It is day 20 of recovery. Most of the swelling has...
It is day 20 of recovery. Most of the swelling has gone down, but it is still a little swollen and quite tender to the touch. But as I thought, it is even more beautiful now. I had kept a journal of my recovery time in LA. In case some of you may find it helpful, here it is:
Day of the Surgery - Everyone at the UCLA surgical centre was amazing and spoke very highly of doctor Rawnsley. Especially the resident doctor that was going to be present in my surgery. He said that rhinoplasties aren't usually 100% successful, but with Dr. Rawnsley they actually are 100%. I already was feeling very confident and happy, but this made me even happier.
The whole day after the surgery I felt very woozy and a little congested. I took the prescribed pain medication once this day just in case, but I didn't feel like I needed it. I could breath a little through my nose but was trying not to, not to disturb it at all.
Day 2 - I woke up swollen and congested. Very congested. All night my throat and mouth were very dry. I woke up about 5 times with my mouth and throat very dry. But a few sips of water helped every time. Daytime I kept feeling congested and swollen. I didn't take any prescribed pain medication except a little regular pain medication for a bit of a headache due to the congestion.
In the morning I emailed Suzanne with a small question that I wanted her to answer back by email. Instead, she had Dr. Rawnsley call me. Even though my mom already gave me all the details of the surgery that Dr. Rawnsley told her, it was still nice to hear this all from him. I know that Dr. Rawnsley did see me as I was waking up, but after the anesthesia it takes a few hours of waking up before you begin to remember anything that is happening.
Day 3 - I woke up very swollen and still congested, but this night my mouth and throat were not getting dry and I slept much better. The rest of the day was still congested and very swollen. I took a few walks on a long balcony at the Tiverton house with my mom where we are staying. The weather here is amazing, sunny and warm.
Day 4 - This is the first day that I am feeling quite good because the swelling has started to go down, so third day really was the peak. But my face is still swollen and congested.
Beginning on the second day, 4 or 5 times a day my mom has been putting 2 drops of saline nasal spray into each nostril. And I continue taking Arnica Montana supplement 3 times a day, every day. Also beginning on the second day, I am putting a little bit of antibacterial ointment twice a day on the rims of my nostrils and where the stitches are on the columella. I've been eating very well this whole time, eating lots of protein packed foods and lots of vegetables and fruits and quinoa is great in the mornings. I haven't been having any dairy as I read that it causes bloating. I am not sure if this relates to swelling at all in my face, but just to be on the safe side, I gave dairy up, and also bread and any processed sugar. My mom has been cooking for me in the downstairs kitchen. We are staying at the UCLA Tiverton house. This place is a 4 minute walk to Dr. Rawnsley's office and a five minute walk to the UCLA surgery centre. And it's a great place to stay in. Wonderful accommodations, very clean and the staff are very helpful and kind. There are lots of great stores around here that have organic food. Trader Joe is our favorite. Also lots of great little shops like a Victoria's Secret - being from Ottawa, Canada, this is a pretty big deal.
Day 5 - Today I am even less swollen, but still stuffed up and cannot breath through my nose.
We drove into town and shopped for about 5 hours. Walking around with a cast on my nose in public took a little getting used to, but I couldn't give up all the great shopping that LA has to offer. I had a baseball cap on and a bandaid covering my nostrils. By the end of the day, I was feeling quite tired. But feeling good.
Days 6 - My nose is still congested, but I can now breath a little through my left nostril. In every other way I am feeling back to normal, feeling great. Spent the morning walking around the Westwood village with my mom and had tea on a patio at Starbucks, all while enjoying the sunshine.
Days 7 & 8 - These days I was feeling great, totally back to normal. The only discomfort in my nose is from the dry blood that is in it. I don't want to get it out because I shouldn't be touching my nose in this way yet. I don't feel congested anymore, but can't breath through it because of this. My mom and I went to the Santa Monica pier and walked along the ocean.
Day 9 - The Big Day - Dr. Rawnsley took off my cast today. Lets see, how can I describe what I was feeling. A little nervous. Even though even with the cast on I was able to tell that my nose looked nice, I still was a little afraid that something could maybe have gone wrong with the healing process. I don't know if that even happens. Then Dr. Rawnsley took off my cast and handed me the mirror. The weirdest part in this first second was seeing a nose on my face since it was mostly covered for the past 9 days, and in those 9 days I looked in a mirror a lot. Then of course I started analyzing it. Even though I knew that my nose would be very swollen, it still took me reminding myself that my nose is swollen and that I need to look past the swelling. Well I did that and was very happy. Looking back at this appointment now, it feels like it was a dream. I guess I was more nervous than I realized. I remember trying to look at my nose and trying to hear what Dr. Rawnsley was saying to me at the same time, and everything was hard to take in, there was such a mix of emotions, good emotions. It has now been about 8 hours since Dr. Rawnsley took off my cast and I don't even want to say how many times I have looked at my face in the mirror. Every time I love what I see. I am a happy girl. And all thank you to Dr. Rawnsley.
My cast was taken off three days ago. Even though...
My cast was taken off three days ago. Even though there is still quite a bit of swelling, my nose is beautiful and I can hardly believe that it is mine.
For most of my life I disliked the appearance of my nose. It was over-projected, deviated to the right, with a larger tip. I spent my 8 days of recovery completely worry-free about the outcome because I trusted that Dr. Rawnsley would give me a beautiful nose. I knew that Dr. Rawnsley would not leave the operating room until he was happy with his work. The fact that he did, meant there was a beautiful nose under my cast. And there was.
