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10:43 AM: The time is dragging on now. I just want to get to the hospital and be checked in as it’s quite the Palava lining up to get a temperature check. Iām starting to wish I did a little Melissa wood flow this morning because of how stiff and achy my body feels already. My hesitation was that anything requiring energy would make me thirsty.
11:20 AM: At the hospital. Itās much less busy than when I was here for my pre-op which isnāt a surprise because it turns out that my appointment last week was during visiting hour (typical!) my heart is definitely starting to race with nerves and my eyes might pop out of my head.
12.05 PM: Iām in a lovely hospital gown, bright red socks, and a surgical mask. Iām so thirsty and could go for an Oreo McFlurry right about now. I feel like Iām burning up because my mask is making me stuffy. On a good note, my nurse just said that the IV was the worst part and the rest I would be asleep for.
12:37 PM: Just seen the dr and thereās a good chance a chunk of Cartlidge is coming out of my ear to reconstruct my nose. Iām going to look like Joan Rivers after a facelift. He went over everything that we would be doing (to be honest I zoned out at this point and almost burst out into tears as there was a lot happening) Nasal valve repair (from where my nose was broken), turbinoplasty with submucous resection and septoplasty to remove broken bone and cartilage causing blockage. The anesthesiologist came to talk to me and once he heard my accent, shared that his honeymoon was in the UK. He said heās going to give me a ācocktailā in my IV right before being wheeled into the OR to calm me down. I said thatās the best part and he joked that itās not a pint like they serve in Essex. Off to surgery we go.
Day 1 (POST OP)
6:06 AM: Yesterday was a long day and my surgery took over 6 hours. After the cocktail, I really donāt remember too much other than shuffling from the hospital bed to the operating table. Once they woke me up after, they were concerned because my spray tan came off and they thought that I was loosing color from loss of circulation (and not a spray tan!) Then I went to recovery where a nurse sat by my side monitoring me. She was absolutely lovely and kept icing my forehead, eyes, and nose. I was in so much pain that I couldnāt breathe and my vitals kept dropping, so she kept yelling ābreathe breatheā and rubbed my legs for me to relax. The nausea was awful and the anesthesiologist had to phone something stronger into the hospital pharmacy. Then somewhere down the line, the anesthetic was starting to wear off and I was in more pain so they put something into my IV. I was in recovery for about 3 hours and they finally called my mum to come and collect me. I tried to get some sleep but it was close to impossible. My nose felt heavy and kept throbbing.
3:26 PM: This certainly isnāt a walk in the park. I had to go back to the Drs this morning and he explained everything that he had to do which made me feel dizzy just listening to! Between opening up my cheeks, placing a stent, realigning the bone, using bone fragment for nasal stability the list goes on and on. He also pointed out that the tissue in my nose was like mush. No wonder I had so many problems. My pains about a 7/10 and I look like a mix between MS piggy and Jocelyn Wildenstein.
Iāve managed to eat an ice pop for breakfast, chicken noodle soup with a piece of bread (dipped in and mushed because chewing hurts so much), and Ralphās ice for dinner. Just about as healthy as it gets wouldnāt you say? I tried to have some overnight oats as well but it wasnāt happening. I canāt really taste anything.
Day 2 (POST OP)
6:23 PM: I feel like Iāve been hit by a bus so that sums up my day
Day 3 (POST OP)
2:16 PM: Today has been better than yesterday but Iām still in pain and swollen. Eating feels like a waste because I still canāt taste anything (but that hasnāt stopped me). As I canāt go out in public, I decided to place an order on Instacart. The order consisted of: Yogurts, Jello, pudding, ice cream, soup, and baby food. Yes, baby food. I feel pretty gross because Iāve been laying about for days, and after nasal surgery, you canāt work out for 2-4 weeks!
Day 4 (POST OP)
2:25 AM: I look like a yellow Teletubbie. My Dr warned me that I would feel hungover days 3 & 4 and I couldn’t think of a more “spot on” description. Everything hurts. On a scale of 1/10 (10 being the best), I feel a 2. I’m still not sleeping, still can’t taste, and today just feel incredibly drained.
