Rachel Lopez5
Newcomer
7 messages
joined Dec 2011
Hey everyone,
Just wanted to check in and share how things went after my surgery. I was treated by Dr. Smith at Vineyard Opticals. He was such a sweetheart and incredibly patient. I checked in last Tuesday and had the procedure on Thursday (it was a bit busy, so there was a little wait). The surgery took about an hour and a half. I had a deviated septum that was almost completely blocking my right nostril, so while he was at it, the good doctor also smoothed out those tiny bumps on the sides of my bone—you know, where some people get that ridge on top, but mine were more on the sides. Nothing was broken or hacked apart, not even the septum; he just cleared out the excess tissue blocking the airway and fixed the bumps. As for the tip of my nose, which used to look like the little rubber ball on top of a ballpoint pen, the doctor said he’d trim the extra cartilage and then just tucked it down to fix that pointy look, stitching it to the septum (or so I gathered). Thankfully, I have zero bruising—God bless him!—though my nose tip looks a little greenish. I’m not in any pain at all, though the stitches feel a bit tight, so I can't move my upper lip much. I got my packing removed yesterday, and honestly, it didn't hurt one bit, though the tears definitely started flowing instinctively! I was lying down, but if I’d been sitting up, it might have felt worse. I'm getting the cast off tomorrow, so then I'll finally see what the rest of my nose looks like.
Now, regarding the hospital stay: I have nothing but praise for the nurses on the ward; they were all so attentive and kind, especially this one lovely, slender brunette. However, as for the ICU staff... goodness gracious! Since I had to take my contacts out before surgery, I couldn't see a thing afterward. The night nurse would rather stare at the TV than help me get to the bathroom (I'm not helpless, but being without contacts and feeling groggy from anesthesia isn't exactly a piece of cake). I ended up fumbling around in the dark trying to find the restroom, mumbling about where the light switch was, only for her to tell me after two or three minutes of me struggling that the switch was up high and I just needed to press harder. And heaven forbid you ask for water—your throat and lips get bone-dry because you can't breathe through your nose. Also, prepare for some sleepless nights thanks to the snorers in the room. I actually asked the nurse for something to help me sleep, and she offered to give me Ketoral via IV. Even though I told her nothing hurt, she said it would help knock me out. It didn't! In fact, my arm started stinging and burning. When I asked if that was normal, the nurse just goes, "Oh, no, I guess I let the flow go a little too fast," but then added that if she slowed it down, it would take forever to finish (and honey, I’ve got a trip to Hawaii planned as soon as this Ketoral drip is done! 🤦 )
The food itself was pretty terrible (and I'm not a picky eater, but just a heads-up: bring something tasty to snack on so you don't starve). On the bright side, the wards and rooms are spotless. There's plenty of TP, soap, and paper towels, and the cleaning crew works hard and is super friendly. To kill time, I brought my laptop, and a big plus is that the ENT department has open Wi-Fi, so you can surf the web while you wait. Anyway, I've rambled on like a crazy person, but I just really wanted to share my experience at the public hospital in case it helps anyone else. Everything was covered by my insurance, so I didn't have to pay a dime.
So, I do have one quick question for anyone willing to help—what's the best way to deal with the swelling on the tip of my nose? It doesn't look long and pointy anymore; it looks like a potato. 🙂 Does anyone have a "recipe" or a trick to help? Thanks in advance, and cheers to all my fellow nose-warriors!! 🙏
