Opik recovering after first jaw op
Former Montgomeryshire MP Lembit Opik is recovering after undergoing the first in a series of life-changing operations to fix his "wonky" jaw.
The 50-year-old went under the knife on January 26 in an attempt to reposition his asymmetric jaw.
The former politician, who held his seat between 1997 and 2010, now faces a series of operations so surgeons can complete the work.
Orthognathic surgery, as it is known, is routine – although serious – but Mr Opik's condition was so severe that he says his doctors want to use him as a case study of a complicated case to teach students.
He said: "In X-rays, I look like the Terminator. Smiling hurts. Talking hurts. Laughing hurts. And eating is impossible.
"I am trying to go out every day to see how I feel. I went to church yesterday but just doing that exhausted me."
Mr Opik suffered serious injuries, including a broken jaw, when he was involved in a paragliding accident over the Shropshire hills in 1998.
He announced his intention to have surgery at the beginning of the year, and at the time he joked: "I'd like to think I'll look like George Clooney."
