Septoplasty/rhinoplasty, 2 weeks post-surgery - Calgary, AB

It has been about a week and a half since my last posting. My recovery has come along, and I am feeling so much better; back to work tomorrow. I will post photos now so that everyone can see the chronology of how I looked after surgery. Even with the discomforts, I can say that the surgery was definitely worth it. The positive change to my appearance is amazing and will only continue to refine and improve over the next weeks and months. There will also be a great improvement to my breathing function, so I am very pleased. At 2 weeks there is still a large amount of swelling both outside and inside the nose. I still cannot smell or taste, these senses are slowly coming back, but the swelling is definitely hampering that. I'll be continuing with applying hot packs to the nose, doing the daily sinus rinses (2-3x), and taking vitamin D. Hope the pictures prove to be helpful.

I made it through, but have been having a tough time so far. Dr. Zakhary and the team that worked on me were amazing. The surgery took longer than anticipated (I was under for 3.5 hours) and unfortunately I bled a lot, which all drained into my stomach. This all wanted to come up as soon as I was awake (sorry to be too graphic), so to wake up to that was very frightening. My nurse Erin was fantastic with me, she just told me not to worry and to "get it all out." I was in recovery for about 1.5 hours, and my family were not allowed to come in. I'm glad that the health care team made that decision for me, I wouldn't have wanted to have my family see me that way. They were already concerned because of the length of time I took in the operating room. My husband was instructed to go and pick up "Pedialyte" to help me in replacing the fluids I had lost. I felt extremely sick for the first 12 hours after surgery. I was black and blue immediately, and my appearance was very upsetting for my family (my cats didn't even recognize me.) My husband and mother-in-law have been taking wonderful care of me, there is no way I could have managed post surgery on my own. I have needed help with everything, including bathing and using the washroom. Today is the 4th full day post surgery, and will be the first time that I will be able to bathe myself.
As far as discomfort, it is pretty accurate to say that it basically feels like the worst sinus cold you've every had. I have been unable to take the Tylenol 3 for pain management; I tried half of one and fainted, and this occurred on day 3 post surgery. My throat has been so sore from the breathing tube being in there that I can barely eat anything. Tea with honey seems to be providing some relief now. Crushed ice is good too, but only soothes for a very short time. Any food that is salty or acidic burns and dairy isn't recommended due to the mucus that it produces.
I'm sure that everything will continue to improve, but it is really hard for me right now. I will post pictures so that you can see how the bruising and swelling has been going, it is gradually moving down my face. Any suggestions people have for good post-surgery foods would be appreciated, along with suggestions for how to set yourself up comfortably to sleep.

Thought I would upload a pic of my post surgery supplies. They are:
-Lip balms
-Gravol (generic, 50 mg Dimenhydrinate tablets)
-Dry shampoo (as I understand washing your hair with water isn't recommended for several days after surgery)
-Flexible straws
-Cotton swabs
-Hydrogen peroxide
-Polysporin ointment (or generic antiseptic/antibacterial ointment)
-Saline solution sinus rinse (I like the NeilMed sinus rinse, reusable bottles and salt packets included. Don't use tap water! You'll need to boil water and let it cool for use with this rinse. It works great when you have a sinus cold too, double packs are available at Costco.)
-Arnica gel for topical application on bruised areas (Traumeel gel bought at the health food store)
-Prescriptions
-Paper tape (my surgeon had me commit to wearing paper tape on my nose every single night for a year to help with the healing process, lol, I'm going to need a lot more than one roll!)
-Facial wipes (I understand from reading other's experiences that the face can get really greasy and acne can come on easily after surgery)
-Bottle of witch hazel (a natural astringent for the facial skin)
-Cotton balls
-Benadryl (or generic, 50mg diphenhydramine hydrochloride)
-Gauze pads to be used as drip pads after surgery

***Disclaimer: The medications/supplements were prescribed for me. Always follow the directions provided to you by your surgeon or doctor for post-recovery medications, supplements, and procedures. Everyone is different.