Monday, December 14, 2009

Surgery Day 12-15

Tomorrow my surgery is sometime between 10:30-11:30am.

I am feeling quite nervous about the septoplasty surgery.  It is not a difficult one.  But the details of it are very intense (at least they are to me since it is my nose).  

 http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/images/ency/fullsize/19356.jpg
 Above is a normal, straight nasal septum.
http://sinusinfocenter.com/images/DeavatedSeptumLarge.jpg My septum (that middle bone going down the center of the nose) looks like the picture above, except at that point where it is most bent there is also a spur attached which touches the other side of the airway and is causing pressure and irritation. 

The doctor will cut away the skin on both sides of my septum.  Then he will remove a portion of the middle of the bone and the spur, leaving the top of the bone for support and shape of the nose.  Then he will sew the skin back together, so that there are no holes between the two airways.
He will insert a splint, maybe one for each side, to support the initial surgery and place gauze below the nose to catch any blood or fluid.
I'll let you know how it goes.
I go in at 10am and should be able to go home around 2pm.
I've heard that the first day the pain killers will probably make me out of it all day.
The first night I have to sleep sitting up.
Please pray for me when God brings me to mind.  I'm more nervous about the first couple days of recovery than I am of the actual surgery.  I've been pretty bummed out all day.
Thanks,
Jenn

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