Recovering from Surgery as a Workaholic

Yep, that’s me.

Just this past Monday, I had surgery on my deviated septum. It’s been a long time coming, and I was actually excited about it! Not being able to breathe properly for the majority of my life left me wanting more. And when I finally found an ENT I could trust, I knew surgery was the only option.

Did you know that around 85% of folks have a deviated septum? On some, it’s more externally obvious. Their nose may appear crooked or one nostril misshapen compared to the other.

For me, though, you could never guess. I always had a normal-looking nose. Though, my doctor reported my septum was in the shape of a snake, when in reality, it should have been straight.

So after months of trying this and that, finally I was approved! Surprisingly, I wasn’t too nervous. The entire surgical process was thorough, professional, and only took 30 minutes. My doctor said I was an easy patient. 😃 And they gave me lots of warm blankets afterward. Not so bad, right?

I knew ahead of time that the downtime would only be around a week. And here I am, back to work just a day later!

Fear Stopped Me for a While

I really should have gotten this surgery years ago. When I worked in catering, my sinuses would be easily irritated from running back and forth to the freezing dining room, then into the stifling kitchen. No one could understand why this caused such headaches for me. On one shift, this even led me to vomit. I think that’s when my colleagues and boss knew I was serious about the discomfort.

I tried all the remedies you could think of. Netty pots, sinus rinses, nasal sprays, essential oils…

When I had a job singing on Cape Cod during the summer of ’19, the intense pollen was killing me. It was far higher than what I was accustomed to in Jersey.

I only missed out on one show the entire summer. The girls later told me that I was crying pink tears.

It ended up happening from overuse of my saline rinse.

I was always scared of getting a surgery I really didn’t need. But in time, the discomfort only worsened. I would get random nosebleeds if the heat was on too high. I couldn’t go on certain amusement park rides out of fear of irritation.

After too much reliance on Advil, I finally decided to get it done. And I am so SO glad I did.

Is Your Deviated Septum Crooked? Fix it!

While I know this is an only temporary discomfort, I am certain the payout will be worth it.

While I should have gotten the procedure years ago, I’m glad that I got it now!

If you regularly have discomfort breathing, suffer from chronic post-nasal drip, or have drainage issues or headaches, please consider visiting an ENT doctor. It just may change your life!

While I inherited this unfortunate condition from my mom, who suffers chronically from sinus issues, at her age, she isn’t a candidate.

But I promise, it isn’t so bad, after all. One low-dosage pain pill every six hours, and lots of mouth-breathing and sleeping.

After all, there aren’t many things that could keep me away from writing for too long.

Talk soon,

🆂🆄🆉🍊

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