November 12th, 2007  (Surgery Date October 24th)

Yes, as you're getting to know by now, this isn't a daily habit of mine to write up a blog.   I really thought I'd be keeping this site bristling with new content while I was out in San Francisco.  I also thought my level 69 undead priest in World or Warcraft would hit level 70 (highest level) while I was out there too.  After all, I had 2 weeks out there, and what else was I going to be doing?

Hm, let's see, 4 days were a great vacation then the next 10 were something else.  I'm not really sure where to begin, and thought perhaps I'd try and break this up into a few ideas to keep it organized on the site.  I don't mean to write a book that seems like more than the typical reader wants to see,  so I'll try to get to the main points here.  I suppose amusing anecdotes and observations can be fit into future blogs anyway.

So, when we last left our heroine, she was about to go see "Dr. O".   I already knew the work to be done so it was mostly prepping me for what to expect and what to do and not do for the next 12 hours.  He did ask me what kind of a nose I wanted, and if I'd brought along any pictures to show an example.  Well, I hadn't realized that was an option, but fortunately, I had pretty much just liked the idea of reducing the size to match other facial feature reductions.  He described to basic types of noses that are typically feminine, and I said I'd just go with his expert opinion.  Everyone else I see that he works on is very pretty, so I figured I couldn't go wrong.

I don't recall what time I got to sleep, but even though my alarm was already set for 4am, I got up at 3:30 and just stayed up and started getting ready.  If you really want to know the details of what one does to prep for this, just ask, but for this entry, I'll skip the details.   I got there and checked in without incident, and could remember everything up to the point of being wheeled into the operating room.  And of course, it was lights out for me in a minute or two.  Good thing too, because if he'd told me it was just a local anesthetic, I doubt I'd have gone in for that!

My biggest fear was coming out of surgery and not being able to breath well.  Having had 2 prior sinus surgeries, I know how much trouble I had coming out of those, and it was NOT fun trying to breath while still being groggy from anesthesia.  Fortunately, this was not the case.  So I had nearly 2 days to spend in the hospital.  Having been hospitalized in the past, I do recall I'd just turn on the TV and while away the time that way.  I never felt up to finding that remote control.   I only pressed 2 buttons while I was there.  One was for the nurse, to help me get up and go to the bathroom, and the other was to dispense pain killers into my IV.  I'd lie awake for a short while, decide I'd much rather be sleeping through this whole phase, and press the button.  It got so that if I was awake, I knew it was time to press the button :)

Mira (Dr. O's assistant), picked me up mid day on Friday.  I was still pretty weak, and the drive down Noe St, which is very hilly - steep hills broke me down quick.  Half way back on the 15 minute trip, I asked her to pull over, and got out in time to throw up on the sidewalk.  (she has a Jaguar - I'd have felt really bad if I didn't make it out of the car).

Back at Cocoon house, I snuggled up into my bed, and tried to sleep off the next 3 days, as it wouldn't be until Monday that the nose packing would come out.  I kept looking at the time, falling back asleep, checking the time again.  I was frequently dismayed that it'd only been 2 hours, or even 20 minutes since I last looked!  Only a day and a half, just 30 hours.... only 24 more.....16.....  It was a miserable countdown.  I was able to be on the computer during this time, and did some chatting and got some emails out.  I even forwarded or replied to a few work emails, just to feel like I was still usefull and they'd think I was really dedicated to my job (well, I am!)

Phew!  what a temporary relief that was to get the packing out.  It was another 12 hours before the swelling in my sinuses and the residual blood clotting up there blocked my airways again.  I knew this was going to be the case, and that I'd really only have limited use of my nose for breathing, but still, it was more comfortable to be down to just my outside nose bandage - the chin bandage having come off with the nose packing.

It's worth noting that even with my face swollen and being bruised (I came out with about the minumum of marks) I could still see a significant change in my forehead, so it was very promising and uplifting to be able to see it already.  As the days went by, I could see that I'd be able to pass just fine once it all healed.  Finally, the remaining bandages came off on a Thursday afternoon.  Feeling a bit more confident in my appearance, I did up my makeup well enough to conceal most of the marks on my face, tried to do my hair and went out to dinner with my friend. 

We had a nice meal and a good time out.  Just to be out and about, without bandages, AND to be seen by others to have feminine features was great for my confidence.  On the bus back home, I was chit-chatting with a couple of ladies.  One of that asked if I was getting or just had 'surgery'.  She was just looking at my face, and I knew she meant something like a nose job or face lift.  I said yes, and I'd just had the bandages removed that day.  She wished me well on my recovery.  But I was sure she took me for just another lady, and I simply had some plastic surgery.  I felt great on my first night out as a new woman!

I had time on Friday, my last day to leisurely pack and talk to my room mates and enjoy the city & the garden once more.  Got to the airport early enough to have what I considered a big meal at Friday's.  It was still hard to eat well, and I ordered soft foods (cheese sticks, pulled pork, fries, cheesecake), but even at that the breading on the cheese sticks was harder to deal with, as chewing wasn't

so easy and anything crunchy that doesn't slide down gets stuck in various places around the mouth.  I had to keep a tooth brush with me just so I could clean stuff away from my gums & teeth.

Fortunately my Father could still recognize me.  I saw him looking for me & my luggage as I got in.  I didn't look straight at him, to make sure he could pick me out - he did :)  The idea with FFS isn't so much to get a new face, but still look like me - just a female version.  It will still take 2-3 months for the swelling to recede and the features to finally assume their final appearance, but I already feel so much better about being out in public.  So now there's my voice issue to work on.......... (yeah, my list goes on ;)