One month post op...- Dallas, TX

Oh my... only 18 days until surgery! I just have to say that I have emailed Dr. C's nurse, Jane, a million times over the past couple of weeks and she replies so fast and is so thorough!! This is very comforting. All I have left to do is get my prescriptions and grocery shopping. This all still feels like a dream...

So I figured that since I am 16 days out from surgery I should post pics... I will do everything to avoid having my picture taken. The only way I am ever in pictures is by accident or I am totally unaware...so I took these myself with my laptop computer, hence the resemblance to the "FBI's Most Wanted List".
So there my nose is, in ALL its glory...crooked, humped, overprojected..yuck...

Ya know what else I am curious about...so I am having my deviated septum corrected and I am worried about the cartilage memory...will my nose be straight for a few months then redeviate ?? Anyone encounter this problem ??

I can't believe that it is 6 days away. I wasn't nervous until yesterday, now ....the nerves have arrived !!! This is still surreal, but I am hopeful. I also keep thinking back to college when I was called a "big nose B****", granted that was a loooonngg time ago, but still...
There are so many people that have posted their after photos that are beautiful ! If I can get even a portion of that, then I will be happy ! My nose is so crooked and from certain angles looks broken, not sure how Dr. C is going to correct that mess, but I am hopeful !!! I wish I had more before pics, but I do not allow my photo to be taken and I also realized that I cannot smile on command...???

Surgery is in two days and although I am excited...I am super nervous and have a case of cold feet. I am not turning back, but trying to figure out how to manage these nerves !! All I can think about are the horror stories you hear about and do I have enough popsicles??

I am finally updating my status! It has been one week since the operation and things are getting better. One thing I wasn't anticipating was the emotional roller coaster this would be. I think my emotions were worse then the procedure and the recovery, but I am not sure why. First let me say that Dr. Cochran and the team and the Texas Surgical Institute were amazing !!! I felt very safe and cared for the entire time I was in their care. They were very attentive, thorough and professional. Dr. Cochran is a true master, granted I am far away from seeing the finished product, but his overall demeanor and bedside manner are so reassuring that you just feel like everything is going to be ok.
So, I didn't get sick !!! YEAH!!! I did have a bit of nausea, but I expected that and it was only aggravated when I moved around too much. I never took a pain pill, although I probably should have, but I only stuck with Extra Strength Tylenol. Icing is a huge pain, all I could really do was ice the sides of my face, it is hard to get an ice pack under your eyes or on your cheeks where you really need it ! Waking up from the anesthesia is a tad scary and my throat was unbelievably dry and hurt soooooo bad ! My surgery took two hours and Dr. C did have to break my nasal bones. He told my husband that I had one of the worst internally deviated septums he has ever seen. I think that earns me some kind of award or something !! I am extremely bruised and swollen, I guess from the breaking, but I still look pretty awful...thank goodness I have several more days before I am back to work. I can tell that I will be happy with the results, my nose is so much straighter, smaller, and has a nice little "swoop". I am anxious to see the daily changes !
Things I learned and wanted to pass on : Soft foods were my best friend, my teeth hurt and it was difficult to swallow for several days so thank god for soup, applesauce and sorbet. Popsicles were even difficult to eat since I couldn't open my mouth very wide at all ! Get your eyebrows plucked before your procedure...seriously !!! Make sure you plan your trips around the house well...go to the bathroom, get more to drink, snacks etc because moving around is exhausting !!
Getting the splints and cast removed was so liberating !!! I was more scared of this then the actual surgery, but it did not hurt at all and smelling and tasting things since then is like smelling and tasting things for the first time.
Anyway, I will try post after photos soon, like I said I am super swollen and bruised and not comfortable "going public" yet.
To anyone considering Dr. Cochran, you cannot go wrong ! He is truly amazing.

I am finally posting some recovery/ after pics. I am still super swollen and bruised, I don't think the Arnica worked that well for me...I kind of confirmed this when I walked in the door from having my cast removed and my two male German Sheperds decided to have an all out brawl, well in the process of trying to break them up, I got bit...twice. I immediately bruised and swelled up like a balloon after taking Arnica for 6 days. Oh well, I can tell that the swelling is going down slowly. I am jealous of those of you that look perfect moments after cast removal, I am attributing it to Dr. C having to break my nose. I guess I just have to be patient. I am super happy with my profile ! My before "bad side" is now my better side, never thought that would happen.
So I have added a few photos from my recovery, one before, and two afters. Ignore the braided hair, not a lot of effort going toward that right now !

Still swollen and bruised. I also still have a lot of pressure in my nose, which is starting to get annoying. I also still have stitches dissolving... I am thrilled with the results so far and can't believe how straight Dr. C got my nose ! I am still concerned about cartilage memory and fear looking in the mirror every morning, but alas it is still straight ! Can anyone comment how long the internal pressure lasted ?

I really can't believe that it has been one month already ! The time has flown, I am still swollen, which is causing my nostrils to be uneven...at least I hope I am still swollen ! I also still have a lot of numbness, especially the tip. The pressure has eased up, but is still there. I have not started working out again, I am a little nervous to do so. If it will increase the swelling???
I have learned a couple of things:
1) I am not the slightest bit photogenic, I have taken a million "selfies" and each one I am like, "nope, delete". I would love to have just one pic that looks normal !
2) This surgery sent my skin in crisis mode ! Anyone else have this experience ?? I have typical combo skin, but holy cow !!! The oil...yikers! You can literally see the drops of oil on my nose when I wake up in the morning ! It is getting better...slowly !!!
3) I should be on the "Surgery Diet" all the time.
All in all, I am very happy with my new nose and look forward to seeing it refine. I did not post any new pics, maybe when I get that one in a million...