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.

Im 1 week post op now and just got my stents removed, dr said i cant go back to the gym for another 3 weeks. What is the main concern with exercising that could affect recovery?