On July 5th 2015, I broke my nose. Since there's...
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24 May 2016
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10 months pre
On July 5th 2015, I broke my nose. Since there's not much you can do when this happens, I had it "set" via closed reduction in the small town where I live a week later. I was/am unable to breathe out of my right side and it was broken in several places.
After the splint was first removed, it looked like a slightly better version of what my old nose used to look like. I was able to breathe again, and I was very happy with it. Unfortunately, however, a few hours later I developed a noticeable headache & saw my nose had dropped back to where it was before my dr had set it and I couldn't breathe again. I've read/heard this can happen if there are underlying septal fractures and/or deformities, which may have been the case with me because I followed my dr's aftercare instructions to the letter.
My doctor was honest with me from the beginning that the success rate for closed reductions are fairly low, but it was still disheartening/sad to look in the mirror again & see my same broken, swollen nose.... not to mention I still couldn't breathe! The surgery is not as involved as a full rhinoplasty of course, but you're still intubated (which was actually more painful than my nose btw!), and face similar recovery issues from swelling and the splint afterwards.
I knew immediately that I didn't want to go through the rest of my life with this nose, and that I would definitely want a revision. However, I wasn't sure I wanted to "settle" for the surgeons available in my town, who IMO didn't seem to perform sufficient volume of rhinoplasty surgeries that made me feel comfortable. I had a bad nose to begin with, and now with it being broken, I just want to put this nightmare behind me and give myself the best chance for a good outcome.
Fast-forward to 6/2016... I did a lot of research and have been combing through realself reviews for a long time. Thank you all for sharing your stories; it has helped me immensely. I booked a consult with Dr. Grigoryants, and after meeting with him and seeing his work I'm fairly certain he is my top choice. My surgery is scheduled for 10/11, but I asked for a sooner date if available.
I will send updates! Thanks again for contributing your photos and reviews. They have made me feel less alone through this process.
More Before Photos
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25 May 2016
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10 months pre
The pictures from my previous review on 5/24 are obviously from BEFORE my injury. I'll admit, they actually don't look that bad! However, do keep in mind that these are all mostly the product of good angles, lighting, and makeup lol. The vast majority of my photos don't come out like that.
Here are some less glam BEFORE photos, including those from my injury at various stages of healing.
update! and Insurance Question
Looks like all factors ($$, resources, time off, job, insurance, etc...) are all finally aligned and i'll be getting my surgery! I haven't been able to move air through the right side of my nose since it happened so i'm super excited.
I'm going through my work insurance for the procedure... anybody have any experience processing rhinoplasty this way?
Sorry for the awkward photos lol.... wanted to show where my nose is at right now.
more before pics
Trying to coordinate all the details of my surgery is kind of a nightmare and we're not even that far away from LA. Hope everything works out. Starting to get a little nervous too :o
pre-op apt 2/2
Got back from Dr Grigoryants office a few hours ago. Shizzz just got real!! Consents signed, meds dispensed, lab work and operative instructions provided.... geeez. Guess we're actually doing this!
I'm super nervous (obviously), but i'm trying to keep calm and trust the process. It doesn't have to look perfect or even "great"... i survived 30yrs with my imperfections... I'm just hoping for enough of an "improvement" in my result to justify the surgery, AND being able to breathe out of BOTH nostrils again after 1.5yrs of mouthbreathing would be awesome!
i am currently coordinating care, hotel, travel and transportation arrangements. Also making a preliminary list of supplies and a surgery calendar/timeline since there are a few rhinoplasty milestone dates to remember.
So this WOULD happen to me...
i'm 6 days away from my surgery and i feel like i'm coming down with a cold/flu. No nasal symptoms yet, but i do have a scratchy throat, minor swollen neck glands, a dry cough, headache/sinus pressure, and a low grade fever of 99.0
Dr Gs office recommended i get to the dr and grab some antibiotics just in case, and i'm also resting in bed, doing 1g tylenol every 8hrs, zycam, and 500mg vitamin C every 6hrs as well. Stressing so hard right now and i'm sure that's what got me in this mess in the first place :( Fingers crossed!
Surgery Tomorrow!!
Currently on my way to LA :o I made arrangements to stay at a hotel near the surgery center from tonight thru wednesday and I probably packed wayyy too much crap i won't even use lol. Over-preparing kind of helps to calm my nerves. I'm officially less than 12hours away now.... Time to start praying.
Surgery Day !!
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6 Mar 2017
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Day of treatment
all done!! not nearly as bad as i thought it'd be :) Praying now for speedy healing and (hopefully) beautiful results. more updates to follow
Post Op Day 1
so def a little more nauseous today. I took my Norco every four hours yesterday - not always because I was in severe pain but because I had heard it's important to stay "ahead" of your pain after surgery.
my swelling truly started to kick in last night and that hasn't really changed. one more day of this and then it'll start hopefully beginning to come down
like everyone says this is mostly uncomfortable. pain hasn't been more than a 5, and it's really only been like a 1-2 90% of the time. Immediately after surgery was probably about a 6-7 but definitely tolerable. it sucks to basically not be able to move or close your mouth and have to breathe through it while u eat, etc. what else kinda sux is I have really bad vision so i'm basically going through this whole process blind lol. i'll probably put my contacts back in by day 4-5 depending on my swelling. so right now, I'm just basically forcing myself to rest. I keep wanting to get up and do stuff lol but i know i'm not quite there yet.
Also, trying to find foods to eat is a challenge-- lots of applesauce, squeezable baby foods, n cold soup broth. I need to find smaller Popsicles because at this stage they are still too big to fit in my mouth. Attempting to eat some soggy cheerios right now for breakfast, so far that's not too bad.
I'll update daily throughout this process. Feel free to ask any questions
PostOp Day 2
Starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I didn't show Dr G any wish pictures or give him a lot of direction with how i wanted my nose to look at the end because I feel like he knows what looks good on people's faces and I agreed with everything he said he'd fix. Since my nose was already a more complicated case (rhinoplasty to repair collapsed airway after a break), I didn't wanna risk asking for anything super aesthetic/fancy that might jeopardize my overall result. I hope that will prove to be a smart decision on my part and one i'll be happy with in the end :o
Cast comes off Saturday at 9am :)
Cast Off!
Dr G is truly the god of noses. Not only can i breathe through my right side again, but my nose looks beautiful. I know it'll be a long road with swelling over the next few months and I'll still pray that nothing changes.... but i'm so thankful/grateful/amazed/relieved that this all worked out for me and I am (hopefully) whole again.
Cast Off Day pt2
About to jump in bed, closing out the first day with my new nose. I know he says you technically don't need to ice it past the first two days, but I did anyway to try to fight some post-cast off day swelling and found it actually seemed to help! I also incorporated some of the rhinoplasty massage he told me to do to maintain bone positioning with my icing... seems to be working? :) Here's some awkward photos....
Side Note--- I wore a cute outfit and tried to fix my hair and makeup the best i could prior to the apt today. I'm not fond of how i look without at least a LITTLE bit of eye makeup and I thought doing that would help give me the best chance of getting "used to" or "accepting " my new face. I just didn't want to get there and experience a "holy crap!!" moment that could've been avoided had i just prepped my face a little bit. Highly recommend doing this so it's not so shocking when you finally see your new face.
Day 10
Figured i'd post some pics of my nose W/O tape (or face makeup, which can hide things). The tape definitely changes how it looks!
Well... my swelling didn't really start to set in until a few days after i got my cast off. Its finally starting to leave my cheeks, but it's definitely in the lower 2/3rds of my nose ...which is expected. I feel like i'm seeing some crookedness & irregularities (probably due to swelling). It's a little concerning, but my nose overall is still way better than my old one and i'm reminding myself that it's still extremely early in this process.
I've been off my narcotic pain meds for several days now, but still taking 1gram of tylenol/day for pain. It's not really "pain" but it is a little "distracting". That, and not having full air movement through my nostrils yet is also distracting :-/ I catch myself making silly mistakes and forgetting things during the day and i'm assuming that may be why. Overall though, my nose is much less tender now and i'm pleased to see my facial expressions starting to return.
Still icing and massaging 3-4x/day. My nose swells when i move around and do stuff, nothing crazy but it is noticeable... especially with my breathing. Vicks actually helps a little bit with that.
Although i healed crazy fast in terms of bruising, i'm not exempt from the swelling ups and downs that everyone goes through. Just taking it day by day.
Will continue to update :)
2 weeks post op!!
Wow! Can't believe it has been two weeks already and i'm heading back to work tomorrow. My swelling has come down considerably, but still fluctuates a bit with water retention and smiling/laughing or activity. My breathing in both nostrils sits at 80-85% which is amazing and will only get better as i'm able to clean it out and swelling resolves a bit more. My new nose is more beautiful and perfect than I could have ever hoped or dreamed; Dr G's work truly is amazing. I'm still taping 24/7, icing and massaging 2-3x day... i'm gonna continue to watch it and keep doing it as long as i can see that it helps. I can't wait til my smile and laugh finally return to normal though... i think that's by far the most annoying part at this stage
1month post op
So i wanted to post a 1 month update! my nose is way less sore now, which is awesome. I can breathe better. My swelling's come down a lot (60-75% maybe?). My internal stitches are almost gone. I still ice and masssage, but maybe 1-2x/day instead of 3-4. I've begun lightly working out again and "listening" to how my nose tolerates it lol. It looks a lot better now and i'll probably consider taking the tape off for daily living (except for work because I have such a physically active job) and tape only at night now. I feel like i do see some irregularities in person at times, but my nose looks so fab in photos it's hard to get bummed out or dwell on it. Sorry for the lack of updates, i went back to work again on a night shift schedule and have been trying to adjust. These were actually taken right when i got home from work at 8am! You're welcome for the awkward photos :) lol
Almost 2 months post op
I'm seeing noticeable decrease in swelling, and still very very happy with it :). I've started working out again... not super aggressive, but enough to work up a sweat. I probably massage 1x day now and only ice it if it's sore. Id like to do more, but life has gotten so busy. I can wear glasses and sunglasses again, but i do take frequent breaks while wearing them. I can breathe like 95% now... which is so amazing! I still tape at night when i sleep, but not as much at work now bc i feel like my nose can finally tolerate the extra activity. I get a lot of compliments :) which is really nice too. I am so thankful this worked out, and hope I can make it to next month without any complications. Fingers crossed!
4 months post op
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19 Jun 2017
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3 months post
still loving my nose. I get so many compliments on it (by ppl who know I've had it done) and when I looked at old pics of myself in Dr Gs post op apt a few weeks ago... omg... what a difference!! What started out as a crappy thing that happened to me ended up changing my life for the better. My new nose is beautiful and better than I could've ever hoped. Fingers crossed for no future complications !!
