The Big Sneeze of 2025
CW: Post nasal surgery and healing
Ya know, it just occurred to me that I should have probably done this in earlier posts, but I just assumed that anyone reading them would be clued in. So if you get squeamish about blood and nasal excretions (such as snot and boogers), now is the time to turn back. Cause this post is gonna be hella gross.
I had an interesting night. I had my first non-painful sneeze since my surgery (now 25 days, woo hoo!), and was surprised by the biggest, nastiest, and quite stubborn, clot. The stench of this old, dead blood filled my nostrils. The smell was one thing, but the nasty bloody mass refused to come out. I ultimately left it alone, fearful of dislodging it and screwing up the healing process.
I almost fainted while assessing the damage, and ultimately decided to enlist my girlfriend's help. They secured a piece of gauze under my nose, to catch any future nastiness while I slept. Normally I could do it on my own, but felt really woozy.
Sleep came rather easily, but I still had that awful smell in my nose, which lessened by the time I woke up. Fortunately, I had the sense to buy a nasal rinse kit from CVS, so I flushed out more gunk this morning. But it was a really stubborn clot. I ended up pulling out a huge chunk of old, brownish snot. I took a picture, but won't share it here. Maybe on Reddit, but I mostly want to hold onto it for myself. Just a reminder of all I've been through while recovering.
Oh, and while I was checking this morning, I did notice that the clot trail came from further back in my nose, and wasn't affixed to my healing septum. That was a huge relief. I'm gonna refrain from interfering any further, but will keep up with my nasal rinses. This is the best way to clear my poor nose. I am glad that I can sneeze without fear now! That's a tremendous help in getting all this shit out.
Here's hoping that's my gnarliest tale!