So I have a list of things I could not have lived without throughout this process. The doctors gave me a list of stuff too that really helped and I used most of it.
#1 Qtips. This was the absolute best thing of all to have! You will use them to clean your wounds daily, and for several weeks after you will need them for all kinds of things. Use them to spread nasal gel on the inside of your nostrils to keep them from drying out. Use them to medicate with the Bactorban or Bacatracin (which I found out I was allergic to and had a very gross break out reaction)Actually this reaction caused a pretty big setback for me because on top of all the other stuff i was dealing with I had a painful blistery infected area all around the nostrils of my nose. They prescribed Clotrimazole to clear that up but it took about 4 - 5 days.
Also the q tips are a great way to get your buggers out since they are way more gentle than your finger, plus your finger prob. wont work because of the swelling. Also you will need them to clean out your nostrils with the peroxide/ water solution that you will use to keep your nose clean and free of bacteria.
I used an entire box (650 count) in of Q tips and had to buy another one today ( 20 days later still use them every day)
#2 Blistex medicated Lip Balm in the little blue jar. The menthol keeps your lips feeling moist when the packing is making your life hell. I used almost an entire jar in 1 week.
#3. Ice Chips. I sucked these down like crazy. The felt great on my sore throat (from the tubes that were down it during surgery). I made sure I made TONS of ice fr a week before the surgery and still had to make an ice run at one point. 5 Ice cubes in the blender for 30 seconds and.......... Voila!
#4. Mashed Potatoes...they were basically the only thing I could eat for several days.
#5 Arnica... I think it really helped with the bruising. My bruising was very minimal i was on a weeks regiment of about 3 per day beginning the day of surgery.
#6 Humidifier. Kept it own the whole first week and I think it kept my mouth and throat and nostrils from getting too dry.
#6 Hard Candy This will keep you mouth moist. My favorite was Lifesavers Spearmint.
#7. Trashy Magazines Star, Us Weekly, People, etc. Kept my mind occupied with meaningless garbage especially since I was too drugged up to actually read a real book.
#8. Tevo, VOD or Rented Movies. Daytime TV totally blows.
#9. Someone to Doll Out Your Meds. For the first 3 days at least you will be too hammered to do it yourself without screwing it up. I was confused allot because I had a total of 9 things I was taking including vitamins, Arnica etc.
#10. Percoset or Vicodin? and Valium Find out before the surgery if you can sleep on Percoset if that is what is prescribed to you. I could not and ended up losing 3 days of sleep due to it. Vicodin worked well though and not only dulled the pain but knocked me out. Valium is great for the anxiety caused by the packing.
#11 Lighted Tweezers. After the packing is removed and you have healed for about a month you will finally be able start gently picking up thee. I suggest using a dry Q tip for a while. You will notice that you will feel like you have a ton of stuff up there when in fact a lot f it will be swelling and scar tissue, so it is important to see what you are trying to get at before just going to town in there. I had a pair of lighted tweezers that i usually use for my eyebrows. It worked great to spot and id. the things that needed to come out, and even to grab on to them to help get them out. Be careful and tread gingerly though. This is the way I was able to find a stitch that had been hidden by boogies and left in far too long. I found it 2 days ago and am going back to the doctor to get this one removed. For some reason only 2 of my 6 or so dis solvable stitches dissolved. The rest I had to go in to have them removed. last Friday (4 days ago) My Doc took out the last stitch (or so he thought). This was the stitch that needed to stay in the longest, but apparently he did not see the other one in there.
#13
Bendy Straws. A MUST!!!Honestly there is no other way to drink for the first week. Works great with soups too that have small bits like chicken with stars and broth.
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