So Far So Good - Dallas, TX

I can't believe the surgery was almost a year ago! It's true that you have to be extremely patient while waiting to see the final result. Dr. Cochran did an excellent job addressing my concerns. My nose no longer drips all day, the nostrils are symmetrical and the tip doesn't droop. Most importantly - especially for my family - I still look like myself. It takes a true talent to reconstruct a nose from the inside out and accomplish all of that. The swelling is still going down, but I'm satisfied with the results so far.

Back to work already! Dr. Cochran's nurse, Jane, fit me in early to remove my cast and splints. I've never had a baby, but it felt as if I delivered twins through my nostrils. Yikes! I knew that my nose would be a swollen atrocity sitting in the middle of my face, so I didn't really waste time looking at it. Just put on my Hello Kitty bandaid and headed to the office.

After a couple of days at work, I had an appt with Dr. Cochran to check everything out. He said that my healing was exceptional. And he gave me some tape and "nostril retainers" - little blue cones - to use at night to help reduce swelling.

The swelling has already gone down drastically from Wed to today, but I still feel like a freak when I look in the mirror. Now the waiting game begins. :)

The past couple of days have been normal for the most part. Saw a movie yesterday with Mom and nephew. In public, I forget that I have this silly cast and yellow chipmunk cheeks. I put a Hello Kitty bandaid over the incision site so that I don't gross anyone out. And I've been taping my sunglasses to my forehead. Better get used to that, because I can't function without shades.

Still sleeping relatively well at night. I decided to start taking DayQuil/NyQuil as if I have a routine cold. It takes the edge off of the sinus pressure and headache. The only pain that I've experienced is very slight stinging at the incision site, but keeping it moisturized with the antibiotic ointment helps. And I've been putting Burt's Bees lip balm on my lips and just under my nostrils to help with the irritation. The other annoying symptom that I'm having is sensitivity in my upper teeth and my anterior hard palate is sore - like a burn. I know for a fact that it is referred pain, but I've been using Prevadent and flossing a lot just to be safe. Hopefully this will subside pretty quickly as the nerves settle down. If not, I'm gonna be shooting myself up with lidocaine at the office. Seriously.

At this point, I'm on a mission to keep my mind off of this cast and irritating tape everywhere. Itching, what itching? Dr. Cochran's nurse is fitting me in tomorrow morning to take the cast off before I head back to work. Then I have a follow up with him on Friday. Right now, I'm off to get my hair done. Tempted to do something crazy with the hair as a distraction. Or not. :)