Never Thought I'd Be Looking for Revision After a Primary.... – Northern California

Well, I have an unfortunate experience documented over in the rhinoplasty category, so now I need to start gearing up for a revision. I am about 5 months out, so I can start getting a little more active with consults and planning. I will have to wait close to a year from original surgery and I plan to use the next few months very wisely with looking for someone to fix my nose. My nose always had a somewhat wide bump, and then I broke it and thought it was perfectly reasonable to get it fixed.

A summary of my issues- 1. A collapsed side that I had prior to surgery was not addressed in the surgery, and being my nasal bone on that side was narrowed in, this placed emphasis on the collapse. My deviated septum on that side was just about the only thing fixed, and with the new found airflow, it sucks that nostril in upon inspiration. 2. A residual bony hump. It does not even resemble the hump I had to begin with. It creates quite a weird angle and combined with the rest of my nose, just causes me to look strange. 3. The side opposite of my original collapse, the bone was moved too far in and crates a harsh line running the entire length of my nose. This caused a collapse on that side, as well. I had not had my nasal tip or nostrils fooled with, yet it looks very different than it's original appearance and is weak and collapsing in.

All of this has caused quite a bit of mental anguish. I have ok days and then very rough days. I do not feel like "myself" and cannot act like "myself". I do not identify with this new nose and I am really terrified at the thought of going in to fix this and come out with it possibly looking worse. I never ever thought I would find myself in this situation. I went to a double board certified ENT/ Facial cosmetic surgeon based on the recommendation of a family friend who looks great after her surgery with him. I reckon she just had a bump shaved down; my nose was broken for surgery and I question if there was ever really a need.

Anyway, I encourage anyone in Northern California especially who has had a revision they are happy with to please come forward and introduce yourself, and maybe I can gain some hope. I am saddened and distressed beyond belief and I could really use anyone's insight right now about going through this. It can be really lonely trying to handle it all. The hardest part is choosing the next surgeon. I truly do not know who to trust and am scared when I find docs that seem too good to be true, yet many reviews have no photos or just seem generic. The price I put is a general quote and basic starting fee for revision for many doctors in my area.

The only consult I have been on, ear cartilage was recommended to re-structure my nose. However, upon researching, I am hearing such mixed things about this material. My main concerns are hearing it reabsorbs, collapses all over again eventually, warps, can look good at first and then look like a mess ten years down the road. Apart from a scenario I imagine where the bandages come off and my nose looks worse from the get-go, an even more disappointing experience would be to have it look great and I feel like I can move on with my life, only to have it look horrible all over again down the road. That would destroy me. I now am feeling like even if I get a great result, I will never be able to relax or have my nose anxiety relieved because I will just be waiting for it to look ruined again. This is a really horrible feeling right now :(