Previous post: Day 4
Day 5
Waking up today felt remarkably like waking up yesterday. I'd managed a full 7 hours sleep, and woke up feeling congested like a bad cold.
My headache seems to be improving, and my eyes are watering much less now. I'm definitely starting to feel more normal.
What's still continuing, though, is the fairly regular discharge from my nose. The good news is that this has progressed from a fairly bloody discharge on the first day, to a point now where it's more like the snotty runny nose you have when you've got a cold. But blowing your nose and sniffing are both big no-no's for the first two weeks, so in lieu of these solutions I just have to keep dabbing with the paper towel.
My main enemy now, it seems, is myself. I'd never realised before just how often you knock your nose as you go about your daily business. For example, whenever I bring my hand up to my face (eg. to wipe away tears, scratch an itch on my forehead, or whatever) I've now discovered that I usually whack my nose on the way past. Normally this wouldn't matter of course, but at the moment my nose is still very tender and brushing my hand past it feels like being punched in the face. What's more, whack it too hard and it could dislodge the newly straightened bone, putting me right back to square one! So my task for today is to self-learn that my nose is tender and touching it must be avoided at all costs.
Venture out?
Outside it's a gorgeous summer day today, and it seems criminal to be indoors yet again. The recommendation is that you should stay indoors for the first week -- this is apparently because you're more susceptible to picking up an infection, and your nose is not protected by any clothes that you might wear.
However, that comes at the cost of going slowly insane from cabin fever, so I decide that by this point it's fine to go for a short walk. Walking down the street was a surreal experience, realising that I'm the only one who knows how fragile my nose is. I feel a bit like I'm carrying an unexploded bomb but that everybody else is blissfully unaware.
I walk slowly and deliberately, avoiding blind corners and shop doors to make sure that nobody accidentally walks out into me and damages my prize possession. I make it to the shops, stock up on essentials and then head back. It's a windy day, and I can feel the wind on my nose, it's sensitive but not painful.
Conclusion
Today is the first time that I've started to feel somewhat normal again. I've only spent an hour dozing during the daytime, I'm able to focus for longer and my nose is dripping less frequently.
I'm still feeling no benefits from the surgery -- my nose is still blocked or swollen -- but I'm told that this is to be expected until the splints are removed, which should be happening in two days time.
Next: Day 6
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