Rhinoplasty / Septoplasty to Improve Form and Function - Chicago, IL

After 10 + years of wanting to fix my nose, I scheduled a consultation with Dr. Shah in May and then surgery in July. I'm nervous but excited for this change. So far, in my experience, Dr. Shah and his staff have been kind and responsive to many of my needs and questions. Karin has been especially patient with me as I went back and forth on dates for a while in June. In total I had two consultations with Dr. Shah. The second consult was mostly to just make me feel less anxious and to look at the morphs again. I don't think we changed much of anything but it did make me feel more confident going forward. From the work that I've seen of Dr. Shah, I have to say I'm pretty confident that he will do a beautiful job improving the balance of my face. I appreciate the fact that he doesn't have a 'one size fits all' approach to noses and I like that his results seem more subtle than some other surgeons I have seen the work of. I also realize this is not the look that everyone is going for, which is absolutely fine too!

When I booked my surgery date I decided to tell just a few people including my immediate family, the boyfriend and a couple very close friends. Luckily they are all being very supportive. I'm not sure if others will automatically notice but I have decided to leave it at that. This is a choice that I am making for myself and I don't owe others explanations. I'm not sure if others have had issues with this but I'm really hoping I can stay true to this thought!

Surgery is in less that a week for me. I have been reaching out to a few kind people on the site who have been absolutely wonderful. (For anonymity I won't mention any names, but thank you!) I feel really lucky to be able to talk and share about this with others who have experienced it. After all, it is a big deal! As the day draws near I would welcome any suggestions on additional prep or questions that you think might be helpful to review in this final week. For supplies I've collected a neck pillow, my Rx, the approved supplements of Arnica Montana and Bromelain, frozen peas and exam gloves to ice, a gel eye mask for after cast removal, medical tape and 4x4 gauze pads, petroleum jelly for dry lips and an assortment of low sodium soft foods that are fairly bland. (Man I am going to miss spicy food!) Any additional words of advice, encouragement or suggestions are welcome. :)

Tomorrow is the big day. Not going to lie RS friends, I'm really nervous. Trying not to think about it too much but only slept a few hours last night, kept waking up in a panic. Former Shah patients - has anyone used the 900 N. Michigan Ave location for their surgery? If so, what did you think? I'm just so anxious about the anesthesia or having some complications. I feel confident that I can trust Dr. Shah, just worried about the other parts. Any comments or private messages on the 900 N. location or tips for managing this anxiety / words of encouragement are so appreciated. :)

Just wanted to let everyone know that the surgery went well. The staff at 900 N. was really great, very responsive and attentive. During my recovery, Dr. Shah's office called and checked up on me every day post op, which was nice. His staff seems very thoughtful and supportive and I appreciate that. I had a week with the cast on, which flew by because I slept a LOT! Dr. Shah removed my cast and exterior sutures after 7 days and it didn't hurt. Although I'm verryyyyy swollen right now in both the middle and tip of my nose, I am happy so far. It's difficult to really get a good idea of how the nose will look under all this swelling but Dr. Shah looked at my nose and reassured me that this is not the final result. (I'm not sure that I would be happy if this WAS the final result but I know that it is not.) I knew going into this procedure that it takes weeks and months for the final result to be fully evaluated. I trust Dr. Shah and I am just focusing on doing my part of the recovery work by following the instructions his office gave me to the letter. I go back in a few weeks but in the interim I'm resting when I can, avoiding direct sun exposure to my face, taping my nose at night, sleeping propped up and eating fresh, organic fruits and vegetables with healthy and healing properties. I have taken advantage of the low sodium diet restrictions to really evaluate what I'm putting in my body. I've always been pretty health conscious but sodium can really add up! And I can already appreciate some parts of improvement on my nose, which is good. I'm hopeful for the future and know that waiting is the hardest part. I look forward to the coming weeks and months to see how my new nose will look post swelling!

Additionally, I know that photos are helpful for others but I am not ready at this time. However, I am happy to answer questions and give more details, just send me a pm!