Day 3 Post Open Rhinoplasty

I first consulted with Mr Chris Hill back in February 2020, just before the pandemic properly hit. Everyone I spoke to, from my hairdresser, to nurses working in the field, recommended Mr Hill for rhinoplasty. Some even describing him as an artist at work in theatre! My consultation was great, straight to the point and Mr Hill showed me photos of previous patients (one of whom did a YouTube video of his surgery experience). So in terms of recommendations- Mr Hill is 100% the way to for rhinoplasty in NI.
Of course, Covid hit so my surgery date was pushed back. I then fell pregnant and had to wait until after I had my daughter. As I am not breastfeeding and in good health, I was able to have my surgery 5 months post section.
I chose to have a second consultation with Mr Hill pre surgery and this was included in the overall cost. Again, I was totally satisfied with what could be done with my nose- I had a dorsal hump, a drooping tip, asymmetry and a nose that generally projected too far out from my face/long nostrils. It’s an Arab nose and I hated it all my life! I should also note that I’d been having liquid rhinoplasties done with filler for about 3 years. Chris wanted me to wait 12 months from my last filler before having surgery and to not go for dissolution (and in the end he said there was still loads of filler in my nose during surgery which he removed). Chris put me at ease regarding the procedure and I consistently felt he was the right choice for the job.
My surgery date came round; I had to pay an additional £180 for a Covid test 2 days prior as numbers had started rising again. I also wasn’t allowed anyone with me in my private room all day. I was first on the list for surgery and had to be at the hospital at 8am. Admission was smooth and easy and the nurses are all lovely and calming. I was terrified as, despite having just had a baby via Caesarean section, I had never undergone general anaesthetic and was nervous about that. However, the anaesthetist came to speak to me beforehand and he was so relaxed and put me at ease.
The hospital is lovely and clean, the bed is comfortable, tv in your room with Netflix etc. Chris also came to speak to me and really pep talked my nerves away; I was his sixth rhinoplasty that week and he said he now mainly only does noses. This is the surgeon you want for this procedure for sure!
I was taken to theatre fairly promptly, prepped and put to sleep- all fine, such a strange experience coming round in recovery with it all done.
I must stress that at this point I had NO nasal pain. And three days post op I still do not have any pain in my nose. The first sensation I felt was my throat being sore from the tubes during surgery. I had a bit of a cough through to day 1 post because of that, but nothing major and it went away by day 2.
There was a very minor burning sensation inside my nose but nothing at all painful and I was mainly just aware of the bandages on my face. Coming round from anaesthetic is different for everyone, I didn’t really enjoy it, I felt groggy and generally exhausted. I do still feel a bit tired now on day 3 and I’d expect I probably take a while to recover from anaesthetic personally. It’s important to drink lots of water to get everything moving again and rehydrate. I was also given tea and toast which was hard to eat as my mouth started to get quite dry from breathing through it. So after arriving at 8am, theatre just after 9am, I was discharged after 5pm. As I had a long way to go home and suffer from travel sickness, I was given an anti-sickness jab which was helpful. Nausea was something I was really worried about coming off anaesthetic but it was managed really well in recovery with medications to keep me comfortable.
Day 1 and 2 have been difficult solely because of the bunged up sensation. Again, there is absolutely no pain- I was given cocodamol to take at home, but I have swapped that for paracetamol as I found I was too wiped out on the cocodamol! There’s really no pain and even the slight headache from the congestion pressure is easily managed with paracetamol. I do hear a lot of people say this whole process isn’t painful, and considering you look terrible afterwards, you really don’t feel as bad as you look! If you are considering this procedure, don’t let pain fears put you off; I had alot done to my nose that I’d expect to hurt and it doesn’t.
By far, the worst part is the stuffed up feeling. My mouth and lips are permanently dry from breathing through my mouth, sleeping can be difficult because you have to keep your head propped up. So far, I have found getting up and walking around when I feel the pressure filling up in my nose can help loosen it. I’ve been instructed only to gently sniff, never blow my nose and it’s very frustrating because that’s all I want to do! I’ve also been told to use NeilMed saline sinus rinse to gently loosen the crusted blood around my nostrils. This worked perfectly and gives a nice bit of relief from congestion, but it’s not long before the pressure builds up again! I have always had a naturally runny nose in all seasons, and I’m finding my nose is running alot now. The bleeding stops after day one, so now I’m just stuffed up and runny, but can’t blow my nose or fully breathe through it! It is massively annoying but overall such a small price to pay for a life changing procedure. It’s also a mental game; I’m the type of person that gets a bit claustrophobic with a blocked nose so that’s been a challenge for me to manage feeling very out of control of what’s going on with my face! The cast taped across my face is annoying too, my eyes have swollen bags underneath them which feel itchy where they are rubbing against the plasters. They are bruised too but not as badly as I expected they would be.
It’s morning of day 3 as I write this- still no pain, just discomfort from congestion and feel like I’ve got a gross crusty nose! Straight after surgery I could see the amazing new shape through the cast. I wanted a gentle slope and a lifted tip and I can see both look great already.
I will continue to provide updates throughout my recovery - sorry that this is so long. But it really helped me when I was researching surgeons so I’m very glad to be here now writing a review with a big cast on my face!

So day 3 finished up marginally better than days 1 and 2. Slightly less congestion and I was able to sleep a full night, albeit in an awkward propped up position! Starting to feel some twinges in the bridge and around the dissolvable stitches in one of my nostrils. On the plus side, day 4 so far has been much better. I have been continuing with the saline rinses and those are great when the congestion has reached maximum level.
I’m feeling far less wiped out from anaesthetic and I think I was also just feeling the effects of all the adrenaline surrounding surgery day.
I’ve noticed that swelling under my eyes has reduced, but the bruising is still there.
I really am just taking it day by day, managing my impatience for the cast to be removed!

Overnight following day 4 was the easiest so far. I didn’t get that fully congested feeling and was able to at least breathe in easily through both nostrils. Still have a bit of a stuffy feeling overall and my nose feels stiff because of the cast, but I can feel air moving through my nostrils now which is such an improvement.
The swelling under my eyes continues to reduce and bruises under my eyes are turning yellow.
I’m still very impatient for cast off day next week, but day by day things are feeling better. I had a huge nap today so still must be feeling tired from the whole thing!