Rhinoseptoplasty: Correcting a deviated septum

NOTE: This post will be updated almost daily as my recovery occurs.

So, I broke my nose about 7 months ago in a pretty embarrassing way (*cough* faceplant), but managed to avoid telling my family about it for at least 5 months because I was away at school. From the outside, you could hardly tell, except at the right angle in the right light (unfortunately, photography tends to meet both requisites). What bothered me the most, though, was that I had deviated my septum and could barely breathe out of my right nostril. If I had so much as a sniffle or a cold, my nose practically whistled. Last week, after a two-month wait, I was able to get in to see an ears-nose-throat specialist, who declared that a rhinoseptoplasty was indeed what was needed. Not only would they re-break my nose, but also straighten out the septum, which might help get rid of the subtle bump. I elected to have it performed (and half-seriously thought about getting something cosmetic done on the side but didn’t bother ;).

As you can see, my nose is not obviously broken from the front, though a little flattened near the middle; a bump from a profile view is the only outward sign.

A decent look at the part of my nose that was somewhat flattened and deviated...

Normally, I’m sure, the wait would be several months, but my appointment fell on a lucky day with a surgical cancellation 9 days later. Nothing sounded better to me than getting it out of the way ASAP. So, twenty minutes after establishing that I needed surgery, I had a date just over a week away.

The Day Before Surgery

My surgery fell on September 18, and I met with an anesthesiologist the day before to deal with issues surrounding performing surgery on someone with severe asthma. It turns out that a rhinoseptoplasty is impossible to perform with only laughing gas (which has been the solution to my asthma troubles in prior surgeries), but she insisted that a lower dose was provided for asthmatics and that inhalers were kept close by in case of emergency. As it turns out, I experienced no problems with the general anesthetic after being sufficiently dosed with asthma medication, though worst-case scenarios among unlucky patients have resulted in death (in other words, take an active role in your surgery and voice all concerns!).

Despite these possibilities, I was not anxious at all – in fact, my blood pressure was so low in the couple hours before surgery that they offered me a bed on which to take a nap. I only anticipated that I will have an easier time breathing in the future, and it’s a bonus if my nose looks straight from both sides in the future!

I was notified that I would be wearing a nose cast for the first week, which excited me to NO end (and yes, all my friends will sign it), and my nose will remain quite swollen for another week after its removal… Basically, 2 weeks sans exercise, and then give it a break until it has completely healed at 4 months, but it should be pretty much back to normal (aka. not filled with blood and discomfort) after a month.

The Day of Surgery:

I was told to show up for 9:45am, and since I was had not been allowed to eat since midnight, I chose to show up for 9:00am. What I hadn’t realized was that my “arrival time” did not coincide with “surgery time,” so I soon found out that the actual surgery would occur at noon. Trust me – that is a looong time to go without eating for me! The ol’ stomach spent most of the day rumbling.

I got to change into the fab outfit below, after an interview to go over my medications and take my vitals (bonus: I was given some Tylenol and something to battle anxiety, so I was definitely chilled out by the time surgery rolled around):

Irresistible, down to the footies ;)

Before I was rolled into the surgical room, I had another quick interview with the anesthesiologist, and got a few puffs from an asthma inhaler. Then they hooked me up to an IV and put on an oxygen mask as they got everything set up. They warned me that it would feel like I had “had a few drinks,” and asked me to let them know when it kicked in. I winked at them and mumbled “You all suddenly look beeeautiful” and that got them laughing. “Guess you’re not feeling too nervous, huh?” Soon enough, my cocktail put me to sleep, though I wish I could have gotten away with videotaping the experience to see what the hell went on with my nose…

I drifted back into consciousness when I was rolled into the surgical daycare unit, but passed back out for about a half hour before I was awake and fully aware. They kept me lying down for at least another hour after that, but they propped up my back and I got away with doing some texting. Then I was rolled to the next waiting room, where I spent about another hour before a family member was allowed to check me out of the hospital. Here, they allowed me to get up to use the washroom, and considering how little my nose hurt (which I now obviously attribute to being intensely medicated), it surprised me how shaky I was on my feet for the first bit. My “mustache bandage” (yup, seriously) had to be changed frequently this first day, especially if my head lowered for an instant and gave the gift of gravity to awaiting stores of blood in my nose. Really attractive, I know.

Anyhow, I clearly had a good time documenting myself on the day of surgery, so I won’t post even a portion of these photos… Only enough to show how quickly my black eyes appeared over the evening.

And finally, my profile view from both sides at the end of the Day of Surgery:

Day 2 (First Day Post-Surgery):

Still no pain – I suspect my nose is still mainly numb from the anesthetic. Touching the tip of my nose results in no sensation. It is a bit more swollen than yesterday, but otherwise, I am feeling quite capable. Have to drink everything (including coffee!) out of straws, because I choke pretty easily. Still wearing the mustache-bandage, as well…pretty steady flow of blood!

Day 3:

The numbness is wearing off, but instead of pain there is mostly a sense of discomfort and pressure (and a slight headache). Stopped needing the mustache-bandage by this afternoon, since the steady bleeding has stopped. I was also able to clean up the area a little so it looks good – well, better – though it is still useless for breathing! Mornings feel like I’ve spent the night swallowing cotton balls. Still drinking out of straws, of course – never realized how much my nose comes in handy for swallowing. Still avoiding solid foods, as well, since chewing causes some pain. Being a passenger in a car is still extremely uncomfortable, and I found myself to be easily irritable.

Day 4:

I can smell!! Not that I can properly breathe through my nose yet – although it occasionally clears up enough that I can feel the air flow – but I have definitely regained a sense of smell and, accordingly, a respectable appetite. I am eating some more solid foods but there is still pain associated with chewing. I was able to leave my house for a couple of hours to catch a movie, but it was followed by extreme exhaustion when I got home. I also spent much of the previous night and this morning experiencing nausea. Can’t imagine how horrible throwing up would be. My shiners are really coming along, too! Very swollen around the eyes, skin pulled taut.

Like a raccoon.

Day 5:

The swelling in my face has gone down a lot, which somehow makes my black eyes stand out even more – I look ragged today! Make-up easily could have covered up the past few days, but not right now. I have been breathing much more easily out of my nose today; the downside of this, is that the air flow against my still-sensitive inner nose workings has caused a few sneezing fits. GROSS. I can’t tell whether I look more like a raccoon or a bug today. Regardless, today is the first day I have spent mainly out of bed without periods of exhaustion – it is also the first day following a decent night’s rest (was able to sleep almost in a horizontal position instead of sitting up!).

Like a bumblebee

Day 7:

The nose-cast was removed. I feel somewhat vulnerable, because my nose is so numb it still feels as though the cast were on. Still have the black rings under my eyes, and my nose is fat – it does, on first inspection, appear to be straighter than before. TMI perhaps, but looking up my nostrils shows that the deviation was corrected and I expect to be able to breathe normally again. Fun fact: the doctor told me I shouldn’t wear glasses for a month, as it might leave permanent indents in my nose. So much for paintball next week. I am also now allowed to [gently] blow my nose. Anyhow, look embarrassingly disproportionate, so will not leave the house today.

Day 8:

No change. Well, somehow, my nose might be fatter. And pink. Still not leaving the house.

Day 9:

Nose is less fat, and a little less numb. My features looks more proportional. Hallelujah! Perhaps social interaction is in order.

Straighter than before!

The healing is almost complete…

A Couple Months Later

I am still being delicate with my nose (they said it isn’t completely healed until about 4 months later), though I can usually blow it comfortable. It still hurts if it gets touched with too much pressure (like if I’m washing my face and forget to be careful). The coolest part is that my nerves are starting to heal, so while many areas are still fairly numb or insensitive to the touch, some areas are hypersensitive, such that I get a little tickle up my nose if I touch them! On the outside it’s not perfect, nor does it really look different to the “untrained eye” (being: not me), but it doesn’t have the flat, noticeably crooked area where I broke it. I guess to change the outside you really need to go for the rhinoplasty – however, my breathing is much improved out of my right nostril, so I’d call it a success! I will update again at “full recovery.”

2 months post-surgery; straighter but not perfect, swelling gone, still sensitive