Post Op Appointment...

I had read online that after sinus surgery there would most likely be a post op appointment that would include 'debridement.'   The word, in and of itself, does not sound pleasant... and as I read more what I learned was that it was possible that the doctor would be scraping out some scabs and other stuff that maybe had collected or it could involve the doctor scraping away a little more tissue if there was a need... pleasant sounding? Not so much...

So.. I kept reading... I found that some people, after sinus surgery don't need the debridement... because they were able to wash away all the icky stuff using the nasal rinses.. ahh.. that sounded much better... and I was pretty regimented with my rinsing... so I was hoping for a peek and run appointment... he would peek, say all is great, and I would run out of the office before any debridement would commence...

My appointment today was at 8:15.  I had not taken any pain meds ahead of time... various sites had different opinions on that... and my doctor had not told me to do so... so I opted not to take anything... after all I haven't taken any medication for sinus pain since the day of surgery.  (I'm tough!) 

I waited in the waiting room... and when I got into the exam room I looked around... it looked as it had in my other appointments... except... on the counter was a tool of sorts... with a loooooooong rod on it... attached to what looked like a magnifier... and I thought.. wow.. that thing... could go through my brain!  And my next thought was... oh look, the assistant forgot to put away the tools from the last patient...

The doctor came in.. and was very pleasant... more pleasant than usual.. and he is usually pretty pleasant... he chatted a bit, asked how I had been doing.  He asked how I had done with pain and I told him I had not taken pain meds for my nose since the day of surgery.  He was taken aback.. he said he was very surprised. He said that is highly unusual, that most patients say they need the pain meds and use most if not all of their prescriptions.  He said that either I had a very high pain tolerance... (Tough, remember?!) or that the pain from the chronic sinus issues had gotten so bad that the surgery pain wasn't an increase... which he said would mean the pain had been pretty bad... I do think I had been in pain for a long time, the pressure had been pretty incredible... and I think, as I learned with pvns, chronic pain is difficult to deal with.. it is something that gradually effects your life and becomes significant.  Anyway...

He told me the surgery had gone really well, that he was astonished at the amount of fluid/mucas/puss that came out!  (gross!!) He said that there would have been no way for my body to get rid of that infection without the surgery.  He said he needed to restructure some things... but, he said, it will help.  He said that sometimes this surgery involves a lot of blood loss, something he had failed to mention before surgery I might add... but that with me, the surgery could not have gone better.  I am happy to hear that... but it does reinforce my theory that I was probably a bit anemic after surgery... (I forgot to ask him about that because of what began to happen!) 

After talking he said he needed to take a peek... (Great! The run preceding peek, right?!!)  He said things look great, healing well... and then he reached for the gloves... Gloves? Ummm.. gloves, sir, are not needed for the running part of the program... he said that while things were looking good there were a few pieces of foam and 'plastic patch' that had not dissolved... and he needed to go in and get them... hmmm... go in and get them, huh? not sure I like the sound of that... so he told me to sit still and that he would get things out... he sprayed my nostrils with something that was supposed to numb things, to reduce the pain I would feel...(tasted AWFUL by the way.. and made my throat a bit numb too, was not a fan of that for most of the morning!)  then he started digging... the first piece he got, he said was a good chunk... (I did not look at it, kept my eyes closed thank you very much.)  He did something which I greatly appreciated... he talked to me the entire time, telling me what he was going to do, what I was going to hear, and what I would feel... I was grateful for that.  He worked in the right side and that was uncomfortable...then he moved to the left side... he worked in there for a bit, and there were some painful moments... he kept assuring me I was doing great and checking in to see if I was breathing and feeling ok or needed a break... again, much appreciated.  The left side was a bit more stubborn... which I suppose makes sense, since that was the side he did most of the work on, including basically drilling a new opening... He stopped for a second and I thought we were done... but he announced he needed to go get a different tool... because there was a piece he needed to get that was not cooperating... I was not thrilled... and thought about running, but... I wanted to make sure everything was as healthy as possible... and so I sat.. and he returned... I closed my eyes, he started working.. shoved that thing into my nose.. and the it hurt... despite the numbing spray... it hurt... not excruciating, but enough to make my eyes water... and it is one of those moments where I had to fight all of my instincts... everything, EVERYTHING in my body told me to pull my head back, away from the instrument and the man from which this pain was initiated... but... the fear of moving in the wrong direction and having things get messy and complicated and possibly piercing my brain was stronger than my instincts... so I sat... and he got the final piece... and told me he was done... and I was very relieved... he told me to continue taking care of myself... to continue rinsing (1 or two times a day is plenty! yahoo!)  and that he would see me again in 2-3 weeks...

I had intended to ask about the surgery, wanting more details about what exactly he did... what the before and after structure was/is... had intended to ask about when to start kayaking, about when I could blow my nose... about the possibility of anemia... and if eating red meat really did help me like I think it did... but I found myself getting up and walking out... After scheduling my next appointment I tried to decide if I should come home and take some pain meds... wondering if once the numbing agent wore off if I would be miserable...  but opted to stay tough... and head to work...

My mood wasn't great when I got to work... wasn't terrible, but I was a bit moody... (a direct result of the morning's trauma I believe!)  But once I got to work and got going on things I started feeling better... as the numbness wore off I felt even better and felt air inside my sinuses where the final foam pieces had been... and it felt so strange... so feel air... the movement of air... felt strange... good, but strange... I feel like I get much more air when I breathe through my nose... Yahoo! 

So.. as I wrap up my week of sinus surgery I would offer the following advice to others who are going to have this surgery. 
1.  When you know something is wrong, medically, advocate to get the care you need.  (Ok not sinus specific, but soo important!) 
2.  Day of surgery, definitely have someone there to take you and bring you home. 
3.  Have someone with you for a couple of days.
4.  No matter how good you feel in the first day or two after surgery, be prepared to have a couple of rough days... where you feel discouraged and maybe even depressed.  Know that days three and four will be hard.  Seemingly simple things are hard and overwhelming.  (a typically enjoyable grocery store could be almost panic inducing...)  so LET YOURSELF REST.  FORCE YOURSELF TO REST without feeling guilty. 
5.  Give yourself 3-5 days off from work, completely off.  
6.   I did not do this but would recommend it... have a few meals made in advance, in the freezer.  You will want to eat, but feeling like cooking is another story.  I wished I had someone here to cook for me and to bring me my food in between my napping... having them ready to warm up would be a great idea. 
7.  Easier said than done, but... realize you had surgery and despite how minor or major that may feel... your body has been altered...and needs time to recover... be patient with yourself...
8.  Whine.  Whine all you want to.. complain...let yourself be vulnerable and needy... but then breathe... and feel the progress...
9.  Expect the debridement... you don't have to embrace it, but expect it...
10.  Allow yourself to look ahead and have hope.. hope that this is a changer... a pivot point, where you can regain and reclaim your energy... take the opportunity. 

Thank you to all who have been inquiring about how I am doing... to Dad and Betty for being here, for Jacey for scooping the cat box (you are not supposed to bend for a while!)  for Sis for her encouragement... and for those who read my complaints and whining either on facebook or through texting... Thanks for putting up with me.  I know I act all tough... but I really hate feeling weak... hate feeling like I am not in control of things... hate not being able to fix things for myself or being able to take care of myself... and often hate feeling needy... but.. it happens... I am lucky enough to have people who understand these things about me... and love me anyway! 

Time for a GOOD night's sleep... contemplating a morning walk before work... I will let you know how that goes!