Day 2 post op. I really struggled with nausea and vomiting on day 1, but that has passed, thank goodness. My pain isn’t terrible. I moved from percocet to just tylenol this afternoon, and I feel pretty good pain wise. I’ve got my percocet on hand though if pain ramps up. I just feel so much more normal without it. No nausea meds needed today either. I started steroids today along with plenty of icing.
My smile is a tad crooked. I think this usually improves with time, but even if it doesn’t, it’s not terrible. I get an odd crackling in my ear on the surgery side when I chew. I guess that’s just inflammation? I’ll be glad for that to go whenever it’s ready. My preop symptoms were a sore, burning, swollen feeling throat, globus, and some difficulty swallowing. With the post op inflammation going on, it’s hard to tell if any of that will resolve. I hope so! I’ll give some I updates along the way.
Thank you for the update, @Ladybug. The ear crackling is due to inflammation which is caused by excess lymph fluid in the area as the body aims to protect the injured area this way. The crackling will cease & desist as the fluid reabsorbs during healing. It may be a month or so before you have a good snapshot of how your symptoms are resolving because nerves a poky to recover & inflammation takes its time in receding so don’t despair. Also, as we’ve said to many of our members, recovery can be a 2 steps forward, 1 step back process, but keep in mind, that’s still a gain, it can be slow going at times though.
A word of caution - You’re still in the post op “honeymoon period” today i.e. you still have surgical meds in your system helping reduce inflammation & pain. Take to heart the info that Dr. Samji gives regarding post op inflammation peaking on days 3-5/6 post op, & don’t be afraid to take the percocet tomorrow & going forward as needed. I guarantee its side effects are easier to cope w/ than run away pain. It’s hard to play catch up once the pain gets ahead. I had to do that…learned my lesson!! That said, quite a few of our members have found that Extra Strength Tylenol has been adequate for pain management w/in the first few days after surgery & beyond. Hopefully you’ll be one of those.
Day 3. I’ve read from you all that swelling peaks day 3-5. Well today the throat swelling is significant. You guys are spot on. It makes me nervous. I’m doing all of the things to help out- icing, prenisode, laying propped up. Still, the feeling is unnerving. I can breathe and eat ok, so I think I just need to get through these days.
Hi @Ladybug. I was totally in your camp. I would take my prednisone in the morning & it would help w/ that “closed throat” feeling over the course of the day but never totally took it away. When I would wake up each morning, even after sleeping w/ my head very elevated, my throat would feel like it was nearly closed. It was scary! For me, that sensation lasted for a number of weeks, but for most people it goes away sometime in the second post op week. I could also breathe & eat ok, but the sensation was unpleasant. It may be that it’s just the irritated nerves making it feel swollen & closed when in actuality all is really normal. I’m glad you’re staying on top of things w/ ice, percocet & head elevation. Try to take some short walks today, too, as that gets the circulation moving throughout your body & will help alleviate inflammation, too.
Day 6. The swelling is better. Still there for sure, but much better. I’m only on tylenol for pain, and I actually haven’t take any since first thing this morning (now 9pm), and I’m pretty comfortable. Still taking prednisone, so that is likely helping with pain as well as swelling. We flew back home yesterday, and I was nervous about today. I have two young kids, and they require a lot of energy. My husband is home, so he was a huge help and let me get a nap, but I managed a trip to the park, unpacking, and some light housework. I got my first episode of first bite syndrome today. It’s not terrible but noticeable.
My throat burning and lump in the throat sensation haven’t budged. Because recovery has gone pretty well, I think I unrealistically hoped my symptoms would go away quickly and easily too. Not the case. I may just have to be patient while my nerves calm down from surgery. After trying a million other (non-Eagles) interventions to address my throat issues with no luck, I’m just a bit jaded that anything will work. I’m trying to keep an open mind though and let time heal what it can.
I hope that you can get some rest, not easy with little ones! Nerves can take a long time to settle down & heal, so patience is needed, but I know that’s hard…thinking of you
Day 10. When did you resume exercise? I attended exercise classes regularly before surgery. Recovery has gone pretty smoothly, but I don’t want to rush into exercise if it will set me back. My post op instructions were just to ease back into activity. I’m curious how long others took to get back to their usual activities. No rock climbing, boxing, mountain biking or other activities that risk impacts and falls- just standard aerobics classes.
I think I started back at about 1 month post op. Just take it easy at first. I jumped back in w/ both feet & caused my symptoms to flare again. Listen to your body - slow down/rest when it asks. If you find yourself in pain after a particular activity, don’t repeat it for a week or two.
