I managed to sleep for 3 hours straight last night - so that's a bonus.
I have also woken up with no new swelling - YAY! so hopefully I've reached the peak of it.
But I can't wait for my lips to join (still too swollen) and my nose to unblock.
Oh another tip, to stop the numbness/pain is your bum/lower back when you sleep on your back, put pillows under the back of your knees! It doesn't stop it completely but it helps to ease it a little.
So far the swelling hasn't been too bad for me. They spun my blood during surgery and packed my wounds with platelets, so I think this may have helped me out some. We'll see if it pays off during the following days.
I think the most trouble I've had is eating. Seems like all I do it eat and clean up. Nose bleeds have been somewhat of a problem as well.
The eating side of it is a pain - half the time you don't want to eat, because you don't want the hassle of having to clean. I managed to get a baby tooth brush to the front of my bottom teeth today, but can't get past the lips for the rest.
Touch wood I havent' had any problems with nose bleeds. But I did pass a lot of gunk from my nostrils today, which helped to make them feel not so blocked.
I'm also getting alot of pinging (only way to describe it) and tingling and I 'think' I can feel my nose.
Check in time for me is 6AM Monday morning. Check in time sounds like I get to come in early and wait around a good 2-3 hours for the surgeon. Is that about accurate?
Dani- I dipped qtips in hydrogen peroxide and used them to gently clean
my nose out. WOW...it helped a ton and totally grossed me out!
dvdrdisks- best of luck to you Monday! I only had to check in an hour before surgery as it was first thing in the morning. Two hours seems routine for most.
Rodney- hope you are doing well. The nosebleeds should subside soon.
GL dvdrdiscs - as for the checkin time, mine was at 6.30am and they came and got me at 8am. I was in another waiting room and then wheeled into surgery at 8.30am. So from the sounds of it, you might be first on the list (if it's done the same way as Aust.)
About to head out to the hospital. Funny how the first thing that was on my mind when I woke up at 4:30AM was "Why couldn't they friggin' do my surgery in the afternoon?"
Just woke up from a long nap. I thought most of the swelling comes on the 3rd-4th day? Right now I am super swollen. I look like Kanye West to the extreme. My jawline used to be pointy but now my face is like a square.
The worst swelling, in terms of size, comes immediately after surgery. Days 3-5 are the days when you'll FEEL the most off/swollen. It's especially noticeable because you'll likely feel relatively okay on day 2.
Congrats on being on this side of surgery! The wait is over, and it's all uphill from here!
Broadway Bill - thanks for explaining that. I didn't get to see myself (or take photo's) straight after surgery, but my family were saying that my swelling hasn't been as bad as when they saw me straight after surgery. So I thought it was a bit strange them saying that considering I thought my face was/is still huge.
I had my check up appointment with the surgeon today and he's happy with my progress. The severe pain I had on Sunday night is because my nerves are starting to heal (getting alot of pins and needles everywhere) and because surgery was only a couple of days beforehand, I was basically feeling what I should have been feeling if the nerves werent' involved.
I'm also managing to move my lips alot more now - but feels really strange when they are still numb
I see. What about the lost of hearing? It feels like I just went up a high altitude and experienced a temporary lost of hearing. Like right now, I have to watch my TV at volume 18 when I normally would only need volume 10. When will it return to normal???
I also have not felt hungry or thirsty at all. Should I be forcing myself to eat and drink? I'm still urinating though which is perplexing since I haven't drank since 9PM the previous night.
I'm not experiencing the hearing problem. As for the fluids, as long as you're hooked up to an iv then don't worry so much about it. I also wasn't thirsty or hungry but I was getting all the fluids I needed from my iv. After you're off the iv then make sure you're eatting and drinking enough.
I had a little hearing trouble too, but it went back to normal within 5 or 6 days. As far as hydration and food are concerned, I didn't get hungry for 5 days our so, but it is really important to stay hydrated, so drink water, even if you aren't thirsty. After a few days, I switched to sprite to help cut some of the gross tasting film out of my throat.
