Day 21: Final Thoughts

Well, it's damn near time to wrap up this blog. But first, a few things to discuss.

I noted two posts ago about these massive boogers that come out weeks after your surgery. Brace yourself, I'm about to post a picture of what a mild (yes, this was a small one) one looks like.

I had a picture of a ridiculous looking one, but I accidentally deleted it, and my Dropbox was out of space...so it didn't get backed up.

On that note, if you have enjoyed this blog, please sign up for Dropbox and install it on your computer. That's a referral link to my account, and will actually help me earn free space, so I won't have to purchase more! It's free for you and free for me! If this information on the process of a septoplasty has helped you in anyway, I'd really appreciate you signing up and installing it on your PC. Anyway, back to the picture I was talking about.

 
Yes. This is a mild one. You'll be blowing this suckers out for at least 3 weeks following your surgery, so stock up on the Kleenex.

I can breathe wonderfully now. The surgery was totally worth it. It was really, really rough at times...and I can't emphasize enough the potential of an anxiety attack with this type of surgery (fuck those splints), but I feel great.

My nose is still slightly sore to the touch, but I've been told that can last up to six months. But at this point, even blowing my nose doesn't hurt. I've seen different doctors say different things about when you can blow your nose, but 10 days seems like a good medium. Personally, I'd ask your surgeon if you want to be safe.

Cheers!

Day 17: I'm Really Sick

I know I'm updating a couple of days early, but I felt enough things happened to warrant an update.

About 24 hours after my post on the 13th, the flu hit me in full force. My nose is still a little sore from the surgery, but I did notice I did not have to blow my nose with much force to get the...junk...out. Chalk that up to having my septum being a little straighter, I guess.

I wished I looked this graceful when sneezing.

Sneezing doesn't hurt, really, but is a little uncomfortable. Kinda feels like a bruise getting poked, which is basically happening, I guess.

The flu has cleared up now, though. Still, I'm in that odd post-flu stage where everything kind of solidifies and you wake up unable to breathe in the middle of the night because you have all this heavy mucus up your nostrils. So, not out of the woods just yet.

I would caution anyone who gets this surgery to avoid getting sick two weeks before or two weeks after. It just makes things worse, contrary to what I thought, it got much worse than I thought.

See ya Friday.

Day 14: The Flu

Hours after making my Day 7 post, I somehow caught the flu.

However, I didn't notice it much. From what I understand, after the splints are taken out, the nose can sometimes swell up again to make up the space that those splints took. So, you can mucus and dried blood getting clogged for a while until the swelling goes back down. So, it's like you have the flu anyway!

Now I know how Mike felt. Put me in the game, coach!

Around Day 12, my swelling went back down, and I carefully began to blow my nose. Huge wads of blood and mucus came out for several days...must have been stuck back there for a while.

Probably the most exciting thing happened yesterday.

As I noted before, pre-surgery, my right nostril was completely blocked and I couldn't breath through it. I did all my nose breathing through my left nostril.

However, when I was sick, my left nostril was completely clogged. It was actually the right nose that I was able to breath through most of the night. It was amazing.

Today, both of them have cleared up, but I'm still blowing old blood and mucus out of my nose!

Feeling really good. I think this surgery was worth it. This is the moment I imagined pre-surgery.

The only thing to watch out for is your sense of smell. You might lose it for a few days following the surgery. But when it comes back, the first smell you get is that of dead tissue. It's the worse smell imaginable. It's...sweet? Like a rotting sweet smell...I'm getting sick again just thinking about it.

I'm guessing that's what these guys would smell like in real life?

It takes four to five days to go away. But I did not enjoy that part at all!

Next update will be at Day 21.

Day 7: I Can...Breathe?

Well, I just got home from my ENT.

It was a bit touch and go, but I made it through.

He walked into the waiting room and asked me how I was doing.

"Alright. My left nose hurts a lot."

He sympathized with my anxiety during my ordeal. He noted that the surgery was pretty rough, but let's take a look at your nose.

First things first. He cut my sutures.

3 snips. A little pinch, but not that bad.

Then he told me to relax and used one of his tools to expand my right nostril a bit. He used another tool in his left hand to kind of squirm the splint out of my nose.

It's the weirdest feeling. You know what I can compare it to?

Yep. That's right, folks.

Taking a huge dump. It's that sensation of having something full that's being released. Not really pain, but there's a definite pressure.

Left nostril time. Oh fuck, this is going to hurt. He starts pulling...

And somehow the splint was twisted up my nose a bit! No wonder it was hurting me so much! He had to kind of yank and spin it to get it out. FUCK! It's out!

I felt better right away. The pulling/tugging feeling in my inner nose was gone, replaced with a strange emptiness. The air almost burns when you take your first breath through your nostrils.

"How's that feel?"

Good Doc. Real good.

---

Next, he told me everything is healing spectacularly. His surgery was done with the intent to allow me to go from no breathing through my nose to 85-90%. No complications.

No exercise for a week, use saline or petroleum jelly to keep your nose from drying out while it heals, and take it easy.

I walked out of the office smelling things again for the first time in years. Wow.

Day 6: I Can't Wait Until Tommorow

I feel awesome today. Is it because I only have one more day before I get these things out? Probably. But also, just being able to see my doctor and make sure everything's alright with my nose means the world.

I've started looking up videos of how they remove the splints. It looks a bit uncomfortable, but not really painful. Where I see everyone cringing on YouTube, however, is when they clean your nose with this...sucking tool. It's like a long skinny tube, similar to what your dentist uses to suck junk out of your mouth when you are getting a filling.

Oh God...please don't suck out my brains!

I'm...a little nervous about that. But, getting these things out is a priority at this point. I don't want to deal with this anxiety any longer.

Wish me luck!

Tips for Day 6:

• You are almost there, buddy. If like most patients, you got your post-op scheduled for a week after your surgery, you are going to get your splints out tomorrow. Nice job.

Day 5: Setbacks

Not feeling good today.

Chalk it up to the hot, humid weather but I feel like I'm getting worse. My breathing is probably 90% blocked, up from 70% a few days ago. I can see that my septum is visibly straight, so obviously, that isn't the problem. Is this just congestion? How clogged are those splints?

Going to bed early tonight.

Sleeping it off.

Two more days til I get these things out.

Tips for Day 5:

• I found reading helps me go to bed a little easier and distracts me from pain. Try it!

Day 4: A Surprising Good Fortune

I feel good today.

The pain has gone down considerably. The only thing annoying me right now is my left nostril. It's pulling, or tugging on something every time I eat. It sends this pain throughout my body...must be close to a nerve.

The spot that this guy is holding is about where I feel the majority of my pain. Weird. They didn't even touch that area.

I imagine it might be the stitches or the splints. Perhaps a combination. I will find out on Friday and let you know.

I'm off the Vicodin. I'm still getting nightmares, but I guess that's because it's still in your system for a while.

Last night I slept alright. It wasn't the best sleep of my life, but it was better than sitting upright all night.

I've ditched the mask completely at this point. I just have to dab on my nose with tissue every once in a while to catch stray mucus or blood.

Tips for Day 4:

• You might feel better! If so, still take it easy. You might find yourself winded really quick if you go back to your old routine.
• Try to manage the pain the best you can. You are almost there!

Day 3: I Need An Appointment!

Today, the anxiety really hit me hard. I tried to quit the Vicodin, but the pain is still pretty intense. They recommend using Tylenol because it doesn't thin blood, but that doesn't seem to help much either. So, I got back on my Vicodin doses.

It's definitely causing this anxiety I'm feeling. You know that feeling when you are in an elevator and you get to your floor but the doors take forever to open? And you start worrying? Like, what if this thing never opens?

I want off this ride!

Yep. It's that feeling all day long.

I called in to schedule my post op. The earliest they can do is Friday, which would be a week. It works, but I'm going to have to buckle down and try to fight this urge to panic the whole week.

I feel well enough to lay down flat now. My nose is about 70% clogged, but the bleeding has stopped. The saline spray has saved my life, really, it has. It keeps things clear and moist, and I really recommend it.

Tips for Day 3:

• At this point, your nose might start clearing up a bit. Resist the urge to touch or mess with your nose in any way other than liberal sprays of saline. Let the splints do their job and heal your nose.
• The only exception to this was that I left my mask on overnight and my whole right nostril got blocked off by dried blood. Like, literally a cap on the nostril. I carefully picked it off using a cotton swab with saline on it to keep things clean. A bit painful, not sure if I'd do it again, but it let things drain naturally once more. Crisis averted.

Day 2: Am I Drowning?

Day 2 is where the shit hit the fan.

Around 2AM, I started getting nightmares from the Vicodin. I've come to understand that this is not uncommon, and combined with the fact that my nostrils were blocked, having a dream about drowning isn't exactly surprising.

It's the worst feeling in the world!

However, once aware that I was indeed not drowning, I had a panic attack. These splints! In my nose! I have to get them out!

Which can't happen, of course. They are sutured in, and won't come out.

I was able to calm down after about a hour, and came to the conclusion that I am not an anxious person, so this must be the fault of the Vicodin. I ignorantly fell back to sleep thinking that the drug would wear off in a couple of hours, and perhaps, I could go without it and the anxiety it caused.

The next few hours of sleep, if you can call them that, were absolute hell. I was still having nightmares, but I was aware that I was dreaming. That didn't make the dreams any less scary, nor did it help with the sleep paralysis, which seemed to last forever.

I woke up at 5AM. The sun isn't even up yet.

Is sleep too much to ask for?

...it's going to be a long day.

Tips for Day 2:

• Do you need the Vicodin? Don't take the Vicodin if you don't need the Vicodin.

Day 1: Sleepless Nights

The first day was rough, but not because I was pain.

No.

But because I didn't sleep much last night. Maybe a combined 2 hours separated into 20 minute blocks the whole night?

It's hard to sleep because you can't breath through your nose. In addition, because you have to mouth breathe, you end up getting chapped lips and a dry mouth. My tongue even cracked a bit.

I passed time today by watching The Hobbit, followed by The Fellowship of The Ring. 

This is me trying to stay awake at 2PM.

The hours seemed to tick by so slow, but I made it to bedtime without much hassle or pain. I guess the Vicodin did it's job.

Tips for Day 1:

• Keep water or Gatorade by your bed in case you get a dry mouth during the night (you will).
• Try to sleep with your head elevated, as uncomfortable as it feels. Laying down at this point will only clog your nose more!
• Keep a track of your meds. Don't skip a dose, you will pay for it later!
• Keep the tissue box / gauze nearby. You are going to be changing it several times today.

Day 0: The Goddamn Needle

"You have thick skin."

Normally, I'd take the compliment, but today...I cursed the fact.

The nurse, in her late twenties, pulled the needle out.

"Sorry, honey, we will have to try again."

...dammit.

---

Getting prepped is always fun. You get to joke around with the nurses. They are bored, and you are nervous. They ask all the necessary questions, get your height and weight for the anesthesiologist, put the needle in you, and you are wheeled out to the OR. There's nothing special about this part of the surgery.

Yet in my case, we couldn't get the needle in my damn arm. My veins weren't responding, and when we finally did get it in, my skin was stinging like hell from all the attempts. I was a little bit worried about this because it was so damn painful...but I didn't say anything. I've heard it's normal in some cases.

Next, the anesthesiologist came in and we chatted. Nice fellow. Let me know that I was in the highest survival rate category, which sounds morbid, but he was just being real with me. My doctor came in shortly after to assure me I was in good hands and that we were almost ready to go. The main nurse for the operation came out last, and said,

"Let's go."

The old lady waking up from her sedation next to me starts moaning,

"Jesus, just kill me already....I'm ready to come home!"

The nurse smiles at me.

"Ignore her. Let's go."

---

So, they wheeled me into the operating room. There were about 4-5 people there. They asked me right away to hop over on the operating table. I noticed at this point that they must have started something (either the sedation very slowly or something else) to calm me in my IV because I felt a little woozy. I made it alright, though. The anesthesiologist had me prop my neck up on a neck rest, like one you would use if you were sleeping somewhere uncomfortable. Then, they started covering me with blankets and kind of tucking me in.

"Are you warm enough?"

"Yep. Thank you."

I just began to ask the nurse if one of EKG stickers came loose (it did) when I suddenly felt like closing my eyes.

I don't remember anything after that.

---

I think I was moaning when I woke up. I can't really remember. Oh my god, it hurt.

"I need thirty-six Vicodin and change for a dollar!"

That's what my witty sedated self tried to say. But it came out more like...

"Urhhg...drugs!"

Initially, I thought I woke up with a oxygen mask on my face, but I think it may have been this nose mask they give you. It has a elastic type rubber band that goes over your head, while this rectangular cloth part goes over your nose, which has gauze on it. I seemed to remove it from my nose and align it on the top of my head, like some kind of bloody sunglasses.

Like this, but with more blood on my nose!

They got me painkillers. I dozed in and out of consciousness for about a hour before I was well-enough to get dressed and go home. You don't have much, if any, breathing ability through your nose at this point. I was OK with this, since I had been mouth breathing for years by now. But the pain was something fierce, even with painkillers.

I had no visit with my doctor post-surgery. My understanding is that I was still out of it when he came by, and he had more surgeries to do, so off he went. That was fine, I got sent home with a packet with what not to do.

• No sneezing through the nose! Use your mouth!
• There are splints in your nose, don't try to move them, they are sutured into place.
• No blood-thinners.
• Avoid exercise.
• Report to post-op in 7 days.

I went home. I actually felt really good. I was still on the painkillers they had given me, and my nose, while stuffy, wasn't painful. I was bleeding a lot, though. I ended up changing my nose gauze every hour or so for the first few days.

Sleeping was hell. I was put on three different medicines (which I recommend picking up before your surgery, if possible!) including an anti-biotic, an anti-inflammatory and Vicodin. I slept in 20 minutes intervals from around 9pm to 7am.

Which leads us to Day 1.

Calm Before The Storm

I spent the weeks and days before my surgery collecting information, mostly from Google and Blogspot. I saw all kind of experiences! From people claiming it wasn't painful but it made no noticeable difference in their breathing to people saying it was as bad as child birth, but worked!

Here's a list of things you should know before you go in:

* Will my surgeon be using packing and/or Doyle splints?

Packing is generally avoided nowadays. Some surgeons still use it, but as my doctor puts it, it's painful to take out for you...and we don't like to hear you whine about it! See if you can find a doctor who doesn't use packing, the surgery is gruesome enough without it.

Doyle splints are essentially these three inch plastic tubes that not only support the foundation of your nose after surgery so it heals right, but also provides a way to breathe.

Do these things look comfortable? I thought so.

My doctor said that they are typically sutured into place so you don't accidentally asphyxiate on them in the middle of the night.

The sutures are typically disposable, but hurt and tug on your skin. No surprise there, it's doing it's job, right?

These splints and sutures (if not disposable) are removed typically a week after surgery. It hurts a bit, I'm not going to lie. But the sensation of breathing with both nostrils again is amazing, and totally worth the pain and anxiety (Oh yes! I'm getting to that!) that you feel over the next week.

* Do I have someone to take care of me?

This surgery will bring you to your knees, for at least a week. You will be bleeding for three to four days, if not more, and those Doyle splints are no fun either. You need someone that can help you because you also can't carry heavy things for at least two weeks after the surgery. My doctor said basically anything heavier than a milk carton is too heavy!

* Do you have anxiety?

Specifically, does the idea of 2 three inch plastic tubes up your nose freak you out a little bit? That's OK, it scared me too. I had a panic attack around day 2 or 3 and felt like ripping the damn things out. Don't try. They are, as I said above, sutured in place. Speak with your doctor and try to get an earlier appointment if you feel that you can't deal with these things in your nose for that long. They are uncomfortable, there's no doubt about that!

In addition, Vicodin is typically prescribed for this type of surgery. Yes, you will need it. It's strong, and unfortunately, sometimes evokes anxiety in it's users.

Case Study 1: Dr. Gregory House

For me, it brought on terrible nightmares and insomnia along with the anxiety. I would argue to only use it when you really need it, and are not going to get any sleep anyway!

Here's a checklist of things I feel would help someone going through a septoplasty.

• Stertile saline spray/mist (check with your doctor, this helps keeps things clean and moist)
• 2-3 tissue boxes
• Your choice of fluids to keep hydrated (Gatorade, Powerade, Water, etc)
• Petroleum jelly (Can be used in combination with the saline to keep things from drying out, you don't need that much, though!)
• Lots of pillows to sleep upright for 3-5 days
• Collection of movies to pass time (I went for The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings series)
• A cellphone with charger nearby (in case of emergency, also keep your doctor's office number handy, either on a paper or in your contact list)

I was told the day before surgery to have no food or drink after midnight, as well as not to use any deodorant. I think this is because they hook you up with different wires that have a hard time adhering if you have this gunk all over your armpits. Either way, just take a shower the night before, and you will be fine.

Introduction

I've created this blog to help archive my healing process through the surgery that is known as a "septoplasty." Through my surgery, I looked at lots of blogs that helped me get through it, so I also hope I can help others.

I made the decision to get a septoplasty after years of dealing with non-existent breathing in my left nostril. It made exercising hard, and sleeping damn near impossible. I would sleep with the window open (for cold air access) and with the ceiling fan on (for moving said air). My right nostril wasn't much better, as I was getting maybe 20% of possible airflow out of it.

Does this look familiar?

I setup a visit with my ENT (who I've known for a while, as I also deal with severe jaw and TMJ) and he confirmed that I would need surgery to correct what he called a "severe deviated septum."

Surgery was booked for the end of May.