I had surgery 6 days ago in Ann Arbor, MI, which is about 300 miles from home. I had a growth in my nasal passages that had plugged up my nose and made it impossible to breath through anything but my mouth. It went so well, that even though it was a late surgery, shortly after noon last Friday, I was released around 4PM. I think this made me believe that it wasn't such a big deal. By the way, the growth was about the size of a golf ball and shaped like a mushroom. They had to remove part of my septum, but this, I guess, was the best place for it to have been located.
We went to a motel Friday night and I slept well, breathing through my nose for the first time in years. Sassafras had picked up some dope pills and anti-biotics and I started taking them. I had some hiccups but they went away. In the AM, I took my pills and the hiccups returned. We left for St. Ignace that morning and the hiccups continued on and off for most of the day. They actually became violent. We eventually figured that I was getting them from the pain medicine I was taking and quit them. On Sunday, I woke with sore chest, abdominal and back muscles, probably from the hiccups. I spent the day not moving much, but figuring that this was better a plugged nose and part of the recovery.
Monday morning, the muscles were less painful, but I felt groggy. We got a call from the nurses staff of U of M and she said that it was normal the third day after surgery to be excessively tired. I said, great, there is a reason for it anyway. I still wasn't taking it too seerious. Tuesday the tiredness continued and Wednesday I woke up and told Sass, I need to get out. I pictured taking a ride down US 2 and the Lake Michigan shoreline. It never came off. I was just too tired.
Thursday, today, I woke up with a dry nose and no bleeding. I didn't mention that the first day I had a nasal drip that consisted of blood. After the first day, it wasn't terrible, but I did have to occasionally dab my nose. Well, I was sitting at the dinner table for lunch and was just finishing up, when I felt some moisture at my nose. I dabbed with a paper towel and it came away soaked in blood. I then became aware that blood was pouring out of my nose in no way I had ever experienced. I ran to the bathroom sink and spent around 5 minutes soaking up towels and letting it run into the sink. Eventually I was able to get it to slow down to what I would call a normal nose bleed.
In the mean time, Sass had called the doctors office in Ann Arbor and I was able to find out that this was probably caused from drying out and a scab breaking.
I have spent the past 8 hours feeling very fragile. I had decided a few days ago, this was going to be a cake walk. Maybe it is because I am 63, or maybe it is because the surgery, though not timely, was evasive enough to beat this old man down. I have learned that when your body goes under the knife, no matter how simple it may seem, and though they don't require that we stay in the hospital as we used to do, a person must still put in the time for the recovery to be complete.
Tomorrow, we leave for Taylor, MI to work in a Motorcycle swap meet. I plan on doing no work, but I hope I can sale. Sass and I have talked and agreed if necessary, I will simply stay in the motel. I hope that isn't the case.
I just thought I would add this little note. I am fragile and I am never fragile. It is humbling. I have ducked guys twice as big as me and talked down whole groups of angry/drunk people, but nothing has ever made me feel so fearful as this little surgery. It truly knocked the wind out of my sails. It seems it has taken this long for me to realize just how vulnerable and dependent a person can become. I don't like it, that's for sure and I will recover to my normal self with the ability to breath through my nose. No doubt about it. But at this moment, in this place, I simply want to lay down and not think about anything else.
Mick
