Love My New Nose; So Grateful! 1 Year: Final Update (Surgery 5/22/13) - Long Island, NY

Sorry this is a pointless update but I am SO excited for tomorrow's consult. My appt. is at 10:30am. I have a good feeling so I hope the appointment meets and even exceeds my expectations. Will post after! Thanks for the wonderful comments. So nice to know there are others going through the exact same thing.

My surgery date is May 22nd at 10:30am! The consult was fantastic; I was there for an hour and they spent so much time talking to me. Dr. Marotta was SO down to earth and had a wonderful personality. The procedure will be performed under general anethesia which I think is pretty standard. I was very impressed with the whole office staff as well. There is an onsite accredited surgical facility which is where the surgery will take place, approx. 3-5 hours long under general anesthesia. I am very excited; less than two months away. I attached a photo of the computer morph for my profile view; he will be taking down the hump, and elevating the tip just slightly. I am very happy with this as it's going to look very natural. I just can't wait to see the real thing ON my face! Woohoo :)

Okay, I'm 99.9% positive my doc is a RealSelf doctor, so how do I get his name and picture to pop up when I type it in? Any help is appreciated!

Forgot to add that they will be fixing my deviated septum as well when they are in there, making it a septorhinoplasty. It will be really cool to see the difference in breathing once I'm healed up. Thanks again for reading and for all of the wonderful comments. There is so much support here and I am very appreciative. I follow so many of the stories posted and am most definitely becoming a more active RealSelf member. I will probably start updating my review again in mid-May since my pre-op is May 16th and there won't be much going on (in terms of rhinoplasty) for me until then!

7 weeks away... I can't wait! I have a very busy next 6 weeks finishing up my spring semester, and then a few days after I get home I will be getting my surgery. I know the time will fly!

I have already made up a shopping list of things I may need: Q tips, hydrogen peroxide, nasal saline spray, straws, face wipes, U shaped pillow, cold ices/frozen yogurt for my throat, easy-to-eat foods for the first couple days. Will I be eating regular food pretty soon after? Or is it more soothing to just have some soup or pasta? I already have plenty of Aquaphor (my favorite product for chapped/dry/cracked lips and skin!) and some honey drops that are delicious & that will help with a dry mouth/sore throat.

I am noticing more and more that I breathe out of my mouth fairly often and am excited to see how my breathing will improve once my deviated septum is fixed. Can anyone share their experience with this functional aspect of the rhinoplasty? I am curious as to how long it takes to notice a difference in breathing.

6 weeks away! I guess I am too excited for this so I'll probably be doing a weekly countdown until my pre-op, when I'll do a longer update. :)

Quick question: I'm 40 days away from my rhinoplasty, and I wanted to start taking Vitamin C. Is it too early to start 1000 mg a day? Or have others started as early as 6 weeks pre-surgery also? Thanks!

34 days! So excited :)

Just about 3 weeks away from surgery... so excited and nervous all at once. Some days I think about it and doubt myself, thinking "Is my nose really that bad to fix and possibly have it look worse than it does now?" (mostly just highly unlikely "what-if's"). But I trust my surgeon, and just keep reminding myself of so many moments when I've felt that my nose has held me back or made me feel ugly, or all of the times I looked at myself or a picture and hated the nose I saw. I need to stop worrying about it. Come May 22nd, I will have a new nose that allows me to be comfortable in my own skin. Maybe the recovery and the days after the cast removal won't be easy, but it will all be worth it in the end. With that being said, I wish time would move faster. I have 15 days left at college, and then a week after I get home, I will be getting my rhino!

RealSelf hasn't been working on my WiFi... finally got it back, but now picture's aren't showing up. Anyhow, I am officially two weeks away from my surgery. I can't believe my countdown started at 55 days and now it's down to 14. Time really does fly! Next week, I return home for the summer and my pre-op is May 16th so I will be sure to update after that :) Thank you all so much for all of the comments and support... it means so much to be part of such a great community!

Just came back from my pre-op. Have my pre-op shopping list and checklist and am getting really excited... it all seems so real now, and I was actually getting very anxious at the appointment. Next week at this time, I'll be recovering with my new and improved nose. I'm so excited!

Went to a couple stores and got everything I needed! Pre-op shopping is indeed very exciting and lots of fun. This kinda felt like shopping for school supplies (which I love!) but even better.

I already had:
Aquaphor for my lips/mouth
Luden's Wild Honey Throat Drops
A back/backrest pillow for relaxing & sleeping
Vitamin C
Q tips
Straws

Here is what I bought:
Nexcare paper tape
Polysporin
Chewable Vitamin C
Simply Saline nasal mist
Extra strength Acetaminophen (generic form of Tylenol)
Hydrogen peroxide
Arnica montana tablets
Bromelain
Saltine crackers

I also have books, movies, and Netflix ready for the recovery period. I may also be borrowing a humidifier. I have light foods to eat for the first couple of days where my stomach might be a little uneasy. I forgot to get an antibacterial soap, but I'll grab that when I pick up my prescriptions which are being filled.

Septorhinoplasty tomorrow at 10:30am. I will be getting there around 9:30am. I'm more than ready and so looking forward to my new, improved nose! Thank you all for your kindness & support; you guys are awesome :)

Hi everybody! I went into surgery a few minutes before 11:30, was feeling a little weird once the anethesiologist put stuff in my IV and then as soon as I knew it I was hearing people chatting and waking up in the recovery room with a sore throat that honestly was much better than I anticipated. I just say have to say, as a little side note, my surgeon, the nurses, and the entire staff at this office are all SO wonderful and kind. I love them! So anyhow, they had called my mom by this point because it was going to be a 3-5 hour surgery and we live about 20-30 mins. away. The surgery ended up taking 4 hours, and that includes both the septoplasty and the rhinoplasty. My mom came in, and then the nurse gave me some instructions to follow and a medication schedule that goes along with my meals which is so nice. The doctor also came in and talked to us.

Tomorrow AM, I go in to get my packing out and I'm sure I'll feel even better! Then I believe Friday I'll be going back to get my sutures out. Both days they're going to have me go in their side door which is really great so I don't have to feel weird with the drip pad and cast on my nose; I don't care so much about being seen in the cast but the drip bad makes it look a little scarier I think!

To be completely honest, I feel pretty great all things considering. I have NO nausea whatsoever and haven't thrown up at all. My anethesiologist had put 3 anti-nausea meds in my IV so I was hoping I really would be okay, and so far so good; I do have a prescription for anti-nausea if I do need it! I hate feeling the blood on my drip pad, that kinda freaks me out a little. I'm pretty good with blood but I've been changing it every 1/2 hour-40 mins. (what the doctor said we should expect) and that brings out the worrier in me! Lol. I know I can call if I'm really concerned but I know in my heart (perhaps this is the rational part of me) that this is TOTALLY normal. When I got home, I was helped up the stairs because I was still a little uneasy standing up, but now I'm walking around fine.

I had some ice cold water when I got home and then a couple frozen Go Gurts-- I highly recommend these for after surgery. They were soothing because they were soft and almost ice cold at the same time. I know I'll enjoy eating them over the next week too. I then had a glass of Snapple with lots of ice. I love Snapple and it tasted so good! At around 7, I knew I should take my meds soon, which require a meal, so my mom made some gnocchi (if you don't know what gnocchi are, they are these little small dumplings, very soft and the ones we have are filled with potato, check 'em out on Google and be sure try 'em, they're delish!) and I had just some butter and Asiago cheese on that. I took my antibiotic and anti-inflammatory along with Vitamin C and Arnica tablets. I haven't had to take the prescription pain medication, but when I was feeling a little pain a little after I got home, I took 2 extra strength Tylenol which seem to do the trick for me.

I'm very excited and can't believe the biggest part's over and that I'm actually recovering right now!!! Overall, the pain/discomfort/etc. has been probably half of what I expected. The packing isn't bothering me, and honestly I breathe with my mouth a lot so what do I expect. I was changing my drip pad and it was SO WEIRD seeing my nostril without the deviated septum. I'm excited not only for the cosmetic result (excited is an understatement) but the medical result as well! That's all for now but I will update tomorrow after packing removal or in afternoon :)

So, I went in at 10:30 this morning to get my packing out, and what a relief! I was feeling a lot of pressure from that and getting it out was uncomfortable but the way I am feeling now makes up for it. I just used some Simply Saline nasal mist to clean out my nostrils and that felt kinda nice! I cleaned my incision before bed last night and then when I was freshening up this morning. I didn't sleep amazing last night but did get some rest in. I used my backrest pillow and we just picked up a U shaped travel pillow which already on the car ride home felt so nice! I think now that the packing's out I will sleep better. I really would describe the recovery, so far, from my experience, as mostly just uncomfortable. I'm not saying it's a stroll and that it's all easy, breezy, and beautiful but my experience so far has not been nearly as bad as I built it up in my mind to be! I'm thinking of trying a bath tomorrow AM and then trying to wash my hair with my mom's help. As for washing my face, I used a cleansing/exfoliating wipe while getting ready this morning and felt nice and clean. I really don't want to risk moving my cast out of place so I think I'll just stick to those. My swelling so far isn't too bad, and I just have bruising on the bridge and in the corners of my eyes. My doctor said this morning that I will likely have bruising on my bridge where the hump was removed for some time, even after the cast comes off, but I'm totally fine with that. Nothing a little concealer can't cover up I'm sure. I'm hoping by Monday or Tuesday I'll be able to do my hair and makeup and just feel a little more 'me' again!

So I don't know how to count post op days, I'm thinking since my surgery was Wednesday that this is technically only my 2nd full day post-op.

I took a bath and my mom helped me wash my hair this morning which felt really good! I also slept A LOT better last night (only woke up a couple times) and yesterday even took two long naps. Having a U shaped pillow has helped so much; highly recommend!

I'm feeling pretty good today so far for only my second full day.. I don't feel completely myself yet as I'm still somewhat uncomfortable (really not too terrible though) but I'm hoping by Sunday I'll feel more normal. I do have to say that I think I expected this to be a bit easier of a recovery than it is (not saying it's a horrible recovery... it really isn't!), and I'm realizing I have to slow down and RELAX because I had surgery less than 48 hours ago. My body needs all the rest it can get, and I just want anyone having this surgery to know that it's okay to not feel 100%; we're not supposed to for these days immediately following rhinoplasty, or in my case (along with some others), septorhinoplasty. I may be contradicting myself because I know after surgery I wrote I expected this to be harder, and now I'm saying I expected it to be easier; really it just varies one day to the next and I think the first couple of days are usually the "worst" from what I've read so I'm sure over the weekend I'll be feeling better. I don't want to scare anyone though because it's not an insanely difficult recovery even on the "worst" days! I don't regret this at all because I already know it's going to be so, so worth it to have a nose that I'm not constantly worrying about :) Will update tomorrow

So I'm feeling a lot more like myself today thankfully... I slept 11 1/2 hours last night and only woke up once so I think that has a lot to do with it! Not much to update on other than that, which is fine with me. I have been getting my more normal appetite back and drinking a lot of fluids to help my body recover! My bruising is very, very minimal. Today it's just yellow in the corners and spread out toward my cheeks slightly and at the top of my bridge but even at its' peak it was never horrible. I'm really lucky when it comes to that! I'm still wearing my drip pad although I have gone short periods of time without it; I don't have any blood but just some discharge that I think is mostly from using the saline spray that loosens things up in my nose (sorry to be gross) which is actually a good thing (I think). I'm hoping tomorrow I won't need it anymore since I definitely look more normal without it.

Just a quick update saying that I feel probably 99% myself today! Such a nice feeling. Now I really can't wait to get this splint off! Stitches out Tuesday and then I'm not sure about the cast; I'm hoping either Tuesday or Wednesday. I would say the first couple of days are the roughest and then it gets better from there for sure. Overall I wouldn't consider this a painful recovery; I would describe it as uncomfortable & even that wasn't horrible. I'm already so glad I did this :)

So, day 5 has come and gone and I'm definitely feeling a lot better. However I'm realizing even though I'm feeling more normal I still need to take it easy because even doing little things here and there are more exhausting... after all my body just went through surgery five days ago. I mostly just feel like I have congestion now so pretty much I just feel like I have a bad cold. Only difference is I can't blow my nose which kinda stinks. I can't complain at all though because this really hasn't been bad! I can't wait to get everything cleaned out tomorrow when I go to get my stitches removed. I'm really hoping that I can get my cast off tomorrow instead of Wednesday or Thursday because I'm so ready!

So, I went in to get my stitches out today, and was told I would also be getting my cast off. I was hoping this would be the case because I couldn't wait to see my new nose. The stitches being removed didn't hurt too bad; felt more like little pinches and there weren't that many so it wasn't a long process. The cast removal wasn't painful at all, there was just some pressure but it was also kinda relieving in a way. A solution had been put on the cast and that loosened things right up which I think is what made it so painless. I was told it would be very swollen, and I think when I saw it for the first time it was a bit of a shock. You're so used to seeing the same nose on your face and in pictures for such a long time, and then you get this cast off after a week and have something else under there. The more I look at it and take pictures of it, though, the more I already love it. It's really natural and fits my face; I don't think someone would know (even at this point) unless I told them. I can't wait to see it heal and to see the swelling go down :) Very very happy with my decision and so excited for life with my new nose! I'm also SO happy that I chose Dr. Marotta; he is fantastic and his whole team is as well! Next week I go back and will learn how to massage my nose to help with swelling. Also, I always smile with teeth but my smile is still a little wonky from swelling so I'm hoping that returns to normal soon. Will probably update weekly from now on and then eventually monthly, but will keep on following others' stories!

I can't believe that a week ago I was less than 24 hours out from surgery. Today, it's been just over a week and I'm really loving what I'm seeing.

My nose from the front before was very narrow, and that was really the only angle I liked prior to surgery. My nose now is wider from the front (I think that usually has to happen when a hump is taken down (?)), which I fully knew going into surgery. I was a little worried about this but I really do still like it from the front! I'm pleasantly surprised. It's not overly wide or anything and fits my face, and now it's a more "normal" nose. I think I'll also be even happier when my smile fully returns because I'm always smiling with my teeth showing, so doing a closed smile is a very weird thing for me! As for the sides, I love my profile now. I HATED my big hump that I used to have so it's SO nice to not have that to constantly be self-conscious about anymore. Also, my tip was rotated slightly and fits the nose "just right", no piggy look whatsoever; it's a smaller detail, in my opinion, compared to the hump removal but it looks really good especially comparing it to old pictures of my profile where I can see it being downturned. I had a septoplasty as well and my nostrils are nice and even and I feel like I get so much air through them. I'm so grateful to my doctor because what he did is amazing. I now have a natural-looking nose that I like from all angles; it fits my face and I feel like I'm now an improved version of my old self. I know I still have a lot of swelling (I'm sure the heat wave we're having in my area right now isn't helping) but I'm already SO happy.

I am still sleeping elevated/on my back because it doesn't bother me much and I figure it can't hurt. I'm super gentle with my nose as it's still so new and in the very early stages of healing. My post-op instructions have me taking Vitamin C for 6 weeks after surgery, so I'm still doing that. I take a few Arnica tablets each day because I do have some slight yellowing on my bridge, but nothing noticeable. I also am still taking Bromelain. I will probably stop those two soon; I'm going to ask my doctor about that next week. I'm going through a lot of saline spray because I'm supposed to use it every 1-2 hrs. when awake (not sure if this is more for my septo than rhino?); it keeps everything moist and feels really good! I think I'll probably use this stuff for months (maybe even years) to come, because it really works.

Thank you all for your kind words and support; it means so much!

Just had to add another before/after because you can really see just how large my hump was in this shot. I was going through some old pictures where I really hated my nose. I am absolutely ecstatic that the huge hump is gone (still can't believe it!), and enjoying life with my new nose! I feel comfortable at any angle nowadays and it's a wonderful feeling. The swelling seems to have gone down since Wednesday for sure, and I know there's still more to go. Will update at the 2 week mark!

So today marks 2 weeks from surgery for me! I'm so, so happy with my new nose. My nose was always a big insecurity for me and not having that to worry about anymore is such a great feeling that I'm still getting used to. It's still kinda surreal, especially looking at before/afters. It's just so freeing to catch a glimpse of my nose and not see the huge hump and to go out and not care which angle people see me from because I now love my nose from any side! I even saw my profile in a picture the other day and actually LIKED it! I'm still seeing the swelling go down but I think it's gone down a decent amount already. My scar is so tiny and healing so well that you can barely see it. I'm a little stuffy at the moment but nothing bad at all; the saline rinse helps a lot. I go back to my surgeon on Friday and I'm going to be learning massages for my nose which should be interesting. Thank you all for reading my story and for your kind words!

Had an appointment this morning with my surgeon. I learned massages for my nose so I'm now doing those 3 times a day, alternating which hand I use. I also got a steroid injection in the tip of my nose to help with swelling. I go back in a month for another check-up. I have a little bump at the top of my bridge, so I asked my doctor if that's permanent or just swelling (honestly, didn't really mind either way because I love my new nose). I found out it's actually the bone healing so it will smooth out in time! I'm so happy with my results and couldn't have picked a better surgeon. Dr. Marotta & his staff are fantastic! Dr. Marotta is dual board certified (American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery & American Board of Head and Neck Surgery). He is kind, professional, and down-to-earth, not to mention excellent at what he does! I have had a great experience thanks to him and everyone on his team and would easily recommend him to family and friends. Will update weekly from here on out :)

I can't believe it's already been 3 weeks since my surgery. I almost feel like I've had this nose my whole life since it feels so natural (and I think looks natural too!). It's a bit of a process (a rewarding one, though) getting used to not worrying about your nose anymore when in public; now I just have to remind myself "okay... you have a normal nose now, you're fine!". I've been doing nasal massages since Friday and I'm still taking my vitamin C. I'm so so happy with my results. I never thought I'd be able to say that I love my nose, but now I do!

Today marks 4 weeks post-op and in a few days I'll be one month post-op!

I don't notice that much swelling overall but I guess that doesn't mean it's not there. I'm currently just waiting for the tiny bump where my nose was broken to smooth over, but I imagine that takes a bit longer since it's a bone healing; it's not very noticeable (I might even be the only one who really notices it!) so that doesn't bother me much at all.

I was worried going out for the first few times where I knew I would be seeing people I knew, and nobody said anything which I was at first happy about because then I knew it looked natural and I didn't have to worry about awkward questions/looks, but then I actually felt a little frustrated since it's such a HUGE difference to me and I almost wish somebody had said something! Lol. Very weird, I know, esp. because on one hand I was glad but then on the other a little mad.

I really am loving my new nose, and I did this for my happiness, not anybody else's. I do have to say again how great it feels to be 100% comfortable with my nose. I'm not constantly worrying about people seeing my nose; if anything, I want them to see it now! It has made such a difference!

Still so happy with my new nose :) I'm noticing less and less swelling, although I'm sure there's still some! Currently just waiting for the little bump where my bones were broken to heal, it's not big at all though so I don't really care all too much about it! My nose gets a little itchy sometimes inside around the scar and at the base of the nostrils but it's not constant and I'm not worried at all because it seems like everything's healing well. Sometimes I get a weird smell up there but usually my Neti Pot does the trick and cleans everything out perfectly (which was pretty nasty the first couple of times I used it!). My nose is also SO much less tender than when I first got the cast off and the weeks following, which I guess is to be expected. I'm still super careful with it of course though. I use a zinc oxide spf 30+ sunscreen on my face (but mostly my nose & scar) everyday now as I was advised to do so by my surgeon. Overall enjoying life with my new and improved nose and not worrying about my nose anymore- a wonderful feeling! I wish everybody about to get their rhinoplasty done & those recovering the best of luck; it's so worth it!

Loving my new nose & it really feels as if I've had it forever. Overall feel so much more confident in myself inside & out, and so much more comfortable in situations where I wouldn't have felt that way at all before surgery. I always felt like people were just looking at my nose and not really seeing beyond that; now that I don't have to worry about that, I feel like there's nothing holding me back. Went for a check-up with my plastic surgeon this past Thursday and everything looked good... I go back at the 6 month mark in November. I probably won't be doing much updating until then. I do still follow everyone's stories and wish all of you the best! This is such an amazing community.

Nothing new to report, just really enjoying life with my new nose. I don't even think about it anymore which is really nice. Good luck to all of you thinking about surgery, planning for surgery, having surgery soon, etc. and thank you to everyone who read my story and to those who commented with kind words!

So, I just passed my 7 month post-op mark... I still feel SO much more comfortable in my own skin. I can feel that I have more confidence in day-to-day things. I'm no longer afraid that people can't see past my nose. It may not be everyone's definition of "perfect," but noses aren't a one size fits all kinda thing. The important thing is that it fits me so well and looks natural. I love it! I'm so beyond grateful that I was able to have this done, because it's given me a new outlook! How you feel about yourself reflects in every part of your life.

In response to anyone who thinks that plastic surgery is a shallow/superficial/whatever you wanna call it thing to do: I realize that it may seem sad that this is the society we live in. But to me, if something like this can make such a huge difference in someone's life, then it's not a bad thing at all. It only becomes an issue, in my opinion, when people are getting revision after revision to try to achieve perfection, and when people start getting more than a "few" procedures done. There is absolutely an ethical component to what a plastic surgeon does... during my own consultation, my doctor even gave me somewhat of a psych assessment to make sure I was in this for the right reasons and had the right intentions (there are very real mental illnesses associated with body images). I changed one feature (very naturally thanks to my doctor) and I'm still totally recognizable; in fact, when I told one of my best friends, she said she hadn't even known! I showed her before/afters so she could see the difference. I'm still myself, and no I'm not getting anything else done, because I'm so happy with where I am! And yes, I was SO happy before (if you ask anyone, they'll tell you how bubbly I am and have always been!)... I'm very blessed... but this has just been such a wonderful thing for me!

So, I've officially passed my 1 year mark. I had my surgery on May 22, 2013 and it is now June 10th, 2014. I can't believe how fast this past year has gone. I still love my nose and couldn't be happier with my decision. The new confidence I have discovered within myself because of this surgery truly makes it all worth it. I had 18 wonderful years with my old nose, but I'm looking forward to the rest of my life with a nose that I love!

I wish everyone going through this process (and those considering it) all the best. Thank you to those who have followed my story; I really do appreciate the love & support that the RealSelf community showed to me... you all made my experience that much better!

:)