**LONG REVIEW**
Why I'm Having A Rhinoplasty:
I first noticed that my nose was out of proportion with my face when I was called Squidward by my classmates in middle school. As I got older I heard no other mention of my nose, but it remained a deep insecurity for me. Every time I look in the mirror at my profile or see pictures of it I cringe and automatically think, “That looks so bad.” Every. Single. Time. I don’t mean to talk down to myself but it’s just the reaction I have to it. Whenever I get dressed up I always can’t help but think, “I look so beautiful! … But I can’t imagine how much better I would look right now if my nose wasn’t a focal point on my face.”
I got engaged and while planning the wedding I didn’t really give too much thought to my nose since it could be edited in the photos. That is until we decided to have professional videography. There is no editing of the nose in videos and most shots are from the profile. That is when I decided this was the time to have the rhinoplasty I had been thinking about since I was a preteen.
Family & Friends Reactions:
I got a lot of “you don’t need it,” unfunny “jokes” about plastic surgery, and comments about how vain plastic surgery is. I am glad that I had told my family months ahead of time that I was planning on scheduling this because now, one week from surgery, I am happy to say that all of them have come around and been very supportive. (I even got an apology from some of them!) It’s nice to have a support system in place, but at this point I’d say just try your hardest to have at least one supporter that will be there to comfort you and discuss your thoughts and feelings. That’s all you really need.
How I Chose My Doctor:
I was willing to travel anywhere in the US for my rhinoplasty. The way I see it is that a revision is quite a bit more than a primary rhinoplasty, so you might as well spend some extra money the first time for a qualified surgeon in order to have a better chance of getting it right the first time. Not to mention that your nose is in the CENTER OF YOUR FACE. I would not gamble with picking a surgeon.
I noticed that a lot of plastic surgeons have a “signature nose” so to speak where a lot of the noses they do have similar shapes afterward. I’ve read that some people don’t like this, but I was looking for a surgeon that had consistency, so that is exactly what I was looking for. I think that if you find a surgeon that gives similar shapes to most of his/her noses that you have a better chance of having a decent idea of what your nose is most likely going to look like. All doctors have different aesthetics so make sure that the surgeon you go to creates noses that you find beautiful. I wouldn’t recommend going to a surgeon and asking for a completely different nose than he normally does. If you wouldn’t want most of his ‘after’ pictures of his rhinoplasties as your own nose, then DON’T GO TO HIM.
So I searched in this order:
1. I went to multiple plastic surgeons’ websites (I’d find them by searching, “(Insert state here) rhinoplasty before and after”) and looked at their rhinoplasty before/after gallery and I also looked through the Realself rhinoplasty reviews and the Realself rhinoplasty ‘photos’ section. The surgeons needed to have more than just a few pictures for me to see if they had any consistency in their work. (If you like their work and just simply haven’t seen enough pictures from them, then ask to see more!)
2. If I liked their noses, then I’d check their qualifications to see if they are a facial PLASTIC (not cosmetic) surgeon, if they’re board certified (it’s better if they are double board certified), and if they specialize in rhinoplasty.
3. If they were qualified, I would look up patient reviews and patient pictures on them. If they had bad reviews, I would not go to them.
4. If all of that checked out, I’d check their price range.
I considered three different plastic surgeons: Ashkan Ghavami (in Beverly Hills), Vladimir Grigoryants (in Los Angeles), and Spencer Cochran (in Dallas). All give beautiful noses. I saw some noses from Ghavami that I really didn’t care for as well as some that I thought were aesthetically brilliant, but I felt like it was too much risk going with him and ending up with a nose that I either loved or hated. Then it was between Grigoryants and Cochran. Grigoryants gave beautiful noses that normally made their face look a little bit younger and Cochran gave a more sophisticated, elegant nose in my opinion. I have mature feautures and felt like a young-looking nose wouldn’t look as well on me as a more mature one so I ultimately chose Cochran because I believe from what I’ve seen of his noses that he will give me a nose that will age better with my features. Plus, Cochran only performs rhinoplasties and rhinoplasty-related procedures.
Progress Made So Far:
I had my internet consultation a few weeks ago and then called to schedule my rhinoplasty and I was sad to hear that a date wasn’t available for more than a month ahead. I scheduled my date for that date and was delighted when I got called back just a little while later by the office telling me that they can fit me in on May 15th! I changed my date to May 15th, 2012 immediately.
I’ve bought Hibiclens soap, Arnica Montana and Bromelain (the office asked me not to take them until after surgery because the doctor said he believes it makes patients bleed more during surgery), antibacterial body wash, a sunhat and sunscreen (YOU NEED THIS! Scars can become discolored if they are exposed to too much sun during the healing process), applesauce, pineapple juice, reduced sodium soups, oatmeal, macaroni and cheese, and a large water bottle with a built-in straw. I also have slip-on shoes for after surgery (I found out I need them so I won’t have to bend over after surgery… even though I believe a nurse helps you get dressed afterward).
What I Dislike About My Nose/What I am Having Corrected:
- Projection of nasal bridge and tip from face
- Bump on bridge
- Nostril Flaring
- Can’t breathe as well through my left nostril
- Bulbous Tip
- Tip points downward when smiling
Current Emotions & Thoughts:
Is it normal to feel indifferent towards the rhinoplasty when you’re only a week away? I don’t feel anything. Excited, nervous, anxious, impatient… Nothing. Just… Finally. Finally I won’t have to think about my nose anymore. Has anyone gone through this? I’ve thought maybe I am just stressed by everything so I’m tuning it out, or maybe it is because I know that the surgery part is just another step in this long journey. All I know is that I just want all of this to be over with and paid for so I can stop planning/researching/buying things and just focus on recovery. It does not feel like this is really going to happen in one week; it’s almost as if it just hasn’t hit me yet.
I will update more soon. :)
*NEW PICS* Recovering from surgery was harder than expected... but worth it! - Dallas, TX
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Ms. Smoothie
- Worth It
- Cost: $8,630
- C. Spencer Cochran, MD, Dallas, TX
**LONG REVIEW** Why I'm Having A...
Hey everyone! Surgery is done and I am now 2 weeks...
Hey everyone! Surgery is done and I am now 2 weeks post-op. Waking up and recovering from surgery was harder than expected but all in all I am ecstatic that I went through with the surgery. I feel like my face looks SO much more feminine and soft. I can breathe well and the swelling is going down. The tip is still pretty swollen and there is some asymmetrical swelling in the bridge. At 2 weeks post-op I am starting to feel like my life is back to normal. :) Now it's just time to relax and focus on recovering!
I will do a detailed review of my experience soon.
I will do a detailed review of my experience soon.
**$8,630 covered the surgeon's fee, the anesthesia...
**$8,630 covered the surgeon's fee, the anesthesia fee, and the hospital fee.**
Hey everyone! I am finally ready to do a detailed...
Hey everyone! I am finally ready to do a detailed review of the week following surgery.
DAY OF SURGERY-
I wasn't nervous at all. I was so ready for my old nose to be gone. I went in, was asked to give a urine sample (I didn't know that I would need to give a urine sample! It was so hard to make myself go to the bathroom when I hadn't had a drink since the day before!), gave them the urine sample, changed into the hospital gown and fuzzy socks that they gave me, and then I laid down on the hospital bed on a huge, fluffy pillow and they put a heated blanket on top of me. I was all smiles and super calm. A very friendly nurse came in and chatted with me while she connected the IV and gave me an anti-nausea pill. The anesthesiologist and nurse that was assisting my doctor came in to introduce themselves to me. My doctor then came in and went over what we agreed on. Then before I knew it I was being wheeled back into the surgery room! That's all I remember. Experience that far: perfect!
THE WORST PART OF THIS WHOLE EXPERIENCE WAS WAKING UP FROM SURGERY. I woke up very slowly and I felt very, very drugged. The worst part was that my nostrils were covered and I had a breathing mask over my mouth. I've only experienced claustrophobia once before that day. It was so bad. I felt like I could barely breathe and had a panic attack. I kept trying to take off my mask but the nurse kept telling me I needed to keep it on. I remember feeling like I could only take shallow breaths, not deep ones. On top of this I had a *very* intense burning on the inside and the outside of my nostrils. I could barely talk and kept touching my nose trying to tell the nurse that I needed pain medicine. She gave it to me and the burning subsided but before I knew it it was burning again. I don't know how long I was in that room and how many times she gave me medicine. I had no concept of time during that time. I remember the first thing I thought was, "What did I do to myself?!"
Eventually I was wheeled into the second room for recovery and sat on a hospital chair. A different nurse asked if I was nauseous and I said yes. I felt mild to moderate nausea. Not the 'I need to run to the bathroom' kind of nausea but the 'If I move too fast I might throw up' kind. She connected some anti-nausea medication to my IV and as she was doing it she said, "This may make you feel drowsy." OH. MY. GOSH. Whatever the heck she gave me did not react well with my body AT ALL. I felt more drugged up from that medicine than I did from the anesthesia. I could barely hold my head up I was so drowsy. My head kept rolling around and I couldn't keep my eyes open for more than a second or two. I thought I was going to fall out of the chair. While all of this was going on, I was begging for pain medicine. Every nurse that walked by my space I would try to call out to them to get me something because it burned SO BADLY. It felt like my nostrils were on fire. The nurse that was tending to me got very annoyed with me and kept telling me she couldn't give me any pain medicine until I wasn't nauseous anymore or I'd throw it up. But I still kept asking. Over. and over. and over again.
Finally, pain medicine was brought to me (the nausea was going up and down at this point). As the nurse sat it down on the table, she said, "This will take 30 minutes to kick in." I felt like I couldn't last 30 more minutes through that pain but I had no choice. Then the shaking kicked in and my whole body started shaking (very bad shaking) uncontrollably. Right around that time my nausea came back full force. This time the nausea WAS the "I need to run to the bathroom" kind. Somehow I fought it and kept myself from vomiting. Around this time is when they brought my fiance back in to see me. I feel so bad when I think back to the shocked look at his face. That's when they told him to help me get dressed. I didn't think I would be able to stand because I couldn't even hold my head all of the way. I was shaking so badly and I stood up and asked my fiance to get my shoes. He couldn't find them for some reason and then I SCREAMED AT HIM. Literally screamed at him to hurry up. I am not a yeller when I get angry so you can only imagine how drugged up I was. I screamed at him two or three times. I can't tell you how guilty I feel about that...
Then the nurse came and took off all of the tape that was keeping the IV to my hand and I whimpered the entire time. I am not one to cry in front of people but it hurt pretty badly when she was taking off the tape (I remember her commenting that they put a lot on) and I felt so badly that I didn't care. Then she stood in front of me and recited after-care instructions. This is when I started losing consciousness on and off while she was talking to me. I tried to open my eyes but when I did they would just roll around. I vaguely remember getting the impression that the nurse was taken aback but how drugged up I was when she was trying to talk to me. Then she said, "Are you ready to go?" I thought she was kidding. I remember thinking, "You make patients leave when they are dying???" LOL. I believe the pain subsided somewhere around this time but I'm not sure. They wheeled me out to the taxi and when the taxi driver got out he looked at me and made a gasping sound. I remember finding that amusing for some reason.
The taxi ride leaving the surgery center sucked. No other way to put it. I was drugged beyond my mind, scared I would throw up in the taxi, and shaking horribly. I closed my eyes, breathed in and out slowly, and focused. "I can do this." I remember thinking to myself. Walking was very difficult and made me feel very sick but I made it back to our room. When we got back in, I needed to urinate because my stomach was full of fluids at that point.
Here's where things get interesting: After I urinated, within five minutes (5 minutes!!!!!!!!) I felt completely fine. No really. No nausea, no shaking, no pain, no trouble walking, no loopiness, NOTHING. I then proceeded to take pictures, call all my family members, watch a sports game, and eat pizza (I shouldn't have been eating junk food at that time but I wanted it SO badly for some reason lol). I woke up several times that night to take my medicine and vitamins and to apply arnica gel. I felt great.
DAY 2-
I felt a little sluggish that morning but okay overall. No nausea and I only would get moderate pain (burning) when I didn't take my pain medication on time. I still felt pretty normal though, just tired. I went for a ten minute walk to pick up a few things in the grocery store. NOT RECOMMENDED. Don't do this. If you need to go somewhere, please use the automatic wheelchairs. If there isn't any available where you are going, please ask someone else to go for you. Trust me, it's not worth it. I felt some mild burning in my nostrils when I was walking and got some mild nausea as well. That night my nose throbbed and I didn't feel so great anymore because I had overdone it. I slept for a long time that night. I had no trouble at all sleeping elevated.
DAY 3 & 4-
When I woke up the third day I had some strong waves of nausea hit me, so I called my surgeon's office and they sent me a prescription for anti-nausea medicine. That medicine was okay, it would take away the edge of the nausea but it wouldn't completely get rid of everything. It was drowsy medicine so it helped me sleep. After I got my medicine the next two days I only woke up to eat, go to the bathroom, and take my medicine. Then I would be deep in sleep again. But when I did wake up, I felt horrible. Just that super sick, super exhausted, super weak, bad all-over feeling. Thankfully because of my drowsy medicine I was able to sleep through the worst of those two days. Those two days were barely anything compared to the first several hours after surgery for me.
DAY 5 & 6-
I am constipated at this point, sleeping well, and only having small waves of mild nausea hit me when I hadn't ate in too long. Day 5 was when I started feeling pressure on my nose from my cast. I kept trying to take it off when I was sleeping. My stitches were starting to itch as well (drove me crazy!) but hydrogen peroxide and my prescription cream normally would ease the itching for me. The pressure of the cast started to really annoy me by day six (it feels like when your sinuses are stuffed) and I was very, very ready to get my cast off at that point.
DAY 7 (CAST REMOVAL)-
If you had plastic splints put in your nose during surgery like I did, I'm sorry to say that getting those removed does hurt. It stretched out my nostrils ridiculously when he was taking them out and I had really intense burning for several seconds then it subsided. Not to mention that a week's worth of nastiness came out with it. It's not something to fret or worry yourself over, just brace yourself for it. The cast and stitch removal was barely painful for me. I had two stitches put on the top of the tip of my nose and I could feel them coming out when he removed (totally weirded me out!) but they didn't hurt. There were a few very tender stitches and when they were taken out it did hurt while he poked at them but that was over in seconds. All in all, nothing to worry about. You're so ready to get the cast off at this point that a few seconds of discomfort is nothing.
THE REVEAL-
What the heck? I look like an Avatar! Hahaha! I was taken aback by just how swollen I was. It was weird to see such a large nose on my face and I panicked a little thinking that the size of it wouldn't go down that much but thanks to my fiance I was reassured that this amount of swelling is normal. I had a small bump on my bridge due to swelling, but that was gone a week later.
DAY OF SURGERY-
I wasn't nervous at all. I was so ready for my old nose to be gone. I went in, was asked to give a urine sample (I didn't know that I would need to give a urine sample! It was so hard to make myself go to the bathroom when I hadn't had a drink since the day before!), gave them the urine sample, changed into the hospital gown and fuzzy socks that they gave me, and then I laid down on the hospital bed on a huge, fluffy pillow and they put a heated blanket on top of me. I was all smiles and super calm. A very friendly nurse came in and chatted with me while she connected the IV and gave me an anti-nausea pill. The anesthesiologist and nurse that was assisting my doctor came in to introduce themselves to me. My doctor then came in and went over what we agreed on. Then before I knew it I was being wheeled back into the surgery room! That's all I remember. Experience that far: perfect!
THE WORST PART OF THIS WHOLE EXPERIENCE WAS WAKING UP FROM SURGERY. I woke up very slowly and I felt very, very drugged. The worst part was that my nostrils were covered and I had a breathing mask over my mouth. I've only experienced claustrophobia once before that day. It was so bad. I felt like I could barely breathe and had a panic attack. I kept trying to take off my mask but the nurse kept telling me I needed to keep it on. I remember feeling like I could only take shallow breaths, not deep ones. On top of this I had a *very* intense burning on the inside and the outside of my nostrils. I could barely talk and kept touching my nose trying to tell the nurse that I needed pain medicine. She gave it to me and the burning subsided but before I knew it it was burning again. I don't know how long I was in that room and how many times she gave me medicine. I had no concept of time during that time. I remember the first thing I thought was, "What did I do to myself?!"
Eventually I was wheeled into the second room for recovery and sat on a hospital chair. A different nurse asked if I was nauseous and I said yes. I felt mild to moderate nausea. Not the 'I need to run to the bathroom' kind of nausea but the 'If I move too fast I might throw up' kind. She connected some anti-nausea medication to my IV and as she was doing it she said, "This may make you feel drowsy." OH. MY. GOSH. Whatever the heck she gave me did not react well with my body AT ALL. I felt more drugged up from that medicine than I did from the anesthesia. I could barely hold my head up I was so drowsy. My head kept rolling around and I couldn't keep my eyes open for more than a second or two. I thought I was going to fall out of the chair. While all of this was going on, I was begging for pain medicine. Every nurse that walked by my space I would try to call out to them to get me something because it burned SO BADLY. It felt like my nostrils were on fire. The nurse that was tending to me got very annoyed with me and kept telling me she couldn't give me any pain medicine until I wasn't nauseous anymore or I'd throw it up. But I still kept asking. Over. and over. and over again.
Finally, pain medicine was brought to me (the nausea was going up and down at this point). As the nurse sat it down on the table, she said, "This will take 30 minutes to kick in." I felt like I couldn't last 30 more minutes through that pain but I had no choice. Then the shaking kicked in and my whole body started shaking (very bad shaking) uncontrollably. Right around that time my nausea came back full force. This time the nausea WAS the "I need to run to the bathroom" kind. Somehow I fought it and kept myself from vomiting. Around this time is when they brought my fiance back in to see me. I feel so bad when I think back to the shocked look at his face. That's when they told him to help me get dressed. I didn't think I would be able to stand because I couldn't even hold my head all of the way. I was shaking so badly and I stood up and asked my fiance to get my shoes. He couldn't find them for some reason and then I SCREAMED AT HIM. Literally screamed at him to hurry up. I am not a yeller when I get angry so you can only imagine how drugged up I was. I screamed at him two or three times. I can't tell you how guilty I feel about that...
Then the nurse came and took off all of the tape that was keeping the IV to my hand and I whimpered the entire time. I am not one to cry in front of people but it hurt pretty badly when she was taking off the tape (I remember her commenting that they put a lot on) and I felt so badly that I didn't care. Then she stood in front of me and recited after-care instructions. This is when I started losing consciousness on and off while she was talking to me. I tried to open my eyes but when I did they would just roll around. I vaguely remember getting the impression that the nurse was taken aback but how drugged up I was when she was trying to talk to me. Then she said, "Are you ready to go?" I thought she was kidding. I remember thinking, "You make patients leave when they are dying???" LOL. I believe the pain subsided somewhere around this time but I'm not sure. They wheeled me out to the taxi and when the taxi driver got out he looked at me and made a gasping sound. I remember finding that amusing for some reason.
The taxi ride leaving the surgery center sucked. No other way to put it. I was drugged beyond my mind, scared I would throw up in the taxi, and shaking horribly. I closed my eyes, breathed in and out slowly, and focused. "I can do this." I remember thinking to myself. Walking was very difficult and made me feel very sick but I made it back to our room. When we got back in, I needed to urinate because my stomach was full of fluids at that point.
Here's where things get interesting: After I urinated, within five minutes (5 minutes!!!!!!!!) I felt completely fine. No really. No nausea, no shaking, no pain, no trouble walking, no loopiness, NOTHING. I then proceeded to take pictures, call all my family members, watch a sports game, and eat pizza (I shouldn't have been eating junk food at that time but I wanted it SO badly for some reason lol). I woke up several times that night to take my medicine and vitamins and to apply arnica gel. I felt great.
DAY 2-
I felt a little sluggish that morning but okay overall. No nausea and I only would get moderate pain (burning) when I didn't take my pain medication on time. I still felt pretty normal though, just tired. I went for a ten minute walk to pick up a few things in the grocery store. NOT RECOMMENDED. Don't do this. If you need to go somewhere, please use the automatic wheelchairs. If there isn't any available where you are going, please ask someone else to go for you. Trust me, it's not worth it. I felt some mild burning in my nostrils when I was walking and got some mild nausea as well. That night my nose throbbed and I didn't feel so great anymore because I had overdone it. I slept for a long time that night. I had no trouble at all sleeping elevated.
DAY 3 & 4-
When I woke up the third day I had some strong waves of nausea hit me, so I called my surgeon's office and they sent me a prescription for anti-nausea medicine. That medicine was okay, it would take away the edge of the nausea but it wouldn't completely get rid of everything. It was drowsy medicine so it helped me sleep. After I got my medicine the next two days I only woke up to eat, go to the bathroom, and take my medicine. Then I would be deep in sleep again. But when I did wake up, I felt horrible. Just that super sick, super exhausted, super weak, bad all-over feeling. Thankfully because of my drowsy medicine I was able to sleep through the worst of those two days. Those two days were barely anything compared to the first several hours after surgery for me.
DAY 5 & 6-
I am constipated at this point, sleeping well, and only having small waves of mild nausea hit me when I hadn't ate in too long. Day 5 was when I started feeling pressure on my nose from my cast. I kept trying to take it off when I was sleeping. My stitches were starting to itch as well (drove me crazy!) but hydrogen peroxide and my prescription cream normally would ease the itching for me. The pressure of the cast started to really annoy me by day six (it feels like when your sinuses are stuffed) and I was very, very ready to get my cast off at that point.
DAY 7 (CAST REMOVAL)-
If you had plastic splints put in your nose during surgery like I did, I'm sorry to say that getting those removed does hurt. It stretched out my nostrils ridiculously when he was taking them out and I had really intense burning for several seconds then it subsided. Not to mention that a week's worth of nastiness came out with it. It's not something to fret or worry yourself over, just brace yourself for it. The cast and stitch removal was barely painful for me. I had two stitches put on the top of the tip of my nose and I could feel them coming out when he removed (totally weirded me out!) but they didn't hurt. There were a few very tender stitches and when they were taken out it did hurt while he poked at them but that was over in seconds. All in all, nothing to worry about. You're so ready to get the cast off at this point that a few seconds of discomfort is nothing.
THE REVEAL-
What the heck? I look like an Avatar! Hahaha! I was taken aback by just how swollen I was. It was weird to see such a large nose on my face and I panicked a little thinking that the size of it wouldn't go down that much but thanks to my fiance I was reassured that this amount of swelling is normal. I had a small bump on my bridge due to swelling, but that was gone a week later.
Okay guys I'm really excited because today, one...
Okay guys I'm really excited because today, one day away from being 5 weeks post-op, I can say that I see a noticeable decrease in my tip swelling. I mean for the first week after cast removal I noticed my tip going down, but since then I can see a decrease in swelling in pictures but not so much in person. I am happy to say that I can now see a definite decrease in swelling in my tip today and that it is officially smaller than it was before the surgery (only slightly though). Yay! :) And on top of that tomorrow I am getting steroid injections into my nose to decrease some of the swelling. My doctor normally doesn't give his patients steroid injections this early but since my wedding is only a few months away and the shots take six weeks to take effect he's going to give them to me now. :)
I'll let you guys know how the shots go.
I'll let you guys know how the shots go.
Oh and by the way in reference to the post above I...
Oh and by the way in reference to the post above I started applying **ARNICA GEL** on my nose again several days ago and I'm wondering if that's what has made the difference in my nose swelling. I apply it every night and sometimes once or twice during the day. I have heard of people's swelling starting to go down around the six week mark so I'm not sure but I can say that it does help with keeping the swelling down throughout the day. I recommend it!
Hey everyone! I got the steroid shots. When my...
Hey everyone! I got the steroid shots.
When my doctor saw me he asked, "Has it been five months already??" I looked at him kind of funny and said, "No, it's just been five weeks." Then he said, "Oh. All I saw here was the five on the paper and when I saw you I thought you were already five months post-op because your nose looks so good. You look as good as some people who are five months post surgery." :D :D :D Yeah, that put me on cloud nine. Lol. :)
So he wiped off the tip of my nose with an alcohol pad and gave me three injections, one on each side of my nose and one on the top of my tip near the bridge. The shot itself hurts. It feels like a small extremely sharp needle is going into your skin, which is exactly what it is! I can't really describe it as a pinch because it hurts more than that. One of the three shots really hurt. It was over in seconds though so no big deal. The nurse told me that my doctor mixes novocaine with the shots to help ease the burning caused by the steroids. I got really mild burning in my tip for about 30 minutes after the shots. I wouldn't call it painful, just unpleasant. I got a bad headache after the shots too. But I was already getting a mild headache when I went into his office so it may have been caused by something else. My headache didn't go away until I went to sleep. One of my injection sites has a small purple bruise on it. It's very small and not really noticeable unless someone is really close to your face and it can be easily concealed by makeup. He was supposed to give me some tape to tape my nose with at night (he told me this would accelerate the healing) but we both forgot about it so I'll have to figure out how to get it soon.
He gave me an exercise to do with my nose because I have more swelling on one side of my bridge than the other, and when he did it he showed me the mirror and he was right, it's just swelling! My nose is straight. I have some flaring on one of my nostrils and he said as the swelling goes down that should work itself out.
He told me the steroid injections should take 6-8 weeks to fully go into effect and that when I see him again for my month 4 appointment he can give me more shots if the swelling is still there. My nose was swollen after he gave me the shots because of the liquid he injected and I'm still slightly swollen a day later. I need to call the office to see if I can resume putting on my Arnica Gel again.
You guys, I really recommend my doctor and his staff. He didn't have an available appointment for another month but since I told them about my wedding they found a way to fit me in as an extra appointment one day and he didn't rush me one bit. I can't ask for more than that. Oh and the shots didn't cost me anything extra because all of his after-care costs are included in the procedure price.
I also have seen swelling go down in my profile too but only in pictures. It looks a lot more defined than it was before. My bridge from the front is still wider than it was before due to swelling.
Well, that's about all for now. I am really happy with my nose and I am so glad that I did this. :)
When my doctor saw me he asked, "Has it been five months already??" I looked at him kind of funny and said, "No, it's just been five weeks." Then he said, "Oh. All I saw here was the five on the paper and when I saw you I thought you were already five months post-op because your nose looks so good. You look as good as some people who are five months post surgery." :D :D :D Yeah, that put me on cloud nine. Lol. :)
So he wiped off the tip of my nose with an alcohol pad and gave me three injections, one on each side of my nose and one on the top of my tip near the bridge. The shot itself hurts. It feels like a small extremely sharp needle is going into your skin, which is exactly what it is! I can't really describe it as a pinch because it hurts more than that. One of the three shots really hurt. It was over in seconds though so no big deal. The nurse told me that my doctor mixes novocaine with the shots to help ease the burning caused by the steroids. I got really mild burning in my tip for about 30 minutes after the shots. I wouldn't call it painful, just unpleasant. I got a bad headache after the shots too. But I was already getting a mild headache when I went into his office so it may have been caused by something else. My headache didn't go away until I went to sleep. One of my injection sites has a small purple bruise on it. It's very small and not really noticeable unless someone is really close to your face and it can be easily concealed by makeup. He was supposed to give me some tape to tape my nose with at night (he told me this would accelerate the healing) but we both forgot about it so I'll have to figure out how to get it soon.
He gave me an exercise to do with my nose because I have more swelling on one side of my bridge than the other, and when he did it he showed me the mirror and he was right, it's just swelling! My nose is straight. I have some flaring on one of my nostrils and he said as the swelling goes down that should work itself out.
He told me the steroid injections should take 6-8 weeks to fully go into effect and that when I see him again for my month 4 appointment he can give me more shots if the swelling is still there. My nose was swollen after he gave me the shots because of the liquid he injected and I'm still slightly swollen a day later. I need to call the office to see if I can resume putting on my Arnica Gel again.
You guys, I really recommend my doctor and his staff. He didn't have an available appointment for another month but since I told them about my wedding they found a way to fit me in as an extra appointment one day and he didn't rush me one bit. I can't ask for more than that. Oh and the shots didn't cost me anything extra because all of his after-care costs are included in the procedure price.
I also have seen swelling go down in my profile too but only in pictures. It looks a lot more defined than it was before. My bridge from the front is still wider than it was before due to swelling.
Well, that's about all for now. I am really happy with my nose and I am so glad that I did this. :)
On the fifth day after receiving the steroid shots...
On the fifth day after receiving the steroid shots I thought that the swelling had gone away from the shots, but today it is swollen again. It isn't swollen by a lot, but I can tell my tip isn't as defined as it was before the shots. I'm wondering if it's because I stopped applying Arnica Gel to my nose the day before I got the shots and I haven't applied it since then. I'll start back with applying the Arnica Gel tonight.
The sides of my bridge have been oddly tender these past three days when I touch it... Weird. I didn't get shots in my bridge so I don't know what that's about. Has anyone who has gotten the shots experienced this tenderness?
I called my surgeon's office today and asked if it was okay to start using my Arnica Gel again. The nurse seemed surprised and told me she hadn't heard of someone using it on their nose this long after surgery (I'm about 6 weeks post-op). I told her that it helped with my swelling throughout the day and she said that was good to know and I can go ahead and start applying it again. I also told her about the tape my doctor and I forgot and she said she is going to send it to me in the mail today. :))) I love the nurse!
I also uploaded pictures of my tip for you guys to see.
The sides of my bridge have been oddly tender these past three days when I touch it... Weird. I didn't get shots in my bridge so I don't know what that's about. Has anyone who has gotten the shots experienced this tenderness?
I called my surgeon's office today and asked if it was okay to start using my Arnica Gel again. The nurse seemed surprised and told me she hadn't heard of someone using it on their nose this long after surgery (I'm about 6 weeks post-op). I told her that it helped with my swelling throughout the day and she said that was good to know and I can go ahead and start applying it again. I also told her about the tape my doctor and I forgot and she said she is going to send it to me in the mail today. :))) I love the nurse!
I also uploaded pictures of my tip for you guys to see.
He listens to what you want and he does his best to achieve what you two have agreed on. He told me that he loves what he does. The staff treats you like family. They will bend over backwards to make sure that you're happy and well taken care of. You can always reach them whenever you have a question, and if the specific person isn't available to answer your question someone else will. They are all great. All after-care costs are included in the price of the procedure.
5 out of 5 stars
5 out of 5 stars
5 out of 5 stars
5 out of 5 stars
5 out of 5 stars
5 out of 5 stars
5 out of 5 stars
5 out of 5 stars
5 out of 5 stars
