Who "Nose"?

Today's verdict? Not good news. At least it's not in my head (uhhh, well, I guess it kind of is..lol), there IS something wrong. :( Sadly, I have a tear in my septum and I guess the surgeon wasn't aggressive enough in cleaning out the turbinates and due to the changes in my nose, they're plugged and inflamed. This is why I can't breathe and the rip in the septum is causing the whistle and the pain. The tear is still bleeding and it's raw inside my nose and this is why I'm also having the issue of bleeding. So, back to doing very little - he doesn't want the blood pumping if it's not necessary, to let some of the inflammation go down. He also prescribed some medicine and some nose spray for comfort. Unfortunately, he doesn't expect they will do much and that I'll have to go back in to repair the damage. I'm tired of hurting, I'm tired of being tired and it really pisses me off that my surgeon kept telling me that it was "normal". Ugh.

Day ?????

I don't know the day and I'm done counting. If you want to know, you do the math :) Wow, May 11th seems like an eternity ago...yet it really hasn't been all that long. Crazy, huh?

Things are going pretty well, with the exception of my nose. I'm having troubles and it's time to get it checked out. I'm going to see Dr. Troost, my ENT, on Monday afternoon. I can't breathe well and my nose hurts. I've got some stuff coming out of my nose that just isn't right and isn't what I consider normal. I'll spare you the details. I'll keep you posted...I'm sure you're on the edge of your seats.

Aside from my nose, things are going pretty well. The swelling is going down and since it has, I can now feel the screws and brackets in my face. Creepy. They're tender to the touch which is good and bad...rough when I go to wash or wipe my face, but kinda neat that I finally have some sensation. The left side of my face is still a bit numb, as is my chin and bottom lip, but it's slowly repairing itself. I still get a vague sensation of drooling when I drink something, but it's not as bad as it used to be. My left cheek was almost back to normal and is now numb again. It comes and it goes. I'm used to it now. I think my chin is what I'm most excited about. Finally, the feeling is almost completely back. I like this because it was uncomfortable. Unfortunately, my gums are still almost completely numb yet I have some sensation so I still can't use my Sonicare toothbrush - have to do it manually. The vibration of the Sonicare is too much for my teeth to handle and becomes painful. This too, shall pass.

I had an orthodontist appointment about a week ago and we're on track! Besides a very minor adjustment, we're at the point now where we're just in a holding pattern. This means that we're on for the braces to come out of my mouth in December! Yes!!!!!!!! While total recovery is a long ways off, at least I can get the braces off and feel semi-normal again. Freedom! I see a big, fat Smith & Wollensky steak on the horizon and I can almost reach out and grab it. :)

Day 119 - Whoa...4 Months!

Tomorrow will mark 4 months post-surgery. As a side note, it'll also mark Brian's birthday so we've got a couple of things to celebrate! Four months might not be much, but I'll admit it seems like it's been forever. Someone asked me the other day - if I had to do it all over again, would I go through with it? My answer: I'm not sure. I'm still having issues with my nose and it's uncomfortable and extremely irritating and I don't like my new face. Sometimes I look in the mirror and hope for the old me. I don't miss the pain I used to have, that I'll admit. I'm being impatient, I know...and I'm wanting things to just turn around so I can be done with this already! When will I be able to eat normally? When will my nose feel right again? When will I look "normal"? So many questions - somehow I don't think I'll get the answers anytime soon. Maybe once these are answered, I'll be able to answer the "would I do it again" question. When I asked my surgeon if what I was feeling in my nose was "normal", he said he didn't think there was anything wrong but if I want, I'm welcome to see the ENT. Hmmm, not sure I like being pawned off on another doc. Then again, he's done a few of these and probably knows what he's doing so I've taken his word for it and I'm letting things heal at their pace.

I don't notice daily changes, not even weekly changes. But, I DO have changes. I gave Brian a kiss the other day and realized that it didn't hurt anymore! I have regained almost all the feeling in my top lip now! My bottom lip is still pins and needles, but it doesn't hurt to the touch. However, if I run my tongue inside my lips and they stretch even a little bit, it's painful. Nerves, I guess. I still have slight numbness down the left side of my face but the right side is completely back to normal. My chin also has some numbness but it's MUCH better than it was. If I regained no more feeling than I have now, I'd be perfectly happy and could deal with it. As it stands now, I almost don't think about it anymore. These are the positive things I hang on to.