Rhinoplasty: Stories

Being a first generation American, I generously (sarcasm) inherited very Eastern European features. It also didn't help that I played lots of sports when I was a kid. I'm sure I've broken my nose and a few other bones at that (my family doesn't believe in going to doctors). Personally, my nose doesn't bother me to the point where I NEED this surgery - what bothers me is that people define me by my nose. I was hoping that eventually people will like me for me and all my wonderful qualities-unfortunately, in this day and age.... this will never be possible. I was made fun of severely as a child. Even as an adult, if someone needs to point me out in a crowd the description is "the girl with the big nose". So I held out on getting a rhinoplasty as long as I could. Now I'm 31 and I am ready for this change. I'm just super nervous because it's my face. I fear that I'll end up with a botched surgery and make my situation worse.
 

So, the surgery is getting closer. I'm excited, scared and anxious. :/ I'm not really worried about the pain. I'm more concerned about possibly making my face worse.

So tomorrow morning is the surgery. I feel like I'm going to lose a part of me which sounds absolutely crazy- almost like losing a best friend or a pet. This is all I know. I'm super anxious. I haven't really been sleeping well these last few nights :/ My friends have been super supportive and are telling me how wonderful I'm going to look. I just don't know. :( What if I don't like it?

Day of Surgery: So I am currently wide awake at 2am since I slept a whole bunch throughout the day. The surgery went well I believe. The nursing staff and the anesthesiologist were very lovely. I saw Dr. C briefly right before surgery for like a minute (which was a little disappointing). I felt like I had more one on one time with the anesthesiologist. I had to keep asking the nurse if the surgery went well since Dr. C was already in his next surgery. So honestly,... I'm just guessing it went well at this point? So, I definitely was groggy after the surgery. Very Disoriented. It took a while for the anesthesia to wear off. I feel asleep on the ride home and I passed out quickly when I got home sitting up like I was supposed to. At that time I was pretty miserable. A few hours later after being well rested I'm feeling great. I really have minimal swelling and bruising. I'm not going to lie. I went a little crazy with the arnica gel and pills pre-op. I even applied the gel to places I thought would produce swelling. I'm not sure if that is the reason or if it strictly depends on the person.... all I know is that I have been pretty lucky. I can't tell if my bump is gone with my cast. it feels like the cast is a bit raised off my nose and I really don't want to press down on it. I definitely think my tip is elevated. I do hope it fall slightly but not too much because I sort of like it. I'm super excited to see my nose when the cast comes off. I think since my nose was so huge- the differences will be more noticeable. Any nose will be better than the thing I had. So all in all- I'm pretty happy and glad I went through with it because I was definitely scared and anxious. Will continue to keep you posted. Please tell me if you think you see a different even with the cast?

I had my cast removed today. Sadly, I had to wait 45 mins to get my cast removed and I couldn't get it removed until later on in the day (which was annoying because I wanted that thing off like crazy). During the time I had the cast on I had episodes of disorientation and high levels of pressure-not so much pain. It hurt a lot having him take it off (cast/splint) since it is mega swollen/tender.
I completely had a mini freak out in my head when he gave me the mirror. It is weird looking at yourself in the mirror and seeing someone else. I posted pictures on facebook for my friends to see - THEY ARE FREAKING OUT TOO. I think I received a billion phone calls from people telling me that I don't look like myself. I love my new profile but I didn't want to look like a completely different person. I have to get used to THAT. Apparently the swelling is going to be super bad tomorrow. I'm scared to touch it (It is tender to touch) and I can't smile. I don't look like me. I just met up with a friend and it freaked him out a bit too. I knew it was going to be a dramatic change but I never expected this.

Not only do i have to get used to it but so does everyone else! I really don't know how to take that. I just don't know. I love it but it is not me when I look in the mirror. It is confusing

Hey everyone, I'm a few days short of my 2 week mark. The swelling is slowly going down everyday. I can not emphasize enough the power of patience- even though it is easier said then done. Everyday I'm feeling more and more like myself. Everyday I like it more and it is becoming very natural looking. I will have a better idea of people's reaction in a few days when I get back to my daily life (been on vacation throughout this whole process). I'll let you know how that goes. My change is pretty dramatic so everyone knows I had it done- I wasn't going to pretend my nose just disappeared overnight. I'll keep you posted!

So tomorrow will be 3 weeks post op. Swelling has significantly decreased, especially these last few days. My tip is still swollen and super sensitive to touch. Putting on a shirt is painful or if I brush my nose against something. (Don't even think about making out with anyone for a while). I've bumped my nose a few times which would result in swelling. I get random tingling and pain sometimes..especially by the bridge area ( I believe it has something to do with the nerves regenerating.) I've received a lot of positive feedback- which has been nice. :) I do not regret this decision at all.