Friday 26 March 2010

Rhinoplasty - Medication, Stitches and Splint

Day four is much better than day three. I think it was more to do with the medication than the surgery. Voltarol is used to relieve pain and inflammation and my nurse advised me to discontinue use if I experienced any stomach upset or heartburn. I noticed both on the evening of day two and it continued into day three, so I stopped taking them. Yesterday, thirst, drowsiness and headache were added to the mix. My nose also felt very swollen and straining against the splint. From my reading prior to the operation, a few people said that they experienced the most pain on days two and three, so if this is all I get I'm grateful.

Today I've experienced no pain and no bruising. I can flare my nostrils a little, although it does feel a bit tight. Some people have reported numbness in the nose following the operation. It does feel a little different, like it's coming round from pins and needles. Have a look at my blog post on how to minimise bruising after Rhinoplasty

Stitches 
My stitches are dissolvable, which means they're made from natural  or synthetic material that the body can break down over time. The stitch will either fall out or will be removed by the doctor once the wound is closed.

I have a little portable torch and had a look at the inside of the nostril. You can see where quite a large incision was made on the septum in both nostrils. The stitches look pretty sturdy, which made me think that there is no way they will dissolve by themselves. I'll let you know. It also made me think what an amazing feat Closed Rhinoplasty is. How does the surgeon do so much work from inside your nose, leaving such small scars behind?

Splint
This is made of Plaster of Paris material, moulded round the nose. It runs from between my eyes to just above the tip of my nose and it is attached with plasters. The plasters will be sore to remove - as plasters usually are - but the splint should just lift off.

1 comment:

  1. I am having a rhinoplasty performed on the eighteenth. This is something I have needed since I was, extremely junior. So junior I don't recollect not having any desire to change my nose! I am moderately content with everything else about myself, yet I am simply tired of feeling unreliable about rhinoplasty
    thanks
    Smita

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