- Whether your nose surgery is cosmetic or functional, a smooth recovery requires some preparation.
- Supportive pillows, mini ice packs, and straws were just a couple of things that made my life a lot easier after my septoplasty.
- Here are 19 items you should have handy before your deviated septum surgery or nose job so that you won’t need to leave your house for anything.
There’s a yoga breathing technique meant to induce clarity and mindfulness called alternate nostril breathing. You cover one nostril while taking deep breaths and then, you guessed it, you alternate. The first time I tried this out, I was extremely confused. "This is meant to be relaxing?? You can BREATHE like that??" The issue I had quickly run into: I was barely able to breathe through one of my nostrils — a problem I had never encountered directly before.
Before this, I had no idea that I was taking in less breath than other people. Turns out, I had a deviated septum, which meant that the airflow through my nose was obstructed on one side. These are fairly common and can be congenital or caused by a traumatic face injury — probably the latter in my case given that I ever so gracefully face-planted into a brick fireplace when I was a kid. After consulting with a friend who had her own deviated septum surgically corrected, I decided to have mine taken care of sooner rather than later.
I wanted to make sure my face wouldn’t look different after surgery so I decided to go with Dr. Matthew White, a double-board certified facial plastic surgeon based in NYC. When having a septoplasty (a repositioning of the septum), many people opt to simultaneously have a rhinoplasty (a reshaping of the nose) performed. As Dr. White explained to me, "If they are getting surgery for breathing issues, they figure why not improve the appearance at the same time. They are right — it is easier to do all of the surgery in one setting and not divide it into two procedures. Anytime you have to go back and do a secondary surgery, wound healing is always more complicated." While I did not opt for the nose job, I did heed the advice to take care of everything at once and I also had a turbinate reduction and a nasal valve repair to fix various other breathing issues I was experiencing.
Knowing that I would be totally wiped out from anesthesia and pain medication, I wanted to be as prepared as possible for post-surgery — I did NOT want to get stuck needing to run out to any stores.
Here are 19 things I bought from Amazon to prepare for my deviated septum surgery:
A pillow wedge
Amazon
Bed Wedge Pillow with Memory Foam Top, $42.97, at Amazon
My doctor wanted me to sleep on my back and keep my head elevated at a 45-degree angle to minimize swelling. As a side sleeper, I was nervous about being uncomfortable and fidgeting all night if I just propped up a couple of pillows, so I bought this pillow wedge instead. The memory foam was so comfortable and definitely worth the investment; it will come in handy if I get a cold!
A lightweight, zip-up hoodie
Amazon
Sofra Women’s Thin Cotton Zip-Up Hoodie Jacket, from $9.17, at Amazon
I was told to avoid pulling clothes over my head for a few days after surgery, so I mostly wore zip-up sweatshirts. The weather was getting warmer and I didn’t want to overheat, so I wore thin hoodies like this one.
Cozy sweatpants
Amazon
I wanted to up my cozy game so I bought myself to a new pair of sweatpants. These cost less than $10 and I like that they don’t have a drawstring.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
See Also:
- The best water bottles you can buy
- Alkaline water can be found in gyms and grocery stores everywhere now — here’s what it tastes like and what it does
- This $80 smart light switch automatically turns off lights when I leave a room so I can finally stop patrolling my home
Source: Business Insider – nmaynard@insider-inc.com (Navah Maynard)