After consulting with three doctors, I have chosen...
After consulting with three doctors, I have chosen Dr. David Kaufman for my rhinoplasty procedure. I felt most impressed by Dr. Kaufman's willingness to answer questions thoroughly, provide honest feedback and outline realistic expectations during our consultation. His staff is warm and friendly, and the cost is competitive for this procedure in the area. I am getting married in October so I figure if I'm ever going to have this done, now is the time!
My nose isn't large, but there are areas that can be improved. The tip of my nose is very rounded and upturned. There is also a slight curve to my nose and a bit of a hump on my bridge. I am hoping Dr. Kauffman can correct these areas and produce a symmetrical nose with a nice feminine slope and more defined tip.
I have secured my surgery date (3/21), and will continue to update as I go. I am hoping that sharing my personal experience helps someone who has been considering this procedure!
Pre-op Appointment
Today was my preoperative appointment. The office staff and doctor were wonderful at explaining what will happen at every step of the way to me and my mom. I am so excited!
I've decided to have submental lipo done in addition to my rhinoplasty to improve the overall look of my profile. I figured it would be best to do it now since I'm always going to want it and I'm already taking the time off work. I am looking forward to feeling great about my photos for my wedding.
Only 11 more days until my surgery! Initially I was hoping to only miss one week of work, but I will likely take two. I will keep updating my healing experience as I go.
More pics for reference
A few more photos of me before surgery. I've picked these out for reference as I particularly dislike my nose and my chin and look forward to comparing later!
Surgery Day!
-
21 Mar 2016
-
Day of treatment
I was so excited this morning for surgery! I went in my favorite pineapple VS pajamas with my lovely mom. I'm lucky I have my mom and fiancée to care for me for the next few days.
I was greeted by the sweetest nurse ever, Lisa. Lisa made me feel comfortable and had me laughing the whole time she was getting my IV meds started. Doctor K came in to discuss once more exactly what we would be doing and Doctor Harris administered my anesthesia. By the time I walked next door to the operating room, I was ready for a nap!
I woke up what felt like 5 minutes later and started coughing. I was a bit shocked and groggy coming back and had a tough time initially with my breathing. I was wheelchaired and gently helped into mom's car.
Once I got home, I was able to drink water, have some applesauce and string cheese. I slept in a comfy recliner for a little while, but continually woke myself up by closing my mouth. I haven't been in bad pain today, so I am hoping to stay this way!
I didn't have any bruising when I first got home, but after about 6 hours I started developing some under my eyes. My mom replaced my drip pad, which didn't feel great. Now I'm hanging around watching TV with my honey. He has set alarms on this phone for when to give me my meds throughout the night.
I am going back to see the doctor tomorrow morning for my follow up appointment. He will check on me and remove some of my bandages. I will post an update.
So far, things have been very smooth! I have all the supplies I need at home, and I'm feeling better than expected.
Day #2
Day #2 started off fun going back to my doctor to take some bandages off, but boy am I feeling it today. My swelling and pain have definitely increased.
The good news is my chin already looks wonderful even with swelling. I'm keeping it wrapped up for compression.
My nose is feeling very sore and congested. I have been instructed to pull my packing out on day #3, which I'm a bit nervous about doing on my own. We shall see how that goes tomorrow.
I've been pretty good with eating and drinking, but I haven't got the sleeping with my mouth open thing down. Even with all the meds, I'm still waking myself up by closing my mouth or with my snoring, haha!
Day #3
Today I haven't felt like doing anything! I am the epitome of that Bruno Mars song. I'm also a coffee lover, so maybe going without it for the past few days has caught up with me. I am trying to lessen my intake of pain pills with the hopes of feeling less groggy.
I did manage to get my packing out, which wasn't as painful or scary as I anticipated. Actually it was really incredible how long the guaze was - may 15 inches? I don't know how it all fit in my nose! I can now somewhat breathe out of my nose, although it still feels like I have some gunk kinda blocking things still. I'm sure it's normal and will subside.
Today I thanked myself for allowing myself two weeks of recovery time. The reality of these procedures is that they are NOT pretty (yet!) and will take time and patience to fully recover.
I don't look much different than yesterday- my bruises and swelling are still there. I will update with pictures once I see change. The journey continues! :)
Day #4
Thought I'd share some photos as of this morning.
My nose stitches are not cute with the dried blood, but I've been instructed to leave it alone and not pick at it. I'm scared to touch anything anyway! Does anyone have any experience with cleaning the blood off their stitches? Were you instructed to put anything on them?
I'm loving how my chin is looking so far. It is a huge improvement even with the swelling.
Both nose and chin are still painful today, but I am trying not to medicate too much so I feel less tired.
Day #6
Not a whole lot has changed since I last reported, but check out my neck picture- I did a before and after with the pic from the doc's office and my neck day #4. I'm feeling very happy about it so far!
My minimal bruising is now bright yellow as if someone drew on my face and neck with a highlighter. It is funny looking to say the least. My skin is also the worst I've ever seen it... oily, splotchy, bumpy. I'm like a proactiv commercial. I try to keep my skin clean and dry but with the humidifier and the inability to really wash, it's not cute. Can't wait to get my face under water and have my cast removed Tuesday.
On a side note, I find my fiancée to be the funniest person on the planet and he always keeps me laughing. Well not this week! Smiling/ laughing / yawning all make me super nervous as I feel like they'll move my nose or pull at my stitches. I got so upset at him last night because like usual he was cracking me up and I couldn't move my face so I just ended up with tears falling down my face. It was hilarious. At least he keeps me entertained during this dull period.
Tomorrow is Easter. I didn't even realize this when I scheduled my surgery (oops- Easter in March!?)... I will try to make an appearance at the fams but I'm feeling pretty icky and not ready for all that interaction. I can eat and drink more now, but I'm feeling so tired that it's more of a chore than anything.
It's my honey's birthday Monday too! Initially I felt guilty for scheduling my procedure during this time, but he's actually happy because he doesnt really celebrate his birthday and this way nobody is pulling any surprise parties or birthday shenanigans. Little does he know he's getting a surprise trip to visit his friends in Portland over Memorial Day weekend. Hope he likes it.
Happy Easter all!
Before Cast Removal
I am nervous and excited to have my cast and stitches removed today! There hasn't been much change to my yellow bruising. I am tired of this cast on my face and am hoping I like what I see. I am even more nervous for this than I was for surgery!
I wanted to show my chin liposuction incisions to those who are curious about this procedure before they are removed today. I have one behind each ear and one under my chin. They are tiny and frankly I haven't worried about them one bit this past week. I also habe some minor yellow bruising on my neck and it is a bit sore but nothing too painful. It's been a very low maintenance procedure to recover from in my opinion. My nose on the other hand... let's just hope it looks great today!
Cast off!
Loving my new nose. I have a ton of swelling and a breakout going on, but I can see the beautiful slope I was hoping for!
My cast and stitch removal went much more easily than I anticipated. I was dreading the stitch removal, but Sandy made the process quick and painless. I was so happy once I saw what was under the cast! Plus after a week, I was so ready for that thing to come off.
Over the past few days I've had questions about my incisions, and they've been promptly and completely answered. I am happy with the office communication in addition to my results so far. Today I even received a cute little care package from the office as a "thank you" for choosing their practice.
I will update with more photos once I have healed more.
6+ months later!
-
21 Oct 2016
-
7 months post
A quick update since I haven't shared any pictures for a while. Here are some pictures from my wedding day! My nose has healed nicely and overall I am happy with my results.
My nose skin is still very oily and at times my nose is tender. It doesn't feel quite like my old nose yet (where I was comfortable moving it around and scrunch in it) but it has become so much less sensitive and I've almost forgotten I had anything done to it. My nose does feel dry at times, so I'll dip a q-tip in coconut oil and put it in my nostrils to keep it moist.
Hope everyone is having great success with their procedures! :)
