ls84862520

At This Point, Jumping on the 5-star Bandwagon - White Plains, NY

Hi Christy!

Congrats on your decision! I also just had a rhino with Dr. C. I'm two weeks post-op this Thursday. He did an amazing job! The day the cast came off, I felt more beautiful than I ever had in my life. (I almost cried as I left the office I was so happy!) I say this even though I was — and still am — really swollen and have black eyes. I wish I had done this a long time ago when *I* was 17.

Dr. C's eye for aesthetics is enviable. I think you're in great hands. Best of luck to you!

Hi Lavida,

I'm posting this as a reply to you on my review, as well as on your review to make sure you see it.

I hope your surgery went well! How are you coping thus far? Are you healing well? Do you like it? Have you been able to get the sound of music out of your head? (::grinning:: I haven't yet.)

Are you happy with how things have turned out? Are you swelling a bunch? I know I am. I think the tip of my nose looks larger than before! And so does the bump on the bridge. The only thing I really love, post-surgery, is my profile. But...I'm assuming this is all swelling, or at least, I hope it is. I feel like I keep bumping my nose left and right — like I'm a walking magnet for doors and coffee cups and my husband's arm. I hope my clumsiness doesn't mess things up, or hasn't messed things up. Time will tell.

Keep me updated on how you're doing. It helps to know someone who went through the same thing at the same time!

Hi Lavida (not sure I caught your real name),

I'm posting this as a reply to you, as well as on your review wall.

I hope your surgery went well! How are you coping thus far? Are you healing well? Do you like it? Have you been able to get the sound of music out of your head? (::grinning:: I haven't yet.)

Are you happy with how things have turned out? Are you swelling a bunch? I know I am. I think the tip of my nose looks larger than before! And so does the bump on the bridge. The only thing I really love, post-surgery, is my profile. But...I'm assuming this is all swelling, or at least, I hope it is. I feel like I keep bumping my nose left and right — like I'm a walking magnet for doors and coffee cups and my husband's arm. I hope my clumsiness doesn't mess things up, or hasn't messed things up. Time will tell.

Keep me updated on how you're doing. It helps to know someone who went through the same thing, an who is healing at the same time I am!

This is a hard question, because there are so many varying opinions on what you should or should not do. If you look up any question you have, it seems like you could find contradictory answers to the question! My main "issue" was dryness. My face was dry, my eyes were dry, my nose was dry. So, for me, the following things were incredibly helpful:

1) Saline rinses! My nose was so dry (because of the air conditioner in my bedroom.) These felt (and still feel) amazing.

2) GenTeal Gel Eye Drops. For whatever reason, it helped to put them in before laying an ice pack on my eyes. I think it alleviated some of the irritation associated with my bruising around the eye socket.

3) LOADS of vitamin c, either liposomally delivered or with bioflavanoids to promote absorption. (You look up both these things on amazon.) I was taking this 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after surgery. I'm taking around 2000mg a day.

4) This is ridiculous, but using one of those "chair pillow" things helped a lot (link to follow). I kept sliding down off my pile of pillows at night, making it such that I was not elevated appropriately. So, I got a chair pillow. It's been easier to sleep upright as a result of using this product (plus it's just awesome to lounge around with!): http://www.amazon.com/Brentwood-Originals-Poodle-Bedrest-Lilac/dp/B002NGN9O8/ref=pd_sim_hg_14

5) This one is the most important, I think! Decrease your level of anxiety about how your post-op healing is going. My surgeon told me that, in all the years he's been doing this, he's only seen one case where someone really messed up their post-op healing — and it was an extreme case. There are lots of questions on RealSelf like "I bumped my nose a little bit. Will my rhinoplasty be ruined?" Honestly, I drove myself crazy looking these sorts of questions up during my post-op week. I realized, though, that while the doctors who answer questions on RealSelf can be reassuring, they are not *your* surgeon so they will probably feel uncomfortable saying anything confidently. I thought to myself, even if they can give opinions and suggestions, these other doctors cannot confidently say "You'll be just fine..." without adding "But make an appointment with your surgeon right away if you are concerned" — and that last caveat just made me even more anxious! I don't know if this helps, but Dr. C said that the recovery tips given to you, in addition to the splint, make certain that the process is, well, pretty idiot-proof. Your nose is fragile, but it's not going to fall apart with a tap or nudge or the wind blowing. Realizing this helped me a lot.

I really hope this helps! Good luck!