A Weight Has Been Lifted!

So it's been over a year since my nose job. I STILL have that little bump on the right side of my bridge. It has gone down since I first noticed it....and maybe I'm naive, but I'm hoping it will continue to go down over the next few months. I still really like my nose. It fits my face and that was the result I wanted ;-) Next is a lift!

It has been 6 months since my rhinoplasty. I love my new nose! I look at it all the time! There is a slightly small bump on the right side of my bridge. It's kinda hard but if I push down on it, it goes away for a minute. I asked my doctor about it yesterday and he said it's pretty common and will go away within a few months. Nobody else on the planet could ever notice it  =)  While I was at his office they also took my "after" pictures and I got to see them side by side with my "before's". Wow! What a difference a few millimeters can make! I had almost forgotten what my old nose looked like. It's so nice to be able to see pictures of myself and no longer think, "my nose looks big in that one!" There has been a handful of people that don't understand why I did it. They say they can't tell a difference, or that I looked fine before. It used to bother me a little that I couldn't make them understand, but I've definitely realized that I don't need their approval. I'm beyond happy with my decision and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Today is day 5 after my rhinoplasty and I just got the splint taken off. There's still a lot of swelling but so far my nose looks great!

I absolutely give full credit to my amazing surgeon. He was awesome from the beginning. During the consult he and I went over the computer imaging. He asked my opinion on the look he was creating and what I liked and didn't like. He was very responsive to my thoughts. I absolutely loved the nose he created on the screen, but I knew it would be unrealistic to think my new nose would look EXACTLY like that one, that it was more of a guide. But still, I could have let him perform the surgery that day! He has excellent credentials and is very confident...but not egotistical at all. And he's a facial plastic surgeon, so he's done tons of noses.

Before my surgery, when I would tell people that I was going to get my nose done, they would say, "you don't need to change your nose" or "your nose looks fine". Well, my nose didn't look fine to me and I'm the one who needs to be happy with it. I kinda irritated me that people would chime in on my personal choice, but maybe I was being over-senstive. It's not like I felt bad about myself, I just didn't like my nose! I'm 27 and have hated it since I was probably 12. I thought it looked too masculine, too big for my face. I would get self-conscious when someone would stand next to me. I hated my profile and it was too wide in the front.

The day of surgery was surreal. I remember getting very nervous when they told me it was time to go into the operating room. The anesthesiologist gave me something that made me feel a little drunk though and I was fine. They had me lay on a bed and the surgeon walked in. I mentioned something about not wanted an upturned nose and then I was out like a light. When I woke up I kept sniffing and the nurses were telling me not to...oops! Then I went home and slept for the next 3 days. I didn't know I would be so tired! Oh, and the doctor gave me his home and pager numbers just in case I had any problems. How nice is that?!

Through this whole thing I have felt absolutely no pain whatsoever. It's very uncomfortable though. There's pressure and you have to breathe out of your mouth for days and it gets dry. It's a little difficult to sleep. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night with my tongue stuck to the back of my teeth. It's all so worth it though!!!

So today was the big reveal. The tip is very swollen, it all is actually. But I can tell it's going to look great. It's weird not worrying about my profile! It's something that's bugged me for a long time and now I don't have to think about it anymore. I'm a new woman! Oh yeah, it was AWFUL when they took the stitches out! I seriously almost cried and my eyes were watering like crazy, but it went quick.

I absolutely recommend this surgery. And if you can, use my surgeon! It would definitely be worth the travel! He is EXCELLENT at what he does...and this is your face we're talking about! I read a few of the horror stories on here but knew it my gut it wouldn't happen to me because of the confidence I had in him.