Rhinoplasty: Stories

Hi my name is Julie, I'm 24 years old and I've had a complex with my nose since middle school. I've finally decided to take the steps and go through with this.The only thing is...I'm also getting married 3 months after my schedules surgery... so I'm having second doubts about the time I chose to do this. I want my new nose for my wedding cause I don't want to tell myself "why didn't I just do this before?" but I'm also afraid... what if things go wrong and I look worst? My surgeon has great reviews and he's a face specialist, I have a lot of confidence in him. He told me my nose difficulty was a 5/10 which is a relief. I have a small bump and when I smile my tip droops a little. He told me he would do the operation with local anesthesia and i.v sedative. The whole thing should take about 1hour and 15 min. He told me within 7-10 I will remove the cast and most people go back to work the same day or the next and that they're quite presentable. I'm still scared I'm wondering if I'm making to right decision...

Hello!

I got a septoplasty/rhinoplasty performed on October 15th 2012. Everything went really well. It was local anesthesia with i.v sedation which in my opinion is less nerve racking. It was a closed rhinoplasty as well. I actually slept pretty good the night before wasn't too nervous until I got to the clinic. The nurse took me to my bed where I put all of my personal belongings underneath, she gave me a blue hospital gown. I settled in to bed where she asked me a few questions and than put the i.v. I was pretty nervous at that point my heart was beating fast so many things were going through my mind. So I talked to myself and eventually calmed myself down. Then what seemed to be like 30 min later, could of been longer I have no idea...I got this shot on the muscle of my butt to sedate me that was a little painful but it was quick than started feeling tired, woozy and I think I fell asleep for awhile.

I have no idea how much time went by but the nurse woke me up, asked me questions "what's your name, how old are you, etc." Then she helped me to the operating room, I was a little wobbly, I knew exactly what was going on but I couldn't care less, I was like on a cloud. It's weird to explain. So I laid down, kept falling in and out of sleep and then the Doctor came in.

This is the most pain I've had throughout this entire process but I cannot really remember the pain all that well because of the fact that I was highly sedated and couldn't care less lol. He gave me shots of local anesthesia at different places inside my nose, kinda like at the dentist but inside your nose. Same thing. I remember him going pretty far up my nostrils and the liquid coming out of my eyes, in my throat, etc. That was the most unpleasant part but trust me WORTH IT. Because after that I couldn't feel a thing. I was talking to him at some points during the procedure, my eyes at times were open, I was probably saying incoherent things to him. But I was careless lol. I could sometimes hear as well but it didn't gross me out I can honestly say that I felt in control because I could hear, talk and see. I never felt at anytime that I wasn"t in security. I remember the nurse telling me to squeeze her hand when the Doctor was giving me the shots in the nose. I thought it was nice because once you go in for the procedure you're on your own. Your family can't be with you so it put me at ease. I felt like they cared. The staff was amazing.

When the Doctor was doing the procedure he would even tell me at times, "i'm almost done, it looks great, I just have one more little thing to do, etc". Which was comforting to be able to hear all of this and not be completely asleep in my opinion. It felt like 30 min and the next thing I knew he was putting this like glue on my nose, bandages and the cast. The nurse came to get me I stood up and walked back to my bed. She told me to rest for a bit and that I would be ready to go home. I remember puking at one point cause I had swallowed a lot of blood. But it's a little blurry. Then she came back and asked me "you think you're ready to go?" I was so happy, I got dressed she helped me and than held my hand til I got to my fiance which was waiting for me in the waiting room. I went to the pharmacy to get my medication, polysporin etc. I didn't use any of the painkillers, didn't need it. I fell asleep as soon as I got home. When I woke up I started putting frozen peas around my eyes and bridge right away. I did that for the first 3-4 days. 15min on and 15min off. The swelling went away pretty fast.


Now i'm 9 days post op, I took my cast off yesterday and I couldn't be happier! It was totally worth it! It's still a little swollen but not enough for others to notice it. I can't believe I waited this long. My tip is still a little numb and when I smile or laugh it hurts a little but that's about it. I still have bruises under my eyes so I can't wait for those to go away. They're getting smaller everyday and changing colors so that's good. Overall i'm really happy and satisfied.One of the best decisions i've made.I will post pictures when the bruises completely resolve of my new nose.