Let the Healing Begin

It has now been exactly 52 days since all this started.  Some days it seems like 6 months and some days it seems like only yesterday.  I think this is the way any healing process goes.  If you are having a good day then the time is flying but on those days where you don’t want to get out of bed then the time just D R A G S by.  Yesterday my friend Kim and I went to OKC for my doctors visit.  OKC is about 120 miles from my house so we had about 2 hours each way to really talk about everything.  Since we haven’t been together for this whole time, except for one visit and about a dozen phone calls, we had a lot to talk about.  I’ll cover that in another post.

When I got to Dr. Wayne’s office, the waiting room was full!  I’ve never seen more than maybe three people in there at one time so I knew that he must have had an emergency or something and was a little behind.  I actually got in fairly quickly and his nurse started to work on me.  She removed all of my sutures.  That’s not my favorite part as it hurts due to the tenderness of the skin around the sutures.  It was over soon and Doc came in to look at his handy work.  He explained that there was still some swelling and that he thought it all looked really good for all I have been through.  He was pleased and therefore I was pleased.  He then explained that they would put some skin glue on the suture lines and place some flesh colored tape on them.  This is to help the scars to lay flat.  In four or five days the tape will come off and my life goes back to normal.  Whatever normal is…..

Here is what my nose looks like today.

Notice I am trying to smile since MLS thinks my previous pictures look like some kind of mug shots.

The tape hides the scars right now so it almost looks like I don’t have any.  The swelling in my nose and face should  subside over the next couple of weeks and over the next three months even the scars should fade.  He reinforced that I have to stay out of the sun and be very careful to not get my nose burned as the scars will absorb the pigment and make them darker.  I have already bought a big floppy brimmed hat to wear outside and I have bought some sunscreen recommended by brochures in his office.  Coach and I are going to be diligent in our use of sun screen from now on.

I only have one other treatment, well maybe two, that must be completed before I am finished.  Remember the hair on my nose?  I go back to Dr. Wayne’s office in 6 weeks to have them use a laser to get rid of all of it.  It may take a couple of treatments but it will prevent the hair from growing back.  Right now I am shaving the tip of my nose about once a week.  Coach is quick to tell me when he thinks I need to take care of it.  (This coming from the man that has to be practically held down to get rid of the inch long hairs growing out of his nose…..)

My next visit with Dr. Wayne will probably be my last and that will be in 3 months.  He assures me that by then I will be looking fantastic.  He is such a positive person.

What a trip this has been.  I know that as I look back on this past month or so that I have been through the valley.  Now I can see the sun shining again and can actually look toward the future with more hope.  This hasn’t been an easy journey.  There were times when I wanted to pray and yet I was so drained that I couldn’t even utter a prayer.  I know that God always knows what is in my heart and I know that He knew my needs at all times.  I can’t imagine going through an ordeal like this without the assurance that someone who is always faithful is interceeding for me.  Also knowing that many friends and family members are constantly lifting me up in prayer made it easier for me to rest and heal.

I’ve always known that I am a vain person.  As far back as I can remember I have been very concerned with my appearance.  I always wanted to have the right clothes, a good hair style, good makeup,  perfect skin, etc. etc.  My appearance took front and center in my life for way too long.  I am slowly realizing, due more to my age than this one incident, that what we look like on the outside is not nearly as important as who we are on the inside.  If we all spent as much time working on the inside as we do the outside then this world would be a much better place for our children and grandchildren.  I also learned that the people who truly love you will love you no matter what you look like.  The sweetest times have been when my grandchildren would gently touch my face and tell me they loved me.  No amount of physical beauty is better than unconditional love.

Well, the hard part is over for now.  The rest of the journey will be up to my body.  I know I need to eat right and give my body the nutrition that it needs to heal.  This has spurred me to take a closer look at my diet.  (Need to get more antioxidants in this body.)  Healing has begun both inside and out.  Thanks for sharing this journey with me and for your prayers, thoughts, hugs and love.

This isn’t the last you will hear about this but it looks like my nose won’t be the center of my attention for much longer.  I need to get back to work and I have lots of plans for the end of this year.  MLS and I really need to go to Canton to the biggest flea market in the world, Christmas presents need to be bought, my laundry room needs painting, Thanksgiving is just around the corner and many, many other things to look forward to.  I can’t do any of those things stuck here in my house.

Wish me luck!  I’m ready to hit the ground running but think I need to start with a stroll.