After a very bad rhinoplasty/septoplasty surgery I was also left with a nickel size perforation in my septum. My original doctor said he could not perform such a difficult surgery and offered rubber buttons to wear in my nose for life. I found one other doctor in Texas who performed these surgeries successfully but did not have the resources to make the trip. Someone told me about Dr. Garner. It has been 7 years and the skin and bone on my once destroyed septum are still perfect from Garner's surgery. I cannot put in words how grateful I am to once again have a healthy inner nose thank-you to Dr. Garner.
Hello! I am 22 years old, and have wanted (and actually needed) surgery for as long as I can remember. When I was 8 years old I slipped on some rocks and landed nose first. I broke my nose, and it had been distorted ever since. I was too young to do anything, but developed sever breathing problems, chronic headaches and sleeping problems. I saw an ENT when I was 14 who said I needed surgery, but had to wait until I was older and done growing. Aside from the physical impairments, I have always been self conscious of my nose. It healed incorrectly, crooked, was uneven on both sides and had a prominent dorsal hump (bump on the bridge). I looked like two completely different people from each side of my face - seriously! I refused to take photos of the right side of my face because I was so embarrassed. I remember lying in bed for hours all the time looking up rhinoplasty before and afters. It's what I would do for fun! I did so much research, and always knew I would get surgery. I wanted it for me. Back in January of this year (2017) I decided that this was the year! I was ready and able to take the time to have surgery, no matter what. A friend of mine had a rhinoplasty a few years back, and her nose is absolutely beautiful. I wanted to go to someone I had seen work of first hand in person, and that I knew I could trust. I went to my friend to ask her who her surgeon was, and she had nothing but amazing reviews about Dr. Garner at Southwest Idaho ENT. She highly recommended him and told me all about her great experience. This made me so excited! I called the next day and set up a consult. I had to wait a few months for an appointment because he was so booked out, but I didn't mind. I wanted to go to the best!When my consult came, I was so excited. I knew that I needed a septoplasty, but wanted a rhinoplasty as well to fix some cosmetic things (removing the dorsal hump, straightening up my nose, and refining the tip - the tip was a little bulbous, round and uneven on the bottom because of the curve). Dr. Garner was so friendly! It took him two seconds of looking up my nose to let me know that not only did I have a severely deformed and deviated septum, but that it was C-shaped, I had enlarged turbinates and a bone spur on one side that was obstructing air flow. He examined my nose more thoroughly and noticed that my external nasal valve was collapsed, which also impairs breathing. After going through all of the procedures he was going to do for the inside, he asked me whether or not I came to him to fix the outside too, which I replied yes! He went over a few changes he would like to make to straighten up my nose, make it even and fit my face. We wanted to go for an elegant, soft, natural nose. The nose I was supposed to have all along!After my appointment, I scheduled my surgery for his next availability a few months later on June 9, 2017. I couldn't believe it was actually happening! It almost didn't feel real the entire time. I was really nervous that something would come up and I couldn't have the surgery. Surgery was on a Friday, so I took that day and the following week off of work so that I would have 10 days to recover. I'm so glad I did! I had a pre-op apt a few days before surgery to go over everything, and they sent me home with a saline rinse to start using the day after surgery. They gave me all of my prescriptions so I could fill them ahead of time and told me to start taking homeopathic arnica (to help with bruising and swelling). I took 5 tablets 3x per day for two days before surgery, and then for two weeks post surgery.Here is my experience day by day for the first week:Day 0 - surgery day:I couldn't believe the day had finally come! I could hardly sleep the night before. I made sure to take lots of "before" photos so that I would have accurate angles of my old nose. Surgery was scheduled for 10am, and my arrival time 9am. My mom picked me up and took me in, she stayed the entire time so she would be there when I woke up which I was so grateful for. After checking me in a nurse brought me to the back - the facility was an outpatient surgical center that is actually attached to the ENT office. Their office is attached to a local hospital here. It was nice being in a more comfortable setting! The nurse took me into the bathroom and had to ask me lots of questions, I had to pee into a cup to make sure I wasn't pregnant, and put on a hospital gown. They had me take off all of my jewelry, too. They had little lockers to put all of my things in, so my mom just kept the key.After I changed, they got me into a room and onto a hospital bed. They immediately wrapped me up in warmed blankets - this was hands down the best part!! The nurse got my IV set up and started giving me fluids (you can't eat or drink after midnight before surgery). A minute later the anesthesiologist came in to talk to me and my mom about what he was going to do and asked if we had any questions. I'm glad my mom was there - I was so anxious I didn't have any questions, but my mom did. I was going under general anesthesia because the surgery was so intensive and would take a while. They estimated surgery to be about 3-4 hours. A few minutes later Dr. Garner came in to check in on me and go over everything one last time. He was going to perform a septoplasty, turbinate reduction, external nasal valve reconstruction and a rhinoplasty to put everything back together and make it pretty. He had sent me photo shopped photos of his proposed changes - I was on board with all of the changes he suggested! It looked perfect.After that I got to hug my mom goodbye and they wheeled me off into the OR room just down the hall. I think they must have put something in my IV then because as soon as they wheeled me in, I got a rush to the head and started to feel the drugs kick in. I felt relaxed, happy and excited. Dr. Garner and his staff were already in the room getting ready - they moved me from the bed to the table and wrapped me up in more warm blankets. They had already put the leg cuffs on my legs that make sure you don't get blood clots during surgery. They made sure I was really comfortable! Dr. Garner was talking to me, and I remember asking how long until I was passed out. They told me about 10 seconds, and I remember saying "awesome." That's the last thing I remember! Next thing I knew, I was waking up in recovery. I did surprisingly well, wasn't upset or anything. The surgery took just over 4 hours. I remember trying to smile but I couldn't feel my lips. The nurses were all happy and said surgery went great! I could tell that my face was somewhat swollen already. I was shaking and my teeth were chattering from coming off of anesthesia. They told me they were giving me meds to make it stop and help me feel better. My throat hurt from the breathing tube, and that was honestly the worst part. Nothing else hurt yet! I felt groggy and tired, and really thirsty. I asked for water, and one of the nurses fed me ice chips and let me sip out of a straw. It was really hard to drink - I couldn't breathe through my nose at all, and felt like I was suffocating when I would swallow. I was doing well, and it wasn't long before they cleared me to go to the final recovery room. My mom was waiting for me - I was so happy to see her! They had me in a leather recliner chair on wheels so I would be sitting upright. I started shaking uncontrollably again and felt nauseous, so they gave me more meds to help. They let me drink water, and after a little bit got me some apple sauce. They gave me my first dose of pain killers to take, too. I was starting to hurt only a little - mostly sore and lots of pressure. They said I had started to bruise and was a little blue but not too bad. Dr. Garner came in to check on me and said the surgery was excellent! He had a huge grin on his face and said he couldn't wait to reveal my nose next week. He was thrilled with how it turned out. I asked him if it was pretty, and he said that it was elegant and beautiful, a very regal nose. This made me so happy!! I was so excited to heal and see my new nose.After an hour they discharged me so my mom could take me home. They had a nurse put me in a wheelchair and take me out to the car. The plan was for me to stay at my parents house while I was recovering so I wouldn't be along and they could take care of me! We stopped at a smoothie place before heading home - at this point the soreness was starting to set in. I was tired, thirsty, hungry and cranky. It was hot outside and I just wanted to lie down. I looked at myself for the first time in the passenger side mirror - I had began to develop dark purple and blue bruises under both eyes. I was so swollen! They had a drip pad under my nose to catch any blood. There were tampon-like cotton sponges up each of my nostrils to absorb any blood first. These stayed in for 24 hours. When we got home my mom set me up on the couch so I could be propped up and watch Netflix. I ate the smoothie with a spoon and drank water with a bendy straw (I HIGHLY recommend getting bendy straws if you are having rhinoplasty. It was a life saver! Then you don't have to tilt your head up or down when drinking). The first few days are all a blur - I took pain killers every 4 hours religiously the first few days. I also was on antibiotics to prevent infection, and Zofran to help with nausea.The first night sleeping was the worst. I didn't sleep hardly any during the day because I would jolt myself awake. I think I would stop breathing because I felt so congested. Breathing through my mouth was hard - I had an air humidifier going, ice packs on each side and was propped straight up. This is really important - I had so much pressure in my head, I wouldn't have been able to handle tilting it or lying back anyway. I maybe slept an hour or two the whole night, off and on. I still took pain killers because the paIn had started to sink and I was super uncomfortable.Day 1: Nothing much changed this day! I was still very bruised, sore and was even more swollen this day. My eyes swelled up almost half shut and were very uncomfortable. I was taking homeopathic arnica to help with bruising and swelling. I also used arnica cream to help on the outside as well. This day was very chill - I just laid around and watched movies, ate soft foods and tried drinking lots of water. I didn't want to take the tampons out of my nose because I was scared they would hurt or be bloody. I had bled through the drip pad a few times, and my mom had helped me. I actually didn't bleed as much as I expected which I was so thankful for.Around 4pm, my mom said it was time to take out the nose tampons. Reluctantly I said ok - and it really wasn't that bad. I pulled them out swiftly and gently, and my mom held a trash bag under me so I could just drop it. A lot of bloody mucous came out with it, but my nose didn't bleed. After that I used the saline rinse for the first time. It also wasn't too bad! This was more so uncomfortable. I got a lot of blood and mucous out of my nose, most of which I had to sniff and spit out. Gross! I relaxed the rest of the day and still didn't feel like doing much. I felt very weak and tired, yet still couldn't sleep. I would doze off for five minutes and jolt awake again.I hardly slept again at night - maybe an hour or two. At this point I was delirious and miserable. My throat hurt so bad from breathing out of my mouth, it felt like I had strep throat. I was able to drink and eat better because the nose tampons were out, though! I could get a little air through my nose.Day 2: This day is just kind of a blur. I still didn't sleep much throughout the day, just ate soft foods and drank lots of water and fluids. I felt very thirsty! I was still taking pain killers every 4 hours for pain. The swelling had gotten worse, too. Bruising was about the same. I could see up my nose finally - I had stitches on the bottom where they had cut my nose to open it up, a few stitches inside and splints inside my nose. The splints holding my septum in place had a tube-like opening so I could get some air and flush it out. This grossed me out when I realized there were splints up my nose because I knew they would have to take them out.I slept a little better this night! Maybe 4 hours or so.Day 3: Also a blur. The swelling had started to go down, though! As well as the bruising. I couldn't believe it had already been three days. I started to have a little more energy this day but still didn't feel like myself. I was very sluggish, groggy and exhausted. It was so hard to keep my eyes open but I still wasn't able to sleep in the day. So frustrating! I loved eating apple sauce out of squeeze packs and yogurt tubes I put in the freezer. I continued to ice my face like crazy. My ice pack was my best friend! I swapped them out every 30 minutes or so. I kept drinking water, and got some juice, too. I no longer felt any nausea like the last few days, but was still in pain and taking pain killers. I was able to space them out at this point, more like 6 hours. My nose felt like it was throbbing if I didn't, especially in the tip.I FINALLY got sleep this night!! Thank goodness! I slept for eight hours total. Not all the way through, but I slept. I woke up every hour or so but fell back asleep quickly. I was still sleeping sitting upright and my backside had become really sore.Day 4: Making progress! With the help of arnica and ice packs, the swelling and bruising had improved significantly. My eyes weren't as swollen, and the bruising started to get a yellow tint. This is a good sign! I still didn't have much energy this day, but relaxed and took it easy. I went for a little walk with a baseball cap on. I also drove to get a redbox movie - people driving past me and at red lights stared. I didn't mind though! I also have to add that it felt SO nice to not worry about or wear makeup all week. My skin had started to break out at this point, I think from being on all this medication and also not being super active. Two more days until I get the splints taken off!I slept like a baby this night. I even slept in!! I was able to space out pain killers even more, which I was so grateful for.Day 5: This day was easy going. I was really nervous about getting the splints taken off the next day - I was worried that it would hurt, and I was so anxious about seeing my new nose. No matter how excited you are, trust me, it's normal to be nervous about such a life altering change! I got my appetite back this day and was ready for some real meals. I wasn't as exhausted as I had been up until now. I continued taking arnica, using the topical arnica cream and rinsing my nose out 3x per day with the saline rinse. It made me feel so much better! The humidifier was helping with my throat, too. The bruising had turned yellow and blue this day, and swelling went down even more. I continued icing it and had a lot of relief from that.Day 6: Time to get the splints removed!! I was so nervous and anxious. When we got there, Dr. Garner's nurse prepped me by applying some pink liquid to the inside of the cast with a little dropper. The pink liquid started to decompose the glue that held the split down. Dr. Garner came in after a bit to start the removal process - his nurse had said that he is very meticulous, a perfectionist, and that he always removes casts for patients that had so much work done. He added more pink liquid, and told me that there were small splints underneath the outer cast on the outside that were sutured (stitched) into my nose. He had to snip these stitches before he could take anything off. This didn't hurt, but was very uncomfortable. I was so tense, he said I looked terrified! For some reason this is what I was the most anxious about and my least favorite part about the recovery process. I was still bruised and very sore. He was taking out the stitches, and all of a sudden the outer cast just slipped off and onto my lap. He removed the outer splints and handed me a mirror - he was so excited! It almost didn't feel real when I got to look at my new nose for the first time. Instantly, I started crying. And they were happy tears! My new nose was perfect. I couldn't stop crying and telling him how perfect and beautiful it was. My mom even started crying! He chuckled and said it wasn't even the final results - he said I was very swollen still and had a long ways to go.He still had to take out the internal splints - I was not excited. The first two in the front were easy, just uncomfortable. I was not thrilled about the upper ones...nope. He took them out gently, but they were still super uncomfortable. The left side actually hurt a little because I was so sore. After that he vacuumed out my nose for any excess blood and "boogies" as he called them. He had to go far back and suction these HUGE blood clots that had formed either inside or behind the splints with tubes. They were so huge and gross I thought I was going to throw up. Just a warning, there's way more going on up there than you think.And just like that, it was done! I took my first breaths through my new nose for the first time, and couldn't believe it. I've never been able to breathe like this before...imagine having a really bad head cold your whole life. That was my life...always stuffy, congested and not able to breathe. I kept crying for the next half hour because I was so emotional and happy.We went home after that and I relaxed the rest of the day! I felt so much better having everything out of my nose. My nose swelled up a little more after the splint removal, but I didn't even care. I couldn't stop looking at my perfect new nose! He had shown me where I was the most swollen, and explained the everything will go down with time. I am swollen over the bridge, on the sides and especially in the tip. I'm excited to see how much can improve since I love it so much already!Day 7: I woke up this morning feeling a little congested again. Dr. Garner explained how breathing through all of that new and raw tissue can be hard because you can become more congested at first - I slept right next to the humidifier and have had it on all day. I am starting to feel more like my normal self! I still relaxed all day and took it easy. I am able to chew better, but still can't feel my upper lip much. I can't really smile or make facial expressions. Laughing and yawning hurts, so I try to avoid that at all costs. I am still pretty sore but doing better! The bruises are starting to go away, but are still yellow. I love my new nose! It was even more swollen today. I am still sleeping upright and plan to for a while. I've heard that lying down at night can cause excess swelling, even when you think you are healed. I'm not eating much sodium to help with swelling, and drinking lots of water. Still icing! And taking arnica. I only have a few more days of antibiotics. The tip of my nose is pretty numb, though still sore. I can press down gently on the bridge and see how swollen it is! I am excited to continue this healing process. I go back to work Monday! I will wait another week or two to return to the gym and light activity. Resting has been such a nice blessing, and even though I feel lazy, I'm glad I did because I think it has helped the healing process so much.I hope that my entry can help someone thinking about or going through the same thing! If I could go back and do it again, I definitely would. It's one of the best decisions I've made for myself, and I'm so glad I did.I am going to post photos from each day post op, starting with one right when I left the hospital! I will also include some before and afters. Please keep in mind that my skin has been breaking out! I'm also super white from being inside all week and not eating much.Throughout my entire journey so far I have always wished I could find someone who shared their journey day by day and shared photos, too. This site has helped me so much, and I hope that I am able to give back by sharing my journey.And remember, do it for you! Whatever makes you happy, you deserve it. Thank you for following along with my journey :) Updated on 8 Oct 2017: Wow, I cannot believe it has already been four months since I had a full nose reconstruction. Me and my nose are doing great! The week post surgery (when I posted the first time) is all a blur with visions of apple sauce and pain pills. It was a rough week, but I started feeling back to normal around week 2. I am now at month 4 and feel great! I still have some swelling which is expected for probably the next year or so. I had my turbinates reducted, so I am still a little swollen inside and sometimes stuffy. I don’t have any pain! The tip of my nose is very stiff and rock hard to the touch, but I have started to gain some movement and am able to scrunch my nose a little (kinda). I also had the bridge of my nose shaved to remove a hump, and I can feel that it is swollen but it doesn’t look like it unless you press down on the skin. I am excited to continue to watch it change and for swelling to go down! I will attach photos here from a month post op - I will take 4 month photos soon and update again! You can see a HUGE difference. It’s not the same nose! It feels like me, and I am beyond happy with how it turned out. I absolutely love it!
I had a snowboarding accident about 5 years ago leaving me with a large uneven hump which made me look like I had a hook nose. It really bothered me and messed with my self esteem. I recently started working in a profession where I have to have my hair back and out of my face which really made me feel like all the attention was on my ugly nose. That's when I decided to finally go through with it. The doctor made my nose look better then before. I ended up needing closed rhinoplasty which is less invasive. All he did was smooth the hump and it made my nose look perfectly straight from the side. Nothing was done to the tip. It looks perfect, natural and beautiful, but the change is subtle enough that no one can tell I got a nose job. Everyone just keeps telling me how good I look, and asking what I changed. Cons- I had to take a week off work. The nose cast was on for 7 days. Not as painful as I though though, I only needed my norco for 3 days. I was up and about once I was off the pain pills. Overall I had a great experience and I would do it all over again in a heart beat. It's only been 3 weeks since my surgery and all the bruising is completely gone( I was able to cover it up with make up after a week), majority of the swelling it gone too(I would say 85%).
