Day 2: Oh what a (terrible) night

So I wish I could say that my first night in the ward was uneventful but it was actually quite scary.

Throughout the first day after surgery I had been experiencing reflux - this had made my already swollen and sore throat worse and in turn limited how much I could comfortably breathe.  The weird thing was that I kept feeling as if there was a lump at the back of my mouth that I couldn't swallow.  As my nose and sinuses were also completely blocked, it didn't make a great combination.

Late at night as I was trying to drop off to sleep, I suddenly felt as if the swelling in my throat was too much and I couldn't breathe properly.  I started to work myself into a panic where my heart was racing and I was sweating profusely.  I pressed the call button for the nurse who took all of my stats, but by that point I think I had worked myself up too much.  A doctor also visited and listened to my breathing and assured me there were no obstructions, but again this did not help.  It didn't fill me with a huge amount of confidence that neither the doctor or nurse seemed to know the actual surgical procedures I had been through - they knew I had jaw surgery but did not know that included a septoplasty, which when you are complaining about breathing problems would be very important to know.  And while I don't want to speak badly of the hospital staff - I was in a panic and yet the while all this was going on I felt as if the nurse would disappear for 10-20 minutes at a time while I was feeling as if I would pass out.

Finally at 1am, I asked if they could call my surgeon as I felt I needed his advice.  Around ten minutes later the nurse returned after having spoken to my surgeon who said that this was a normal reaction and that I could use a nose spray to try and relieve the pressure in my sinuses.  After hearing the advice that came from my surgeon I relaxed as I feel very confident in his care.  I finally calmed down and dropped off to sleep a couple of hours later.

In the morning my surgeon came to visit and I of course apologised for having him be woken up - he didnt seem phased at all.  I told him about the lump I could feel at the back of my mouth and he said this was soft tissue that is left hanging because my upper jaw was moved back.  Apparently it will tighten over time.  Knowing what it was instantly made me feel better.  He said that I could leave the hospital that day if I wanted to as they generally want you to leave as soon as you can (less chance of infection at home), but if I felt like I needed to I could also stay another night.  I decided to stay another night as I didn't quite feel ready to go home.

After he left I had the compression bandages taken off my face which relieved a lot of the pressure.  It did give my face a lot more space to swell though and swell it did!

I am not an animal, I am a human being, I am a man!

My drips and lines were also disconnected just leaving a valve in my hand - this added a great level of freedom as it meant I no longer needed to wheel around a whole bunch of equipment.   During the day I had some more visitors and my friends Luke and Sheryn dropped off some lovely flowers and books.  My other friends also returned with balloons.  I'm lucky to have such great people around me.

More updates to come....