Can Nose Appear Shorter After Rhinoplasty?

After a Rhinoplasty, can the nose appear shorter than it was before? In my case, my surgeon assures that he didn't shorten the length nor the tip. He says its all swelling and the length will return to normal and the tip will come down eventually. I had my surgery done on April 30, 2009. I had a wide bridge and thick skin on the tip, because I'm from an Indian-Asian backround (female). So I had a closed rhinoplasty done to narrow down the bridge and decrease the size of  my nose.