Wednesday, June 30, 2010

We like, "Do nothing!"

Continuing from my previous post...

I had seen a new dentist, who had suggested braces, since my regular dentist was out of town and my teeth hurt quite a bit. The new dentist did help relieve some of the pain but had also suggested braces.

Not being too thrilled about the prospect of more procedures and braces, even with the option of finding bands to color coordinate with my outfits, I returned to my regular dentist to get another opinion. He noted that my teeth hurt because the roots were traumatized by the nasal surgery and suggested we do nothing for awhile.

Nothing?! I like "do nothing!" In fact, I love "do nothing!"

So...I'm going to do nothing. At the end of August, my regular dentist will check my teeth again (and refit me for a mouth guard to wear at night, since I'm a teeth grinder and my old guard bears no resemblance to where my teeth are currently situated). He's taking a very conservative approach and that seems very reasonable to me.

Otherwise, I'm making slow but positive strides. The scar tissue in my nose must be healing, because I can breathe a little more easily. My surgeon said that would take a month or two to resolve, and I have a follow-up appointment with him in mid-July. My bite is still very off but less so since the new dentist filed several teeth.

Things are looking up!

The one thing I hadn't mentioned in awhile is that I am now terrified to ride my bike on the road. I could work on this...but I'd rather not. Riding in my neighborhood is reasonably uninteresting, since there is only an isolated half-mile road; otherwise, I'd have to ride on streets that are too busy for my comfort level. But I can live with riding locally or driving my bike to a bike path.

I'll work on becoming an expert at archery instead. I'm already pretty good and that feels much safer!

--K--

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Braces?! But I'm 51!!

I should have known that getting ready to sign off on my blog was a recipe for problems to develop. I could just feel the bad karma start to seep through my keyboard as I attempted to sign off last time.

I have no idea if my last post means no one will read this, though that's ok. I'll type it anyway, and maybe readers will come.

I saw one of the many dentists I hope to keep employed and happy through my recovery today. He did some slight adjustments to a few teeth. My teeth and mouth had started feeling a lot better, but then it seemed like everything had been jarred and upset again since the nasal surgery.

He then said that the next step was probably to see an orthodontist because my mouth really doesn't close properly on my left side. And the pain I'm experiencing is probably due to the fact that there's so much pressure from the teeth on the right side and everything needs to be shifted.

I suspect he's right. I also suspect that I'm not going to do anything about it for awhile. Yes, I should...but I am burned out and procedured-out. My nose is still blocked (ironically) from scar tissue acquired during the surgery. That will settle down in a month or so (I hope!!). I think I'm just going to leave everything alone for awhile and give my body and head a break from the nonstop doctor and dentist visits.

I hope, if I need them, that braces have improved a LOT since I was 13!!

--K--

Thursday, June 17, 2010

The Almost End

I was noting this morning that today marks the 4-month anniversary since the accident February 17, 2010. And that I might not really have that much more to add. At least, that's my hope (and who can top my two TMI posts anyway??). I need for my nose to stop swelling and open up and stop being sore. And I need for my teeth to stop hurting and for my bite to be corrected. But I'm not sure those merit daily or weekly blog updates.

So, I'll probably wind this down now and only post on rare occasion. At least, that's my hope (meaning, I hope I don't end up with more to need to report).

Thank you for all of your support!!

--K--

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

TMI - The Nightmare Continues

So today I got the packing removed from my nose. If you thought my last post was gross, you'll love what's coming!

But I'll start on a less disgusting note. It felt wonderful when I got back from visiting the surgeon to take a shower and not worry about getting bandages wet and really washing my face and my hair!

It feels great too to be able to breathe again. Breathing isn't quite as easy as I'd hoped, not yet anyway. The tissues inside my nose are still healing and swollen and want to block off my airways again. There are stitches that need to dissolve and, in the process, swell and collect mucus. And my nose is still very raw to the touch.

All of this should improve over the next month or so, but the surgeon indicated that it would probably get worse before it gets better. I am using saline solution and ointment 7-15 times per day and will visit him again in a month.

Now...removing the packing. Feel free to stop reading here...

I didn't realize this but there have been two very long plastic "sticks" about the length and width of a Popsicle stick (and which I'm sure have a more elaborate label for the purposes of my insurance company) helping to hold my nostrils open. I thought there was just a bunch of gauze stuffed in my nose but not so.

Anyway, the first thing he did is use suction to remove all of the mucus that had collected inside the plastic sticks. Immediately on removing a plug from each nostril, I could bring in some air, so that was wonderful. When I looked at what he'd removed though...man!...that was seriously gross. I debated about holding onto them, thinking my teenage stepsons might have liked the science project, but decided I really didn't want the souvenir.

Then he went to remove the sticks. My surgeon is wonderful and it didn't hurt at all. I'd read other descriptions of this procedure and it sounded like it isn't uncommon for it to be painful but it certainly wasn't in my experience. That being said...I couldn't believe the length of the sticks!! It looked like they must have come from someone else's nose or have been embedded in my brains or something. They were long!

Anyway...not sure where to go from here and I think that's enough for this post...

--K--

Saturday, June 12, 2010

TMI?

"TMI" = "Too Much Information." This is an acronym with which I have become immensely familiar, since I have two teenage stepsons, which means "things that are gross" are wonderful. Examples of where "TMI" is the appropriate response include:

Nick: "And at work at McDonald's today, this little girl threw up all over my shoes and I could see that she'd had french fries...."

Adam: "And when I was making the potatoes, I cut my finger but it was easy enough to hide the blood if I stirred them..."

Enough said.

Anyway, lots of disgusting things to share in the past 2 days post-nasal surgery. I didn't realize that I'd have such a violent reaction to the Percoset. Seven violent projectile vomiting trips to the bathroom later, I figured out that the medication might be the source. Last night was very very long. I decided I'd rather deal with a little pain than that much nausea.

I also either have a cold or bad allergies. Wouldn't it be ironic if I'm allergic to the gauze and tape on my nose to help provide support and cut down on the nonstop bleeding? Anyway, the packing in my nose is, as far as I can tell, made of cement. It's not budging.

So all of the mucus and blood is now trapped in the cement in my nose. I'm certain that, when the packing is removed Wednesday, I don't want to be in the same room as I am if I can possibly help it.

And, if that wasn't pretty enough...I can't breathe at all. So the only way for me to eat is with my mouth open, which is not as attractive as it might sound. And because my lips are still numb, occasionally I can't feel where the food is, so it falls out of my mouth.

TMI, Indeed!

And on a less TMI front...I'm sleeping 15 or so hours per day. Last night I slept for 14 hours and took several naps. I guess healing demands lots of sleep.

Hopefully I'll have more energy again soon. But for now...all of this typing made me very sleepy again. Time to lie down...

--K--

Thursday, June 10, 2010

The post- nasal surgery report

Got home about 4 hours ago. I'm very glad to have this experience behind me; I'd really been dreading it. It might not have been that big a deal in isolation but in the context of everything else that happened during and after the accident, I was pretty unhappy.

That being said, it wasn't as terrible as I'd been expecting. Don't get me wrong...it wasn't wonderful either. But not as terrible as I'd been anticipating.

So...what happened? We (Jake and I) went to Boston overnight, since we didn't want to navigate I-93 at 4 AM. The hotel was literally across the street from the outpatient surgical center, and had to be a dorm conversion at best. The staff, however, was very nice and we got cookies on our arrival, so our most important bases were covered.

Met some friends for dinner in Chinatown whom I don't get to see nearly often enough. That was a nice distraction for what was to come.

We got up at 5:30 AM and stumbled over to the surgical center. I didn't expect that there would be 30 or so other surgical patients and their families also at the facility. It was a beehive of activity and people.

I got in line to check in and filled out with some paperwork. Then waited. Then had my blood pressure and pulse taken. Then waited. Then I got my gown, which was clearly designed to fit roughly 3 of me at about a foot taller. Then waited.

Finally we were escorted to the surgery center, where Jake said goodbye. I was greeted by a host of nice nurses and physicians, and recited my name and birthday and allergy list another 400 times. Then I was given an IV of something to make me sleepy and the next thing I knew, I was in recovery. Given that I was bleeding, nauseous, in a lot of pain, and had a face full of bandages, I assume something resembling surgery had transpired in the middle of my cognitive awareness events.

Since I got home, I've mostly been sleeping. Fortunately, the pain, which was pretty severe, and anti-nausea medications have kicked in and I'm starting to feel a little better. I'm still bleeding pretty heavily and feel very woozy. And my throat is sore from the breathing tube they inserted during surgery.

My nose has an internal splint and a lot of packing. There are some bandages externally, but they will come off in a day or so, once the bleeding stops. And, much to my amazement, there is little to no bruising. I have a follow-up appointment with the surgeon in about a week to, among other things, remove the packing, and I hope I feel a lot better after that.

Anyway, for now, I need another nap...

--K--

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

5...4...3...2...

Well, at this time tomorrow, I'll be either still in pre-op tests (bloodwork, etc.) or in the middle of nasal surgery. The fun starts at 6 AM. At this point, I'm very ready for it to be over with. I'll go home with a lot of gauze and cotton in my nose and a splint and bandages outside.

I'm really looking forward to a week or so later when the packing is removed, and I can (ideally) breathe better again. And for the splint to be taken off because, at minimum, that is going to make for some weird tan lines.

My teeth still hurt, though less than before the dentist worked on them. And my bite is still very off. I have a nightguard I was using (ok...supposed to be using...) before the accident and it doesn't fit at all now. My bite adjustment still has some corrections to go. But, that being said, the latter two are in more of the "annoying" category and not the "chronic pain" category in which they had been living for awhile.

Here's to being on the home stretch!

--K--

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Countdown to nasal surgery

Blech. I'd rather the title be something like, "Countdown to winning the lottery" or "Countdown to an island vacation." My breathing is even worse now. I don't know if it's allergies or something else but what little air I could get past my blocked nasal passages is history. The good news, oddly, is that if I was even a little uncertain about my need for this surgery, I am now certain.

I got a call today from the doctor's office, stating that I needed to get an EKG, chest x-ray, and bloodwork before Thursday. I called and told the asistant that it was going to be difficult for me to fit the tests in. Fortunately, she said it wasn't a problem for me to have them taken at the hospital. The doctor and his assistants have all been very nice and helpful, and I have a lot of confidence in them.

That being said, "Countdown to the island vacation" is still sounding a lot better to me.

--K--