So, I recently had my nose structures repaired as referenced in a recent post. The fear ahead of the procedure far outweighed the actual procedure – I felt nothing due to good anesthetics – the old get the old relaxing medicine in the IV, then it’s lights out or you can’t remember anything that happened between X and Y – you just wake up. That’s for the majority of people into which I fell.
Next, however, is the recovery – with at least three different documents, one of which the doctor covered, a couple were from the surgery nurses, but it’s more about sorting out the conflicts in them that is the big concern and also when to get concerned – and what discomforts weren’t mentioned and so forth. Breathing out of my mouth sucks. It has other side-effects, like my mouth drying out (yikes!) and a scratchy throat, and other unpleasant stuff. Then there’s a headache from sleeping in the wrong position. Then… Then… And it takes getting up to focus on what is the actual problem and in the dark, trying to sort out a solution, which is hard to do very well…
All this of course happens in the middle of the night when trying to get some rest… so catching up on rest during the day ends up being what happens.
And I am not typically a napper. I usually retire around “eleven-ish” – but am now yawning at 11-ish in the MORNING after having two cups of half-caf coffee… Sleepy. Can’t breathe out of my nose yet. Swelling. Goopy stuff up in there sloughing off – gross. At least it isn’t bloody anymore…
So, am I whining? Should I be stoic? Who the heck can answer that question?
I think my “course” is not as bad as some stories I have heard, but not a piece of cake, either. All I can say is that I will surely be glad to get to some sort of normal after this. I’m not good with not feeling okay, that’s for sure. Hoping that a week from now, I won’t be feeling this way. Better I hope. Making the decision to fix all that was wrong worth it. That’s the goal.
In retrospect, when I think of it, when compared with what Rob went through in terms of discomfort and pain, this is nothing. So, I’m thinking that I am trending to the “whiny baby” category – and I need to remember that. When he was healing from surgeries, we all prayed for any improvement on any time scale because trending the other way had darker implications than we wanted to face.
Maybe, I just need to be uncomfortable and suck it up. I am better than yesterday. I will keep telling myself that. Small steps.
