MARPE at 39: I Heard the Pop, But Still No Diastema (Cortical Puncture)

I'm almost 40, I've had my MARPE in for several weeks, and I just lived through one of the most eventful stretches of this journey: the cortical puncture procedure, a dramatic pop during a turn, evidence of real skeletal change — but no classic diastema. What's covered in this update: The cortical puncture procedure: what it was like, pain level, recovery, how quickly I was back to normal speech and eating Why my orthodontist held off on it initially (and why we ultimately did it) The dramatic pop two days post-puncture — what it felt like, what I think it was A leaning TAD: what we thought it meant vs. what we now think it means The working theory: a posterior split with anterior still fused ("reverse Pac-Man") Possible asymmetric split — what makes me suspect it Real breathing improvements after the pop Tension headaches at the zygomatic buttresses Visible facial changes my wife noticed before I did About 25 turns in, ~3mm of expansion on paper, and what comes next Why I pushed back on starting braces immediately, and the CBCT scan I'm getting first This episode doesn't have a clean "I got my split" moment.Instead, I have clear evidence of skeletal change without the textbook diastema. If you're a MARPE patient whose response isn't following the standard pattern, or you're considering MARPE and want to see what an atypical response can look like, this is for you. Quick context for new viewers: I'm 39, doing MARPE for chronic migraines (~10/month), sleep apnea symptoms, poor nasal breathing and severe dental crowding. The procedure is correcting a documented skeletal transverse maxillary deficiency, complicated in my case by a thick palatal torus and likely fused suture from my age. I'm a patient documenting my own treatment, not a medical professional. Cortical puncturing, CBCT imaging, and MARPE protocol decisions are made by qualified providers based on individual anatomy and clinical findings. What's happening in my case isn't necessarily what will happen in yours. Nothing here is medical advice.