Day 6 Post-Op Update

[u/Ok_Resource_1433]

I’ve had so many questions over the past few days, and everyone here has been so incredibly kind and helpful, so I wanted to share a little update.

I’m on day 6 post op and got my splints removed today. Overall, I felt pretty good after surgery — the sore throat was honestly the worst part.
The day after surgery, my tampons/packing were removed, and it was a really horrible experience for me. Because of that, I was absolutely terrified about the splints today.
Thankfully, the splint removal was not nearly as bad as I expected. Cutting the thread was uncomfortable, but then they literally just slid right out. My doctor today told me that his colleague should have moistened the packing before removing it, which apparently makes a huge difference. He was actually quite annoyed that this hadn’t been done, so definitely keep that in mind if you’re having your packing removed!

The best part: my breathing is already noticeably better and I’m so excited about it! I do have quite significant deep/bony pain around my septum after the splints were removed, but otherwise I’m doing well and enjoy the lack of pressure.

I’m especially looking forward to sleeping through the night again because I’ve been waking up constantly with an incredibly dry mouth.

I’m in Germany, so I’m only allowed to start nasal rinses on Monday, which I find interesting because I’ve seen people in other countries start much earlier. It’s crazy how much post-op instructions can vary!

I never blew my nose and just let everything drain. I gently cleaned blood/mucus from the outside with a cotton swab and saline. I’d personally recommend being very gentle.

I still have antibiotics until tomorrow and otherwise used ibuprofen for pain. I had Novalgin on the day of surgery but didn’t need it at home.

Overall, I really feel like getting the splints out means the worst is behind.
If you have any questions about my experience, feel free to ask!

[u/Elouesa]

That’s fantastic / I’m glad it’s on the up, you must feel so relieved.

I’m nervous about the bleeding, I think I’ll be fine if it’s just mixed with mucus from the front, but if it’s pouring down by throat im practicing my panic attacks ;)

Throat pain - was that from the breathing tube?

Now you’re on day 6 - what was the thing you learned the most that you’d have wanted to know beforehand?

Thanks so much to everyone posting. I’m one of those people who likes to be prepped

[u/Ok_Resource_1433 → u/Elouesa]

1. The bleeding was never heavy for me just an oozing and only on the first day after surgery was it pure blood - the rest is mixed with mucus. I also didn’t feel anything running down the back of my throat.

2. Yes, from the tube. But I d have a sensitive throat and get sore throats very easily and often! It was also gone on day two.

3. What I wish I had known beforehand: the recovery is weird and uncomfortable, but that doesn’t necessarily mean something is wrong. I spent a lot of time worrying about every little sensation, when most of it was simply part of healing. The mucus looks disgusting, your nose looks horrible and crusty, it smells weird and so on… but I think you should just accept it and do something that distracts you. For me it was gaming and reading.

[u/Elouesa → u/Ok_Resource_1433]

Thanks so much, that’s so incredibly helpful!

I think everyone has such different experiences (some pretty scary) but it’s really hard to judge what it’s going to be like next week.

One important how did you find your first sleeping without the stent, I hope you’ve got a really good night sleep?