01/27/2026
Can you tell?
I took the drugs and it already stated working.
After many years of having extremely “kissing tonsils,” it was finally time for them to get some personal space. Surgery went perfectly.
Zero issues. Textbook recovery… or so I thought.
Later that night, half-asleep and not thinking, I felt the urge to blow my nose. Did it. Walked into the bathroom. And that’s when I realized something was very wrong. Blood. A lot of it. In the sink, on the tissue, everywhere.
I went to the closest emergency room, but they weren’t equipped to handle what was happening, so they quickly arranged transport to the main hospital. Yes, this was my first ambulance ride and yes, it’s exactly like the movies lol.
At , I was met by an incredible team who moved fast and stayed calm. After exams, they found I had developed a massive clot where my right tonsil had been. I was told later that not hesitating to come in likely saved me from bleeding out in my sleep.
Cue surgery number two.
There was a moment during the procedure where getting oxygen through my nose was difficult because my airway was so tight, and they were preparing for a tracheostomy. Thankfully, it didn’t come to that, and they were able to cauterize the clot successfully.
Waking up from anesthesia was… strange. I couldn’t respond at first. No thumbs up. No toe wiggles. Nothing. Eventually, I came around, and from that point on, I was surrounded by nothing but kindness, patience, and genuine care—even after being moved to a different ICU.
I cannot say this enough: the nurses and staff were absolutely amazing. Attentive, reassuring, compassionate, and somehow still warm and funny in a moment that could’ve been terrifying. They made a hard experience feel manageable, and I’ll always be grateful for that.
This was not how I expected recovery to go, but I’m here, healing, and incredibly thankful. Hug your nurses. Trust your instincts. And maybe… don’t blow your nose after surgery.
