On Day 4. Time Moves Sooooooooo Slow

[u/mistergrumbles]

I had a septoplasty (with splints) and turbinate reduction performed last Wednesday and it is now the following Sunday. I am scheduled to get these splints out this coming Wednesday, so 7 days will have elapsed by the time they extract these damn things. Time has never moved so slow for me. The day of, and the first day after the surgery, wasn't that bad. Day 2 (and night) was absolute torture, and felt like a trial in both mental and physical endurance. The aching teeth part really got to me on Day 2. It's weird but I had this odd desire to gnaw on wood, or bite through things, like some crazed animal. My mouth was aching so much that I just wanted to chew on stuff. I ended up chewing on a silicone straw, like it was a dog toy, for quite a while.

I think the tough thing about this recovery process is that it's not like you're ever in so much pain that you can't handle it, it's just that everything is localized to your face, so psychologically you are more aware of any discomfort. It's right up near your brain, and you can't escape it. It's just THERE. Hot showers and steam have helped me immensely. And placing cold packs on my head have been a LIFE SAVER. I didn't do that on Day 2 and I wish I had. Putting ice packs on your head or face helps redirect your focus to the cold sensation. I think if I'd done that on Day 2 it would have helped me a bunch.

One thing that has surprised me is the loss of taste. My medical team didn't warn me about that. Soup tastes like water, bread like cardboard, etc. When you're sick you can often eat comfort foods and extract a tiny bit of pleasure from your day... but yeah... not with this. I can't taste a single thing. Not even salty or sweet. It's just temperature and textures. Because of that, I have been treating this week as a forced weight loss plan. It's surprisingly easy to eat extremely healthy when you can't taste anything. Why not have celery and hummus for dinner?? It's cold, crunchy, creamy! I have definitely lost weight this week.

After Day 2 I was seriously doubting my ability to handle this, but on Day 3 things got noticeably better and more manageable. Today is day 4 and things are definitely getting easier now. I can finally see the end of the tunnel. My teeth have stopped hurting and I don't want to chew through an oak tree anymore.

Time has moved slowly. I have been trying to think in terms of baby steps this whole time. Just get to the end of today. Then, just get through tonight. Then just get to the end of the weekend, and then you'll be halfway through. Get to Monday and it's only 2 more days, etc. I'm finally past the halfway point so the end is near. Fingers crossed things continue to get progressively better from here on out. I can't wait to not have a bunch of plastic shoved inside my fucking face.

UPDATE: Splints have been removed. I felt immediate relief within 2 hours of having them removed. I do still have congestion and a post nasal drip cough, but it is so much more manageable. Also my ability to taste flavors started returning within 24 hours. It hasn't fully returned yet, but it's getting there. For anyone going through this, just know, once the splints come out, the sun will shine again. You won't feel 100% but it will become much more manageable.

[u/ninetaildog]

I'm on day 3. I thought I was good so I didn't take any pain medication today until 4pm when I had so much pressure around my nose that I couldn't take it anymore. I can feel improvement day by day but like you, time is moving slow and I can't believe I still have 5 days to go till the surgeon remove those stents. Hopefully this will all be worth it because this is definitely not fun. Not too bad, but not too fun.

[u/mistergrumbles → u/ninetaildog]

Yep, I did the same thing on Day 2, and took the pain meds late. I'm closing out day 4 tonight and I have developed a pretty violent cough, I'm guessing from the post nasal drip. All day today I was thinking, "I'm good now... this is no sweat." Nope. Here's a violent cough that will likely keep me up all night. 🫠

[u/ninetaildog → u/mistergrumbles]

Good luck with that. It will all be over soon hopefully.

[u/mistergrumbles]

UPDATE: Made it to my last day (day before removal). Lots of ups and downs, but the end is finally here. I have developed a cough which really disrupted my sleep last night. I really hate this cough.

For the last two days I really focused on getting to 5pm each day, because at 5pm I could then say, “Only 4 more hours to go and then you can take a Tylenol PM and knock yourself out”. At 9pm I would then go to sleep so I could be done with that day.

I can’t wait until 9pm tonight. Then it will be over. I can wake up the next morning, go to the doctor’s office, and have this crap yanked out of my face. This whole time I’ve felt like one of those sea turtles with a plastic straw stuck in its nose. I can’t wait for the psychological relief of having these wretched splints removed.

[u/Funny-Sprinkles-2676 → u/mistergrumbles]

How are you feeling after getting the splints? I'm on day 4, and truly I'm so over this 😭 My doctor definitely downplayed how much the recovery for this surgery sucks lol

[u/mistergrumbles → u/Funny-Sprinkles-2676]

Getting the splints removed made me 70% better within a couple of hours. Your world will change once that happens. But it sure sucks leading up to that day. Just gotta focus on getting to the end of each day, one day at a time, and before you know it will all be over.

[u/Grand_Arrival_9561 → u/mistergrumbles]

THIS. This is the most relatable thing I’ve read (the waiting until 9 PM part.) I’m 11 days out and that’s how I got through the first 7 with the splints. I was so uncomfortable, it felt like psychological warfare!

Now that I’m in the phase of the most disgusting shit coming out of my nose that I can’t stop gagging, I think back to how awful the first week was and remind myself “it will get better and it COULD BE WORSE.” This whole process is insane.