Recovery Phase, - Westport, CT

Sofarsogood, thank you for your response. I know everyone is different and the variables and the unknown is worse than if there was a standard to expect! I am expected back at work on day 14 , no ifs, ands or buts! And... ususally the phone will be glued to my one ear with client calls which concerns me a bit. Can I ask if your doctor recommended Arnica Montana? Mine does not believe in it and my research from a medical site said that the verdict is still out whether it truly helps or not. Yet, it seems like everyone here on RealSelf is using it with some success. I'm glad you are feeling better. Are you pleased with the results? Would love to hear more about your recovery. Thanks much.

Hi. You should be okay with the phone because your ear will be numb. I don't know if anyone else uses the phone, but remember that you may have open wounds, so take precautions. My doctor did not recommend Arnica, but I took it and Bromelein anyway. I could not say if it helped or not, but I figured it can't hurt. I am now using the gel and wish that I had bought some earlier. Some women here have great success with it and have very little bruising, but it really is all subjective. At three weeks, I am pleased because I see how it is GOING to be, however I am still at the egg-shaped-face stage. Outside swelling subsided within days, but the inside, deep swelling will take time. I still ice occasionally, but I have read that it does not do too much good after the first four days. Check out the list of supplies on the forum, it may help. One other thing. I was instructed to only use acetominophen for the first week as it can act as a blood thinner. After that I switched to ibuprofen as it is an anti-inflammatory. If you will be at work on day 14, I would suggest that you "build up" to all day activity beginning a few days before. Hopefully you will not need to, but, as you can see from everyone's stories, how you will feel is a crap shoot.

I'm glad to hear you're happy with your results! You seem to have a great attitude and healthy expectations. I hope to be the same. How did you use the Arnica? I think I understood there are pills and creams? I dropped off all of my prescriptions today , so that's another step out of the way. I will check out the list on the forum. My doctor gave me one as well... but let's face it ( no pun intended) doing the facelift and having one can be a whole different story! Well, I surely hope 2 weeks is enough. I haven't actually told anyone at work I was doing this. I'm in pretty much a male dominated office and just didn't want to deal with it. Afterward may be different, if I feel like it. We'll see. Thank goodness I have a husband and a mother who are both very supportive! Thanks again for your responses. It's very reassuring and calming.

I got 30x(?) Arnica pills that I started the week before and took for 2 weeks after. I just got the Gel a few days ago because I didn't think topical would work as good, but after using it, I think it does, so I wish I would have just used both. When I went to get my stitches out at one week, I was told I was healing at an exactly average rate. (Yaaay. I'm average!) My bruises are still there, but very faint. At their worst, they were not recognizable as facelift bruises to the uninitiated. Unfortunately, to me, I looked like I had been choked. I would get a couple of scarves in case they come to the wrong conclusion, but most likely they will never know you have done anything. They are men, after all....Bruises will appear at day 3ish, and peak at day 7ish. After that, you will see your rate of healing. You will also see whether any tightness will limit what you can eat for lunch when you return. Any other questions, just ask. And don't panic.

Kanobe, thanks for sharing your own experience. I'm glad to hear you're back doing yoga. I'm going to miss my yoga routine I do every morning when I roll out of bed! I'm waking up every morning very early and just thinking about this and then I work to get it off my mind. Today, my husband and I were able to play 9 holes after work and that helped getting outside and getting my brain wrapped around something different! Well, I'm going to keep checking in throughout this whole process as it's very helpful to know what's 'normal'.

Angiemcc, I'm very, very anxious about my recovery. I have one more day to go, I'm skirting the issue of what I'm doing at work, because I don't want to deal with people's comments. When I look in the mirror, I think yes... this is why I am doing this... and when I read about the recovery period, I can't imagine going back on the 13th day! I'm wondering why all these doctors seem to think two weeks is fine when most everyone here has significant healing issues way past that. So in the end, I just don't know what I'll say if I absolutely can't go back on the 13th day post surgery. Obviously, if I can't , I won't...but truly perplexed at how to handle this if it should happen. Any thoughts? And by the way, thank you for managing this site. It's extremely supportive at exactly the right time!

Everyone heals differently. I went back to work on day 10. Just for a meeting. Definately could be back by day 14. What kind of work do u do? U may be more tired than usual. I am a month out and am back to all activities but working out. Some days more tired than ususl.

Two weeks is a little tight, but I was back at work after missing two weeks with three weekends. I looked a little weird, but I had told my coworkers I was having sinus surgery. When I came back, I just told people I was really swollen because the fluids from the surgery in my head were collecting in odd places like my neck. Either everybody accepted it, or they decided to respect my privacy, because nobody questioned me further. At one point a lady from legal came and said she'd been told I'd had nasal surgery and asked how it had gone. I just kept up the fiction. Here a full two months after surgery, the swelling and lumps are finally resolving.

Also, check out my photos, there are pictures of me at days eleven, twelve, and thirteen. You can see it is not too bad.

Kanobe, I work in a group in the Financial Services industry. Have to be on my game if I'm trading for clients, upbeat to deal with client issues and presenting client analysis with the guy whose business practice this is. It can be intense and stressful at times because it's a large practice. He's already giving me angst over my being out for so long and for work, it's really only 7 business days. I may just take a page from another poster on this site and reference having 'female' surgery... he'll back off then. :) And, it will give me an out if I can't make it back on day 13. So, the job is mostly stress not strenuous physically.

Sgwtexas, you look great! I think you healed beautifully. I can only hope for the same. Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm going to miss all of my activity but I know it goes with the territory.

Exactly Kanobe!!

My ears hurt on the outside of them... achy. Trying not to pay too much attention to them... but will take a pain pill for sleep tonight.

That's so funny, because I was thinking about that, but I keep changing my hair color ! am a dark blonde and went red over the winter and now al lighter blonde again. lol... so I'll figure it out! Would love to see the pic.