1 year post op! - Toronto, ON

Hi everyone,
I am 22 years old and I have finally decided to go ahead with rhino/septo surgery! I had a bad fall when I was a child that resulted in a small hump, two uneven bumps on the bridge of my nose, uneven nostrils, and the bridge of my nose as well as my septum crooked. My surgery is about 6 weeks away and I am starting to get nervous and anxious.
I have uploaded several photos for you guys to take a look at. My doctor morphed a photo to show me what my results would look like, however I am beginning to wonder if I would prefer more of a slope. What do you guys think?

Hey Guys,
So my surgery date is coming up pretty quickly. Needless to say I am getting pretty nervous! Just had my pre-op appointment yesterday and everything went well. I discussed perhaps having more of a slope. The Dr agreed it would look nice so we are going to go ahead and do that!

Hey everyone,
So just about 4 more days to go until my surgery. I just wanted to throw a question out there for anyone who has had to stay in a hotel for their first week of recovery: Is there anything different/any tips you think I should know about?
Thanks!
Ill update Tuesday after my surgery :):):)

Just adding some new (unedited) pictures.

Hey all! So Im lying in bed right now just trying to relax. I had a pretty crazy day!
So I had to be at the hospital for 6am this morning. I am not from Toronto so my mom and I gave ourselves a bit of extra time to get there this morning in case we got lost. We got there nice and early (about 530am) before realizing that I forgot all of my medical paperwork! So we had to turn around and go back to the hotel. We ended up being 20 minutes late! But luckily it didn't really matter.
Then I realized - I was a chewing a piece of gum (which you are not supposed to do as you are not supposed to put anything in your mouth 8 hours before surgery). Again I was freaking out! I thought for sure they would cancel my surgery (it said this on the paperwork). They didn't though, luckily!! But the gum chewing incident and then the lateness had my really stressed. And this was on top of just being a bit nervous in general.
My surgery ended up lasting 4 hours (whereas initially it was only supposed to take 2.5). I guess it was a bit more complicated than the doctor anticipated. I am very thankful that he took his time instead of rushing through!
When I woke up from surgery I had a few problems. Ive only had anesthesia once before and it was a while ago so I didnt really know what to expect. I immediately started shaking (I guess shivering) but the nurse gave me something in my IV and I stopped pretty much right away. I also got sick to my stomach... a lot. At least 10 times. All blood. That was pretty bad, not because I was throwing up but because the convulsing was hurting my nose. So I ended spending 4 hours in recovery (instead of 2) because they kept having to give me gravol and morphine for the sickness/pain.
The nurses (and of course Dr. Smith) were all very very nice. In fact one of my nurses had surgery with Dr. Smith a few months ago (but I didnt have my glasses on so I couldnt really see how it looked. According to my mom though it looked really good.) Also, one of the other nurse's son had rhino/septo with Dr. Smith and said it went really well. And countless other nurses told me that Dr. Smith was the best. It was definitely reassuring!
I unfortunately didn't get to see Dr. Smith when I got out of surgery, but I didn't really mind because I knew that my surgery had taken way longer, and besides he came out to talk to my mom and gave her the full update.
Once I got back to my hotel room I was sick to my stomach again, unfortunately. Again it didnt really bother me but it hurt my nose and made it bleed quite a lot. I feel better now. Ive had some juice and yogurt so I think that will help.
I can already tell my nose is much straighter. And I can see my nostrils when I take of my gauze and they look even! Very excited to see the final product.
If I think of anything else Ill update tomorrow. My next appointment is Friday in order to get my stitches out. My pain level is good right now. Doesnt really hurt, just a bit of a headache.

Hi all,
So recovering is going pretty well. I have to admit the first few days were rough. I was quite nauseous and had a bit of a headache. Today has been my best day so far. The swelling has started to go down though, I think it reached its peak yesterday. I was quite swollen (one eye was basically swollen shut). I had a few moments when I wondered if this was worth it - I must admit it is hard to look in the mirror and not see yourself. But now that I am over the roughest part (or so I suspect) I think it will be nothing but uphill from here.
I had another appointment today. I had my stitches taken out and my nose cleaned. I am scheduled to have my cast removed Tuesday morning and then I make the long drive back home. Still have a bit of a headache which I am taking advil for (also to help with the swelling). I stopped taking the pain medication I was prescribed as I think that was part of the reason I was feeling nauseous.
I'll update again soon!

Hello all,
So I got my cast off this morning. I can already breathe sooooo much better than before surgery! So far everything looks good! Of course my nose is quite swollen. I had A LOT of work done so this is to be expected. In fact my face is generally still quite swollen, in fact it kind of looks like I got my wisdom teeth out lol! Also have some bruising still.
I've uploaded some pictures. I have to drive home now, so maybe I'll update later tonight.

Just updating my Doctor's info :)
It has been an awesome 12 hours with my new nose! Despite the swelling I am already feeling great about everything. So happy :)

Just uploading a new pic. This is the first time Ive really gone out or put on makeup since my surgery. So happy right now! I should have done the surgery years ago. Pure happiness.

Hey everyone!
I am 5 weeks post-op today. No complaints! Swelling is going down pretty fast which is great. My only regret is not doing this sooner :)

I dont know why the picture I just posted is so small?? Ah! Ill try to figure it out and post a better one!!

Hi everyone!
I am just over 2 months post op and still very happy with my results. My nose is completely healed inside now, which is nice. Ill be going in for a follow up appointment some time next month.
The only thing that has really changed since my surgery (other than my nose, lol!) is that I dont obsess over my nose. In fact, I dont think about it much at all, which is quite a relief. I hardly ever wear glasses anymore (which I use to do to cover my nose), and since it is the summer that is awesome for wearing sunglasses!
Like I said before:
1) I should have done this YEARS ago!
2) My wonderful results are thanks to Dr. Smith. He is a very talented surgeon and his work speaks for itself.

Hey everyone!!!!
Just posting a few more photos for my 3 month anniversary of my open rhino/septo surgery! I am still happy with my results and I continue to see changes everyday.

Hey everyone!

5 months post op! Feels like Im already at a year though. I havent noticed much change in the way of swelling... I think all of it might be gone already. Has anyone else had their swelling go down that quickly?
Amanda

Hey y'all!
I am almost at 1 year post op and I can't believe it!! Still very happy with my results - I have had no issues whatsoever. I haven't noticed any changes since about 6 months post-op.