I've hated my nose since I can remember. It has a large dorsal hump and a droopy tip that curves to the right. Plus, I have breathing difficulties as well. I shopped around and met with a few ENT's until I found the right one. My surgical date is October 1st. I trust the surgeon and am looking forward to the operation. Hopefully taking 10 days off to recover will be long enough! There's not really much else to write at this point. I'll update y'all after the pre-op appointment! Updated on 18 Aug 2013: 1. enhanced confidence 2. kissing my boyfriend without poking him in the face with my nose 3. ability to try more diverse hairstyles 4. less mouth-breathing 5. not having to "turn to my good side" for every photo Updated on 18 Aug 2013: please forgive the smudge on the imaged "post" photo. Updated on 7 Sep 2013: The insurance I have is kinda screwy and will only allow me to have an operation in the OR of the hospital where I work, otherwise insurance won't pay for the functional part. This sucks but it looks like I'm going to have to have only the cosmetic aspect done at this time. Has anyone else been in this situation? Updated on 15 Sep 2013: I spoke with my surgeon and told him about my insurance issues. He's still going to do the turbinectomy/septoplasty and cosmetic rhino but put a discount on his fee to offset the fact that insurance won't pay. In the end, the price is right and the surgery will proceed as scheduled. I am so very grateful for everything he and his staff have done to accommodate me. It has gone above and beyond what I expected. Updated on 21 Sep 2013: Ya can tell the tip veers off to one side slightly. Can't wait to take selfies without this crooked, oversized schnoz! Updated on 24 Sep 2013: I've wanted this for close to 16 years. One week from today I'll be home in bed recovering from the surgery. I go in for my pre-op appointment tomorrow. I'm so nervous but excited at the same time! Updated on 26 Sep 2013: I had my pre-op appointment yesterday with my surgeon. 5 more days and I couldn't be more excited! I must say, I feel so much more prepared for everything after joining this site and reading all of your reviews. So thanks everyone! Updated on 1 Oct 2013: All my nurses, anesthesiologist and my surgeon kicked booty today :) I was slightly nervous but my mom was more nervous than me! Everyone did a really fine job at reassuring her. The last thing I remember is laying down on the operating table. The nurse said she was going to give me some Versed and then I woke up in post-op. I felt hot and nauseated. They gave me some Zofran, which seemed to help. Then I had to stand to move from the stretcher to the recliner, nausea and dizziness hit me then. I was fine after some Phenergan. Then I ate some yyogurt and took a pain pill. Nausea, again. I almost tossed my cookies but it stayed down thank goodness! My mom, sister and boyfriend are all taking excellent care of me and I'm very grateful for their help. I haven't looked at myself yet, figured there's nothing to look at right now. The pain is very tolerable, maybe a 3/10, if that. My throat is sore from the breathing tube and that's the worst part, a 6/10 when I swallow. I think I'm gonna live :) Anyway, it's nap time. Nighty night. Updated on 1 Oct 2013: Woohoo, let the bruising begin! It'll make me look tough, wonder if people will believe it when I lie about being an MMA fighter... Updated on 2 Oct 2013: I can feel my nose swell under the cast when I walk around the house and that's a little bit uncomfortable. There's some bruising and swelling between my eyebrows and a nice purple/yellow under the eyes. Other than that I feel pretty good. Can't wait to get the stents out of my nostrils on Friday! Updated on 3 Oct 2013: I feel much better today. Took a bath, took the dogs out for a walk... I feel like this is as bad as the bruising is going to get. My eyes were swollen yesterday but not so much today. The purple really brings out my eyes, don't you think? Ha ha ha Updated on 4 Oct 2013: Yay, the splints are gone! The removal was a little weird but quick and pretty much painless. The doctor suctioned my nose a bit (also felt very weird) and said everything looked good and to keep doing what I'm doing. I'm scheduled for the cast removal on October 8th. Happy as a clam so far :) Anyone wanna see the splints? I have a picture... Updated on 4 Oct 2013: They're about the size of snow peas Updated on 8 Oct 2013: The cast came off today. I got a little misty and and a lot anxious when it came off. I was thinking, "This is it. I'm either going to love it or hate it. Lordy, I hope I don't freak out if I hate it, that will be so embarassing." The doctor did his whole exam before he gave me the mirror. What a relief! I still look like me, just better! Oh, my left nostril is bigger than the other one. I'm tossing it up to swelling and not gonna worry about it. The incisions for the septoplasty were done on the left so it makes sense. So far I love it. The doc gave me some nasal exercises to do, where I pinch and apply pressure to my nose in different areas. It's supposed to keep the bones narrow. It's definitely sore/numb/sensitive right now. I go back in one week for another follow-up. Anyway, I'm a happy girl. So happy. I'm so glad the big unveiling wasn't very shocking. Here's some photos! Updated on 11 Oct 2013: The swelling is going down and so far I'm still very happy. My poor nose is peeling like a snake but that's OK. I put some Aquaphor on it to help it along. BTW, Aquaphor is the [RS bleep]. I've been using it on my lips and inside my nostrils and it's been the only thing to actually keep those areas moisturized. Happy healing, everyone! Updated on 16 Oct 2013: I've had my cast off for a week and my nose went through some interesting changes in that amount of time. Here are the bad things: 1) My nose was very swollen, greasy and the skin felt weird for 3-4 days 2) The skin peeled like it was shedding from a bad sunburn 3) Zits, zits, zits...everywhere, probably from not being able to thoroughly wash my face for a week. The skin on and around my nose was the worst, go figure. Here are the good things: 1) I don't feel like I'm pecking my boyfriend in the face anymore when we kiss. I don't think he ever noticed but I did. The kissing experience has improved for me, yay! 2) I don't really have a good side/ bad side anymore. Yay! Had some photos taken with family and I willingly participated. This is huge for me, I used to refuse and then get grumpy when forced to have my photo taken. Not anymore! 3) I find myself looking in the mirror LESS now than before I had the operation. Confidence is liberating. 4) The swelling has decreased substantially in the past week. I'll post some photos in the next few days. Updated on 26 Oct 2013: So far so good, I'm still loving it. The swelling has gone down tremendously. Updated on 2 Jan 2016: It's been 2 years and 3 months since my rhinoplasty. I am still very glad I had it done. About 9 months post-op I noticed a dent on the bridge where the nasal bones meet the cartilage. I waited for about a year to see if it would change. The indentation didn't get any better or worse but it still bugged me. I went to a physician who specializes in fillers and he popped a bit of Juvederm in the dent and it's gone. So there, my rhinoplasty wasn't perfect but it was damn close.
I had surgery on July 7th, and today is the 9th. i have swelling and my eyes burn (like when they are really tired) the lasering is the worst part, it is itchy and you have to keep it gooped up with lubricant.
My face looks great especially my neck and chin implant. Surgery included neck, mid face, below eyes and eyebrow lift. The doctor is well known and was recommended by another well known dermatologist. The doctor did not prepare me for the difficulty of the recovery process. I was in an overnight surgery center operated by one of the best teaching universities in Texas. I could not wake from anesthesia. The anesthesiologist and the staff tried to keep my husband and daughter away from me even though other patients had family with them. I did not really wake up until the next morning. My daughter is a case manager at another hospital in the Houston med center. She was very concerned about me. The recovery was slow, less from pain than loss of strength. I have been a runner for 30 years and so it's not that I am weak or sickly Now, a year and a half later I look great. No visible scars and fantastic profile with the chin. However, the right side of my face is in constant discomfort. The doctor doesn't seem to be concerned. It is just one of those things that can happen. Maybe it will get better, maybe it won't. I guess there is nothing he can do to help me. I would do the neck and chin again, but not the rest of it. I believe I will be in discomfort the rest of my life. Not worth it.
I went in for a revision rhinoplasty as I could not breath, one side of my nose was collapsing in and my tip was turned up. The doctor opened my airways and took ear cartridge from both ears to rebuild. He did not fix the tip of my nose and my one nostril is caving in again. I look like I have on one side a turned up nose. I would have expected that a nose doctor will not leave a job half done. How can you fix part of the nose and not fix the rest. That is a representation of the work you do. This is case in point that it is all about the money... if you are proud of what you fo, your work represents that. If you only do what you have to do to get by, then that is a doctor all about money. Always find a doctor that will go the extra mile and not one that is only about they money. I am extremely self conscious about how i look. Kent Davis is only about the money....
