POSTED UNDER Rhinoplasty REVIEWS
8 Weeks Down
ORIGINAL POST
I had my surgery yesterday, and it's not my second...
dreamitOctober 22, 2014
WORTH IT$8,500
I had my surgery yesterday, and it's not my second morning post-op. When I first decided to go through with the rhinoplasty, I did a LOT of research online (especially via RealSelf!), and decided pretty quickly that Dr. Grigoryants would be the best choice for me. I didn't consult with any other doctors, as I felt that Dr. G's "before & afters" spoke for themselves, and nearly all reviews I had seen were nothing short of glowing.
CONSULTATION
The consultation was very reassuring -- Dr. G was able to synthesize my concerns into tangible, medical procedure and articulate my concerns far better than I ever could. He was confident and positive, but careful not to build unrealistic expectations. I far preferred to receive a dose of reality than to be told that "the sky's the limit".
PRE-OP APPOINTMENT
My pre-op appointment was brief, but not rushed. I worried that so much time had passed since our last meeting, Dr. G might have forgotten what we discussed. Nonetheless, he seemed to pick up where we left off with ease. Despite my complete trust in my doctor of choice, I was feeling a bit panicky leading up to the appt. that I hadn't conveyed enough of the "specifics" regarding my nose. I raised a few concerns based on horror stories I'd read on RealSelf (about other surgeons) -- boxy bridge, lack of definition, too much space between nose and upper lip -- and again, Dr. G was a calm and reassuring presence and left me feeling confident that I had nothing to worry about.
DAY OF SURGERY
We ended up arriving waaay too early, because I was initially told to arrive at the hospital by 8am. The night before I got a message from Dr. G's office telling me to aim for 10am, but I wasn't sure which number to go with, so I erred on the side of caution. No big deal, but it gave me waaayyy too much time to get nervous with. Thankfully, the nurses at the hospital were a great bunch -- very sweet and chatty.
When it finally came time to go into surgery, everything happened very quickly. I saw Dr. G for a split second, and then before I knew it I was waking up in recovery. I didn't feel much pain, just a numbness in the middle of my face. I rated my pain at a 5, but following further anesthesia (or whatever), that went to a 0.
The first night I barely used my pain killers at all (only took one, just to do it). I was leaking a lot of blood, and had to change my drip pad frequently, but that was the only inconvenience so far. Eating and drinking was very difficult, since I kept soaking the bottom of my drip pad. I'm opting not to use a straw anymore, because I feel too much pressure on my nose when I suck.
CONSULTATION
The consultation was very reassuring -- Dr. G was able to synthesize my concerns into tangible, medical procedure and articulate my concerns far better than I ever could. He was confident and positive, but careful not to build unrealistic expectations. I far preferred to receive a dose of reality than to be told that "the sky's the limit".
PRE-OP APPOINTMENT
My pre-op appointment was brief, but not rushed. I worried that so much time had passed since our last meeting, Dr. G might have forgotten what we discussed. Nonetheless, he seemed to pick up where we left off with ease. Despite my complete trust in my doctor of choice, I was feeling a bit panicky leading up to the appt. that I hadn't conveyed enough of the "specifics" regarding my nose. I raised a few concerns based on horror stories I'd read on RealSelf (about other surgeons) -- boxy bridge, lack of definition, too much space between nose and upper lip -- and again, Dr. G was a calm and reassuring presence and left me feeling confident that I had nothing to worry about.
DAY OF SURGERY
We ended up arriving waaay too early, because I was initially told to arrive at the hospital by 8am. The night before I got a message from Dr. G's office telling me to aim for 10am, but I wasn't sure which number to go with, so I erred on the side of caution. No big deal, but it gave me waaayyy too much time to get nervous with. Thankfully, the nurses at the hospital were a great bunch -- very sweet and chatty.
When it finally came time to go into surgery, everything happened very quickly. I saw Dr. G for a split second, and then before I knew it I was waking up in recovery. I didn't feel much pain, just a numbness in the middle of my face. I rated my pain at a 5, but following further anesthesia (or whatever), that went to a 0.
The first night I barely used my pain killers at all (only took one, just to do it). I was leaking a lot of blood, and had to change my drip pad frequently, but that was the only inconvenience so far. Eating and drinking was very difficult, since I kept soaking the bottom of my drip pad. I'm opting not to use a straw anymore, because I feel too much pressure on my nose when I suck.
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UPDATED FROM dreamit
6 days post
6 Days Post-Op -- The keyword is "patience"!!
dreamitOctober 27, 2014
Apologies in advance for my pictures today -- I've only just now started to slowly reintroduce my normal routine after almost a week of unshowered, bloody grossness. A lot of that is still lingering here haha. That, and my jaw/cheeks are still moderately swollen, giving me a jowl-y look that still doesn't quite resemble "me" yet.
The cast is off and I'm now down to taping in the evenings only, or whenever I'll be at home for a long period. I've gone out a few times with the tape on, and I really don't mind it. Some people might realize what it's for, but I think most barely notice it at all. When I was still in my cast and particularly swollen, the cashier at the Jamba Juice told me my nose looked "perfect". First compliment on the new nose! :)
As for my own assessment, I am very, very happy for the most part. Especially under the tape, I love the smoothness and contour of the new shape. When it's bare, it has a kind of uncomfortable "wave" to the profile that can hopefully be chalked up to swelling. If not, I probably won't be thrilled with the overall result. In real-life motion, my head on view is very straight and appealing, but I think lens/camera distortion does contribute to heightening some unevenness. It still reminds me completely of my old nose in that sense, but realistically it's not a big concern. I have a pretty asymmetrical face to begin with, which is why Dr. G explained making the nose perfectly straight would end up looking bizarre on my face.
Overall, I think it's brought great harmony to my features overall, which is what I wanted. Considering how much Dr. G had to accomplish with my old nose, he really did a fantastic job. He cautioned me about the usual post-op swelling (the "Avatar" bridge and "Ms. Piggy" tip), and I do see that to a degree. I would hate for my tip to remain where it is now, but I'm not freaked out at all as I know this is part of the normal healing process.
Patience is absolutely key post rhinoplasty, and it's the hardest part. Patience to wait and see before judging a final result (though again, I'm v. happy thus far), and patience as your face SLOOOOWWWLLLY returns to it's normal shape (ugh). I still can;t breathe through my nose at all, and taste is pretty much gone, which doesn't make the wait any easier. Still, every day shows a little improvement, so it's also a very exciting process!
Sorry for the long post, guys! I'll check back in when there's some significant change :)
The cast is off and I'm now down to taping in the evenings only, or whenever I'll be at home for a long period. I've gone out a few times with the tape on, and I really don't mind it. Some people might realize what it's for, but I think most barely notice it at all. When I was still in my cast and particularly swollen, the cashier at the Jamba Juice told me my nose looked "perfect". First compliment on the new nose! :)
As for my own assessment, I am very, very happy for the most part. Especially under the tape, I love the smoothness and contour of the new shape. When it's bare, it has a kind of uncomfortable "wave" to the profile that can hopefully be chalked up to swelling. If not, I probably won't be thrilled with the overall result. In real-life motion, my head on view is very straight and appealing, but I think lens/camera distortion does contribute to heightening some unevenness. It still reminds me completely of my old nose in that sense, but realistically it's not a big concern. I have a pretty asymmetrical face to begin with, which is why Dr. G explained making the nose perfectly straight would end up looking bizarre on my face.
Overall, I think it's brought great harmony to my features overall, which is what I wanted. Considering how much Dr. G had to accomplish with my old nose, he really did a fantastic job. He cautioned me about the usual post-op swelling (the "Avatar" bridge and "Ms. Piggy" tip), and I do see that to a degree. I would hate for my tip to remain where it is now, but I'm not freaked out at all as I know this is part of the normal healing process.
Patience is absolutely key post rhinoplasty, and it's the hardest part. Patience to wait and see before judging a final result (though again, I'm v. happy thus far), and patience as your face SLOOOOWWWLLLY returns to it's normal shape (ugh). I still can;t breathe through my nose at all, and taste is pretty much gone, which doesn't make the wait any easier. Still, every day shows a little improvement, so it's also a very exciting process!
Sorry for the long post, guys! I'll check back in when there's some significant change :)
Replies (3)
October 29, 2014
Thanks for sharing your story! I'm currently considering Dr. G for a revision rhino so I'll be following your story closely. Were you able to have a face to face consult with him from the get-go? I'm an overseas patient and it's hard to pick a surgeon based off short email conversations.
Please keep uploading photos and posts in weeks to come :)
October 29, 2014
I was lucky to have all my consultations in person as I live in the area, but I actually think email is a perfect option when working with him because it would give you more time and space to communicate your concerns. I never felt rushed, but in person I often left feeling like I forgot to say something, or wasn't clear enough.
Dr. G is very good at assessing your nose and coming up with a good aesthetic goal.
UPDATED FROM dreamit
18 days post
Almost Three Weeks Post!
dreamitNovember 9, 2014
Sorry for the slightly blurry selfie, but I wanted to put up something to show you guys the progression, and I find it hard to take those perfect "before and after" angles by myself (don't want to ask anyone since it might seem a bit strange haha).
I'm still very happy overall, and as the swelling goes down, I can really see how my new nose fits within the context of my face as a whole. Today was the first day where I had some feeling in my top lip, and that's making a huge difference. It was very droopy before, hanging below my teeth and making my top lip look exaggeratedly long. I know things still haven't healed completely yet, since I still have that weird chipmunk smile where it looks as if you're sucking in your teeth. I'm really excited to see how it looks once my smile comes back.
As for the nose itself--while not perfect, it is an absolutely stunning and natural result. There is some stark irregularity to the nostrils in size and shape, and the bridge is not entirely straight horizontally, but overall I feel these are things that will resolve with time, and don't detract much from the aesthetic whole. As we all know, perfection is impossible, and I feel very lucky to have this nose as it is.
I still have a lot of congestion and obstructed breathing, which is most problematic when climbing the stairs or sleeping. I get severe dry mouth from all the mouth breathing I'm doing, but this is also improving a little each day. This third week has shown the most improvement by far, and I can't wait to be 6-8 weeks out!
I'm still very happy overall, and as the swelling goes down, I can really see how my new nose fits within the context of my face as a whole. Today was the first day where I had some feeling in my top lip, and that's making a huge difference. It was very droopy before, hanging below my teeth and making my top lip look exaggeratedly long. I know things still haven't healed completely yet, since I still have that weird chipmunk smile where it looks as if you're sucking in your teeth. I'm really excited to see how it looks once my smile comes back.
As for the nose itself--while not perfect, it is an absolutely stunning and natural result. There is some stark irregularity to the nostrils in size and shape, and the bridge is not entirely straight horizontally, but overall I feel these are things that will resolve with time, and don't detract much from the aesthetic whole. As we all know, perfection is impossible, and I feel very lucky to have this nose as it is.
I still have a lot of congestion and obstructed breathing, which is most problematic when climbing the stairs or sleeping. I get severe dry mouth from all the mouth breathing I'm doing, but this is also improving a little each day. This third week has shown the most improvement by far, and I can't wait to be 6-8 weeks out!
Replies (5)
November 11, 2014
Great result! Do you still have any bruising?
November 17, 2014
Thank you! And for bruising -- you mean like around the eyes? I think that's mostly cleared up now
November 11, 2014
This is a very refined result that brings harmony to your features. Thank you for sharing and I hope you continue to update! Congrats~
November 15, 2014
You look cute with your new nose. Like the result! :)
Replies (7)