What do you think happened to this woman?

Saturday 1408  – 2.08.2013.

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I wonder what your immediate reaction is when you see this face below ?

Does your imagination work overtime and tell you the worst? 

It is me of course.

Did you think I’d been beaten or had an accident? 

Some of you who have been following this blog for a long time will know that I have long-standing sinus problems and have had no sense of smell at all for over 2 years now ( apart from the very occasional waft of delicious breakthrough smell)  So what you see above is the result of having a septoplasty ( where the surgeon straightens the septum between the 2 nostrils ) and functional endoscopic Sinus Surgery ( opening up the sinuses between nose and throat which were blocked. ). The surgery was on Thursday and I stayed in hospital just overnight so today I’m recovering at home.

The expectation is that I will get my sense of smell back, and taste, but also be able to breathe more easily with fewer, if any, of the sinus infections I was so prone to.  Unfortunately the recovery is long and slow.  1 in 500 get eye complications like mine with bleeding into the socket showing as the bruising but this doesn’t affect my sight.  Well done to the 499 who have avoided it now !!

What I really want to highlight by showing you this  (let’s face it it’s not my best look!)   is what people think when they see a woman with a bruised eye and swollen nose ( my nose is usually very small !) 

I live in a village but I don’t know many people here, I live on the edge of it and I’m quite a private person. This morning, though I didn’t feel at all like going out,  I went to the chemist to get some salivary stimulant pastilles to ease the inside of my mouth which feels as though I’ve been rubbing it with old sandpaper.  This is because of the mouth breathing, particularly when I’m sleeping.

They couldn’t find them so skyped the usual chemist, who was elsewhere, to see if he knew where they were. I sat and waited at the counter , feeling too weak to stand up.  Several people , strangers to me, came in and out while I was there. Each person looked at my face and quickly looked away. I guessed what they were all thinking because I probably would have thought the same myself, in their situation.

I felt decidedly exposed and uncomfortable. 

Only one old man in the queue said ” Oh you poor thing whatever’s happened ? ” I was surprisingly relieved to be able to say that I’d had nasal and sinus surgery and when I said that another woman in the queue, who had previously quickly looked away, smiled at me and said she hoped I’d get better soon. I think she was relieved too !!   The old man also wished me a speedy recovery.

What I experienced in the chemist was a taste of what it must feel like to be a battered woman and have everyone look and turn away. Not a nice feeling.

Right I’m exhausted just writing this now so that’s enough.

The upside of this is that I am encouraged to eat a lot of ice-cream and ice-lollies  to sooth my throat !!  It’s an ill wind that doesn’t blow some good.

As ever this blog is nothing without your thoughts and I welcome your comments below.

Saturday girl signing off ’til next week when I hope to have my full faculties back.

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You can find my photography blog Photomania here 

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