Post Op Revision with Dr. Ion and Dr. Bran. 7th Surgery! LONG Review.

Please bare with me as this may be a bit long.
There has been a lot of chat on here about Dr. Ion and Dr. Bran and their revision results as of late. I had my 7th (seventh!!) revision with Drs. Ion and Bran on October 13th and I am VERY happy thus far!
During this review I will refer to Dr. Ion and Dr. Bran as “Dr”. In the UK, apparently male surgeons are referred to as “Mr”, but that feels weird to me so with all due respect to them, I will refer to them as "Dr" for the sake of this review only.
I live in the US and have had 6 previous surgeries and this was my last hope for an acceptable result and I think we finally accomplished that.
Surgeries in order:
Now, mind you, I did a TON of research before every surgery and thought I was choosing the best surgeon for my situation. I travelled all over the US and spent a ton of money on these surgeries.
1996 Primary with Dr. Andrew Ordon (had slightly wide, “cute” nose that I wanted refined) Surgery went well but I had a small bump remaining on one side. Should have just let it be at this point.
1997 Revision with Dr. Ordon . He said it would be a “tiny little procedure” and he would just shave the bump down. Failure! Nose left with saddle nose deformity and major breathing problems. Nose was made considerably smaller.
2002 Revision with Dr. Dean Toriumi. 8 hour surgery, using ear grafts. Came out of surgery with big “potato” nose from swelling and over time nose just shrank back down to nothing.
2004 Revision again with Dean Toriumi. More ear grafts and long surgery. Again, shapeless potato nose that eventually shrank down.
2007 Revision with Dr. Rick Davis. Dr. Davis said I needed rib grafting and he would add length to my little shrunken button nose. Rib graft site was extremely painful for months! Rib graft warped terribly, leaving me with a twisted mess. Dr. Davis suggested adding K wire to the rib to prevent warping and I said no way!
2012 Revision with Dr. Anil Shah. Again, rib grafting used. Nose was shortened and somewhat straightened, however, definitely curved and caved in on one side. Not sure if rib warped again or if it shifted.
At this point, I was done with nose surgery! I had a busy social and work life and I just had to move on….or so I thought.
I found myself avoiding any pictures and then only posing on one side (my “good” side). I truly don’t have any pictures from several years of my life.
I wasn’t really actively seeking surgery again, but I kept seeing these amazing results from one particular surgeon….Dr. Ion. For about two years, I followed the reviews and pics and was always amazed at the results! The thought of another surgery and the thought of travelling to London was crazy, but I finally pulled the trigger and called to set my consult. I was sooooooo excited to find the one surgeon who I thought could finally fix my mess of a nose.
Well, that excitement was short lived when I called and was told he had just stopped taking revision cases! I begged and pleaded, but they were not budging. I truly was crushed. My husband called and tried to get me in, but again, no budging. I was so mad at my myself for lurking for so long and not calling sooner. Oh well, back to square one.
A few months later, I heard he was taking revision cases again, but ONLY with a partner, Dr. Bran. His prices were also quite a bit more since there were two surgeons now, but I didn’t care and booked the next consult appt they had.
Hubby and I flew to London a few months later and met the wonderful Dr. Ion and Dr. Bran. They were lovely and spent about an hour with me, examining my nose, taking pics and discussing what could be done. Another rib grafting procedure to try and straighten and lengthen my nose. Oh yeah, and add a columella, which I lost somewhere along the way. We put our deposit down that day and booked surgery for 4 months later….October 13th.
I was soooooooo excited and nervous, but really more excited because Dr. Ion’s results had been incredible, truly the best I’d ever seen, and I’ve looked at far too many noses!
Hubby and I flew into London on the 12th, checked into our hotel and bought some supplies.
We arrived at Weymouth hospital at 7am on the 13th and checked in. The hospital is NOTHING like what I imagined, nor like anything we have in the states. It looks like a lovely small boutique hotel, with gorgeous furnishings and lovely rooms. I filled out a form or two and a nurse came down to take me to my room. I changed into the obligatory gown, socks and undies. Everyone was lovely!
Shortly after, Dr. Bran arrived and said Dr. Ion was on his way. We chatted a bit until Dr. Ion arrived and then we all chatted about the plan and I had a few pics to show them. I felt completely as ease and in very good hands! Both doctors are really kind and I felt like they listened to my concerns.
Down to the anesthesiologist room for happy medicine and next thing I know, I’m chatting with hubby back in my room! I felt totally fine, not sick or in any pain at all. Medicine makes me happy and chatty.
Drs. Ion and Bran went to see my hubby while I was in recovery to tell him all went well, but surgery took longer than expected (6 hours I think) and they told him it was not a revision, but a total rebuild! Apparently all the other surgeons used a little bit from each previous surgery, so it was kind of like a house, with lots of additions attached to it. Dr. Ion basically tore down the house and rebuilt it.
I waited in my room for a few hours to see the doctors, but they were in their second case of the day, which was also taking longer than expected, so we left the hospital about 6pm. Again, I felt really great. No pain and no bruising…very little swelling.
Had room service at the hotel. Tried to sleep propped up on pillows, but very difficult. Slept Very little that first night. Don’t think I even took a pain pill because I had no pain. However, I did have a ton of discharge from my nose….blood and stuff. I wore a drip pad for most of the first week.
Woke up the next day and looked like I was hit by a bus! Swelling everywhere!!! Eyes, cheeks, chin, everywhere. No bruising, but tons of swelling. This took a few days to get better. Breathing was nearly impossible through my nose due to the splints and discharge.
Dr. Ion Wanted the splints left in all 7 days due to the amount of work he did, so breathing and discharge continued all week. Also, rib harvest area was only slightly uncomfortable for the first couple of days and two weeks later, there is not even a smidge of pain or discomfort. The scar is under my left breast, in the crease and is as clean a scar as I’ve ever seen. It will be almost invisible I’m sure. Dr. Davis harvested from almost the middle of my stomach and I still have a very visible scar.
On day 7, we returned to Dr. Ion’s office to have the splints and stitches removed. He personally removed everything himself. Ahhhhhhh! I could breathe again! This wasn’t as painful as I thought it would be and I had immediate relief from the blockage. I finally slept well Saturday night!
Dr. Ion did not love one little section of my nose, which looked irritated, so he cleaned it really well and continued me on another dose of antibiotics and medicated ointment. We were scheduled to fly back to the US on Monday afternoon and he asked to see me again first thing Monday to check that area again.
Over the weekend, I continued to tape the splint on my nose so I could wear my sunglasses and reading glasses. It was my little safety blanket.
We saw Dr. Ion again Monday morning before heading to the airport. He thought the area looked better, but was concerned about an infection and asked me to stay a few more days if possible. Quite frankly, he is the most kind, considerate doctor I have ever dealt with, and I have had a lot of surgeries. He was being overly cautious, which my hubby really appreciated. Unfortunately, we were unable to change our flight so we headed home.
Dr. Ion personally and his office checked on me daily and I saw my ENT as soon as I got home, and all looks fine! Just as a precaution, we have continued another dose of antibiotics and I will continue to stay in touch with Dr. Ion and his staff. I am hoping to return to London for my six week follow up. At the very least, we will Skype.
I know its only 2 weeks since surgery, and I know a lot of changes will happen as the swelling goes down, but I am very happy thus far. My nose is straight and appears longer. The profile is a bit straight for my taste, be he assures me that this will appear more sloped as the swelling goes down. My columella scar is virtually invisible after only two weeks and I finally have a columella again!
Recovery has gone well, but not perfect! I obviously have swelling inside my nose and breathing is difficult out of one nostril, but I know it’s swelling because it comes and goes. I’ve been through this so many times before so I’m not freaking out at all about the daily changes. Since a lot of work was done to add a columella, my smile is off (but getting better every day) and my nose feels very hard and stiff, but I know that is normal and will get better with time. I have little patience and I would love the swelling gone and the final result NOW.
I honestly can’t say enough positive things about the treatment I received from Drs. Ion and Bran, their entire staff, and the staff at Weymouth hospital. The entire process has been wonderful and I feel like they truly care about me personally and want the absolute best outcome.
Sorry for such a long read and I’m happy to answer any questions. I’ll also post updated pics as the swelling goes down.