Health concerns, any advice or info very much appreciated.
Good day to everyone who may come across this. I've been dealing with some frightening symptoms as a result of my (past) addiction. 4 months ago was the last time I used anything. I don't know if it is proper for me to post what was used, so i'll keep it general and say it was sniffed.
Before the 4 months, i was sober for 8 months, and before that I used to use A LOT. Anyways, about 2 years ago I noticed my nose started looking different. Unfortunately, I was too deep into my addiction to let this stop me, so, I continued. Every month that would pass while using I would notice small changes to my nose, until one night, after a huge binge, my nose just felt completely loose. I started coming to my senses and realized I had thinned out my tissues so much that I developed dynamic valve collapse.
This was only the start of me realising how much damage I did. I would look at myself in the mirror and not even be able to recognise myself anymore. Scared to show myself outside. So anxiety ridden I could hardly make it out of bed each day. Luckily, 6 months into my first real attempt at sobriety I had a surgery to make sure my nose wouldnt fully collapse on itself one day. A couple of cartilage grafts were placed into my nose. On the darker side, I relapsed pretty early after the surgery!
I'm taking my health extremely seriously now, I'm back in therapy, on antidepressants, in numerous support groups and so on. Although my nose survived the absolute chemical destruction I caused it (to some extent, at least) I'm wondering if anyone else has experience on damage to the nose. Although my nose is much more supported now after the surgery i'm having weird things happen, like my nose shrinking heavily in cold weather or under stress, looking shrivelled up, then puffing back up when blood flow seems better. This happened to me for years now even before the surgery, but i was hoping the added support from the surgery would change it. Does anyone know anything about these types of things?
Apologies for the long post... Thank you to anyone who can reply :)
@peachSouth283
I applaud your honesty.
And I'm glad you are not using now.
That takes strength.
It can be difficult when the damage is done to live with it, but I think it might be helpful to attend a support group where such questions could be answered and support and advice and coping strategies offered to you.
I wish you the best as you navigate your way to a healthier lifestyle.
🩵
