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Holy Frontal Sinus Cavity, Batman!

Started by Cadence Jean, September 03, 2015, 04:41:22 PM

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Cadence Jean

Thanks for the suggestion, Erin! I am already booked. :/ I'm not too concerned exactly... It's more like another decision I'll need to make prior to leaving the states.
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Cadence Jean

Omigosh, only about one week before I fly out!
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deeiche

Quote from: Cadence Jean on October 16, 2015, 09:39:21 AM
Omigosh, only about one week before I fly out!

I'm 4 weeks and 2 days post surgery.  Wow, what a difference.

Have a safe and uneventful trip.
"It's only money, not life or death"
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Cadence Jean

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deeiche

Quote from: Cadence Jean on October 16, 2015, 07:32:44 PM
Thanks! Do we get to seeeeeee?
Not yet, if I do post a picture it will be ~ 6 months post op.  I'd like to get a majority of the swelling to subside.
"It's only money, not life or death"
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RubyAliza

So excited for you Cadence! I hope we get to see pictures of you as well, I'm sure you'll look amazing. I wish I could take an X-ray now to compare outcomes with deeiche haha but it's so interesting to see what it looks like after. Hope you're doing well deeiche! Anyhow, keep the forums updated and have a safe trip :)

- Ruby
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Cadence Jean

Thanks, Ruby! I will certainly be posting before and afters! I hope to get a copy of my after x-ray too. :)
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deeiche

When are you flying to Buenos Aires?

Quote from: Cadence Jean on October 18, 2015, 01:04:58 PM
Thanks, Ruby! I will certainly be posting before and afters! I hope to get a copy of my after x-ray too. :)
"It's only money, not life or death"
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Cadence Jean

Hi there, Dee! I'm flying out on Sunday afternoon! Squeeeeee! How you doing? :)
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deeiche

Quote from: Cadence Jean on October 22, 2015, 02:20:33 PM
Hi there, Dee! I'm flying out on Sunday afternoon! Squeeeeee! How you doing? :)
swelling goes down a little bit every day.

have a safe trip
"It's only money, not life or death"
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deeiche

How was your trip?  How is the apt?  questions, questions, I have more but I know you are in the midst of a whirlwind now.   :)

Today should be a busy day for you, medical test visits, then Dr Rossi later in the day.

take care
"It's only money, not life or death"
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Cadence Jean

Lol! Yes, this trully is a whirlwind! Hehe I live in a decent sized city and I have visited Chicago and Detroit before. But I am a bit overwhelmed by this city! I have never stayed downtown in a large city before. I am nervous to walk around outside, to get groceries or food. I don't want to get lost. Lol I have a map, so maybe I will try later.

The apartment is lovely! I am so glad that it has two environmental units in the wall! I have kept it at a comfy 20 C in here. :) I love the hardwood floors and the crown molding. There is so much character in here! I have not figured out how to use the oven yet. I plan to ask Amanda when she picks me up soon. And then my crazy day of appointments begins! Hehe I am very excited to meet Dr.  Rossi! I have pictures to show him or what I like and don't like, want and don't want. I hope the language barrier is not an obstacle.to describing my desires.

Amanda has been a great guide! She went with me to exchange money and pick up some quick groceries at a convenience store close by. I feel awkward because I am a very communicative person, but I feel like some of what we are telling each other isn't translating well. I am an oddball in America as it is: I am sure I appear even odder here. Lol I use a lot of colloquialisms as well, so I've been trying to formalize my speech a bit in order to communicate effectively with her. She is very patient and helpful. We had good conversation in the taxi ride yesterday, despite the awkwardness on both our parts.

My first casualty of the trip: I connected my Xbox  to a step down converter, and managed to let the smoke out of the power supply. :'( I hope that my appointments are by a Walmart and Amanda doesn't mind stopping by there while I pick up a power supply! I need my Netflix and games, hehe

I was surprised to learn that there is not a specific clinic. Amanda is more like an agent that connects and coordinates patients with medical providers. I suppose she works out of her apartment. I admit that I was a little disappointed to learn this. But really, the proof is in the pudding: I will reserve judgement until I see Dr. Rossi's office and the hospital. :)

My trip was looooooooong... Twenty hours, all told. That includes a three hour drive from Grand Rapids to Chicago. :/ I slept some on the plane here, but I still managed to sleep five hours yesterday afternoon. Lol And eight last night.

Now, I am very hungry! I had fasted since last night for this blood work. We'll have to stop afterward to get food somewhere.

Do you have recommendations on restaurants that I should try in the area? How did the laundry work for you? Is it coin operated? Do they sell good detergent and fabric softener there, or did you have to buy your own from the supermarcado? See: I have lots of questions too! Lol
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deeiche

#52
Quote from: Cadence Jean on October 27, 2015, 07:50:06 AM
Lol! Yes, this trully is a whirlwind! Hehe I live in a decent sized city and I have visited Chicago and Detroit before. But I am a bit overwhelmed by this city! I have never stayed downtown in a large city before. I am nervous to walk around outside, to get groceries or food. I don't want to get lost. Lol I have a map, so maybe I will try later.
Chuckle, I know the feeling.  Make yourself walk around today, better to explore a little before surgery.  The convenience store is around the corner, don't forget to take the reusable cloth bags in the pantry.  If you don't speak Spanish just remember to say "No Hablo Espanol" to the store clerk.  The convenience store registers show the peso price.  I only got momentarily lost once and that was on a big walk around a couple weeks post surgery.
Quote from: Cadence Jean on October 27, 2015, 07:50:06 AM

The apartment is lovely! I am so glad that it has two environmental units in the wall! I have kept it at a comfy 20 C in here. :) I love the hardwood floors and the crown molding. There is so much character in here! I have not figured out how to use the oven yet. I plan to ask Amanda when she picks me up soon. And then my crazy day of appointments begins! Hehe I am very excited to meet Dr.  Rossi! I have pictures to show him or what I like and don't like, want and don't want. I hope the language barrier is not an obstacle.to describing my desires.
Not sure how to use the oven, I only warmed things on the stove top, and used the mickeywave.  It must be warm there now, when I was there most of the days it were still chilly.  Dr Rossi speaks good Ingles.
Quote from: Cadence Jean on October 27, 2015, 07:50:06 AM

Amanda has been a great guide! She went with me to exchange money and pick up some quick groceries at a convenience store close by. I feel awkward because I am a very communicative person, but I feel like some of what we are telling each other isn't translating well. I am an oddball in America as it is: I am sure I appear even odder here. Lol I use a lot of colloquialisms as well, so I've been trying to formalize my speech a bit in order to communicate effectively with her. She is very patient and helpful. We had good conversation in the taxi ride yesterday, despite the awkwardness on both our parts.
Amanda's English is amazing, considering she is self taught.  Yes, sometimes you have to rephrase things but I never had an issue where we could not communicate.
Quote from: Cadence Jean on October 27, 2015, 07:50:06 AM
My first casualty of the trip: I connected my Xbox  to a step down converter, and managed to let the smoke out of the power supply. :'( I hope that my appointments are by a Walmart and Amanda doesn't mind stopping by there while I pick up a power supply! I need my Netflix and games, hehe
Sorry to hear about the PS failure.  Yes, you will definitely need something to while the time away.  You blew up the Xbox PS plugging into a "step down converter"?  Not one of the plug adapters?  The Xbox PS should have worked on Argentine power.  The Walmarts are way out in the suburbs, you won't see one whilst you are there.  You should tell Amanda your issue and ask her if she knows where a computer store is.  I remember seeing a couple on my walks.
Quote from: Cadence Jean on October 27, 2015, 07:50:06 AM
I was surprised to learn that there is not a specific clinic. Amanda is more like an agent that connects and coordinates patients with medical providers. I suppose she works out of her apartment. I admit that I was a little disappointed to learn this. But really, the proof is in the pudding: I will reserve judgement until I see Dr. Rossi's office and the hospital. :)
The clinics Amanda uses are fast and efficient.  Dr Rossi has a real office, I had several visits with him in his office.  Not sure if you will see his office today.  The first time I met him was in a hospital, after his daily surgeries.
Quote from: Cadence Jean on October 27, 2015, 07:50:06 AM
My trip was looooooooong... Twenty hours, all told. That includes a three hour drive from Grand Rapids to Chicago. :/ I slept some on the plane here, but I still managed to sleep five hours yesterday afternoon. Lol And eight last night.

Now, I am very hungry! I had fasted since last night for this blood work. We'll have to stop afterward to get food somewhere.
Make sure you eat something real filling this evening.  I actually went to the mall food court for some pseudo American food the evening before surgery.
Quote from: Cadence Jean on October 27, 2015, 07:50:06 AM
Do you have recommendations on restaurants that I should try in the area? How did the laundry work for you? Is it coin operated? Do they sell good detergent and fabric softener there, or did you have to buy your own from the supermarcado? See: I have lots of questions too! Lol
First, I never went to the laundry.  I'm not a clothes horse, more on the old hippie spectrum.  I packed enough under wear and pullover blouses for the trip, cycled through several pairs of shorts and cargo pants for my legs. 

If you like thai food there is a low priced, decent quality, fast food around corner.  I found a street cafe over past the mall, that had nice salads with ham and bacon.  Other than that I ate groceries I bought.  I spent less than USD$250 on food while I was there.
"It's only money, not life or death"
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Cadence Jean

Hi hi! I hadn't posted an updated yet, so I thought I'd quick drop a line. I'm doing very well here in Buenos Aires! Just chillin in Leandro's apartment now, watching Orhan Black on my Xbox and sleeping whenever I feel like it. Lol I'm now at day 8 Post-op, and it's incredible how much my face has deflated in the past four days!! I think all the supplements that I was taking seriously helped(vit mk7, Arnica Montana, quercetin, bromelain).  My chin and lower lip are still extremely numb, and also swollen. The internal sutures between my front gums and lip bug the ->-bleeped-<- out of me, but I've been managing now that Amanda picked up some lidocaine from the Farmacity on the street corner. My eyebrows are hurting less as I move them, tho my range of motion is smaller at the more. I'm hoping the full range returns after healing is complete, as I express a lot with my eyebrows. :) nose incisions are doing well. At first they would get extremely dry and irritated because of air moving over them as I breathed. So I asked Amanda to pick up some Vaseline for me, and I've been putting that on. Not many people, even doctors, realize this,  but for healing and scarring purposes, it's best to keep an incision moist. Leave the scab, but keep it moist with a petroleum jelly or a natural non-abrasive oil(I. E. Coconut oil). It gives the scab less resistance to the collagen tendrils, I believe, because instead of a dry medium that the skin has to break through, there's a moist medium that it has an easier time pushing thru.

Uh, what else real quick... I noticed a couple staples fell out yesterday. They didn't have any skin or blood on them, so I wonder if they simply caught in my hair while they were putting them in. I still have the nose splint on - that and my sutures and staples will be taken care of tonight at my first followup with Dr. Rossi.

Everyone has been awesome here! Amanda has been an angel! She really knows what she's doing as a guide and support person down here. She's picked stuff up for me post surgery. She helped me figure out how to light the oven. She even coordinated with the apartment landlord when the cleaning lady will be by. Lol She also helped me order in and pick up an international power supply for my Xbox one! I am so grateful to her for that. She's certainly earning her wages. ;) I'm wondering if I should tip her? I know this is her own business, sorta, that she must get percentages from the doctors, but I tip my hair stylist and she owns her own business. I don't see how this is different. She certainly deserves it!

The hospital was plainer than what I am used to in the states. Not to say it wasn't clean or respectable, it looks like they are making do with what they have vs brand spanking new modern facilities. I guess that sort of hospital is available, but it would cost a couple grand usd more than this one. Not worth it to me. Lol The interpreters / helpers that stayed with me know the hospital after surgery were amazing. Charlotte stayed over night with me. That poor woman. Lol I'll explain more in a minute. Suffice it to say, she exercised incredible patience with me! Also, her English was impeccable - I heard she was originally from the states. Sofia relieved Charlotte around nine, I think? So,  I was in the room for some brief time alone. I think a cleaning lady came in to mop so no big need to communicate. But, I am honestly surprised at how few people here speak more than three words of English
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deeiche

So glad to hear you are doing well.  I know the first several days can be rough, but you are past the hard parts.  Everything gets better from here on out.

I'm 7 weeks post-op, numbness on chin and lower lip are still there.  What I've read about sliding genioplasty is it could take a number of months before the nerves start reconnecting.  It's not a big deal, I just make sure I keep cups pressed against my lower lip so I don't dribble.  :-)

Yeah, the "interpreters" are awesome, they were more like companion the night in the hospital.  Yes, Charlotte is from the states.  The hospital is plain but functional.  Amanda told me they looked in to using a different, nicer, hospital closer in.  However for an overnight stay she didn't think it was worth it.

I got to meet Leandro when I was there, he was visiting his father ( the landlord ).  Leandro speaks excellent English, unlike his father.  They actually spent several hours in the apartment repairing the bathroom sink after I noticed it was leaking water on the floor.  It is a nice, functional apartment.

The mouth sutures do bug, they are disolvable.  It took several weeks before mine vacated.

thanks for the update.
"It's only money, not life or death"
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Cadence Jean

Okay, prematurely sent that cuz I managed to somehow throw my phone at my glass of milk and shatter the glasses and spill the milk all over the floor. Yay drugs?

None of the support staff spoke English. As far as the surgical team, Dr Rossi spoke decent English, enough that, with Amanda's help on a couple topics, we were able to effectively communicate. I would suggest bringing pictures of anything specific that you've like done - a picture is worth countless words in any language. I was very particular about the concept for my nose(I wanted sophisticated, not girlie) so I brought him a couple example pictures to communicate my desires. Dr.  Appiani, the assistant plastic surgeon, speaks amazing English with very light accent. Also, he is ridiculously photogenic. Lol I believe he did the soft tissue work, like my nose, while Dr.  Rossi does the hard tissue work. I will ask tonight at my follow up. The anestheologist spoke very little English, so little that Amanda translated the entire conversation for us. I didn't find this too off putting - Amanda has excellent English and is one smart lady! I explained to Amanda about my glottoplasty, and she passed it along to the anesthesiologist, ahead of time. I offered digital scans of the endoscopic pics that Dr.  Haben gave me, and Amanda passed those along to him(those apparently come in more handy than simply Dr haben proving he did something inside your larynx! Lol) the anesthesiologist said that a size 6(6 mm?) is usd for children, but that he would bring that and smaller sizes as well, and be gentle inserting them. He also said he had a way to look into my larynx, so I suspect that after I was out, he used a scope like haben used after my surgeon while I was awake to sneak a peak in there. In any case, he was extremely accommodating and I haven't had any problems with my voice or pain having to do with my vocal folds.

A couple things to note, when I woke from surgery, I was freaking sweltering. I don't know what it was, but I was drenched with sweat and I told them to take all they covers offnof me. I was burning up. I believe there are many factors for that. I do tend to get warmer now on estrogen, and that in combination with taking half my normal dosage leading up to surgery, with waking up in a strange hospital with people speaking another language, with the fact I hadn't eaten in almost 24 hours... I think my body was flipping out! I cooled off decently, and I remember falling asleep. I woke a couple times in the night, but only briefly and it seems like a dream now.

The morning was AWFUL. I think it may have been the worst five hours of life. Not the pain, not being in a strange place, not not knowing how it would turn out, not being among strangers... It was all the packing in my nose. Since my nose was 100% packed with cotton, the only outlet / inlet for pressure changes became my mouth. The best way that I figured out how to explain it is that I felt like I was drowning. Breathing was difficult - I felt like I couldn't catch my regulate my breathing. Perhaps because I tend to breathe like any other anxiety breather, short quick shallow breathes and then I regulate with my nose if I feel I need a sudden deep breath. Well, couldn't do that with my nose packed. Ugh. Swallow felt terrible. It difficult, because when I've swallow, I keep feel suction from my sinuses pulling against the flow of air and liquid and matter down my throat. Must be it was creating a vacuum inside my sinuses when I'd swallow. Which not only pulled against my throat and what I was trying to swallow, but also pulled against my ears and forehead. Suffice it to say, my amygdala wanted nothing to do with any of this. It thought I was drowning, suffocating. I had a few anxiety attacks, partially because I hadn't taken my night time meds(Celexa being one of my meds) or my morning meds yet, or eaten. I was too freaked to ask for a sedative to get me through until the doctor could arrived, not knowing how I would react to that laid on top of my state of mind and ->-bleeped-<-ed up biological chemical state. So, I touched it out. I gave up on trying to fall back asleep,tho I tried for a few fruitless hours. I tried eating a little yogurt that they brought me, but after a few spoonfuls I felt sick because of the vacuum phenomenon while swallowing. Eventually, I said ->-bleeped-<- it, got up, put some clothes on, pulled out my kindle, went over to the couch that Sofia was chilling on, and started reading and indulging my nervous tick (pumping my peg up and doiwn). Indulging my tick helped to pull out that fight or flight energy from my amygdala, and reading somewhat helped focus me off of what was happening in my sinuses. So, I guess after all that, knowing what I know now, I would do a couple things differently: I would take any missed meds immediately in the morning, I would take benadryl or some other heavy hitting sinus dryer upper for a few days leading up to surgery(I have notorious allergies which were likely contributing to the discomfort), and I would ask for a sedative to keep me under until the doctor came in to see me. Eventually, Dr.  Appiani appeared, about an hour ahead of schedule,  bless his heart! I don't know if somebody at the hospital. Or Amanda or someone else contacted him but I was so thankful to see him! Of course, he cut off all the bandages first. Then took out the packing from my nose last. Lol immediately I felt relief from all that discomfort. That part was a terrible experience, but it vs not something one would really know to prep for until it happens to them. I almost wonder if my intense of an experience happens very little, since nobody else has explained it as a "drowning, suffocstjng"  feeling that I have heard or read. I had some ptsd sort of symptoms over it for a few days, closing my eyes in bed with the compression garment on and the ice pack over my eyes would bring on flashes of that terrible feeling and the anxiety would come back and I'd get restless leg syndrome going. But the ptsd feeling ebbed by Sunday, I would say. I can still sort of go back to that feeling when I think of it, like now a I'm explaining it, so my brain hasn't quite let go of it. Lol I can tell my heart rate is up just describing it. Lol So, out of all this, I'd say: be careful about that. This thing that really can't be avoided and is part of the experience. Of you have allergies or tend to have pressure and congestion, speak to your surgeon about things you can do to control it leading into surgery and during the next morning.

Oh, also, I puked up what I recall being a big old bowl full of blood and mucus. I suspect from my sinuses draining down into my stomach. I haven't puked after coming out of anesthesia before, but I think with the factors I mentioned above plus being under for about six hours(the length of my surgery) the longest I've ever been under , my stomach couldn't handle it.

That's all I got for now. Please feel free to ask any questions here or in pm. I will be updating again probably next week. Next week I will be going to see the hair doctor! XD I'll post pics of my progress from day 1 to day... Whatever I'm at at the time too. Lol I'm very happy with how little swelling and bruising I have experienced vs some of my friends!
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deeiche

Hi, just thought I'd pop this to the top.

Hope you are doing okay.
"It's only money, not life or death"
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Cadence Jean

Hey there!  I'm doing well, thanks!  With everything that I went thru, I went into hermit mode for a bit. lol  I had my hair transplants with Dr. Szyferman on schedule.  Everything went well with them!  Szyferman is a very nice fellow.  Very patient and empathetic.  He'll be the first to say that he doesn't speak english well! lol  But with Amanda there during the consult and post-operative visit, everything was fine.  He also knows enough English to communicate during drawing on the hairline and during the procedure itself(i.e. He understood the words "a lot", "a little", "pressure" and "pain". lol)  My one tip: TAKE THE SEDATION lol  It hurt like HELL to get the anesthetic injections in the back of my head.  I thought it would be one poke like usual - NOPE.  It was several pokes and extremely unpleasant.  Once we got past that part, I didn't have any pain (except when he numbed the front at the recipient sites).  Anyway, my hair babies are doing well!  Some are still hanging onto hair and growing, some look like the hair broke off at the skin in the past week...and some may have fallen out(as expected)?  The TLC on them is arduous, but it passed quickly enough for me.

So, I put together a guide on what I did to counter attack the swelling (I had little compared to their other patients - still what I'd consider a lot, but not as bad as some I've seen!) and all the gear/vitamins/foodstuffs/etc/etc that I needed/used during my recovery.  I wrote it up for a lady friend, but I figured I'd post it here too for anybody else who would like to try my regimen! :)  Of course, I am not a professional, I am not licensed, you follow this regimen at your own risk, blah, blah. lol


Leading up to surgery:

Begin taking Arnica Montana 30x disolvable pills beginning two weeks prior to surgery (you'll take like four of these pills three times per day)

Begin taking Quercitin pills three days prior (one per day)

Begin taking Bromelain pills three days prior (if your stomach tolerates it, mine did not) (two per day)
OR
Begin consuming pineapple every day (chunks, juice, fresh, yogurt, etc) (as much as you can stomach lol)

Take Vitamin MK-7 (This vitamin acts as a catalyst for the above compounds to work their magic - Jarrow's Formula has a good one: http://smile.amazon.com/Jarrow-Formulas-MK-7-mcg-Count/dp/B0013OVVFA (take one per day)

IF you're not already, start taking a robust multivitamin - I take a raw natural prenatal: http://smile.amazon.com/Garden-Life-Vitamin-Prenatal-Capsules/dp/B005JAT3TU/ref=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1448995685&sr=1-1&keywords=vitamin+code+raw+prenatal  Order the big bottle cuz you need to take three of these per day

Might be worth taking an anti-histamine starting a couple days before surgery if you have allergies - clear with your surgeon first!!!  This should help decrease the amount of mucus that builds up in your sinuses during surgery and during your stay in the hospital when you have packing up your nose and can't clear it

For immediately following surgery:

Continue all pills for twenty-one days

Lidocaine for when oral incisions bother you

Vaseline to keep nose incisions moist and to moisten lips (my lips were horribly chapped and scabbed after surgery, this will help them heal faster and the scabs to fall off)

TheraPearl face mask/eye mask (these are simply the best hot/cold packs I have ever used - and I have used a lot!)

Eye mask: http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B002OSWW3O?keywords=therapearl&qid=1448994138&ref_=sr_1_3&sr=8-3

Face mask: http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B005971VRK?keywords=therapearl&qid=1448994138&ref_=sr_1_5&sr=8-5

Some gauze or cloth to place between the cold paks and your skin

Detangling hair shampoo (for helping get the dried blood out of your hair)

No-alcohol mouth wash (I liked the Listerine mint) - brush your teeth and swish twice after every meal

Super sunblock - I use a 70 spf from Burt's Bees, to place on your face/incisions if you go out into the sun while traveling)

Kleenex - lots of it. lol  You're not supposed to blow your nose for a while after surgery.  Instead of the usual "plugging one nostril to blow the other", I simply blew out my nose with both nostrils open.  This seemed to work fine for me without complications and helped get gunk out.

Q-tips - you'll need these to delicately get nasty boogers out of your nose

Lots of your favorite flavor of ice cream! (with no nuts or chunky bits)

For after you return home:

Healthy juice drinks (healthy drinks with pineapple and green tea in them - I like Bolthouse Farms Green Goodness myself, tho the Green drink from Tropicana and Naked are good too - gets a lot of good vitamins, flavanoids, and organic compounds into you)

Claritin, or some other non-drowsy antihistamine: This will help with the itchy feeling around dissolvable stitches.

A big bottle of Ibuprofen (for after you're weened off the Big Girl pain meds)

I stopped taking the Arnica pills, but I am using Arnica oil on the lingering black and blue on my cheeks and any swollen areas - it's supposed to help with inflammation - just rub it in.  I don't know if it's exactly helping or not, but I thought it was worth a shot cuz I already had the oil.

I stopped using the fancy mouthwash, and switched to using pure sea salt in warm water - swish twice after brushing my teeth - brushed whenever I felt like stuff was stuck around my oral incisions

Saline nose spray (water + salt ONLY) - for moisturizing your nose/sinuses

Room humidifier - another way to keep moisture in your sinuses to help them heal and help decrease inflammation

Again, lots of your favorite flavor of ice cream!
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  •  

Elaine S

Cadence:

Glad to hear you are recovering well. Thanks for posting the info. Some items I haven't heard of to research. Especially regarding the oral incision care side of things.

Be safe and best wishes through the holiday season
Elaine
"Live up to your potential rather than down to others expectations"
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Cadence Jean

Oh!  Haha I forgot a few things.  I got sick of the oral stitches.  It looked like everything had closed up, it felt like everything had closed up (no more liquid squishing out of my incisions for a few weeks), so I snipped them and pulled them out over the weekend.  My incision was a bit sore afterward, but that makes sense since there were some empty holes in it! lol  And some of the flesh likely bonded to a small degree with the stitch. I also spit out some blood, but not every much - kind of the typical amount that you get after removing stitches.

Today, I saw my PCP for a few unrelated matters.  While I was there, I asked her to check out the donor site for the hair transplants and see if she could remove those stitches(even tho they are dissolvable).  It's been three weeks to the day that I had that surgery.  I figured it was safe to remove the sutures, and she agreed with me.  So, she removed what she could.  There may still be a little more in there...but I immediately got relief from the irritation and itching that I had back there!  She said I should massage that area a bit, to help the swelling/puckering go down.  I guess it's very scabby too - a lot of little bits of dried skin came off while she was working.  Even though I shampoo and condition almost every day!  Weird, huh?

So, here's some pictures from discharge day thru until Thanksgiving (I think).  I didn't list dates, but you can see the progression over the course of about five weeks:

http://imgur.com/a/gZDqK

I find it amazing how flat my forehead became so quickly!!  And I'm still healing! :D  I have a concern with my forehead - there seems to be a bit of a indented ridge between my browline and the higher part of my forehead.  It isn't noticeable until I raise my eyebrows.  I hope it's only soft tissue swelling, or maybe even bone callous causing it and it will go away with time.  I think I can live with it if it stays and doesn't get worse.  If it gets worse, then I'll have to speak to someone like Dr. Z who may be able to do an endoscopic fill on the bone where the indent is.  Ah well - even with that, I am quite happy so far. :)  I love my nose, and it's only going to get better!! XD
to make more better goodness

I have returned to recording on TransByDef!  Watch us at: https://www.youtube.com/TransByDef
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