After a horrible consultation/blood draw experience in Florida, I moved to Oregon & decided to wait to revisit my decision with (what I was expecting to be) better care. I had my consultation last week & could not be happier that I decided to wait. The cost has doubled but the comfort I felt with dr makes it worth it. My FL dr didn't do any of the things this one did & ive never felt so comfortable with any medical physician so I'm definitely going to proceed with the surgery here. Just waiting to close on my house in FL so I can pay this thing off & get it over with. The procedure will take place in a hospital so that makes me feel more secure as well. Excited & terrified, just anxious for the house to close this week.
Rhinoplasty - FL vs. OR
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grnamber
- Not Sure
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Cost:
$7,600 - Mark Petroff, MD, Portland, OR
After a horrible consultation/blood draw...
I almost went through with a procedure in Boca...
I almost went through with a procedure in Boca Raton, FL but had a horrible pre-op experience so decided to take the hit on the deposit and bailed right before the surgery. After having had such a negative experience in FL, I was hopeful Oregon would have a much more positive experience, I decided to wait and find a new Dr once I moved over. I met with an impressive Dr at the OHSU facility, but between the expensive price tag and more importantly the lack of availability in the near future, I shopped around some more. Consultations are difficult because you have to discuss your insecurities to a bunch of people who add to the list, so I was definitely eager to find someone else I was comfortable with. I've found and decided on this Dr in Lake Oswego. Everything is a go so I just have to finish getting my supplies and prescriptions and wait until the procedure. This is the first dr who doesn't do general anesthesia so I have some additional anxiety though the recovery benefits make it seem worthwhile. I'm just ready to go through with this so I'm trying not to fixate on the details and stress. I will say that a lot of my resources have come from researching online and through real self, but one thing I haven't read that I suggest is that I found a free app for taking the medicine. I'm certain I won't be lucid for awhile and I have a horrible memory anyways so I'm sure it will come in handy.
Ohysician recommended supplements
Dr. Petroff's office highly suggests this $110 vitamin type regimen before & after surgery. I'm usually skeptical of this stuff but figured the extra vitamins could only benefit so I'll start taking them tomorrow. Since there's 4 different things to deal with, plus the antibiotics & other meds, I downloaded the medicine app called 'Medisafe' to alert me when to take everything since I'm bad at tracking that & will be worse when I'm out of sorts from the procedure. Not sure if these vitamins will help or not & won't really have a comparison to confirm, but just pointing out that this Dr suggests them
General anesthesia vs twilight
This was the first dr who suggested using the twilight method over the general, which has its benefits but is a little scary as well. I don't have to deal with the nausea or breathing tube after effects & the dr doesn't have to work around that obstacle while performing surgery, but apparently there's more awareness involved which seems terrifying. I researched it some & apparently Drs don't entirely say one is substantially better over the other which is reassuring but nonetheless I'll be anxious. They said it was similar to the colonoscopy I had to which I had no recollection of so that relaxes me some but I'm just worried about the awareness of an IV let alone everything else...
T-minus 2 days!
Reality is setting in. I did my blood work last week and was pleasantly surprised that I didn't have a bad reaction like the first go around. I was anticipating the same latent anxiety (or whatever it was) to consume my body but alas, nothing bad happened! Makes me hopeful that the surgery, especially the IV part (since I'll be aware of that) should be okay too! Everyone talks about this procedure so nonchalantly like I should have no worries, just discomfort, so I'm staying on that positive note. I've gone through some craziness so it can't be any worse. Just have the rest of today & tomorrow with the nose I've spent my whole life with, bullied & all, until thurs morning. I'm like 50% chill, 35% excited & 15% worried. We shall see!
Surgery day!
Met with the anesthesiologist prior to, dressed as comfy as possible, sans makeup (on a heavy break out day). Took a few pills she offered for nausea & relaxation, then followed her to change & wash my face for surgery. She was super friendly and made me feel really comfortable. While on the table, they made sure j was warm (the gowns get hot air in them!) and the IV went in okay despite my anxiety over it. I could hear what was going on under the twilight anesthesia but felt nothing at all, it was interesting. Took just a little bit of time to feel enough after the surgery to head home. Overall not a bad experience and my immediate amount of pain on the scale was hardly a 1. I've been home for about 5 hrs now, trying to sleep/ice & im up to 1.5 maybe. Just awkward really. Had to change the dressings twice so far and I'm going to try to eating so I can take some of my meds. And the dr got me flowers! Makes my bedside so bright & cheerful to look at!
Day 2
Had my morning after follow-up, they showed me how to clean it & made sure everything looked good & sent me home to rest. I've been icing & the medicine app has kept me on track for even my cleanings. Haven't really been focusing on what the difference is, just on recoup (which has been going great, getting a little sore now) but decided to do a side by side anyways
Day 3
Last night was not pleasant, same lack of breathing & dry mouth but my shoulder also felt broken in the middle of the night. My body definitely dislikes being on my back for the whole duration. I also have been sneezing a lot which you're supposed to try to do out of your mouth but among other random normal functions, it's uncomfortable. The swelling & bruising came on late yesterday & this morning. Pain scale went up to a 4 last night but it's down to a 3. This really isn't too unbearable, just super uncomfortable like everyone says
Day 4/5
Still feeling congested & uncomfortable. Want to wash my face. Want a full nights sleep. Still trying to sleep on my back but either my shoulder is in excruciating pain waking me up or breathing/dry mouth. Pain isn't terrible though, 2-3 on the scale. Hopefully I can do some studying tomorrow, my head hasn't felt well enough yet. Remembered pineapples are good for bruising so I stocked up on that & other fruit to make smoothies. Excited that I have 2 more days to get through then cast removal!! Wishing my hair werent crazy looking throughout this process but can't get it fixed until after so sorry & also for my complexion, I suggest surgery in the winter for sure. Loving all the extra cuddle time with the pups though!
Splint removal reveal!
Yesterday I felt pretty normal, nose finally stopped leaking & I was finally pretty comfortable. Went to my appt this morning to remove the splint which was kind of painful as well as the stitches removal which were 'pinchy' but both were tolerable. Finally looked at the new nose & im so excited, it's exactly what I wanted! It's smaller than my old nose & it's even still swollen! Can't wait to see future progress but I'm definitely satisfied!
2 wks post-op
Had a check up with the dr at my 2 week post-op point. He was very pleased with the difference and the fact that I dyed my hair and looked completely different made it more apparent, the receptionist didn't think it was me. My nose felt really normal considering, still hard, swollen, & numb but overall a significant improvement from surgery. I'm writing this 4 day after the appt and my nose pretty much feels the same still. The inside seems swollen too but I'm very happy with the result and I'm patiently waiting for the feeling to regain
Has experience, is a facial surgeon, has a generally pleasant demeanor
