Tuesday the 16th I arrived at 5am to register and go through all the pre-op, including answering more medical history questions and meeting with the anesthesiologist and surgeon. I also got my fancy surgery garb:
After this they gave me a sedative and that's pretty much all I remember until they woke me up in the recovery room. I remember being very disoriented and trying to get up and leave, but of course they didn't let me. Next thing I remember is my surgeon holding onto my hand and letting me know everything went perfectly. I was in and out of consciousness at this point and this is when I realized I had pretty intense pain.
So here is where the good news and bad news comes to play. Good news is, that my surgery went so well that my nerve damage was not very extensive which means I will have a speedier recovery of my senses. Bad news is...I feel a LOT of pain. I wasn't prepared for this at all.
Because of the pain, I had to stay a second night in the hospital but on the bright side, I was able to hit all the other milestones for being discharged. If I can get my pain down I can leave today to go home, which will be great because it's my dad's birthday today! LOVE YOU DAD!!
I have been able to sleep because most of the medications make me groggy, so at least there's that as well. And I can breathe! My nose is pretty numb and congested feeling, but even so, I have much better breathing than before.
Long story short, these past 2 days have been very trying, but I've had so much support from friends and family and the wonderful nursing staff, so it's still been a good experience. These have been my symptoms:
Nose: Stuffy, congested and numb. But I can still breathe better than before. I have nasal splints in which is probably what is making it possible for me to breathe.
Throat: Was sore after surgery kind of like when you are getting a cold or tonsilitis or something. This is from the breathing tube. This is what people usually complain about as being uncomfortable after this kind of surgery, at least from what I've heard. For me, this pain was secondary to the rest of my mouth.
Jaws: I was unfortunate enough to be able to feel every incision that was made. Or at least that's what it feels like. The most painful one is this stitch on the roof of my mouth. It is very painful, and every time I swallow it seems to flare up and aggravate the rest of my mouth too.
Face: Mostly numb across my cheeks, nose and lips. My tongue is okay though which helps swallowing.
Well it's time for lunch: grits, applesauce, yogurt, ice cream, cranberry juice and water. Yummmm.
More to come later!
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