24 & Ready! - Newport Beach, CA

Loving my new nose! I've beeen sooo busy will try to do an update soon it will be 2 months on the 16th of August. I'm so happy with it i hardly think about it. It feels good there is still some swelling in the tip and its pretty hard but other than that and acne. It's good! :)

Hello Ladies,

So the last couple of days after surgery I was feeling very weak and weird I had an appt. with Dr. Elam last Friday but I didn't end up going because I felt so sick. I think it was the pills that were messing with me. So I stopped taking them. I ended up getting the flu 2 days after that and was very very sick. I had my appointment to get my cast off on Tuesday and Monday night I wasn't sure if I was even going to make it.

Tuesday Morning- Cast Removal-
I woke up and felt alright still very weak but I wanted my cast off and stitches out I was over them and throwing up the whole day before my nose was soreee.
I wasn't to excited at this point I didn't even care what my nose looked like I just felt so shitty I wanted to get it over with and go home.
So my boyfriend and I get to the Dr. Elams and we waited probably 30 minutes I was so getting so anxious and was sweating my butt off. I finally get called back and Dr. Elam gets straight to taking the stitches out which hurt but only for a quick minute and then the cast came off and was just a quick pain as well. Dr. Elam then put a q-tip or something like it in my nose to clean it out he was doing it so softly but it hurt so badly it felt like he was jabbing it in there its just very sensitive.

Then the big moment me to look in the mirror the Dr. , Nurse, and my bf were all very excited I was just ready to go home I looked for a second from the front and the side put the mirror down and gave Dr. Elam a hug and thanked him. I was sweating so bad the Nurse then went over how to wash my face and nose exercises that I needed to do I made another appointment for the next Monday and then left.

I took one picture of the side and sent it to my mom. Then went home and was in bed for 3 days I would look at my nose for a second in the mirror if I had to go to the bathroom but that was it.

I'm now mobile and able to do things. I feel a lot better, I've been able to look at my nose a little more now and I like it the bump in the side is definitely gone the front still looks the same to me I like it way better than my old nose but I do hope that when the swelling goes down that it will have more of a slope in the side and that the front will look smaller. The tip feels the most numb/swollen so i'm hoping that it goes down some. I'm pretty happy and hope that with time it gets better and I just get happier with it :)

Since I've been sick not many have seen it but these people have.
My boyfriend likes it and thinks it looks good he can't get over that people can just get surgery and change their nose lol.
My Mom thinks it looks good before and after lol. of course.
My Dad I see everyday hasn't said one thing about it
My Sister thinks it looks the same
My Niece thinks it looks the same as well

So so far very positive feedback lol not.

For people who have had rhinoplasty:

-How long did it take for your nose swelling to go down?

-From the day you got your cast off till when did it take for you to notice your nose was starting to look different and get smaller or change shape?

-MY nose is have hard blood boogers in them eww I know I've tried hot showers, gently blowing, putting my head over a boil of hottt water with a towel over my head nothing has worked yet ughhhh what can I do?

Some pictures!!

Hello Everyone!

Okay lets start the night before surgery I was very anxious and nervous I couldn't believe that I was going to get my surgery so soon I was having normal thoughts like "is this right" "should I be doing this" etc etc etc. I didn't sleep much and my boyfriend kept coughing directly on me all night ughhh soo annoying. I took half of a Valium to help me sleep I only took half because i've never taken one before and didn't know how it was going to affect me. It didn't work I should have taken a whole one. Before I knew it I was up and getting dressed for my surgery I wore a button up pj shirt, yoga pants super thick socks and slippers. I was told to be at the doctors at 630 am and not any earlier because I would be waiting so my boyfriend and I met my mom there (we stayed in a hotel by the hospital and my mom drove from home).

I was really nervous but tried to not let it get to me I signed in and me and my bf went back and went over some paper work about my pills and how when to take what. I then had to take my shirt off and put a gown on. Dr. Elam came in for a minute and said "that's a big bump we have to break" lol great. I was then going back in to the OR all within 15 minutes of checking in I laid on the bed/table whatever its called and I kept my eyes closed from the minute I laid down they put the IV in and talked to me a little bit and before I knew it I was waking up in recovery with a wash cloth or something cool over my eyes. I had the nurse sitting beside me I couldn't see anything but she was asking how I was doing and sat with me till I was ready to leave. I don't remember getting in the wheel chair but I do remember my bf pulling the car up to the door and me giving him the thumbs up.

My throat didn't hurt and I didn't get juice and crackers that I recall. We went back to the hotel and I relaxed and slept on and off with little pain I could feel the packing in my nose when ever I ate crackers or took a drink. By night time I was ready to rip the packing out it was so irritating and breathing through my mouth no bueno. I could also feel my nose and how swollen it was which was uncomfortable but I wouldn't say so much painful. My bf put lots of arnica gel on my eyes all since we got to the hotel and I iced one eye at time as much as I could.I took a Norco pill every 4 hrs and a Valium before bed. But was up on and off. By 7 this morning I was done with the packing thank God I had a dr. appt at 1030 to get it out!

Got to the Dr. and the anesthesiologist had taken my gauze off which I didn't change once because I didn't bleed out. But the packing in my nose I could hear blood gushing in it the day before yuck. So he took the gauze off and cut my stitches a little and pulled the packing out it wasn't as painful as I though just like a quick band aid being pulled off. I still feel like some is in my left nostril but I think i'm just tripping. Then Dr. Elam came in looked and it and said "Wow you don't have really any bruising and I took the hammer to that thing pretty hard" ha he's pretty funny.

I was ready to go home I had an 1 and a half drive and it seemed like forever and where I live was a
101 degrees today and I don't have air conditioning so ya I was dying. I slept a little bit and watched some tv with my bf then went to my parents cooolldd house with air till it cooled down a little so I could open my windows and put the fan in. I haven't had much pain today I'm on top of my pain meds and just chilling. It's kinda of like when your sick and you think your fine to get up and do stuff but once you do you think "nope not yet I need to lay back down" ya that's how i've been and I've had a slight headache and my nose drips very little and not often.

I've eaten crackers and applesauce and some 7 up and water and I had some bread for breakfast.

I still can't believe I did it. It still doesn't seem real!

Now i'm bored and want to get out and do stuff I can't wait to get my cast off and it's only day one of recovery lol. Patience patience patience.

Here are some pictures so far. I'll update again soon. I have another appt. on Friday at 11 am.