“Post -op day one - Cleveland, OH”

Hi everyone!

I am scheduled to have a turbinate reduction, septoplasty with rhinoplasty and breast augmentation done on July7th! It has been really enlightening following the recoveries of so many brave ladies on here; I figured I should post too. I am going to post pictures of my face before and then after on here so you can see the progress.

The biggest reason I am having it done now is because my nasal breathing has gotten worse over the past 4 years. It’s to the point that I don’t feel enough airflow through my left nostril and I have to always breathe out of my mouth.

While I am there I figured I should have my breasts corrected after the damage from breast feeding 2 children. This way it’s one recovery period so it doesn’t interfere with work as much.

I guess my biggest fears at this point are getting a bad infection like MRSA (I work at a hospital and am around it all the time) or ending up with an undesired result. Not even an okay result but a nose that is not what’s in my mind. This is a big deal for me and I go through periods of being scared, happy and nervous or anxious all in a day! It is less than a week away, and today I am excited! I will keep everyone updated 

Have a happy Fourth of July!

Updated on 8 Jul 2011:
So far today has not been bad. Yesterday I was in tears and started having panic attacks due to the pain in my nose and breast area. I have a high tolerance for pain but I don't think percocet work well for me. In addidiotn to the pain medication I am taking a multi vitamin, arnica tablets, a face gel and bromelain tablets as well as the antibiotic he ordered for me. So far it looks good! The tip looks very wide, but that's from the swelling and I will have to wait for that to go down. My husband can't believe the difference in my nostrils already. Dr.Goldman is a very talented surgeon, I am very pleased I chose him. I am getting so excited to see the end result! Will post pics when the splint comes off on Tuesday!

Updated on 9 Jul 2011:
List Pros & Cons, Advice you can offer others

Updated on 17 Jul 2011:
I am now post op day 10. The swelling is still here but it's getting better every day. I have been massaging my bridge 3-4x a day to try and get some of the fluid out and I am still taking bromelain tablets for the swelling. Overall it looks fantastic! I have thick skin on my nose so I am not expecting the final result over night. Each day I see a little more improvement in the shape. My nostrils are thinner and my tip will be smaller. It is only a tiny but smaller than it was previously but only because it is so swollen. It will be the last part of my nose to take shape. They took the splints out at 5 days post op and I could breath! My husband says I don't snore anymore either, so he is very pleased. I would recommend Dr. Goldman to anyone needing work on their nose. Really, it's like he cut my nose off of my face and then restitched it where it was supposed to be, completely amazing!

Updated on 19 Aug 2011:
I am now 6 weeks post op and the swelling has gotten much better. The tip of my nose is still swollen. I had a post-op appointment yesterday and received 3 steroid injections into the tip of my nose. My skin in very thick and sebaceous in that area and would have taken up to a year or more to go down. Hopefully, now it will only take 6 weeks to 3 months to shrink. I am keeping my fingers crossed! I will post some pics of the updated nose :)

Updated on 14 Dec 2011:
I had another couple steroid injections in my tip in mid November. Dr. Goldman said this is normal since my skin is thick and oily. I am happy to report that they have helped with the tip size and the skin is very loose now on the tip and bridge. It is still a little bit numb and I can't push the tip up at all. I am hoping this resolves soon. I do have a small dorsal hump in my bridge. Dr. Goldman said this could be from the healing process after having my nose broken. He wants to rasp it down with me awake. I think doing it with me awake is crazy and I will end up being sick before he can make an incision (I am not a good patient). We will see what happens though, since he can't do it until July. You really can't see the bump unless I point it out, if I take a picture from certain angles or when I take off my glasses. I lost the charger to my camera but I have some recent pics from a vacation. You can clearly see how much smaller my nose is. Not only from before surgery but after the swelling. Before I decide if I am happy with my "finished look" I would like to see the small bump gone and the tip swelling to resolve completely. If anyone has any questions feel free to email/message me!

Updated on 26 Apr 2012:
So, this has been quite a journey and it's not over yet... I saw Dr. Goldman today and had my bump rasped down as well a laser treatment. It was a pleasant experience as usual; Dr. Goldman and his staff are always fantastic :) I really feel like this is what I needed for the procedure to be complete as far as Dr. Goldman is concerned. The rest will require time and me being patient. I will post before and after pics once the cast comes off. The process sounded simple enough and was suggested to be done under local anesthetic. I am not that brave and he was kind enough to allow me to have a twilight anesthesia. He performed the procedure by making incisions along the inside of the bridge and staying away from the nasal tip to prevent swelling (thank God, because I wouldn't want to go through that again). From there he rasped down the bony areas with a diamond file until they were smooth and straight. He then placed two sutures in my nostrils and a cast on the bridge to protect it.

I cannot stress enough the ups and downs of having a rhinoplasty procedure. Your emotions run the gamut and I don't think I fully realized this going in. I feel blessed to have found an office like Beachwood Plastic Surgery. They truly care about their patients, Dr. Goldman goes above and beyond and I am very grateful for all that he has done for me.

Like I said, I will post pics in a week. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to email me. I have been getting a lot of questions from people on this site and always try to answer them within a day. If it takes a few longer, please bear with me :)