Rhinoplasty: Stories

Wow, what a helpful website I stumbled upon. I figured I would post some photos when it's not 4am....can't sleep since thats all I've been doing.... as things come along to help some as I was helped during the past couple weeks of lurking. I've wanted a nose job since I could remember but was always afraid it was too costly, too much down time and frankly, was worried I'd look like a different person. After consults with 2 local facial surgeons (one with the same doc from 6 years ago), I plunked down my money without much hesitation. I didn't tell my family or most friends since I didn't need the second thought and judgement. They don't see a problem with my nose but I hate having photos taken at certain angles. Especially from my right and front.

My goal is an overall thinner nose from bridge to tip and while I don't have much of a dorsal hump, I do have two bumps, one on each side of my bridge. So at a 3/4 view it looks pretty wonky at least on my right side. the even larger bulbous tip on just the right sucks, too.

I wasn't really nervous leading up to surgery since I had other things on my mind so the night before Valium wasn't necessary. I did take it before surgery and got in my gown and did a last minute talk with the doc. My friend brought me since she always makes me laugh so I would highly recommend bringing someone like that to keep it light.

After the quick IV, the nurse said he was pushing propofol to make me sleepy. The last think i remember thinking was" isn't that what killed Michael Jackson?!?" Next I was awake, so refreshed and wondered if they started! No pain at all, I could, and still can, breathe thru my nose. I have some bruising along my eyes like I have shadow with a tad bid of swelling there. Not much blood dripping onto my pad. He taped the pad as an upside down triangle which does the trick so I giggle at the pics of the big full rectangular strip of pad that runs the face. Way bigger than necessary.

Vicodine and a Valium when I got home with a little water, crackers and banana. Not nauseous at all!!!! And I get sick in the passengers seat of a car! So impressed with whatever concoction they added to my sleep meds. I was definitely fully competent a short while after I got home and was even returning work emails. I should probably go back and re-read what I wrote tomorrow lol.

The things I couldn't live with out during this process: someone to change your pads and make you drink/eat/medicate when you get home. A u pillow--life saver. Cough drops. Chap stick. Bottles of water with bendy straws. Write down when you took your meds; I promise that you will not remember!
Looking forward to having the cast off next Tuesday! Will give dr's info at that time if all goes as planned! Photos to come..

I'm on day 3 now and still no real pain but feeling very itchy under the ca st. If anything, I have a light dull headache by my eyes and moving too many forehead muscles makes my nose pull up and ache. No big time swelling but the bruising looks like purple eye shadow. All I've wanted to do is sleep because of the Vicodin and Valium. I can't sleep at night it I don't take it but them wake up groggy. Bleeding stopped day after surgery and I've been able to lighting breathe thru my nose this whole time. The only thing that sucks is buying stuff online while under meds!!! Lol I have 3 packages coming this week.....

Dr sent me after pics as i lay on the table. I sure hope the final result is different. The side view was pretty pudgy looking, which it not what we talked about and the front view still shows a residual bump that i specifically wanted removed. Im trying not to freak out. But I asked for the pics!
Finally took a bath and was able to kind of wash my hair. I feel a bit more human since I'm not in the same clothes for 3 days but head is achey. So tired! I haven't taken an vicodine in fear that it will start up the cycle of feeling crappy later on. I will just stick to the Valium to help sleep for a couple more days.

I've kicked the vicodine so I feel a bit more together. The Valium helps at night since sleeping upright makes it a challenge to get good sleep. I've got the drippy nose thing going on toay, just clear stuff, but hoping that's normal. Work and family think I'm sick so I'm hibernating until the set comes off Tuesday. Bruising is starting to go down but I have a lot more than I thought I would. Intestines are pretty tied up and I'm not very hungry and I was not expecting that.
I did get the packages I ordered online after popping a few vicodine... They are being returned next week lol
On the plus side, no makeup is making my skin look great!!! No breakouts, it is totally even..I'm liking this..

Slept the whole night thru my nose! Impressive. Had a short walk yesterday which drained me a tad but it felt good to get going, kinda like when you're sick but you get up to take a shower. I swear the drugs can make you feel worse if you take them for more than a few days! Appetite isn't totally back yet but I do juice in the am and it makes me feel better. Getting my hair did on monday so upon cast removal on tues maybe people will notice that I've just gone lighter :) I may even put a few of my extensions in to really trick them up lol.

Can't wait to get this baby off my face in the morning. Going to get my hair done today so super excited about getting it really washed and colored. I feel like I still have SO much bruising compared to others at this stage..so i will be cast-less but still look like I got in a bar fight...
Went to a restaurant yesterday with a hat (no concealer, that seems to look even worse) and no one seemed to stare. Frankly, who cares anyway. A lot of behind my back comments from friends of friends who ate with us there. Like, is she a model? No? Then why is she doing this? She must make a lot of money, that's expensive.... I brush it off, but you don't hear people saying that about boob jobs. And nose jobs are even more common these days than boobs!

Cast came off this am. Ok, it was a bit shocking. A lot shocking. I felt like I looked like a different person but what did I expect? It looked like a "done" nose. I didn't want to keep looking I the mirror. I broke down in tears when I got home. Not that the swelling has gone up I feel like I look like my old self minus the bumps so I feel more "normal" and much less plastic.
It's growing on me and I really like the side views. The ONLY thing I really don't like, and frankly am embarrassed about, is the divot on my right side. I had a hump there that made a boxy tip just on that side and where it dropped off, there was a divot or indentation. Well now there's no hump but it looks a bit caved in. The two family member who say it agreed so it is not my imagination. That nostril has a sharper shape than it used to. I know it is so early to start complaining but I'm not complaining about swelling. It anything it seems like it may get worse after the swelling goes down. Maybe filler would work in the future? I will be emailing the dr tomorrow as I know I have a stitch in there so maybe that's some of the problem? There was also more tape on that nostril that sat lower as if the bump was being pulled down so maybe that had something to do with it? It is upsetting. That was always my poor side and now it still is. Everything else is looking good despite bridge swelling. I do have a headache now and my nose is super sensitive.

I will add that upon viewing my on the table photo after surgery, the bump was slightly still there but really no divot to be found...all so weird.

Funny how the swelling makes me look like I did prior to the nose job. No one has even noticed. I saw my family last night who said we heard you got a nose job! (Gee, thanks, mom for spilling the beans) and I replied, huh? Nose job? Does it look like I've I had nose job!? And the response was NO. Lol! Emailed my doc about the indentation on the right side but no word back yet. Also asked that question on Thai site and all responses are the same....don't worry, nothing is wrong, wait it out, it will probably go away. My nose is so swollen and tender but I barely have feeling on the flat part of the top bridge. But ouch, I've accidentally rubbed my tip a couple Ike's without thinking and it is so sensitive! I have to do saline rinses but was wondering if any of your docs ok'd you to buy it already made in a squeeze tube?

Day 4... So weird to see so many changes. Swelling, then thinning, then more swelling. So tender! No one has noticed but a couple questions about the black eyes that remain. I do my best to cover the, up but the concealer makes them look worse in certain light.

So I'm 5 days out and the swelling is still insane. Not a lot of changes so far from before surgery. My (very tender) right vie 3/4 view shows a bump just like before... Which was half the reason of the surgery. Anyone else has this experience? Hard to think it is swelling when it feels like bone!

So Dr said pericardium, that covers bone, gets inflamed after surgery so chances are, that's what is causing my 3/4 bump to still look like it's there. Pic attached. I can see swelling going down slowly but the indentation/almost pinched looked on my right nostril is not being effected. The swelling doesn't even seem to be in that area. I'm convinced it will need some graft or something to give it some more volume in the future but really hoping I'm wrong. I mean, how would swelling cause my nostril to pinch in!? Is anything it should be sticking out more!

A week out now and swelling is going down. Still have some changing lumps and bumps but after talking it over with my doc I feel better. There's nothing I can do for many months anyway even if doesn't look "perfect". Found a great app called "pic stitch" where I can do side by side before and afters. Very fun!

Ok, still obsessed with this Pic Stitch App. So cool to see how much my nose has changed. Wouldn't believe it unless I had the daily pics. 3/4 bump is subsiding, though I probably wouldn't have a revision or rasping if it didn't go away completely. I kinda like how it doesn't make my nose "perfect" so it is not obvious I've had a nose job. Swelling went up a bit today but it may be that last night was the first night I hadn't used my neck pillow.

Lots of swelling still, ESP tip ...every day is different and it is frustrating because it can really look like a large indentation sometimes on my side by nostril. Tender nose still, especially when moving/scrunching or touching tip. Black eyes are still a bit noticeable too. I don't now how you peeps do it with a 8-5 job, my cover up hasn't been covering the blackness these last 3 weeks so I've stayed inside quite a bit. Still tired, nurse says that's normal...

Swelling is still persisting and irregular, especially where the bridge was taken down and my tip. Still, no one has noticed a difference, which I find hilarious. The bruising finally went away a few days ago. Can't believe how long that lasted. Nose is still very tender, I don't dare bump it or scrunch it, move it, etc. even washing or raising my eyebrows hurts it. The top bridge is still pretty numb.

Had my 2 month post op visit today and all is well. Still swollen in bridge and tip. Bridge is also still a bit numb at the top and bottom parts. Tip is also quite hard which means it is still healing, especially since my tip was seen together. Nose is tender and hurts to move it. Dr assures me my small residual 3/4 bump and a tiny bridge bump are just swelling. I've noticed the biggest reduction in swelling in the past 3 weeks. I have a small divot on my right tip which is due to tip swelling so that should get better by the next mon or two. Saw my before pic and couldn't believe how different it is. So easy to forget! Still, no one has noticed and my friend looked at the before and afters in disbelief. All in all, very happy!