Rhinoplasty: Stories

My motivation for my nose surgery is the quick passing of time. I've been considering this surgery for as long as I can remember (I'm now 43) and it's like a right of passage for me. When I was a child I injured (broke) my nose at school (phys ed accident) and was afraid to tell my parents about it, so I didn't. At that time I would have needed their support to get it fixed, but at this age, I certainly don't. In fact, I made this decision without discussing it with any family (of origin) member at all. It feels great finally not worrying about what anyone else will think. Once my decision was made though, I spoke to my husband (very supportive) and my children. My sons support me all the way.

My personal goals are to finally get this taken care of and move forward from here. For me, it's not so much a vanity issue (although looking better will be a positive outcome). I was always quite popular and never teased so I believe that this is just a personal growth decision-under my own power. My nose will be straighter with hump removed and the tip should be more refined as well. My nose won't be so 'boxy' after the surgery if all goes well.

My emotions range from fear to excitement and my thoughts are usually on the exact steps of the surgery (I've been watching rhynoplasty surgeries) and the exact process of recovery. Being someone who really doesn't even like a paper cut, and actually choosing to get surgery on my face, is at times confusing! I also, no matter how hard I try not to, wonder about doctors' performances when they are tired or under their own kind of stress. I'm pretty sure I'm my own worst enemy...and I'm thinking too much!

I've read that Arnica tabs and gel may be helpful to ease swelling and bruising pre and post op. I've been reading as much as I can on it, and a lot of information states that Arnica is meant for post trauma. I'm thinking of only taking it after the surgery along with applying the Arnica gel. I've read some comments on this site about after effects of the surgery, and some of those reported are actual side effects listed of Arnica.

Today I emailed Dr Solomon with a few more questions that came to mind. He personally responded to all of my concerns which provided me some comfort. I can't wait until this is over with so that I can think of something else! It's funny how an injury as a child that hadn't been dealt with has taken me this far. I'm somewhat glad, in a way, because although I've never been happy with my nose, I doubt I would have done anything about it unless that accident had happened. It was only then that I started to wonder what it would be like having a different appearance. Four days to go...

My surgeon's office carries Arnica tabs. But since I'm 4.5 hours away, I thought I would get them locally. I called the PS office and asked their dosage and the receptionist tried, but couldn't thoroughly answer my questions. She told me that they have 500mg tabs that are only available to doctors. I emailed Dr Solomon, and he responded in a short amount of time, saying that I could use the ones from the health food store...but I still didn't know what dosage.

As luck would have it, when I called the store to see what dosage they carried, I spoke with a homeopathic doctor. She advised that nose surgery entails a lot of trauma, so she recommended the 1M dosage, 2 tabs day before surgery and every day after that until healed. She also recommended (and I bought) two other types of tablets that promote faster bone healing: #2 CALC PHOS 6X along with SYMPHYTUM OFFICINALE 30CH. They are to be taken 3 of each, 3 times daily. Does anyone know anything about these 'meds'?

Aside from that, I'm exhausted. Of course the things I needed for surgery and post surgery couldn't be found in one place...but after a long shopping trip, I think I have most of what I need now. I'm pretty nervous now that I have stopped and am actually writing about it again.

Well, I will be on my way in 11 hours. I have to leave at about 4am to ensure I'm at the hospital on time. I have last minute things to do, but I seem to be 'frozen'. I'll share pics later tomorrow evening, I guess. It will be a long ride home.

Hi everyone. Back from surgery and updating as promised. I was quite nervous going in. I was given an ativan to calm my nerves before surgery, for the waiting period. I 'looked' calm, but tears started rolling down my face. This medication helped take the edge off.
Doctor Solomon spoke with me pre-op and asked me to remind him what we were doing! lol. This isn't a bad thing. He wanted to hear from me what I was expecting...he knew what he was doing, but it's an extra measure to be sure I knew what was going to happen. He also told me that if he would come to a point in the surgery that would make him want to stop, even though we had goals, he would definitely stop. He explained that some of it is a judgment call. His OR colleagues were phenomenal, and Doctor Solomon himselft was so calming to me. It's hard to describe other than he gives me the impression of being a regular man who happens to have all of these amazing qualifications. He stands 'in front' of them, if you know what I mean; he's the man before he's the doctor. Love it.

I was warned by the anesthesiologist that I would be quite uncomfortable waking up. I was. I hadn't expected the pain that I felt. They ask to rate on scale of 1-10. I said it was an eight. So, they gave me meds through the IV a couple of times and it took the edge off. Doctor Solomon came to see me in recovery and informed me that my procedure turned out to be quite challenging for various reasons (which I forget now), and I was instantly bruised. I was prescribed Tylenol 3s and an antibiotics, given freezies and water and "vomit bags" for the way home. lol. Hopefully I won't put those to use!

Because of the unforeseen challenges in surgery, Doctor Solomon when visiting post-op suggested I leave the cast on until one week from Monday! That's a lot longer than I expected...I had been told that I could have it removed Thursday or Friday of next week. Although he said it is still possible, his suggestion was to wait as long as I didn't have too severe itching and discomfort. I'll try to wait..I really appreciated the fact that he waited until I was coherent to come see me and offer explanations of the surgery and ask if I had any questions. He didn't rush away, either. He's just great. He did tell me that revision surgery might be a possibility. Well...that will be known in time, I guess.

I hope my rambling made some sense. I'm very tired and don't really remember half of the stuff I'm trying to say. lol
The ride home (4.5 hours) was tough on me. At a couple of different time, I felt so much that I had to vomit, grabbed the bag, and felt my stomach turning, heaving, etc. The strange thing is that only a lot of gas came out. It wasn't burping, it was a stream of air.

I could also feel the meds starting to wear off at about 3.5 hours after the last dose from the hospital. So I took more at the 4 hour mark because I didn't want to take the chance of that full on pain coming back. The nurses said don't suffer through it, and I'm not planning on it.

On the way home I ate about 2 bites of a bagel, and drank a bit of water.

I'm about to ice now...also took Arnica. One last funny note: nurses at hospital said to me after administering the medication and me saying I felt 'loopy': "Cathy, sweetie, you are now officially high". .....quite high, I might add.

I'll post more tomorrow.It's 11:00pm here.

Follow up: one week, one month, every 4 months for a year. Doctor Solomon also informed me that I could email him personally if I needed to. So, for right now, before I get to see my initial results, I have to give him the highest of ratings. He deserves them. I'll rate again (if it's possible) as time goes on.

Well it's one day post-surgery. Last night wasn't too bad for me. I slept sitting up in a living room chair using my U-shaped travel pillow. I purchased the OBUS FORME brand and it is AMAZING. I didn't have to worry about my head tilting or bobbing around...it was very comfortable and supportive. It is made with memory foam. I really recommend it.

So I read my review from last evening. lol. I just rambled and rambled. I did mention that Doctor Solomon told me in recovery that we might consider a revision depending on how "perfect" we want the result to be. I was not quite myself, and I didn't even think to ask him what was so challenging about my operation, and why he thinks we may need further work!

The pain is minimal now, but I do notice stinging when the meds start to wear off at the base of the nostrils. I would really like to blow my nose, too...Still very groggy as well - likely the anesthesia wearing off combined with the medication.

I'm trying to add anything that may be of help to others...the nurses told me to ice for 15 minutes every hour that i can but not longer. If there is too much icing, it stops being helpful and could actually cause harm to the tissues.

Little bites of solid food helped me feel less shaky. I've noticed, too, that I end up with a dryer throat and mouth after drinking flavoured water than just natural water. I'm guessing maybe it has something to do with the sugar/sweetener content. For instant relief of the sore throat, the nurses gave me small freezies. They really did help.

As of right now, this all feels surreal. I sometimes have thoughts of, "did I really do this?...should I have done this?" I guess it's natural. I'll post more pics later. If anyone has any questions, I'll be glad to answer them

This is 2 days post op now. I've cut down on medication. I can handle some discomfort in order to monitor how I'm progressing pain-wise. I definitely moved around too much the night of the surgery when I was supposed to stay as quiet as possible. I guess it was nerves.

I emailed Doctor Solomon just a while ago to ask for guidance. I'm cleaning the incision line on my nostrils with hydrogen peroxide to remove the dried blood before putting on the polysporin, but I don't know how 'clean' it has to be. I'm not sure where the stitches are, so I'm a little worried about doing too much, if it's possible. I've also asked him about the dried blood that is under my tape...I wonder if it could cause concern for infection, since I can't remove it.

I mentioned that i have 'air' escaping. lol. It's not the same as belching (burping) for me...it's very odd. But I've found out that this is due to the blood leaking down my throat into my stomach. Seems so weird. When I notice it happening, it's a really odd sensation.

I have some throbbing in my nostril area. Manageable, but I don't like it. It hurts, but it's kind of a dull pain right now, so I'll stay away from the meds for a bit longer.

My skin feels oily and I just really want to clean my face thoroughly. Obviously that won't happen for a week. And I can't wait to wash my hair and have a hot shower.

My upper lip is stiff and feels a little itchy. My eyes feel puffy and have a pressure to them, and I am definitely quite bruised. The constant clearing of my throat is annoying, but thankfully temporary.

FYI: Nothing seemed to work as well as small frozen peas for icing in my case. I tried several other types of ice bags/packs, etc. Eventually I purchased frozen peas, separated them into a few ziploc sandwich bags and when needed, wrapped them in a paper towel to ice. They worked perfectly and were quite comfortable over my eyes because they'd conform to the proper shape. Also, while at the hospital, I was given small freezies to ease my throat. The coldness and the taste helped a lot...I wish I would have had them at home because sometimes I just didn't feel like drinking, but really needed relief. Zinc losenges helped as well. I was instructed to brush my teeth and use mouth wash frequently due to the additional bacteria resulting from mouth breathing. At first brushing my teeth was pretty difficult; my upper lip was stiff, and I wasn't supposed to bend my head forward. I figured out that having a glass of water with a straw by the sink was the easiest way for me. After brushing, I'd take a drink from the straw and rinse out my mouth then gently spit out the water and toothpaste into the sink without bending. After a couple of rinses all was ok. I think that it may have even been easier if I would have had a child sized toothbrush for the first couple of days. Polysporin lip balm is amazing. I actually used it on and around my lips; everything felt so dry and stiff. This was some relief. Be prepared for lack of bowel movements depending I guess on if you take the meds. Bran and fruit and added food fibre wasn't enough for me and tonight I am going to take an 'overnight pill' to help things along. This is 4 days after my surgery, I definitely didn't expect this to be a necessity, considering I stopped the meds early and have been eating well to avoid this problem to begin with. For whatever reason, when I put Arnica gel directly onto my bruise, it began to sting. I waited a few seconds, and then rubbed it off. I don't know why it happened, but it did. This was the day after surgery and I haven't tried again. I have continued with the Arnica tablets, though, and will until I'm healed.
Today was the worst for congestion. I don't have packing or splints, and I'm happy for that! But all day today was like having a very bad cold. I couldn't get relief. I cleaned my nose as directed 4 times today and it seems quite sudden, but now I can't stop my nose from running (like a cold). I've noticed that the swelling has subsided substantially in my nostils.
The tape under my cast is very annoying. My skin is becoming oily and the tape is lifting. I'm very aware of this 'thing' (cast)in the middle of my face now, and just want it off. It feels heavy and constricting. It IS heavy and constricting. The urge to blow my nose is very strong.
I only have occasional dull pain/throbbing left and the odd sharp 'sting' inside my nose which goes away as fast as it occurs.
Bruising has already subsided significantly and is turning yellow in most areas. The swelling is progressing down my face now and where it appears, my skin feels abnormal.
Feelings? Disbelief, wonder, some worry, and hope - hope that I can quickly accept the outcome of my choice.

I still stand by my initial rating of Dr Solomon. I had my cast removed by his nurse on the 23rd (6 days post-op). This was my decision based on my comfort level at the time. I had emailed the doctor to inquire about any possible issues with having it removed before planned and he advised that all should be fine, but that he was not in the office that week - his nurse would remove it for me (she has done this many times before).

I saw myself in the mirror and noticed that my bridge seems very straight, but other than that I was very swollen.I only saw the front. My nose didn't even look real, to be honest, due to the swelling. But I had prepared myself for the appearance. I had no anxiety about it whatsoever and was quite relieved to have the constricting cast taken off.

Two days later I received an email from Doctor Solomon asking how I was doing. This was a nice surprise. I responded with details about pain (little to none), bruising, swelling and some clots releasing. I joked that my nose looked like a cross between Shrek's and Potatoe Head's. I was laughing because until the swelling goes down, it's hard to visualize results further down the line, and the truth is, the swelling is comical. Doctor Solomon responded again, saying that day by day the swelling will lessen, and for me to try to be patient. In my opinion, Doctor Solomon is a doctor who cares. I just want to say again, that this doctor was in contact with me...contact that HE initiated to check up on my wellbeing after my cast removal and moreover outside of his offce hours AND during a week off from his office practice.

I'll wait until I see more of the actual results (beyond the swelling) to change to "worth it" as far as my experience goes.

So far: bridge looks very straight and I'm pleased with the profile.

Twelve days since surgery. My visible bruising and facial swelling is almost gone. The top of my bridge between my eyes is still swollen as well as both sides of my nose, but it has diminished. The tip is beginning to have more feeling; tingling, itchiness - no pain if not touched. The positive changes happen practically daily, even if not in appearance, such as less leakage, more feeling in my upper lip area, better and more consistent breathing ability, etc.

My nose skin feels dry and itchy at times, but it goes away. Concentrating on other things helps. I still use Arnica tabs and cream, polysporin and saline spray.

One thing I didn't mention earlier is that I was very hungry after the operation and days after.Trying to eat hard or very crunchy foods put pressure on my nasal area as I bit down. This wasn't very comfortable and I was more selective of my food choices for a few days after that.

Things get progressively and noticibly better as time passes.

My nose is still changing. The tip is still swollen and feels strange...I compare it to how it feels after being outside for too long in the winter (kind of frozen). But it's improving steadily. It seems like I had the operation so long ago (17 Aug), but it really hasn't been that long at all.

So far, I'm happy that I went through with the surgery. I'm holding out on the "worth it" rating until I get full results. Right now I would say yes, it was worth it for me, but like I said, things are still changing. I try to keep a neutral perspective about it as the process continues.

I had a follow-up appointment with Dr. Solomon and after examining my nose, he said that everything looked good. Before surgery, I had a deficit (the phys.ed injury) in one area above the tip and the Doctor used cartilage from another area in my nose to fill it. He also narrowed the tip and brought in the nostrils slightly (along with narrowing my nose and removing the hump).

I have absolutely no negative comments to say about Dr. Solomon or his staff. My experiences thus far have been great. The Doctor is very down to earth and friendly. He answered all of my questions. In fact, I had forgotten to ask a couple and I emailed him about them. Again, he personally responded to my concerns.

Having the surgery hasn't really changed my life. It has stopped me from wondering every now and then if I should or shouldn't get rhinoplasty. I don't believe anyone has noticed, which is absolutely fine with me. My decision was made for myself only, not for others.

I'll update again as things change.