I broke my nose playing soccer last month. I headed the ball. My opponent headed my nose.

As you can see on the left, it was crooked and my left nasal passage was partially blocked, which impaired my breathing.

A few days later, I went to the doctor. After shooting up my face and nostrils with incredibly painful anesthetic shots, he re-broke my nose with a giant metal rode that he shoved up my nostrils. The pressure, proximity to my brain, and crunching bones are something I’ll never forget.

He handed me a mirror and asked what I thought. Better, but still a little crooked. He went back at it again, which was unnerving.

Moments later, he handed the mirror back, and it looked straight, albeit swollen and still with some biodegradable gauze still shoved inside (right photo). Nevertheless, I could breathe out of both nostrils for the first time in days, which was a relief.

Although the procedure was NOT fun, I’m deeply grateful for good medicine and doctors that fix me up. I nearly cried walking out of the doctor’s office but couldn’t because my face was so numb.

For the record, this was the sixth broken bone. I previously broke my left hand (football), left foot (soccer), lower back (twice; bad genes), and right ankle (soccer).

I suspect it won’t be the last bone I break either. Thankfully bones heal and doctors can set them.