Rhinoplasty: Stories

I have disliked my nose since I was 11. I am white and native american, however, I did not end up with my mom's beautiful nose. Instead I got my dad's bulbous and wide one :( I started pondering the idea of a rhino in college but somehow didn't think it was attainable. Then last summer despite the beautiful sunny days, I spent 2 weeks on the couch depressed. That's not my personality so I knew I was taking it harder then I led myself to believe. I started looking online and at first everything was so overwhelming..the warnings of scars, breathing, pig nose etc! But I tackled it one chunk at a time, learning a new thing each day.

I am 26 and tired of shading my nose with a darker shade of powder for the past 10 years! I had enough! I went to a have a consult with a doc in bellevue and he pretty much started pulling the words right out of my mouth regarding the issues of my nose. He seems amazing and artful. He wants to define the tip and narrow my nostrils slightly. I am scheduled for August 17th and I cannot begin to describe how nervous/anxious I am. I don't want people at work to know since many would probably gossip behind my back and think I'm so insecure. I think of myself as a pretty woman but I just think my nose overwhelms my face. Any thoughts, questions or comments on how to deal with judgemental people?

8/01/12 >>Pre-Op experience

I went to my Pre-Op the other day to Dr. Naficy's. He looked up my nose with an endoscope & told me that my septum is bowing on my right side contributing to the crooked nature on that side. So I am getting my septum fixed in addition to the cosmetic part. Then they put samples of surgical tape to leave on my arm for 2 days to make sure I don't have an allergy. He then went over my priorities which are to define the tip, reduce nostril flare and slight adjustment of my bridge. Then he gave me an overview of what to expect the day of surgery. I am going to be under twilight anesthesia which means I still have an I.V. that konks me out but I don't have to have a breathing tube and my chances of nausea are slimmer. They are also going to give me an "amnesia pill" prior to my I.V. which to me kinda sounds like a proper name for roofy (haha j/k) but hey at least I won't remember a thing right?! I have prepared myself with the following:

*Naked protein smoothies
*Yogurt to introduce good bacteria that the antibiotics have killed
*Baby food (the prune kind to combat the meds' side effects)
*Travel U-shaped pillow as well as other pillows
*Q-tips
*Vaseline
*Ice packs

I am so jittery and excited to go through this next chapter of my life and any comments, questions, or tips are welcome.

Day 1

I got out of surgery today around 11 am so my surgery took about 3 1/2 hours. The work done was reducing the tip, and correcting nostril flare, and some minor bridge work which had a slight hump. Walking into the operating room was freezing cold but the anesthesiologist and nurse were so sweet making small talk. They put a super warm blanket over me which relaxed me instantly. Then he placed an iv, and started the sedation medication. I started feeling a bit sleepy then I don't remember anything after that. I woke up not knowing where I was and the nurse politely kept reminding me to stop touching my face. It took about a half hour to recover and then off home for the hour long drive. Within 20 mins I thought my bladder was going to explode so I stopped at a gas station. God lots of stares but I didn't even care! Right now my throat is killing me and I'm just soothing it with cold liquids. I hope to get some sleep since I worked a night shift last night. I posted a few pics.

Day 5-Cast Removal

Today I got my cast off & it wasn't bad at all. They just used a lot of oil to slowly work it off. My sutures are dissolvable so excuse the gloppy vaseline in the pics but it helps them dissolve faster. He then showed me how to tape my nose. I have to do this every night for 4 months. The bridge looks really nice and I don't see that annoying "bulb" anymore in the tip, but it's still super swollen obviously. I will post pics without the tape in about a week or so. So far I'm liking the results :)

Day 8 Post Op

So about a week after surgery and I'm noticing the swelling goes down a tiny bit each day. I'm loving it so far and I am so appreciative that my results were successful. It's a risky gamble..to mess with a nose but I feel so much better now talking to people straight in the face. And no more shading/contouring makeup! I have a few questions for those of you who might have something to offer...

1. Oily Skin-how long did your oil glands take to calm down?
2. Smile- When did your odd looking smile go away and the natural one return?
3. Sleeping-when did you stop sleeping elevated and or straight on your back like a perfect mummy?

Any questions and comments are welcome :) I will probably post more pics about a month from now.

Post Op> Week 4

So it's been 4 weeks since my rhinoplasty and so far I'm feeling good. My tip is still hard and tender to the touch and I am starting to get my smile back. Still hurts my nose to laugh hard or smile really big. My nose isn't as greasy as it was but the rest of my face started to flare up a bit with some acne but benzyl peroxide cream has helped. I notice my tip getting smaller as time goes on. I do notice on my right nostril there is a slight notch as it's slightly higher than my left and sort of a different shape. I looked at old pictures and realized that my nostrils were never symmetrical. I read that notches on nostrils are just related to how my scars healed underneath my skin. It hasn't gotten worse over the past weeks so as long as it doesn't get worse, then I don't mind. I would gladly take a slightly notched nostril over my old nose anytime! Plus my husband said he didn't even notice until I pointed it out, which gives me reassurance. It's been amazing to be able to talk to anybody straight in the face without worrying about anything. It has boosted my confidence and I recommend it to anyone as long as they research and know the pros and cons before surgery.