Day 2 - more drips

I didn't really sleep very well the first night as I still kept having to use the sucker to get rid of blood/spit build-up in my mouth.

At about 6am, the nurse came to administer meds through my new drip. This one hurt a lot like the old one and the nurse said this one would also need removing too. She didn't finish giving me the meds because of the pain.

She came back and removed the drip a few mins later.

Later a doctor came and looked for new veins on my arms, he got me to pump my arms and open and close my hands to raise veins up. He tried one spot at the back of my right hand. This didn't go in properly so he took it out again. He then tried one lower on my right arm, this also wasn't any good so it was removed again.
He then asked to look at my left arm and tried one on my lower arm. This also didn't work so he gave up.

At this point, I have 5 points drips have tried to inserted!

Later in the morning, two doctors came to see how I was getting on and said they were going to remove the tubes from my nose.
I wasn't looking forward to that!
First they removed the smaller tube, then they went to remove the longer tube which one of the doctors said would be uncomfortable as it was in the stomach. It turned out not to be too bad.
They told me I'll still be leaking blood and plasma from my nose as my sinuses are full of blood.

Once they had gone, a nurse came and cleaned up my nose as it had lots of dried blood in and around the nostrils. She then applied a bolster (sterile dressing under my nose) for the leakage and got me to sit in the chair. She tidied up the bed.

The nurse later a jug of iced water.

My Dad turned up at half 10 to see me and my boyfriend came at eleven. They both said I looked better now I no longer had the tubes.

To be honest I felt better too as most of the blood in my stomach had gone, so I no longer felt ill and it was mainly saliva I had now sucking from my mouth.

Later the nurse came with my painkillers to take by syringe and told my Dad and my boyfriend that I had to go to the clinic for a checkup and that a porter would take me but they could accompany me.

Now when I wanted a wee I was expected to walk to the toilet. I was limping because of my hip but managed to walk to the loo with my Dad with much determination.

The light in the first toilet wasn't working, so a nurse showed me a different one.

When I went back to my room, I started to slowly take my medicine.
The soluble paracetamol was the worst tasting.
he anti-biotics tasted like banana and the stronger painkiller tasted like orange.

When it was nearly time to go the the clinic, the nurse said that a porter wasn't coming and gave a wheelchair for them to take me down to the Maxillofacial clinic in.
When I sat on the wheelchair, the nurse put a blanket over my legs to cover me up more snugly. I still had my dressing gown on.

I felt self-conscious as my boyfriend pushed my wheelchair and my Dad led the way. I felt like people were looking at me.

When we got to the Maxillofacial, we were taken to a room called the "recovery room" to wait. There were lots of people waiting and they looked at me, swollen face and all as I was wheeled past.

We waited for a while and a lady came and asked me to walk next door to be x-rayed. I slowly limped next door and then the lady asked if I had any jewelery on etc. For the first x-ray (front view of teeth), she asked me to keep my mouth closed for the x-ray which I found funny as I couldn't move it.
For the next x-ray (side view of teeth), she asked me to keep my back teeth closed, (again wondering how they think I can actually move my teeth!).

After that was done, I limped back to wait with my Dad and boyfriend again.
We were then called and got seen by Mr O my surgeon who asked me how I was feeling etc. He had the x-ray photo up and it showed I have 4 metal plates on my top jaw.
He asked if my lower lip was numb, I said no, I could just about talk. I said my top lip is numb. He was pleased with this as usually when lower jaw surgery is performed, there is numbness in the lower jaw, but I don't have any. He told me the nerve was stretched in my upper jaw and so it could take a while for it to recover.
He said the swelling will go down gradually.

We then went back up to the ward where I had some water and later some milkshake.
I wasn't really hungry or thirsty. A food selection list had been left in my room for me to choose food for Wed and Thurs. I looked at the list and there was nothing suitable for someone who's wired up.

Later my Dad left to go and get my Mum.
My Mum and Dad came back later and kept me company until they left at 9.30pm.

The nurse came in at about 10pm and asked when my boyfriend would be leaving, he said in a few mins, she said he can stay for a lil longer, but not too long. She asked me how much water etc I'd been having, she wasn't pleased when she realised I hadn't been drinking much, once she had gone, my boyfriend said we'll keep a log of how much water I have tomorrow and try and increase it.

Later my boyfriend went and the nurse came in a while later with more meds.
I had the meds and went to sleep.