THE ROAD TO SURGERY & RECOVERY

!!!WARNING!!!

THIS POST CONTAINED GROSS PHOTOS.

YOU'VE BEEN WARNED. DO NOT CONTINUE READING 

IF YOU'RE UNCOMFORTABLE.

This post is a sequel to the accident that caused my face to be slightly disfigured. In summary, I sustained injuries on my forehead, right cheek, upper lip, inner jaw, left palm, the whole of right arm, left upper thigh and right knee. My left index finger and right shoulder were sprained too.

DAY 1 (23 Mar 17) - TINY STONES AND SAND!

In the A&E, I told the nurse that there were still tiny stones and sand in my mouth. As my lips were too swollen, she was unable to see and told me to go back home to gargle some water. So, after I was discharged and got home, I gargled. I then realized there were tiny stones deep down my jaw area. I put my index finger in and tried to dig out the tiny stones which caused a great pain. I managed to get all of the tiny stones out but not the sand. I could taste blood and sandy texture on my teeth. 

To be honest, I thought my lower lip were separated from the gum because I could literally feel the teeth, the gum and the root canal below the gum. My index finger could go so deep down. So, I told mummy that I want to see a doctor tomorrow. That night, I was unable to do much. I couldn't eat or brush my teeth too. Mummy gave me a packet of cold chrysanthemum tea and I slept early.

DAY 2 (24 Mar 17) - WENT BACK TO A&E...

I couldn't sleep well last night, because I kept dreaming of the scene where I fall onto the rocky pathway. So, I woke up very early and had water only. I could drink using straw. After mummy was ready, we took a cab to nearby Polyclinic. We queued for an hour or so before it was my turn to see a doctor. The doctor couldn't check on my mouth's injuries well, so he suggested to refer us to nearest hospital and get treatment. I immediately agreed to it. While he prepared the letter, he sent me to another room for re-dressing the wounds.

This was taken with front camera.

I looked like I suffered from domestic violence.

It was a pain to dress the wounds again. The nurse in A&E only used the non-woven pads and ointment, which resulted some cotton to be stuck on the wounds. The nurse in Polyclinic had to use some force to dig out the cotton which caused me to cry in pain. Afterward, she gave me another type of dressing which flushes yellowish fluid out of the wounds. Once done, we took a cab to the hospital and I am back at A&E again. Today, it was another doctor who attended to me. He sent me to X-ray for my head. No fractures or sign of any foreign objects (tiny stones, etc). The doctor said I had digged out all the tiny stones, and all he could see were cuts And ulcers. So, he prescribed me with oral wash, oral ointment and antibiotics. As for food, I had fresh orange juice in the noon and fish porridge ar night. I could eat but with tiny mouthful at a time.

DAY 3 & 4 (25-26 Mar 17) - REST AT HOME :)

I was instructed by the nurse in Polyclinic to change the facial dressing every day and so, I leave the job to our helper. She is experienced as she had helped grandma to change her wounds before. It was hard to keep the wounds clean because the yellowish fluid kept on dripping out. So, we decided to add another layer of non-woven pads. She also helped me to wash my hair ^^ I was really thankful for that because there was a lot of dried blood stuck in my hair and on the sides. With my hands' injuries, I just couldn't wash it myself.

The swelling had reduced a little but my lips and jaw still hurt. All I could eat was fish porridge with a baby spoon. On Day 4, mummy mixed some sweet potato into the leftover fish porridge. It wasn't tasty. As I was getting sick of porridge, out helper suggested juices. So, I started having vegetable & fruit juices too.

DAY 5 (27 Mar 17) - APPOINTMENT & SURGERY :0

I had an appointment at 10:30 AM. So, Mummy and I took a cab to the hospital in the early morning. I was sent to the treatment room where the plastic surgeons examined my wounds. Dr. Low was the one who cleaned some of my wounds. He was very rough and I am afraid of him. As my condition was bad, he gave me 2 options.

Option 1: Leave the facial wounds as it is and let it heal by itself, but there will be ugly scarring.

Option 2: Stitch the facial wounds, scarring may look nicer.

I chose the option 2, since both will result in scarring. After my decision, I was scheduled to a surgery in the afternoon and needed to be hospitalized for a night. Dr. Low was the one who performed the surgery. It was an absolute nightmare. I was given multiple anesthesia shots around the upper lip, nose bridge, right cheek, forehead and left palm. Even though my cheekbone and jaw hurts, he doesn't care much and used his force all the way. After an hour or so of torment, the surgery finally ended. It was such a painful experience that I worried about taking out the stitches... As for those who went for plastic surgeries, I am impressed with their bravery and courage. I wondered how they had tolerated the pain of needles and knives.

Before Surgery

After Surgery

According to the surgeon, my upper lip was badly damaged with almost no skin left. So, it will be ugly even when it has heal. To look better, I can opt for skin grafting or laser in the future. Somehow, I am thankful to Dr. Low for removing all of the scabs. At least, my face doesn't look so distorted than it had before the surgery.

After resting for about 15 minutes at recovery room, I was sent to ward 2. The nurse had a hard time finding my veins and it was a mess when she finally inserted the tube. So, every 4 hours, I am given the IV drip and antibiotic via the tube. They also took my temperature and blood pressure every 4 hours, even when I am sleeping. 

As for dinner, I chose to have grilled fish with herbs and mashed potato. I was craving for mashed potato for many days and could have it here! I ate with the knife and took a long time to finish it. Oh right, Dr. Low assigned me a task and that is to drink 'Ensure - NutriVigor' milk powder twice a day because the protein can help me heal faster.

DAY 6 (28 Mar 17) - DISCHARGED FROM HOSPITAL!

There was no way that I had a good sleep. At around 6AM, the nurse woke me up to gargle my mouth. They wanted to give me the IV drip and antibiotic but realized my tube had been clogged by the blood. So, they had to re-insert in another area. They tried on my right palm which failed. Then, they tried my right antecubital space which thankfully succeeded. It was so painful and they had wanted to try on my foot's veins if they ever fail the 2nd try.

For breakfast, I had pork porridge. Then, I had a short nap while waiting for mummy to come. There were 3 other patients in the ward and all of them discharged earlier than me. Apparently, the doctor had assigned 2 injections to me. One on my left arm and another was Tetanus shot which they injected it on my butt, because the amount was quite large. I took the shots while having my lunch. 

Weird right? The nurse asked if I wanted to take it right now or after lunch. I was thinking that eating might distract me from the pain, so I took it at that point. Indeed, it wasn't painful because I was so focused on eating. They gave me rice with chicken meat and eggplant. I ate them with a teaspoon and managed to finish it. I learnt a new tactic and that was to slurp up the food from the spoon. That way, I wouldn't hurt my jaw or have to open my mouth wide.

Afterward, I'm discharged. My face was still kind of swollen and was given anti-swelling medicine. For the other wounds, I am sure it will heal well after the scabs have drop off. 

AS FOR NOW...

I am still healing and no longer in pain. However, I cannot smile, laugh or frown. Else, it would cause a sharp pain on my facial wounds. Especially, the upper lip and forehead. Other than that, my other wounds started to itch which is a good sign that they are healing well. 

My cheekbone and jaw are no longer in pain too. However, my lower lip's frenulum is not healing and it felt like my jaw is hanging low. Due to that, I can't brush my teeth because the mouth still can't be opened wide. I have to depend on medicated oral wash to maintain the hygiene which is never enough. Hence, I will consult with Dr. Low again on coming Monday. Or, maybe seek a dentist and have a polishing session too.

*UPDATED*