Rhinoplasty: Stories

Hi all! I've never done anything like this before, so bare with me! I'm 24 year old nursing student so I want to do this while I'm on summer break! (I graduate next year).. My surgery is scheduled for July 24...less than a month!! I feel like I've found the perfect surgeon and I'll really excited about it. He is an ENT who specializes in rhinoplasty and he's the director (or assistant, I'm not sure) of facial plastic & reconstructive surgery at UPMC. He spent over 2 hours with me!!! My nose is off center, I wouldn't necessarily say "crooked," but it's not straight. I also have a bulbous tip which is too large for my face. On top of all I have a deviated septum which truly effects my breathing. So, at my appointment, he looked up my nose, felt my nose, suctioned my nose...did everything! He told me that he can absolutely he can break and reset my nose, but since it is not a huge problem he said i should outweigh the pro's and con's. He told me that when we're done in the OR my nose would be pinpoint straight, but he cannot promise it will heal that way. He said 90% chance it will be "better" but slightly unlikely it will be perfectly straight. I thought about it for a few days and I'm doing it. Even if it moves a half cm, I'll be happy...I know that if I don't do it, I'll regret it. Not to mention it really does bother me...especially in pictures because it is so much more obvious. So anyway, he's doing that, fixing my septum and reconstructing my tip. Really Excited!!!



Oh, I also wanted to add that this is the second ENT I went to. The first was about a year ago and the Dr was pretty much just like yeah you have a deviated septum, ill break and reset it and i'll fix your tip. I was caught off guard because I honestly didn't even know that ENT's performed rhinoplasty? I was like okay, so I scheduled the surgery for a few months later. Obviously I didn't do through with it... THANK GOODNESS!!! He barely even looked at my nose like my Dr now. Amazing difference between the two!! Maybe thats why my doctor has been voted best doctors in america for the past 10 years!!

Anyway, I'm really really nervous, mainly for going under (first time) any tips or advice is much appreciated!!

I just wanted to talk a little bit more about the surgery & recovery. I'm planning on taking the arnica tablets because even if it doesn't help it won't hurt. Has anyone ever heard of Therapearl? They make amazing cold/hot packs. I have a few of them (they make all different shapes) but one is a small circle which would be perfect for my eyes! I have an eye mask but I don't know if I can have anything going across my bridge (probably not). So...I emailed them and said I love their products, blah blah, and I need another small circle for my other eye...so they're sending me a free one!! Yay! (www.therapearl.com)

Also, I am going to the beach right before my surgery...I come home 3 days before. So I bought SPF 70 for my nose and SPF 30 for the rest of my face. My doctor said I definitely want to avoid having a sunburned nose because the skin will be much more sensitive...really paranoid about it. I also got a saline nasal spray today. My doctor told me to get it…not sure when/how often I’ll have to use it.

My doctor should be calling me in a few days to give me a definite price. I'm going to ask him if he can prescribe me a Valum or some kind of anti-anxiety because I know I'm going to be more than freaking out the day of. I'll probably be crying and feeling like I'm going to throw up. I really don't want to go into surgery like that, so I want something to calm my nerves. Has anyone taken anything before surgery??

Well Dr. Gillman just called me to give me the price and we started talking and I totally forgot to ask about the anti-anxiety medication! Ughhh. Anyway, my total is $5,376.50. I love the extra 50 cents? Lol. I think that's an amazing price, I'm happy about it. I'm paying for it with bonds that my mom has had for me since I was born. I was going to save them to put a down payment on a new car...but when I do buy a new car I'll have a good paying job and probably won't need the money as much. So it's going towards a new nose ")

This is pretty much my new favorite website, so I'm going to be posting whatever is going on inside my head... ")

Good morning! I'd thought I'd share my shopping list. Feel free to comment or add things!! ")

Nose Surgery Check List

1. Arnica tablets and topical cream- yay or nay??
2. Baby food- trying to eat healthy as possible to recover fast!
3. Ensure/ protein drinks
4. Gatorade
5. Greek Yogurt
6. Jello
7. Pineapple
8. Bendy Straws
9. Nasal Spray
10. Nightgowns- gotta be comfy!!
11. Chapstick- any brand suggestions??
12. Throat Lozenges
13. Tylenol PM- if i'm allowed
14. SPF 70+- no sunburn!!
15. Tattoo concealer- if i bruise
16. Laxative- heard bad stories about constipation.
17. U-shaped Travel Pillow- gonna use it in reverse, if that makes sense...

I have Netflix & my Kindle Fire to keep me entertained. Probably will pick up a few magazines anyway. Anything to add??

added more before pics....

Less than two weeks away!! My doctor's office called yesterday to get my payment..no turning back now! I am so so so so nervous, I asked the office manager if Dr. Gillman prescribes anti-anxiety meds for before the surgery, shes gonna have him call me. I'm not a big fan of medication, but I know I'll need it for before the procedure. When I get really nervous my BP & pulse skyrocket which is accompanied by extreme nausea lol...I really don't want to go into surgery like that.

Welp, until next time :)

Well, 2 days!!!!!!!!!!!!! Holy crap! I was on vacation the 14th-21st so it's seems like this came up really fast!! I've been trying to mentally prepare myself but I'm not sure its working lol. I just want the surgery to be over so I can focus on recovering.

The hospital called me Friday to give me instructions for that day. Basically where to park, where to go, no nail polish, makeup, etc. Also, she took an extensive medical history...which I'm sure they'll do the day of too. They're calling me on Monday to tell me a time. I'm really hoping it's early in the morning so I can get it over with. I don't want to have to wake up and think about it all day lol. Although, I know I'm not going to be able to sleep tomorrow night so I'll be thinking about it then haha....

I'm going shopping tomorrow for all my goodies, which I'm actually excited about. :) I'll post tmrw to let everyone know what time I'm going in...eeek

The hospital just called, I have to be there at 10am tmrw. literally 24 hours!!! I wish it was earlier but at least it's still in the AM. I'm going shopping right now then coming home and doing some major CLEANING! Fun stuff :) Ttyl!

The hospital called me again to tell me the schedule changed and I have to be there at 730. Muuuuch better!! Surgery doesn't start until 930, but this way I leave my house at 6am so I'll (hopefully) miss all the rush hour traffic. I have my little spot all set up with everything i'll need. I plan on spending the next week on our recliner :)

Welp, I just cleaned the house...now I'm going to start mentally preparing myself lol

12 hours until surgery. 10 until i have to be at the hospital. It's safe to say all my excitement went out the window and I'm just a nervous wreck. my stomach drops every time I think about it...which is every 5 seconds lol. I was doing good today bc I kept myself busy. I literally scrubbed my house from top to bottom...i even cleaned out the refrigerator. But, now there is nothing left to do except sit and think...and it's not going well lol! I know I'm not going to be able to sleep tonight.

Well, that's probably all for tonight. I'll post tmrw morning to let everyone know how nervous I am lol! Gnight


(ps. i added a couple of "before" pics)

All done!! Soo happy to say that. Surgery went well. I got there about 7am, they had me feel out some paperwork then took me back to pre-op about 20 mins later. I changed & they took my vitals. A physicians assistant came in to get my health history and answered any questions I had..he was really nice...everyone was. Then the nurse came in and asked me some more questions and witnessed my consent. Luckily, I was right by the bathroom because i could NOT stop peeing! Must have been my nerves bc I hadn't drank anything in 12 hours. Then a med student came in and started my IV. Then Dr. Gillman came in and made me feel SO much better. He's so nice. We were going over what he was going to do and he mentioned my small hump. I was actually just thinking about it the other day...it's not noticeable now bc my tip is so big, but once you bring that in, the hump will look big. So he was going to reduce that slightly. Then anesthesia came in and asked more questions, then finally the nurse anesthetist came in and wheeled me back. She put some drugs in my IV and I don't remember a thing. I woke up in recovery with ice over my eyes. People were talking to me and I had no idea who they were (obviously staff). The nurse was feeding me ice chips, my mouth was SO dry. She sat me in the chair which helped me wake up, but I was still struggling to keep my eyes open. I was also really dizzy up until a few hours ago. I was slightly nauseous even though they put something in my IV, which I'm very glad I asked for. I ate a cracked at the hospital and had a few bites of jello here, but that's about it. Oh ya, when I had ice over my eyes the nurse asked if i was in pain...I was a little bit so she put something in my IV...then she came back and I was still in pain so she put in more. Then a little later I took a percocet. Pain was about 4-5/10. I'm in no pain now. I've been sleeping all day. I just cleaned my stitches with peroxide and I have to do a nasal rinse. No packing!! Thank goodness. I took another pain pill and I'm feeling fine, still tired though. Well, I think thats all for now. I'll post pictures tmrw when I can get some good ones.

I guess this is considered Day 1 Post Op? Swelling is SO bad today. I'm taking arnica tabs & also putting the gel on it...not helping. I've been icing a lot...also, not helping. I've been trying to get up and move around, which is helping, but there is only so much I can do before i get bored or tired. Bruising and pain aren't bad. I take my percocet every 4 hours, I'm not taking any chances on not being able to control pain. Towards the time when I'm supposed to take it again I start to feel pressure on my nose. I have to do this nasal rinse about 5 times a day, which feels really good...it gets all the junk out. I also have to clean w a qtip & peroxide. I can't really notice a difference in my nose except it's not as low. The piece of tape on the front is making it look like a pig nose, praying that's the tape. Well, that's about it. I'm pretty miserable, and they say tomorrow & the next day are the worst!

Day 2 Post Op

Today is much better! The swelling has moved down my face so it's not all at my eyes anymore. I was really starting to get worried about my eyes swelling shut. There is still a ton of puffiness and bruising but not as bad. Still uncomfortable, I just feel like there is a lot of pressure on my nose. Pretty much feels like someone punched me in the face lol. I'm still taking percocet every 4 hours. I could probably switch to Tylenol but I'm gonna wait at least one more day.

I haven't had any trouble with boredom, I love doing nothing and being lazy. This weekend, however, I'll be bummed out bc all my friends will be out. But, Monday I get my cast off!

Still doing good. My friend came over & brought me lomein noodles (yum) and also a gift of bath & body works body scrub. I cant wait to use it in the shower because my skins feels so grimy. I'm still taking my pain pills as I still feel pressure. I'm a little nervous to get these stitches out, I feel like it may hurt? Welp, thats about it. Time to go sit with some ice.

Post Op Day 3

everyone! Today is so much better! I'm so happy that everything has gone uphill since post op day 1, considering they say day 3 is the worst. Day 1 was def the worst for me. Although, the mornings are still miserable. I wake up as if I have a horrible head cold but once I get up I feel better. The swelling is continuing to go down my face and the bruising around my eyes is turning yellow. Yay!

I didn't take any pain meds throughout the night and I woke up in pain. From what I read, no one else seemed to be in too much pain, so it might just be me. I know I got A LOT of work done, so maybe that's why.

Today was so much better! My boyfriend went on a golf trip for the weekend (its been planned forever) so ive had to be up a lot to do things around my house and such. I think all the movement really helped with the swelling, its almost gone! I took a bath and washed my hair...I also did my nails. Now I just cant wait to put some makeup on!! I started taking tylenol today...I'm still feeling a lot of pressure of my nose. Oh, a little recommendation, don't watch a funny movie!! Laughing hurts. I ordered 21 jump street...so funny, but so painful lol.

Today is the first day I woke up and didn't feel like total crap!! Everything is really getting better: swelling, bruising, pain. Although, I woke up in the middle of the night and I was laying on my side! I freaked out for a minute bc I didn't know how long I was like that or how I even got that way because I was sleeping in a recliner! I have been using a U-shaped neck pillow, but from using that for so long it actually hurts the back of my neck and the back of my ears. After I woke up on my side I started using it again...not taking any chances. I'm almost done with my antibiotic..i think just one more day. I'm glad about that, I'm not a fan of taking antibiotics.

My nose feels so numb! Certain times it almost feels like the tip has needles...pretty creepy. Oh, and this morning it was sooo itchy under the cast. I had to force myself to stop thinking about it...and now that i brought it up it's probably going to start itching again lol. I really think the arnica gel is helping with the swelling and bruising now...I am taking the tablets too. I occasionally take a vitamin C also. Welp, I think that's it for now. Any questions, please ask!

Hi everyone. Not much to update. I actually slept in my bed last night! I shifted from side to side without any problems or pain. My post op instructions only say to lay elevated for first 72 hours, so I hope this was okay. I've been drinking naked smoothies & protien drinks all week...i think it's is helping my healing come along faster. I have a tiny bit of bruising and almost no swelling.

I'm getting my cast off TOMORROW!! ahh. I'm really nervous tho, because I have tubes in my nose, which will be taken out and also my stitches. Has anyone had tubes in their nose? And how bad do the stitches hurt coming out? I'm gonna take 2 pain pills because I go. Eeek. :/

Well, I'm watching "Plastic Surgery: Before & After" on DFH lol. Cya! :)

I'M IN LOVE!!!! It's still SO swollen but it's SO much better than before!! I'm so excited. Nothing hurt, stitches, cast or tubes coming out. :)

My nose is so much more swollen today :( bummer!! I guess just bc the cast was holding the swelling down? Oh well, it's still better than before lol. I forget to say yesterday, my surgeon said no sunglasses or glasses for 6 weeks and also NO sunburn. He said if it gets sunburned, it will swell up and take a LONG time to come down. So looks like sunscreen and hats for me!

Thanks for the support everyone, but I'm making this a little more anonymous!