever thank you enough. I am so glad that someone, that being you, realizes that food is an addictive drug for some people.

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You,
Julie, 11 lbs. lighter.

The letter below is my response to Julie's next "progress and problem" letter which is just below my response.

Dr. Ted responds:

Dear Julie,

Thank you for sending the progress report. You did the right thing by keeping the wiring off until your jaw joint felt comfortable again. As for a bracket being off tooth LR5, it is ok for now, however, please pay attention to any feelings of discomfort on the two teeth in front of it because they must now bear 30% more pressure on them. The scratchy thing on the bracket is a part of the screening unraveling. I could easily sand it off, but you might have have a harder time smoothing it off by self- created methods. By my standards the table clinic was a great success. See:

12/2/04: Four days have gone by since my OJW table clinic presentation at the Greater NY dental meeting. Our table in my own opinion deserved the "Blue Ribbon" 'hands down'. I prepared a page that shows how it looked. [See our table clinic on OJW at the GNYDM] Next stop ...San Francisco to present same with a slightly different spin at the International Meeting of the American Association of Orthodontists on May 22, 2005. You can see the Power Point presentation (3 Mb, 10 minutes long) that was part of the table clinic at: [Click Here].

Ps. I have applied to present my table in Paris, September 10th, at the International Congress of Orthodontics. In the end my "show" will have "played" in NY, San Francisco, Paris and Philadelphia. Sounds impressive...even to me. If things work out my way, next year the powers that be will permit me to present a 50 minute essay at the NY meeting.

Pps. I love your facial seizure theory...:-) Do you make out well on your exams? Happy Holidays from all of us at the office. Sincerely, Dr. Ted

In a message dated 12/9/2004 10:03:50 AM Eastern Standard Time, JulieJay19 writes:

Hi Dr. Rothstein,

I apologize for not writing for awhile. I hope your show went well. I am sorry I couldn't make it there for you. I hope you convinced many other doctors of the benefits of OJW. It's working wonderfully for me.
I haven't weighed myself in a few days, but the last time I did, I had lost 23 pounds. I broke that 200 lb. mark that I was so desperately trying to break. It was my goal for my 30th birthday. Which isn't even until next week.

I did have a bracket pop off. I wasn't even un wired. I moved my jaw , heard a snap and a pop, ran to the mirror. The wire had snapped off thus taking the bracket with it. Lower right side, the third one back. All I was doing was frosting my sisters birthday cake. Maybe the sight of so much chocolate made me have a facial seizure or something. lol
Anyhow, It hasn't given me any problems with re wiring myself. I really can't tell its gone.
Also, I am having a bit of a problem with the wire mesh on the back of the brackets. I don't know if I brush too hard, but once in awhile pieces of some of them fold down and become little spears in my mouth, ripping the inside of my mouth to shreds.
I am not complaining, believe you me. I would take day after day of shredded mouth, for the benefit of OJW. I still am so excited by it all.
I took the wires off Thanksgiving Day. Ouch. My jaw was so sore. I managed through dinner, but the pain in my jaw kept me from over eating. So that's good, right?
I kept the wires off for eight days, until the pain was gone. I must admit that I wasn't that great of an eater. I did have my salads, but also a few cookies and some candies....not to mention the pumpkin cheesecake I made for Thanksgiving. Just a piece though.

Well, I'd better go. Bending your ear a bit here.
Hope you are having a very nice holiday season.

Thank You Again.....(for my life back)
Julie