Rhinoplasty (Nose Surgery) in 3 Weeks Time, Looking for Some Emotional Support/Advice/Experiences, How Long out of Work / Gym?

glub on 28/10/2020 - 13:08
TL;DR Nose surgery 3 weeks time, how long likely off of work and the gym?
Backstory:

Last year I got emitted to the hospital with a really bad cold, 30 mins upon arrival I was in intensive care and then prepped to have a tracheostomy, luckily I didn’t need the surgery the swelling went down, but I had severe tracheitis influenza B and was in intensive care wired up for a week. Whilst conducting tests they tried to put a camera up my nose (worst feeling in the world, ever) when they were pushing and It wouldn’t go in my right nostril at all they tell me I have a severe Deviated Septum and likely only use my nose to breathe about 20%. I guess I kinda knew something was wrong with me as I always have my mouth open otherwise I feel like I am struggling to breathe, but this has been like it my whole life so I never saw the issue.
They tell me I need Rhinoplasty and my overall life/sleep/fitness/appearance will change. I’ve been on the waiting list and have heard absolutely nothing, I thought they had stood me up and were going to leave me as a mere mouth breather forever.
Nope, got the call today – surgery appointment 3 weeks time.

Concern:

Firstly, I guess I need to consider work, but they said I would need at least a couple of weeks off. I may be underestimating this, but I work from a desk at home, I think I will need 1 week max.
Secondly and most important, Gym. I am what some may call a fitness freak, since i’ve been in lockdown living alone it has been my sanctuary and most of the time the only reason I leave the house on a weekday, understanding I probably won’t want to go anywhere looking like i’ve been 10 rounds with mike tyson, for the first few weeks anyway. But they told me 4 weeks most likely until I can do any type of fitness activity?! 4 weeks?! Not only will I probably feel isolated, bored and sad. I will also lose a huge amount of progress in both what I can lift and my summer bod. So I am looking if anyone has similar experiences and some thoughts on my main concerns.

•How long am I likely to struggle to work my office job?
•How long is it likely to be until I can gym?
•Is there anything such as diet, supplements, etc I can take to prevent muscle/strength loss?
•Are there any types of workouts I will be fine to do? Like bicep curls at home?
•Chances of it going wrong and me looking like Voldemort?
•How bad was the overall procedure for you?

I probably sound dramatic and in the long run this is likely to all be worth it, but it’s also very daunting and would really appreciate some advice (emotional support also welcome) from anyone with similar experiences.

Health & Beauty

Comments

  • Xistn on 28/10/2020 - 13:13
    +10

    These are all questions you need to discuss with your Doctor.

  • tissue on 28/10/2020 - 13:21
    +2

    Rhinoplasty =/= Septoplasty.

    I had it done recently, and had 2 weeks off work. Main issue with it is that you need to isolate - catching a cold/flu where you have to sneeze can be very bad. Biggest issue I had was just reacting to the Endone, so stopped it after 2 days and was just chewing Pnadol at the max rate. You shouldnt take Nurofen either as it delays recovery.

    You wont be able to gym for probably 4-6 weeks. Its mainly about keeping yourself relaxed to recover faster and to not put any strain on face muscles. Dont know how to answer the rest of your questions about diet, workouts, etc. Maybe check on that big US bodybuilding forum.

    Surgery was pretty bad the first 3-4 days, and you wont notice a change in breathing until probably week 4. By week 6-8 you should be breathing much better, which is when the stitches and stuff get 'birthed' out your nose. Get some Flo and the sachets, as you will need to rinse your nose out 2-3 times a day until week 6-8, this helps with recovery time. You will also need to make some nose bandages, which I just put a tampon in some bandage, wrapped the bandage ends around both ears (so looks like an elongated figure 8) and make the tampon sit under both nostrils to catch the seepage.

    • [Deactivated] on 28/10/2020 - 15:52

      First sentence says it all.

      For some, the rhino plasty is barely anything. It could be as little as shaving a bit of cartilage. For some, it could involve significant movement and fixation.

      How long is a piece of string.

      Speak to your surgeon. They can marry up your post-op experience to someone that had similar work done.

  • alexlim2000 on 28/10/2020 - 13:23

    I had deviated septum surgery a few years back.

    Previously I basically had to always mouth breathe, like yourself. I can breathe through my nose but it still seems more laboured than through the mouth - something I need to consciously do.

    •How long am I likely to struggle to work my office job? - I was out for.. 3 days? Basically just until I was off painkillers. I work a from home office job.

    •How long is it likely to be until I can gym? - I think my doc said about 1 month before strenuous exercise.

    •Is there anything such as diet, supplements, etc I can take to prevent muscle/strength loss? - 1g/protein per kg of lean body mass.

    •Are there any types of workouts I will be fine to do? Like bicep curls at home? - the issue is when blood rushes and may lead to a bleeding nose. Not a good experience with the post-op care required - would advise to not exercise at all for a week or two. You'll survive.

    •Chances of it going wrong and me looking like Voldemort? - Your doctor can advise, but generally its fairly safe. I think the only real risks are: allergy to sedative or imaging contrast + risk of sepsis/hospital bugs related stuff

    •How bad was the overall procedure for you? - glad I did it, even if the gains weren't that big. It has helped with my ability to sleep at night which is a huge life improvement.

    Manage your diet and you'll be fine for the 4 week recovery.

  • Drakesy on 28/10/2020 - 13:49
    +2

    Had a deviated septum corrected about 3 years ago and my turbinates cut back as a result of my sleep apnoea diagnosis (girlfriend at the time noticed i stopped breathing altogether for 1-2 minutes at a time).

    Nose kept bleeding for roughly the first 2 days but stopped after that.
    The nose irrigation system helps clear out the gunk (blood etc) i found this congealed into globs and required a fairly hard blow through the nostril to dislodge.
    I'd imagine you'd have roughly 5 days of no gym then can go back to it slowly.

    Mine took roughly a month for the stitches to fall away and 6 months before it finally settled on it's current shape.

    Overally it is nice to have 2 nostrils to breathe through for once, although i still religiously do saltwater rinses to keep them open. Sleep quality has improved and i can go a full day without yawning/wanting to fall asleep.

  • pharkurnell on 28/10/2020 - 14:28

    Just dont watch the show on tele Botched..

  • Devils Advocate on 28/10/2020 - 16:13
    +1

    In addition to the 1g/kg of protein, I'd suggest a vitamin D supplement to prevent muscle atrophy. Needs to be taken with food for maximum effectiveness.

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2129105/

  • screensaver on 21/11/2020 - 08:56

    vit c to build collagen, calcium to repair bone, ice pack, perhaps a soft one, to reduce swelling, wash all your sheets, towels and pillowcases so you have a clean supply, sterile gauze for cleaning, straw for drinking

  • gigi16 on 23/11/2020 - 21:50

    I've had rhinoplasty (open) but not a septoplasty so I can't really comment. Recovery from rhino was pretty easy for me and not really painful. Exercise stuff is ALL questions for the doctors, i personally don't even remember with mine but it was def not weeks or months off exercise from memory. Even the swelling wasn't really an obvious issue and I was back in society literally within days (crazy, i know!) I think a thing to make you feel less isolated / bored would be to practice gratitude, not saying this to be snarky. When you realise how lucky you are to get this surgery for free (i assume) and also to be able to exercise at all (I am chronically ill and basically can't exercise at all and possibly never will again lol) - it will make you really appreciate being able bodied. Good luck with the procedure ! x

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