me

[mophead]

I cannot use my nose and must totally breath via mouth,

I guess you are a mouth breather now.

Want to move down south with the rest of us?

[buffo]

It's been 3 days... How are things now, Steve? Can you use your nose yet?

Adam

[mixedgas]

It's been 3 days... How are things now, Steve? Can you use your nose yet?

Adam

warning, do not read beyond this point if you are squimish!!!!!!

Thank you for asking.




I got the splints out yesterday, they were very much like the disposable clear plastic pieces used to stiffen shirts, when you buy them from J.C. Pennys. Right down to the sharp die cut edges and they were at least 3 inches long. There is only one way they come out, and it starts with a weak cocaine HCl solution sprayed up your nose and a pair of hemostats, once it starts sliding, its not bad.

I have a small amount of flow through the left side, not enough for the cpap machine yet. And it whistles like a diaphon fog horn. Right side is still blocked with swelling.


The DOC said that the tissue, is straight, has grafted onto the new site and has blood flow and is healing at the junctions.

He cleaned and shortened the swelled turbinates with a probe that delivers RF energy to the tissue and boils it, sort of like a localized microwaving, so the back interior is dry until they resurface.

Turbinae act to filter the air and humidify it as you breath.

So I am continually exhausted and can only get 3-4 hours of sleep, but I'm seeing slow progress.

I've also learned how "waterboarding" works, or more likely, doesn't work, you need to flush the nose and sinus with streams of saline, and its foreign at first, but you get used to it. One side at a time is tolerable, but I can see how both sides would scare the heck out of you if someone held your mouth shut.

The small but steady stream of lymph fluid and blood has stopped. coagulated blood and mucus is what is blocking the sinus right now. It works loose when bathed with saline, and the body does naturally break it down. To prevent pressure damage, you have to hold your mouth open when you sneeze, which is quite a trick to learn.

The doctors description of what would happen going in was fair and accurate, so I knew what I was getting into. right down to worlds second worse sore throat for the first 48 hours. He told me what #1 was, and we're skipping that throat surgery, thank you.....

All of this is so I can do upper body exercise or go out in the winter without clogging up.

I don't remember a thing about the surgery, I woke up fighting restraints with two RNs holding me down. They tell me I was great until I started to come out of it. Not really much pain until I got home. The pain comes from the stents and turbinae, not the grafted site, which is still painless.

And thank you, and God bless you, Peggy, the RN in recovery.

Getting through this requires exact attention to what the Doc said to do, as it was same day Surgery, I was out of there 5 hours after the procedure, and spent 2 days in a rocker/recliner to keep my head up. All I got was tylanol # 3 , which has some codiene, and a cephalexin antibiotic.


Steve

[Frixxion]

Good luck! I've had a septum correction done last january and it I know it's not a nice experience. But as soon as they take of the bandage and take the tampons out of your nose you'll start to feel better in no time ! Just don't bend over too much because then you'll start to bleed like a pig (but I'm sure the docs told you that already)

I've also learned how "waterboarding" works, or more likely, doesn't work, you need to flush the nose and sinus with streams of saline, and its foreign at first, but you get used to it. One side at a time is tolerable, but I can see how both sides would scare the heck out of you if someone held your mouth shut.

Are you also using Neti pot? I used one of these and I must say it really worked like a charm! In the first days after the surgery you won't be able to get any water through, but after a week or so you'll start to see some water coming out on the other side

All of this is so I can do upper body exercise or go out in the winter without clogging up.

It sucks! But I had that too and after this surgery I never had any more problems , no more clogging up . I can't even get a cold anymore!

Good luck!!!
,Jordy

[Doc]

I believe that RF process is fulgerizing Steve, I had a similar sort of operation around 97 after an airbag gas generator exploded in my face on the bench. A piece of steel from the generator hit me square between the eyes with amazing force (thankfully missing my eyes), I lost about 3 pints of blood and it took a couple of months to recover from.

Hope you feel better soon.

[buffo]

Wow Steve... I didn't think the recovery would be this prolonged. Glad to hear that they have the splints out at least, though it sucks that the swelling still has most of the air passage closed off.

Hang in there pal... It will be worth it when you can breathe normally through your nose again.

Adam

[shrad]

hope you'll recover rapidly the most dificult is now over I think, and if everything left is healing the tissues and resorbing coagulated blood, you'll be 100% operational in one week or two

[drlava]

And through all this you have remained amazingly active! Glad things seem to be progressing on schedule, when it's all over you'll probably breathe better than I do.

[300EVIL]

Hey Steve,
Wow! That does sound rough. I'm sure with a little time your swelling will go down and be happy with the results. I remember when they sprayed that liquid cocaine crap on my tonsil before sticking a telephone pole sized needle in it,,,, Worthless, I would have passed out if I wasn't screaming in pain.
Keep us posted and get well soon.

...an airbag gas generator exploded in my face on the bench. A piece of steel from the generator hit me square between the eyes with amazing force (thankfully missing my eyes), I lost about 3 pints of blood and it took a couple of months to recover from.

Damn! Glad to hear you made it. Sodium azide is wicked stuff. I've had lots of fun with junk airbags. At a distance ofcourse. Had a job once installing fire stop in a airbag processing facility. They don't joke around using 3 foot thick concrete cubicles and anti static connection bars in the isles. I heard one guy left the building in plastic bags.

[Doc]

Damn! Glad to hear you made it. Sodium azide is wicked stuff. I've had lots of fun with junk airbags. At a distance ofcourse. Had a job once installing fire stop in a airbag processing facility. They don't joke around using 3 foot thick concrete cubicles and anti static connection bars in the isles. I heard one guy left the building in plastic bags.

I still have occasional flashbacks of the event as I'm falling asleep, the bang and the sound of my blood splattering on the workshop floor, the whited out vision - not funny, but very lucky none the less.
Got a cool scar now though.