A Rollercoaster of Emotions - Fort Washington, PA
To tell you the truth when I first booked my...
To tell you the truth when I first booked my surgery date a few weeks after I came upon this website and what people were writing scared the crap out of me. Some people had a great experience while others had a ruff experience. It almost ruined my experience in the surgeons office as I waited to be taken in for surgery.
My surgery date was December 22, 2011. When I arrived at 10:15am this lovely nurse Carol grabbed my hand and walked me back to the room where I was to change and wait for the surgeon. The whole time I was only thinking about what I would feel when I would awake after surgery. Would I be in pain? Discomfort? Or completely out of it? Every nurse that I was introduced were angels including the anesthesiologist. I cried in fear.
The nurses scolded me for looking at websites like this because everyone is different. Everyone's pain tolerance is different. I have had multiple surgeries in the past including screw put in elbow than taken out, eye muscle surgery, and others. Honestly when you read these reviews don't think too much into it like I did. Everyone is different.
When I woke up I was in a daze for a few minutes. I started realizing where I was and the people around me. The nurse immediately asked my pain level on 1-10 scale and I said 7. She kept giving me pain medicine thru IV until I was at a 2. My boyfriend, dad, and mom soon came in the room when I became more awake. The doctor came in and told me that he did my nose once and he didn't like it so he took another 15 minutes and re did it until he was happy with the result.
I went into surgery around 12:05 and by the time I left the surgery place it was about 4pm. They even pushed back a kid after me from 12pm to 2pm because he wanted to make sure he was happy with my result. I can't tell you enough how nice those ladies were in the recovery. Convenient enough the surgery center and my doctors office are in the same building on the same floor.
When I first got home I laid down in the recliner and they told me to ice every 30minutes and boy did my mom do that religiously. I think its the main reason why I was barely black and blue. The first two nights are terrible. I barely slept. Every time I finally fell asleep my breathing through my mouth woke me up. I ate a lot of mashed potatoes and soft foods. Took my perks religiously. They helped me fall asleep. I ate on them and still felt sick though.
The third day my surgeon had me come in the office on Saturday and took the packing out. I could finally breathe!! It felt a little weird but I took 2 perks in case it hurt before I went in. Each nostril had packing than he sprayed something in the one nostril and than had me drink water. Told me I was good to go and the next time I'd come back is this Wednesday (tomorrow) to get the cast off and the stitches.
By reading so many reviews I'm not setting my self up to be excited. I know its going to be swollen and probably not look the best, but I do realize in a few weeks I will start to see results. All the nurses said it came out beautiful so as long as they were not lying I can only hope for the best. I'll upload pictures soon of me with the cast on etc.
Best advice...Choose the right doctor for you. Even if he's pricey but you really like him...go with him! This is your nose..the first thing people look at it when they see you almost. I'd rather pay the extra and have a great result than go for the cheaper price and have a terrible result. I've saved up since I was 16 and am now almost 22 in a few days.
So far I am thrilled but indeed it has been a roller coaster of emotions...excitement, fear, tears, sadness, content and now excited for tomorrow and nervous about the stitches hurting when they come out. UPDATES TOMORROW!! Hope this helps!
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11 days after! So I got my cast off last...
So I got my cast off last Wednesday and let me tell you for it only being a week and half I look pretty darn good!! Barely any bruising left and my nose is just swollen in the tip but nothing too drastic that someone would know I got something done. When they took the cast off it hurt a little because it was stuck to my skin and as she pulled it off it pulled on the nose skin which was sensitive. The stitches on the outside didn't hurt one bit coming out but the ones on the inside hurt a lot. I have a lot of blood scabbing so she had to dig through that to get to the stitches. She actually couldn't get the one stitch out that still is in. The doctor was on vacation so when I go in this Wednesday he will have to take it out since he knows best how he ties his stitches.
So far I like it. The bump is gone and people can tell a difference but my frontal view is not where I want it to be, but that's expected for it only being a week and half. Patience...
Posted old pictures... I can post what my nose looks like today but as for after surgery and the past week I can not upload those until I'm back at school as my usb cord is at my apartment there.
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Went to the doctors yesterday...turns out instead...
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I have my rhinoplasty booked for Jan 16th 2012, and I have done exactly what you did-read too many stories, taken them to heart and convinced myself that it's all going to go wrong. I think the anxiety of having this procedure makes you obsess over every detail.
Over this last week I have had trouble sleeping with anxiety because a million things are running through my mind. I'm having a dorsal hump removed and the muscle underneath my nose cut but I'm really panicking. Wll it hurt really bad? What if I love it from a side profile? What if it looks terrible from the front profile? What if it's too wide from the front? I too, have run myself around in circles, trying to pre-empt and predict!
One plastic surgeon told me to stop over-reading. He told me it's good I am finding out, but not good to scare myself silly.
I've chosen a good surgeon, who I can talk to at any time, and whose aim is one thing-a natural looking nose. Now how do I deal with my anxiety......lol
The only times I can tell you that it was actually PAINFUL was when the inside stitches came out inside my nose because I had so much scabbing blood inside. Everything else is discomfort and tolerable. Even when I woke up after surgery it didn't hurt, just discomfort.
I'm glad you have a good surgeon because that's the most important part.
All I can say is try not reading the posts about not worth it. Try staying positive and think about how great the outcome will be. It's really not bad at all especially for something that will make you feel even more beautiful in the end!
The last time I had a surgery I was about 12 years old-they had to cut my gums away to allow the teeth below to come through-ouch! That hurt when I came round and I couldn't eat properly for 3-4 days.
I've also had invisaligns and they hurt for the first few days too, so I'm assuming that a rhinoplasty pain would be similar?
I'm trying to be positive and excited, and every time I get to that point, a negative little voice in my head says "what if it goes wrong?" What if I end up with wonky nostrils or a piggy nose or a nose that doesn't look straight front on?!" I hate this negativity in my mind because I can't curb it!
The thing is, i hate my nose from the profile-it has a hump and it curves down like a beak. I'm always conscious of it and it makes me feel unconfident-so I know I am doing the right thing. I'm just scared.

The good thing about these sites is gathering info and support! So excited for you! We will be like adp5116 in no time!
I'm sooo glad there are other people out there feeling anxious! Feb 10th eh? Good luck! I'm sure you'll look lovely. Are you in the US? I'm in the UK.
Yes you are right-it's a smart thing to gather information. I was being ridiculous though, I was reading to the point of frightening myself. We have a site here in the UK which is pretty much full of Rhinoplasty horror stories! A surgeon I met with told me to stop reading the blogs because I was frightening myself and going from being excited about the surgery to stressing myself out silly. He was like 'you've gone from excitement to stress in zero time!-stop reading these horror story blogs!'
At the end of it all, these people are professional surgeons with experience and training, and they know what they are doing.
I'm excited and scared. Keep your fingers crossed for me!
Thank you so much for sharing your story on RealSelf! I'm sorry that your doctor thought you were over-informed, but at least you did have some idea of what to expect, yes? I'm sure your review will help others through their own rhinoplasties. Looking forward to seeing your photos!