Monday, June 2, 2014

Septoplasty Recovery: Day Of/Day One

It's done!!  I wasn't as nervous going into the OR as I though I would be! I did have some trouble sleeping last night, mostly because I was afraid of missing my alarm. 

We got there at 645 and by 7 I was in the pre op room getting changed and vitals and everything. By 730, the nurse was walking me into the OR. There they put these amazing leg massagers on me, to help prevent blood clots. They also did the anesthesia in the OR which I have never had done before; usually it's done beforehand. The last thing I remember is a nurse asking if I was excited to get started. 

And then they were waking me up in the recovery room. That was terribly uncomfortable. My throat was so numb from the intubation tube it was hard to swallow. And I could feel blood dripping out of my nose (sorry if that's tmi).  But they quickly padded it for me to catch it all. 

Pain meds came next, quite a cocktail of IV drugs. The pain wasn't so much pain as it was burning in my nostrils. That time in the recovery room went quickly; why doesn't the work day go that quickly?!  After some quick vitals and discharge instructions, I was on my way home. 

I doubled up my pain pills and was in and out of sleep all afternoon with no pain. I did have to change the drip pad under my nose several times. It's about 12 hours later and im not bleeding much at all.  


So far day one has been better than expected!

Kat

Sunday, June 1, 2014

Tomorrow, Tomorrow, I'm Nervous for Tomorrow

This is a 100000% non nail related post.  And for that I apologize, but it's a look into what's about to go down here tomorrow, June 2nd.

I've recently started noticing (like within the last year and a half) problems breathing.  Usually trouble catching my breath most of the time.  After visiting the doctor and being tested for asthma (negative, by the way), I started noticing that I was almost constantly congested.  Mostly in my right nostril, but it would go to my left occasionally, usually when I slept on that side.

So my GP recommended me to an ENT for further testing.  He noticed that I have a deviated septum; slightly, nothing serious.  And on top of that, my nasal turbinates are too big and my nasal valves collapse when I breathe.  Awesome.  So those things all combined create a perfect storm of not being able to breathe correctly through my nose.

He prescribed that I start using Breathe Right strips at night, and use nasal gel and spray to help open things up through out the day.  And the only thing that worked were the strips, and even that didn't last.  And it was only at night that I would wear them.

Next step: SURGERY.  Yikes.  Tomorrow.  At 7:45 am.  No food or drink after midnight tonight, and be at the surgical center an hour early.  I'm freaking out.  I took "before" pictures of my nose last night, because there is a chance the surgery could alter the shape and appearance of it.  Is that weird?

So, as often as I can, I will come here and try to document how things go.  What pain am I in.  Hows the swelling?  I'm reading there is a lot of gross drainage, and I will keep that to myself.  You're welcome.

And soon, we will be back to nails and reviews and  pretty things.

Wish me luck!

Kat