What We Have Been Up To

Not a whole lot has happened in the last month, but we did do a few things. I had surgery, went to a baby shower, went to a birthday party, a basketball game, two days of distance learning (due to snow days), a few dinners out, a magic show and a overnight trip to Las Vegas. But I mostly have been healing and recovering from an infection.

I thought I would give a little photo dump of what we have been up to. I do have a post planned showing my healing progress over the last few weeks. That should be coming in a week or so.

Pre-op

Post op

Baby Shower:

The baby shower was catered and it was so good. I was about 9 days post op (in the thick of my infection) so I took it easy and enjoyed the food and sitting. By the end I was so worn out and tired.

We had two days of distance learning which was awful when one person is recovering and working from home. I had to resign the girls in every 40 minutes, help with school work and rest. It was chaos, but we made it through.

A fire truck themed birthday party! With a real fire truck and demo.

The magic show. This show is a magic show combined with a dance show. We really want to take the girls to this. Some of the costumes are a bit risky, but nothing that they wouldn't see at a beach. 

And that is what we have been up to. I can't wait to catch up with you all more.

Friday Update

I had planned to be back to writing, commenting and reading blogs, but I had a bit of a set back. If you have been following me on IG, then you would have seen some progress pictures. You would have also seen that yesterday I noticed a bump on the right side of my nose. I went to the doctor for another check-up (even though I had been there the day before) and he said my face was really swollen, my nose was very red and I was in a lot of pain. None of this is good and it is indicative of an infection. 

When he asked if I had a fever, I said I wasn't sure since I had not taken my temperature since surgery. But that I couldn't get myself warm at all. I have had to triple up the blankets and wear socks everywhere and I was still cold. Yep. That is pointing to an infection.

So I got on antibiotics did warm compress all evening and into this morning and I am about to go in for my follow up. 

My nose seems a bit less swollen, but the pain is still awful. So here's to hoping it doesn't affect my surgery results and I don't have to go back under for a fix. 

Have a wonderful weekend. I will update on IG later and I will be back Monday with a post. 

Still Recovering

Hi All! I thought I would be back to writing posts, commenting on your blogs and back in the swing of things. BUT this surgery recovery has been hard. Harder than I thought it would be. Even though they warned me about it. But I thought I would bounce back quickly.

To be honest, I have gone out a bit (I went to the rodeo on Monday since we had tickets for months and I didn't know my surgery would be moved up), but it definitely set me back yesterday. I was bleeding again and my goodness have I been sore. 

So I am listening to my body and taking more time. I hope to be back next week. Fingers crossed. But in the meantime, I watch all your stories on Instagram.

See you soon! And thank you for being so patient about me getting back to you all.

Surgery

So if you have noticed that I am lagging on responding to comments or commenting on your blog posts, it is because my surgery was moved up to Monday. I am currently laying up at home resting, sleeping, and healing.

On Tuesday May 31st I got a call from my surgeon's office letting me know that my surgeon needed to cancel or reschedule my surgery (it was supposed to be on Monday June 27th). They said they had a cancellation for Monday June 13th and I could take that or I would have to wait until August. 

Since I scheduled this surgery date over two months ago, I didn't want to wait it out any longer. And I got back from my Graeagle trip on the 11th, so I figured why not? 

It took some time to change all my other appointments, work commitments, etc., but I got it done. So if I am slow to respond to your comments, please know I will probably next week.

Now onto healing and recovering.

My Asherman's Syndrome Story

I have went back and forth on writing about my experience with Asherman's Syndrome. You can visit that link to see what Asherman's is all about. But basically it is having adhesions/scarring in your uterus and/or cervix. It often develops from c-sections, miscarriages resulting in a D&C or leftover/retained placenta. Mine is from the first two.

But let me back up a bit and tell you all something I kept a secret from my blog and many people. I was pregnant in June 2021. It was a surprise and after the initial shock wore off, we were very excited. We had some worries about me and my health after having an emergency c-section with the girls, but my doctor was confident in my pregnancy care.

Fast forward to end of July 2021 (right before my birthday) and I had a miscarriage. Devastated doesn't even begin to cover my feelings (I am crying even typing this out). After trying pills to "complete the miscarriage", I ended up having a D&C. I went under general anesthesia for it, woke up and felt empty. 

Fast forward to December when I still hadn't had a period since getting pregnant. My doctor tried the wait it out method, tried using progesterone to kick start my period, tried using estrogen and progesterone combo and nothing was working. I requested some blood work on my hormones and everything came back normal. I told my doctor that I had done research and suspected Asherman's Syndrome. After 5 months of advocating for myself, they went to the next step.

The next step was a hysterosalpingography or a HSG. This is a test where a radiologist places a balloon and catheter in the cervix and injects dye into the cervix and uterus and then takes x-rays. This is to see if there is any blockages. The first attempt at mine and the balloon came out. The second attempt, they were able to inject the dye, but it only went in about an 1/8th to a 1/4 inch. When they tried to push more dye in, to break up any blockages, the balloon came out again. They tried one more time and it was the same result.

The radiologist gave me my results in real time and said I had major blockages. I also want to note that this isn't a comfortable procedure for most. If you have a lot of blockages they say it hurts more.

My doctor was given the results and I was told that they suspected that I had Asherman's. The next step was a Hysteroscopy using TruClear. This is a procedure where a scope goes into cervix and uterus that shaves/cuts out the scarring and sucks it up which goes into a medical waste container. The scope projects onto a big screen tv, so they can see all of the adhesions/scar tissue and remove it all.

I found out my diagnosis on a Tuesday and surgery as scheduled for the following Monday.

The procedure took about an hour and a half to complete and I woke up feeling better than I have after most surgeries. I think this is because my anesthesiologist found the right meds to not make me so sick after.

My doctor told me in recovery that everything went well. I had a lot of scarring at the opening of the cervix to the uterus, all along the sides of my uterus, where my c-section scar is (the internal side of it), and at the top of my uterus leading into my fallopian tubes. So basically, I had a ton of it. She got almost all of it out. She then put me on estrogen to help thicken the lining up and prevent more scar tissue from forming (fingers crossed).

I took that estrogen for about 2 weeks and was told that I would have to do a repeat HSG about 7 to 9 days after my next cycle. They will then check if the scar tissue came back. She did say that 50% of patients had it come back and had to have another repeat of this surgery. But let's hope I am better than the 50%.

And that is secret that I kept from you all and the journey I have been going through for the last 6 months.

Sutton's Surgery and a Bridal Shower

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I wanted to keep today's post light. Today Sutton FINALLY has her surgery on her cyst on her head. If you remember, it was supposed to be in June, but it was cancelled/postponed since her surgeon had broke her femur and blew out her knee.

Well today is the day. She had her covid test on Thursday and we were given the clear for surgery. So if you could, please send Sutton all your prayers. It is a simple surgery, but this is my little girl.

And since I didn't have much else to share today, I thought I would share my cousin's bridal shower that I attended a couple weeks ago. This is the wedding that my girls will be flower girls in.

Her mom and sister put on such a cute shower.

But first, my nails that I got done for the shower to match my dress.

This was one of the games. You had to guess where each photo was taken.

Beautiful and delicious cookies.

Family (and one friend)

Cousins

I am wearing that Abercrombie and Fitch dress I shared a few weeks ago.

Have a wonderful start to your week!

Post Surgery Necessities

*This post contains affiliate links. When you click a link, it is no cost to you and I make a small commission (pennies) from it. Thank you for supporting Sparkles and Lattes. 

I can't tell you how many blogs, facebook groups and Real Self reviews I have scoured for post op supplies. The last thing you want is to need something after surgery and you can't get it since you can't drive. Yes, your spouse can help or Amazon can ship it to you, but it is easier to have it on hand before. 

So I have compiled a list of items I have used over my many surgeries.

Reusable Steel Straws Pretty much any straws will work, but these ones are reusable, come with a cleaning tool and have various sizes.

Arnica Pellets These are a must have after surgery. I have also taken the tablets too. One of these is better than the gel as it hurts to rub the gel on, some places you can't rub the gel on them and these work quickly. I have used these after every surgery. It helps with the pain, bruising and swelling.

Chapstick Use whatever chapstick you have lying around or a favorite. But your lips always are dry after surgery. Also drink more water and it will help with the dry lips as well.

Butter Socks These are my favorite cozy, soft socks. I wear them all the time and they are essential after surgery. Gotta keep those toes warm!

Button Up PJs Pretty much any button up pjs will work and I get pants for the winter and shorts for the summer. But it is often hard to pull items over your head after surgery and this alleviates that.

Reading Pillow This is a newer item for me, but I wish I had bought it many years ago. It is so comfy, holds it shape and is extra large, so it is better for adults. And once I am fully recovered and don't need it to sit and sleep, we will use it for reading, hanging out and lounging. Even Rory has enjoyed this pillow. Often times after surgery you have to sleep at a 30 to 45 degree angle for weeks and this pillows helps so you are not stacking pillows on top of each other and trying to get the right amount of comfort without the pillows falling over. I have been there way too many times.

Throat Lozenges This is a must. You can order whatever kind you like, but with many surgeries (almost all of mine), you are intubated (a tube down your throat) which means your throat is sore for a few days post surgery. I could barely talk the day after surgery from the intubation, and these helped.

Dry Shampoo This is my favorite dry shampoo and I used it a lot post surgery. I did wash my hair every few days, but the first couple days post surgery, you most likely can't shower. 

Smooth Move Tea This is also a new to me product. Your doctor advises you to take Stool Softeners pre and post surgery, but they don't make you go. Just not hurt when you go. A friend recommended this tea to me (from my facebook group about diastasis recti repair) and it has worked wonders. Yes, I am embarrassed that I am talking about tea that makes you go #2. But it works. And the original flavor is like a black licorice which I hate, so I got this one to drink at night with Chamomile and it works the next morning.

Stool Softeners My doctor gave me a prescription for this, but I have had to purchase it on my own in the past. These are meant to be taken pre and post surgery to help you have softer stool. Taking pain pills constipates you and this plus the tea will help with that.

Ibuprofen Now I have taken Motrin, Advil and a few other brands of ibuprofen and they all work well (at least for me). But all of my pain meds had acetaminophen in them and I was told to take ibuprofen every 6 hours to help with inflammation and pain.

Protein Drinks/Shakes This is also a new thing for me, but my doctor told me to stick to liquids, protein bars and bone broth the first few days. Your body needs protein to heal and to keep you from feeling sick due to lack of calories. I have seen other blogger friends like this brand and I tried the chocolate one and it is really good. I have drank many of these over the last 2 weeks.

Other items:

Extra pillow for under your knees

Ice packs

Large Cup or Water Bottle

Snacks

Bone Broth

Probiotics

Vitamins

Binder (if you had abdominal surgery)

Another Surgery Update

I had another post planned today, but after having my post op appointment on Thursday, I thought I would update you all. I was going to post this in my Friday Favorites and Happenings post, but my appointment went pretty long. And then I had to pick up new prescriptions.

Anyways, I had my post op with my doctor's PA. He assisted in my surgery, so I felt that it was fine having it with him. He asked me how I was doing after surgery. I told him about the nausea and how long it lasted (way too long), the pain, the bleeding from one incision, the call to their office for further instructions on my wound and nausea, the difficulty sleeping, the muscle spasms in my stomach and the extreme tenderness on the hernia.

Well it turns out that I had three hernias. We never did an ultrasound or scan as it was very apparent that I had a hernia and DR (diastasis recti). When they opened me up, I had a very large hernia (the one we knew about) and two smaller ones. So it went from being a pretty straight forward surgery to more complicated. They sutured all three of them up and then went to work repairing my DR. He said they stitched me from my sternum to almost my c-section scar, but not quite all the way. 

He said the pain at the big hernia is common because they did so much work to it. He said that my muscles are very inflamed which is normal, so they are "bunched up or rolled on top of each other right now". That is causing a lot of the pain and spasms. A spasm is the natural way for the body to combat the inflammation and pain. I also had some adhesions on my muscles.

He looked at my incisions and said they are healing nicely and he could see where the one that was bleeding had rescabbed over. I have no redness, hotness or pain at the incisions. BUT he said my abdomen is very swollen. More swollen than he would like to see.

It means that I need to slow down. I need to rest more. I can't lift things. I should break up my daily walks (that I have been taking since Sunday) either into two shorter walks, go slower on my walk, or rest a lot after my walk. He also told me to ice my abdomen for 10 to 15 minutes on, one hour off, and repeat as much as I can through the day. And if on Sunday (yesterday), if my swelling has gone down a lot, then I can do heat for 5 minutes, ice for 5 minutes, repeat once and then do the same in the evening.

He also told me that since I am fit, the surgery went well and didn't take long, but fit people tend to overdo it, and tear the work the doctor's have done because they are too anxious to get back into the gym or overdoing it. So he made it very clear to me that I need to rest. I can't lift more than 10 lbs for 3 weeks (post surgery) and 15 lbs from week 3 to 6. And I can't do anything other than walking. After 6 weeks, I can do the elliptical, run and bike. And I should watch myself that if it is uncomfortable, stop and try again a few days to a week later. And after 8 weeks, I can lift more than 15 pounds. And even then, I need to watch myself. He will give me some core exercises that I can start after the 8 weeks are up.

Sleep was another question that I asked him. I told him at night, I get the spasms and have a hard time sleeping. I asked how much longer do I need to sleep at a 30 to 45 degree angle? He said until my body feels comfortable. Meaning that I can lay down without pain, I can get myself up without pain and the spasms stop. So he said to go by my body. I can take some pillows away and see how it goes, if it works, great, if not, try again a few days later. Basically it all comes down to my body and how it is healing. Right now, it is slow go and I need to rest.

I go back to see him on the 18th as he didn't feel comfortable waiting a month with how swollen and uncomfortable I was. He gave me new prescriptions for the muscle spasms and the pain and sent me on my way.  

Here is a photo update as of Friday February 5th.

Diastasis Recti and Umbilical Hernia Repair Surgery

Oh gosh, where do I even begin with this surgery update? I gave you all a little update yesterday, but I wanted to talk more in depth on how the recovery for this surgery has been.

But let's back track to the day of surgery. I can't even begin to express how nervous and anxious I was. I didn't sleep much the days leading up to surgery and Monday morning I was up at 4:30 ish, but didn't get out of bed til 7. I just scrolled Instagram and let me nerves ramp up. Ha.

I showered, blow dried my hair and then took some before photos.

You can see the bulge where my hernia was. On this photo, it is to the top right of my belly button and leading down into my belly button.

I took it from the front view also, so you can see how my belly button was bulging out due to the hernia.

My parents took me to the hospital, but only one of them was allowed to come back with me. My dad said everyone always wants their moms and my mom hadn't been there for a surgery yet, so she was to go back with me. My dad saw a friend at the hospital and did some reading while waiting for my mom. 

I am thankful for my mom being there to chat with, talk about my sister's baby shower and to keep my mind off the upcoming surgery. Plus when she met my surgeon, she knew him from her work and seeing his name on paperwork all the time. He is such a kind man. And my anesthesiologist was so funny.

Now this is probably different for each hospital, but I had to wipe down my body with 6 warm towelettes that had a cleaning solution on them. Then I put on my gown and socks. Then I had to brush my teeth with this solution and then use it as a mouth wash. Then I had to put iodine swabs up my nose (twice). Then I got my IV. Oh and I wore my mask the whole time other than the teeth brushing and nose swabbing.

At 11:20ish, I said my goodbyes to my mom and then I was wheeled to the operating room. Once inside, I moved from one bed to the operating table. They took my mask off, got me situated, gave me something to calm me down and I was out.

My surgery lasted 1 hour and 17 minutes according to the notes I received. But I was in there for an hour and a half including prep.

Now this is where it gets sucky. I had a hard time coming out of anesthesia. I warned my doctor about it and they took extra precautions for nausea and sleepiness, but this was one of the worst times for me. Last time, they got my mixture right and it was easy. Not so much this time. I spent an additional 30 minutes in recovery before going to the secondary room. And I spent an additional 30 minutes in there too. We just couldn't get my nausea under control nor the pain. But the one thing that changed and helped was these essential oil pods that were used for nausea. They have lavender, peppermint, ginger, and spearmint in them. I still have some of these and they are amazing.

When I had to transfer from the recovery bed to the recovery chair, I thought I was going to pass out from the pain. I had to wrap my arms around my nurses neck and move. It was awful. And I kept almost throwing up which isn't what you want after abdominal surgery.

After a long while, I was able to start getting dressed with my moms help. Then I was ready to leave. They gave me a pillow to keep pressed against my stomach for the pain and pressure. 

In 2016 when I had this surgery, I didn't experience this much pain and nausea. I think the combination of the extra sutures inside me (I was stitched from my sternum to my c-section scar) and being older, it was tougher.

My parents drove me home and Rory met us at the house. I kept thinking I was going to throw up, but it never came. Thank goodness. Once I got a protein drink in me and took a pain med, I was feeling so much better. 

The rest of the evening was spent trying to eat something, controlling the pain and nausea and sleeping. It was a rough night and I spent most of it watching Friends and Sex and the City.

But each day has gotten better. I had some major nausea for the first 3 days after surgery. But those packets above helped a ton. Plus drinking protein drinks and eating protein bars.

Even though I was allowed to shower the day after surgery, I didn't have the strength to do it. I did that Wednesday. And I have showered every day since then. Here are some photos from Wednesday post shower.

Three small incisions and some major swelling going on.

You can see that they pulled my belly button back in. And those marks on my stomach were from the binder that I started wearing on day 2.

On Friday, I was told to take off the bandages. I did this before taking a shower and the bottom one was bleeding a lot. You can see in the previous photos that the bottom incision had blood on the gauze, but once the bandages were off, I think it took part of the scab with it. I couldn't get the bleeding to stop until after the shower and applying pressure to the wound. I had to put on another gauze and tape combo per the nurse. Yes, I had to call my doctor's office just in case I needed to be seen since it was a Friday and headed into the weekend.

I can't believe I am showing you these photos, but I want others to have a true account of this surgery as I looked for posts like this pre surgery. And yes, my belly is still very swollen and will be for weeks.

So here we are a week and a day out from surgery and this is what it looks like now.

So I wasn't allowed to drive for the first 5 days post surgery. I didn't drive until I was a week out. I can't lift more than 10 lbs (basically a gallon of milk) for 4 weeks. I was told to try to go on small walks until I was 4 weeks post surgery. Then I could start the elliptical and long walks. At 6 weeks, I can start running and the stair stepper, but no weights until at least 8 weeks. Now all this could change and be extended tomorrow when I go to my post-op appointment. 

The area where my hernia was is very tender. I can't even touch it without pain. So I am hoping it is just my nerves reconnecting and healing. But it is something I am asking my doctor about. Oh and sneezing, laughing and coughing are awful. They engage your abs and hurt so much. Rory had me laughing at something funny I said Monday night and I paid for it dearly on Tuesday. I could barely move all day. BUT I did get my short walk in that day.

I plan to do another update maybe a month or so out just to see the progress.

Have you had any major abdominal surgeries?

A Little Update

So I had planned to be more active on my blog, on IG (me recording stories chronicling my surgery and recovery) and just in general. And then this surgery kicked my butt. It still is, but thankfully, I am feeling way better this week than last. I did watch so many stories last week. That made me smile and got me through the insane amount of nausea that I experienced. So thank you for all your wonderful stories and daily life updates! And thank you to everyone who reached out to me during this. Your prayers were definitely felt!

Surgery is rough as you get older. I went into this surgery being healthy and as fit as I could be. I worked my butt off to get in the best shape possible for surgery. I knew if I did that, that recovery would be easier and my results would last. BUT god had other plans for me. This recovery has been tough. 

I have my post-op on Thursday, so we will see what really went down inside my belly, how I am recovering from a physical standpoint (I had a bit of a scare on Friday) and what I can do to continue to recover.

I have a post coming tomorrow that is more of a weekly update. I am doing this for others who seek information on diastasis recti and hernia repair, as a diary of events for me to look back on (I looked back on my past hernia surgeries for how I did in recovery) and for you all to see what it is really like.

Stay tuned!

Umbilical Hernia Repair and Diastasis Recti Repair Surgery Update

So I didn't want to put this out there until I was closer to the date, BUT I am having surgery next Monday morning (January 25th). I finally got everything rescheduled and with a different doctor. It is one of the original three doctors that I saw for a consult and I just feel like this is the safest option and I wasn't "pulled around" by them.

Let me back up...after my last surgery was postponed/cancelled, I was told that I would have surgery in January. I needed to follow certain steps to make sure I was healthy and could reschedule on January 4th. I was told that they were holding a time slot on January 21st for me, but to call on January 4th to confirm. This was after jumping through several hoops and after their vacation was over. 

I called on January 4th right when they opened, and was told that the first opening was on February 4th, but they had to call the hospital to make sure there was availability. I asked why the 21st, 26th, 28th and February 2nd had already been booked? She didn't have an answer for me. She said she would call me back that afternoon and I said ok. I never got a phone call back that day. Then I called the next day to pay my bill that was sent the day before, and was told that I would get a call back regarding my surgery that afternoon. Great. Guess what, no call. I even called her back and left her a message a day after.

And I still haven't heard back from that surgeon. When there is smoke, there is fire. I worry that even though I am a long time patient of hers (2 previous surgeries with her), that her front staff is just lacking. She is an incredible surgeon, but I feel like God is telling me that this isn't the right doctor this time. I also worry that they will mess up the coding with my insurance and have to deal with that on top of recovering from surgery. Or that my surgery will be scheduled for end of February (at this rate) and I have my sisters baby shower, Mexico and the pandemic could get worse and cancel surgeries. Plus the biggest concern is my pain. I have had a lot of pain over the last month. Sometimes stopping me in my tracks and contemplating the ER. I don't want to go that route as that means it is an emergency surgery with my intestines/bowels coming through the opening.

This wasn't a decision that I took lightly. This other doctor specializes in this and was recommended by the other plastic surgeon that I saw for a consult and did my hernia repair in 2016. He was fantastic and did an incredible job, but he felt that I was safer this route and had a significantly less chance of my belly button dying due to lack of blood supply. 

So I have umbilical hernia repair and diastasis recti repair next Monday. The diastasis repair (DR) is to close the gap in my abs from my sternum to the top of my belly button, so that another hernia won't (or has a less chance of happening) come back and to strengthen my abdominal wall. This is my third umbilical hernia and hopefully my last. During my second hernia repair, the plastic surgeon who recommended this new doctor, fixed my hernia and repaired my abs from my belly button down to my c-section scar. So that part is stable and strong, but my upper area isn't. 

I looked back on some blog posts from both hernia surgeries and after reading the second surgery post and recovery, it reminded me how hard this recovery will be. BUT hopefully this is the last time. Fingers crossed. 

If you could keep me in your thoughts and prayers next Monday, that would be amazing. 

Nose Surgery Update

I feel like I have written this post before, but with just a few different details. I hope this is my last post like this. Fingers crossed.

So about a week ago, I went into an Ear, Nose, Throat doctor for the next installment on my nose. I chose the best in my area and fortunately, he is covered by my insurance. Unfortunately, I had to wait a month and a half to get in to see him and that was with my previous doctor's recommendation and help.

I arrived at the appointment not knowing what I would find out. After an initial exam by the nurse, she said I needed a CT Scan. I thought this meant I wasn't going to get much info that day, but after my CT was done. Lucky for me, they had an in office CT machine. So we got my CT Scan done and waited for the doctor to come in. He had all the notes, pictures and hospital documents from my previous surgeries.

Once he came in and did an exam on my nose, throat, ears, eyes and sinuses, he took a look at the new CT Scan. He said that the hole in my nose was 5 mm by 4 mm. He said that my sinuses had fluid in them. He said that my turbinates were enlarged and I had excess tissue at the bottom right side of my nose. So basically four issues going on with me.

He then told me that I had four options:
1. Do nothing.
2. Use the steroid spray (again) and an antihistamine daily (forever)
3. Surgery in his office.
4. Surgery in the hospital.

Then he told me the difference between surgery in the office versus in a hospital. And here is what he said:

In Office:
He would give me pills to sedate me, but still be awake. I would take these at home, have someone drive me to his office and then start the local numbing. Once I was numb, he would cut the excess tissue on the right side of my nose. Then he would do a breathing test to make sure the blockage was gone. Once that was done, he would clean the area out (irrigation, drying, etc.). Then he would cut my turbinates down. Then he would do the breathing test again to make sure I can breathe better. He would do this until he found the optimal results. Then he would clean it again.

Next, he would stick a balloon into my sinus passages and inflate it. He would do this several times to get my sinuses to move and open up. Then he would clean it again after the breathing test. Finally, he would take a silicone button patch and put it into the hole inside my nose and secure it. Then he would clean everything out again.

He would then do a final breathing test and make sure I am feeling ok and can breathe better.

In the Hospital:
I would be given general anesthesia (which would be 3 times in a year). He would do the first two procedures the same but instead of using a balloon on the third procedure, he would cut a bone out of my sinus area. This would require packing (the straw like tubes with the fins on them) to be placed inside my nose for 5 days. It would require a week off of work and three weeks until I could lift my kids and work out. It is more evasive. The final procedure would be the same as in office. And he wouldn't be able to test my breathing out until after which leaves the possibility of another procedure.

I asked him which he would recommend and he said in office. It is less stress to my body, he can check my breathing with each procedure which means I would be less likely to have another procedure. He also said since I survived an emergency c-section being awake, that this wouldn't be that bad. I will feel some pain, tugging and smell the burning, but the results are a lot better this way. So I chose the in office procedure.

I am not excited about being awake for it, but I want the best results.

So that is where I am at on my next nose procedure. My surgery is set for Wednesday September 25th.

It's Surgery Day!

I am dropping in just to let you all know that today is my big day. It is surgery day. Please say a little prayer for me. I seriously hope this is the last time I have to do this. I just want to breathe. I have a posts coming this week and next week while I recover. I will still be reading all of your blogs and hope to be back to my normal (but improved) self soon.

My Nose Update

So I haven't done an update on my nose in what is probably forever or about a month after my surgery. 

If you remember, I had a severe deviated septum, a bone spur inside my right nostril, collapsed nostrils and no support in the tip of my nose. That is what was mostly wrong with my nose. Here is a before picture.

And here is an after surgery photo.

So bad. I had bruising, my nose was huge, but was on the way to being mended. 

Here is my nose 6 days post op.

And then I became a bad blogger and mostly stopped taking photos. I took a few after that, but I didn't keep up with it like I planned. I kept going to my appointments...about every 6 weeks to check up on my nose. Basically, after surgery, my right side was still collapsed in and I was still having a hard time breathing out of that side. The left side was great! Amazing actually.

Fast forward to my 6 month appointment and I went in for a check-up. My right nostril is still collapsing in when I breathe in, where the bone spur was is now extra skin, the tip still has some deviation to it and now I have a hole through the septum. So he recommended surgery again. While he is fixing all of those things, he will fix the bridge to smooth it out since the cartilage didn't take very well there. He will have to take cartilage from either my ear or my rib since he used all of the remaining/extra last time. He isn't sure if he will have to break my nose again until he gets in there, but he will have to re-open the incision on my nose to do an open rhinoplasty. So it will be pretty bad again.

This is the current look to my nose. You can see the left side (right on this photo) is normal and the right side is still very small and completely closes when I breathe in.

I am trying to be optimistic about it. I hope this fixes everything and I will be able to fully breathe out of my right side. And then no surgeries for a long time please. 

I have surgery set for April 30th as that was the first available other than when I am in Mexico for vacation (2 weeks before). I am nervous and not excited about the pain, but I am excited about the afters. My nose was finally not swollen and feeling great, but I knew it wasn't fully functional yet. So here's to round number two. 

Septorhinoplasty Recovery

I recently had septorhinoplasty surgery to fix my severely deviated septum among other things. You can read about that here.

Today I am here to talk about the recovery part. I wrote a bit each day to show the progress of healing and how I felt.

Friday August 10th - 1 day post-op

I was told the night of surgery would be the worst, but I have to disagree. The day after is the worst. All of the anesthesia has worn off, the local pain meds (like lidocaine) have worn off and you are more aware of what just happened.

After waking up, I watched some tv and just laid there. Rory went out to get some coffee (for himself) and some pastries in hopes I could try to eat a bit. I did eat a bit of the pumpkin bread to get something in my stomach.

The bruising really started to come in.

I got dressed and we headed to my post-op appointment at my doctor's office. Once we got settled into the exam room, they laid me back on a movable chair/table. This was rough since I had a hard time laying back. He checked my incisions, checked my stitches, the bruising and made sure my skin hadn't died. Good news, it hadn't. I couldn't take much more, so they made an appointment for Monday and sent me on my way.

On our way home, we stopped for a smoothie with some protein powder in it, so I could get some calories. Then I spent the rest of the day laying around, taking my pain meds, arnica (tablets, which are amazing), antibiotics and zofran as needed. I found when I cleaned my wound, it made me feel sick, so I had to take zofran at that time.

Recovery essentials

The pain was at an all time high and I had wondered why I even went through with this surgery at this point. It was bad and Friday was a very rough day.

I did manage to eat some Indian food for dinner. I only had a small portion, but it was easy to eat.

Saturday August 11th  - 2 days post-op

I slept really well Friday night to Saturday morning. I got 8 1/2 hours of sleep. I only woke up to take pain meds. This felt great. I continued to sit on the recliner and watch tv all day. That is the recovery life. Rory went out to breakfast and to Home Depot while I rested. He brought me home some iced coffee and coffee cake.

While he was gone, I took a bath which was amazing. I set alarms for myself to take my arnica, antibiotics and pain meds. By the time 3 1/2 hours hit, my pain was getting worse and the last half hour was rough.

The girls came home around noon and were complete opposites in how they acted towards me. Sutton was very interested in my surgery. She asked about my bruises, to see the wound, to take off the bandages (over and over again) and said I still looked pretty. Avery on the other hand, wouldn't even come inside the house. She said I was scary. When my father-in-law got her to come inside, she ran into the dining room and hung out with him. She didn't come around me until they left. She was very scared and stayed away from me the rest of the day.

While they napped, I napped. After they got up, they played. Rory set up their pool outside, so they went in that. I came outside and sat in a chair to watch them for awhile, but the heat was a little much for me. But it was nice to get outside and not be in the same chair all day.

That evening, Rory took the girls to get sandwiches. They brought me home one and I ate about half of it. It was really hard to eat since I couldn't open my mouth that much. Since they cut the middle part of my nose (by my nostrils), my top lip and area between my nose and lip was sore, swollen and sort of numb. Plus the more I ate, the more swollen I got.

That night I slept on the couch in an inclined position. I didn't sleep that well and was up watching mindless tv most of the night.

Sunday August 12th  - 3 days post-op

Sunday morning I woke up and the girls were all ready to play, but I had to just relax. The girls had some cereal while they waited for Rory to pick up some more pumpkin bread.

The pain still was awful, but I managed to keep it under control with the pain meds. The bruising was starting to get better and the swelling started to go down.

After taking a bath, we took the girls to the park. I sat on a bench and watched them play for about an hour. We needed some things from Target, but I didn't have the energy to go there, so we headed home. By the time we got home, I was very swollen in my cheeks and jaw. Plus I had lost a lot of color in my face and felt awful. So I laid on the couch and took a nap.

I took this while watching the girls at the park.

The girls ate lunch and then napped. After naps, they went back in their pool. I continued to rest. After the pool, they had a bath and then played with their baby dolls in their room.

You can kind of see the swelling and bruising on my cheeks and jawline.

I didn't do much after the park since it wore me out so badly.

That night I slept on the couch again. I got more sleep than the previous night, but not by much.

Monday August 13th - 4 days post-op

I slept in a bit on Monday morning, but the girls and Rory had work and school. After they left, I slept for a bit longer, but then cuddled Walter on the couch. I had some left over pumpkin bread for breakfast and spent the morning binge watching tv and napping.

I took another bath around 10 am and then went back to relaxing. I felt like the pain was getting better, but I was still taking the pain meds every 4 hours.

I had some avocado toast for lunch and then took a nap.

You can see how much the bruising has diminished and can sort of see the bruising along my jaw line.

At 3 pm, my dad came over to take me to another post-op appointment. I made sure to take a pain med an hour before my appointment, just in case he was going to remove any of the packing, splints or stitches.

At my post-op, my doctor told me more in depth of what he did to my nose, how bad it was and the plan for the appointment. He laid me back in the chair again, and took a look inside my nose. He started on the right side which is the side that had most of the work done to it. He tried clipping the stitches but I started crying from the pain. He went to the other side. While that side hurt a lot, it just didn't hurt as much as the right. He clipped the stitches and then pulled out the splint that was inside. Now I don't have a picture of my splints since I was in pain, but here is what the typical ones look like.

image via

Then he went back to the right side. The problem was, my stitches had blood clots that formed on them, so it was painful to remove those, then clip the stitches and then pull the splints out. After a lot of tears and a few breaks, he removed the splint from the right side and finished taking the stitches out. I still have the stitches on the front of my nose and the cast on until my next appointment.

I had to sit in the chair for awhile since I went really white and my chest went really red. I had to calm down and let the blood flow again.

My doctor said everything was looking good, to take some decongestant and get some rest.

My dad took me to the store for a few things for myself and the girls and then we headed home. I didn't take another pain pill until that night since I can't get a refill. I want to make sure I can sleep, so I just took advil for the rest of the day.

Rory brought home pizza with the girls and we didn't do much. I slept in my bed with many pillows propping me up, but it took awhile to get to sleep as every time I started to fall asleep, I would try to breathe through my nose and would wake myself up.

Tuesday August 14th - 5 days post-op

Tuesday was my first day back at work and it was awful. Not only was I off all pain meds, but sitting at a desk looking at a computer is the worst when you are recovering. I had a deliverable due, so I didn't have much a of a choice. Plus we are in the midst of planning our big work trip.

So I went to work, sat at my desk miserable, answered a ton of questions from my co-workers on my surgery and tried to make it through the day.

Once work was over, we headed to the girls school for a meet and greet for their new classroom/pre-school. This pretty much wore me out. By the time we got home and Rory bathed the girls, I was ready to pass out. I way overdid it for the day. My upper lip had swelled so much that I couldn't close my mouth all the way and the bruising moved down to my lower right cheek.

I went to bed early to try to get some rest. Though sleep hasn't been great other than one night since post-surgery.

Wednesday August 15th - 6 days post-op

I felt a lot better Wednesday morning. I went to work, did all the things and then left at 3 pm to get my cast off. I was pretty excited about this.

My doctor took a couple of stitches out of the middle part of my nostrils, but it is still very swollen, so he couldn't get them all. Then he gently pulled off the cast, but it wouldn't budge. He had to slowly work each side up. Once it was off, it felt amazing, but weird. Then he had to clean off all the tape and glue which hurt a bit since he had to lightly rub my face with the cleaner.

Then my doctor examined the nose. This meant pinching the area where he broke it to see how much swelling was there. He also moved the tip around and it was all uncomfortable, but not too painful. Way less painful than the splints coming out.

I snapped a photo in the car to commemorate the cast coming off. Though I was warned that the next day, it would probably swell up a lot and look weird (spoiler: he was right).

Other than the still very swollen tip, I was pretty happy with the shape, slope and straightness of my nose. Plus my right nostril (left in the photo) will widen a bit which is good.

One thing I did want to mention about that night was I took my antibiotic and then had some avocado toast immediately after. The avocado toast didn't taste that great and it left me mouth tasting awful all night. Even after I brushed my teeth. I wasn't sure if my avocado or bread were bad, but the bread had no mold and the avocado was ripe and green inside. It wasn't until I went pee later that my pee smelled just like the way my mouth tasted. Ugh. Not eating right after I take my antibiotics again. Anther thing to note was that at the end of the night, I brushed my teeth to get rid of that taste and smell and right after I got a pretty big bloody nose (on the left side). It stopped pretty quickly that I didn't need to do anything other than sit with a towel against my nose for a few minutes.

I plan to do another follow-up in the coming weeks as the swelling and bruising really start to go away.