Thanks Possesed, Im optimistic from what I can see and Im feeling better but still a LONG way to go.... Back to my Oxzcodone and ice packs and moaning in pain for a while   OUCH still HURTS!!!

If only there were magic wands to just wave and the surgeries would be done with no muss or fuss - Maybe Disney can work on that for us - Think good thoughts and we hope for a quick recovery

jenifer

I have mine with Dr. S in a month now, but the discussion of pain has made me pretty worried.  I had arranged for a friend to stay with me for the whole time, buy my friend, who is also trans, has pretty bad depression and she said today she decided she didn't think she could help me, so now I'm pretty worried, because it doesn't sound like you can do this alone, and I basically saved up enough for surgery but not for private nurses, but I have already paid for it.

Not trying to scare you away Tori, Congrats

Well maybe its just me but I had a lot of pain and unfortunately I still do Im just letting you know that for me anyway this has been excruciating... Others might be different and have a lot less pain, its all different and individual, unfortunately I dont think there's any way to see ahead of time either... Ive always had a very high pain tolerance and been a good healer... Im calling up ALL of my strength right now to try to get through this

I thought I was turning the corner but It really hurt this morning    I did get some sleep though and that's been hard to come by lately so that's good...

No it was as swollen and numb and sore as ever this morning  I had to go back on a full dose of Oxycodone, that helps but it also just knocks me out ... Still only 5 days post op though so I guess I should expect to be hurting 

It just seemed a lot better yesterday, hopefully later on today the swelling will go down some more... Im back to my ice packs but at least the moaning has stopped so it is getting better 

Tori Im all alone, I HAD to stay 4 nights in the hospital... You might get by with less but you do need someone with you... Im sure I could have got out of the hospital sooner if I wasn't alone...

Quote from: Eva on March 01, 2015, 09:37:49 AM
...full dose of Oxycodone, that helps but it also just knocks me out ...

Ketorolac would be a better choice than... or Ibuprofen when your pain level lowers

I do VERY well on Ibuprofen to kill pain but I was told "it interferes with healing" and to just take Tylenol... Tylenol never worked for me even for a simple headache... I was never offered an alternative to Oxycodone, so I donno.... Im gonna call them tomorrow and find out about going on Ibuprofen soon...   

Quote from: jenifer_n on February 28, 2015, 01:27:33 PM
If only there were magic wands to just wave and the surgeries would be done with no muss or fuss - Maybe Disney can work on that for us - Think good thoughts and we hope for a quick recovery

jenifer

Thanks Jenifer, I wish!!! Its scarring me now because it still hurts really bad and Im still really swollen

Eva,
I was a big baby.. even though I take pain well... however.. I stayed on oxy for a long time after surgery..
Pain control is important to healing to... so talk to your Dr. on what most patients do but I bet you find most stay on a pain reliever for a long time,
I switched from oxy to a less powerful hydro.. and I never finished the bottle.
I thought you looks awesome before surgery can't imagine how good you will look after... I am excited for you.. be patient.. it takes time..
Dodie

OK so Im bored here and I have absolutely nothing better to do just sitting alone in my hotel in such a miserable state... I guess I will write a bit about where Im numb... The Oxcy takes care of the pain well enough I guess, as far as I know it does nothing for numbness and swelling though...  I was under the impression that ibuprofen is a blood thinner and an anti inflammatory... Well Im definitely inflamed here, I really wish I could try it but I wont until I hear its OK from my doc.... Tylenol has always been worthless to me but Im gonna take it anyway...

So I decided to leave the ace bandages off for awhile after having them on for a while... Sometimes tighter has seemed to help, but its been nice for a while now to take them off and just let things get some good circulation...

From the top behind the incision on my forehead its completely numb  for an inch or two and it gradually has feeling out to my crown area... It feels almost normal right below it and just a little sore... All across my forehead and eye sockets is numb but there is some sensation there it just feels weird... It is totally smooth and flat there with no lumps at all so thats probably good... My upper nose is hard to tell with the splint still attached but Im not perceiving any pain from there... There doesnt seem to be much swelling at all up there....

Under my eyes is bruised but no numbness or pain there at all... from the middle of my nose down its just mildly numb but not really swollen too bad... Im not even having much trouble breathing through my nose which is kinda surprising...  My Cheeks feel totally normal... so from the bottom of my nose up its really not bad at all...

My upper lip however is still very sore and swollen I dont perceive much pain from the incision under my nose but my lip itself is just blown up like 2-3 times normal size... I had a lift and "augmentation" with a mixture of tissue and fat from my face lift... The swelling and numbness and pain extends out into my cheeks to my jaw... M lower lip is only mildly swollen but it is pretty numb, there is an incision and stitches in my gums in front and on both sides of  my lower jaw... There is surprisingly only mild discomfort from these stitched up areas....

My chin and jaw however ARE VERY swollen and painful... My chin is completely numb and my jaw is mostly numb all the way back...
The numbness feels a lot like the anesthetic I had with my orthodontist in my lips... Its not pleasant at all and it hasnt really improved much at all... I started to yesterday but it all came back as bad as ever today

I can also feel tightness, swelling and numbness around my face and neck lift scars... I had lipo under my chin and its sore there as well... I try not to move my head much but its sore and tight on my neck....

Hopefully I can look back and read that soon and say... "Oh yea that sucked, Im so glad thats getting better" 

 

Quote from: Dodie on March 01, 2015, 01:07:58 PM
Eva,
I was a big baby.. even though I take pain well... however.. I stayed on oxy for a long time after surgery..
Pain control is important to healing to... so talk to your Dr. on what most patients do but I bet you find most stay on a pain reliever for a long time,
I switched from oxy to a less powerful hydro.. and I never finished the bottle.
I thought you looks awesome before surgery can't imagine how good you will look after... I am excited for you.. be patient.. it takes time..
Dodie

I know it just HURTS Im not sure it helps to think about why where and how it hurts I just wish it would start getting better

This has been ->-bleeped-<-ing brutal so far and it sucks even worse than I imagined it possibly could 

I did manage to get about 5 hours of sleep last night so that's an improvement... I try to sleep sitting up to keep the swelling down and thats tough to do 

It always seems worst first thing in the morning and this morning was no exception

Its really starting to bug me, my entire right side of my face has seen the swelling and numbness go down dramatically and thats great  The problem is the entire left side is still VERY swollen  My upper lip looks almost normal on the right side but swollen huge and numb on the left  Same with my jaw very swollen but only on the left side  With the swelling comes pain and numbness so Id be really happy if the left side would get it in gear and get with the program here!!! 

From what I can see of my right side Im going to absolutely LOVE the results of this!!! 

I just talked to my docs resident assistant and she said Im doing OK and to just keep doing what Im doing and give it time to heal... Im very happy I was cleared to start taking Ibuprofen, that stuff work wonders for me so Im hoping to see a nice improvement there 

I think Im gonna get all bundled up and go far a nice walk around Boston and hopefully get my mind and body in a better place

The sun keeps popping out, that's a new thing! Enjoy your walk!

Hugs, Devlyn

Hey Devlyn yea it was nice to get out and get in the sun

Boston is a very nice town, very interesting with all its history and all the old and new mixed together... I imagine its beautiful in the warmer months While it wasnt quite as cold as Im used to in SD its that humid cold with the wind off the ocean that I just cant take!!! NO thanks, we get a lot of wind and cold by me but the air out there is way drier so it doesn't quite feel as cold... Also the sun seems more intense at 3000 ft elevation that it is at sea level...

That said while I think its all nice and pretty cool I feel like Im in a foreign country!!! Frankly Im surprised ya'll let me in without my passport Im just a simple backwards red neck woman from the hills in the middle of nowhere SD  My purse feels empty without my Glock .40 in it but Im pretty sure thats a capital crime here and they would laugh at my SD concealed carry permit 

I walked for about 40 minutes and was very nice to get up out of this hotel room and get moving  The wind and cold was messing with my nose though and I still dont quite feel right from the anesthetic...

Unfortunately Im also still pretty sore, numb and swollen too It does seem better though but its coming very slowly
Im not surprised though and if I just think about everything that was done I guess Im doing pretty good 

Oh well Im hoping to look and feel a lot better by the time I see Dr S on the morning of the 4th to get my stitches and staples (yes big gnarly STAPLES in my head) taken out and then fly home  I miss my dog

Wow I was finally able to sleep last night, I was OUT for 12 hours

Anyway the swelling is finally going down but theres still a lot... 7 days post op, not too bad eh??? Definitely a younger look I cant wait to get the splint off my nose and go home!!!

OMG... wonderful you look so great!  So exciting just going to get better from here on out!
I know you can't wait to get home and I can tell you got a lot of rest.. looking much more comfy,
Dodie

Looking good girl!!! - Things will only get better from here - Once you can sleep everything seems better - Soon it will be all behind you and then it will be someone else's turn

be well
jenifer

Thanks this is really starting to BLOW my mind

Yes I cant wait to see how it looks in just a couple more weeks  It should just get better fast by the day now... I still have a LOT of swelling, numbness, tightness, and general discomfort but I think Im gonna absolutely LOVE the result

You look amazing!!

Wow, you're healing fast! I'm glad you got some sleep.

Hugs, Devlyn