Revision Septo/RhinoPlasty Post Five Breakages - Princeton, NJ

Background to Needing Surgery & Researching a Surgeon:
I’ve been a long time patient of Dr. Chetan Shah at Princeton Eye & Ear. I’ve been seeing him for general ENT issues since I was 17 years old due to chronic issues. He suggested that I see his partner (Dr. Samir Undavia) in regards to the following issues:
• Septal Perforation
• Septal Deviation Repair
• Swollen Turbinates
• Severely Blocked Maxillary Sinuses
I broke my nose four times earlier in life and had a septo/rhinoplasty to fix the issues back in 1999 and the previous doctor didn’t really do a good job. I wasn’t able to breathe like I imagined I would have, and the doctor actually created a physical deformity during the procedure. I was very weary in having the procedure done again as the breathing was only marginally improved, and I was untrusting of any doctor to fix the physical deformity created and going through the process one more time.
Unfortunately, I broke my nose one more time and this time a perforation in my septum was detected. I spoke to Dr. Chetan Shah about this several times over the next four to five years about how he believed I needed this to be fixed. Although, I trust Dr. Shah’s advice I was really nervous about having to go through the process again until I was told that my sinuses were 80% blocked, and that was causing me to potentially have sleep apnea type issues. Again, Dr. Shah insisted I see Dr. Undavia; yet I decided that I would search around and talk to other surgeons first.
I first went to see a personal college friend of mine that is a board certified plastic surgeon. He looked at my nose and was confident he could fix the septal deviation but upon seeing the perforation, he immediately and emphatically stated that he would not be able to complete the repair. His recommendation to me was that I only see Dr. Kridell in Houston, TX; as he was the one who ‘authored the book’ on septal perforation repairs OR to see someone who completed their training under the tutelage of Dr. Kridell. I still decided to visit a couple of surgeons in the MD/D.C. area as this is where I currently reside, and after two more consults I decided to come back full-circle to Dr. Undavia, as he was the only surgeon I could find that fit this criteria.

Consult, Pre-Op, Surgery, and Post Op with Dr. Undavia:
My first visit with Dr. Undavia put me at ease immediately. He was very friendly and understanding of my issues and concerns. He reviewed my medical ENT history and then completed his assessment of my nose. I had asked him the following questions and he was happy to answer them to my satisfaction without rushing me to his next appointment:
• How many septal perforations have you completed?
• How many Rhinoplasty procedures have you completed?
• How often do you do septal perforations?
• How often is the perforation repair successful?
• What methods are possible to fix the physical deformity created by the last surgery?
• Will it look like I had a nose job? (I actually asked if my nose would look like Michael Jackson’s, when I am done, but he understood what I was asking).
The next step was the pre-op visit in which Dr. Undavia reviewed my medical history to make sure there wouldn’t be any complications with anesthesia. He also took pictures of my nose and put them into his software that replicates what your nose will realistically look like post-surgery. This was VERY reassuring as the other two surgeons including my friend didn’t have this type of software.
The initial consult, the pre-op, and the surgery all happened in a matter of three weeks, which to me is a stunning turn-around, especially over the holiday time period. I mentioned to Dr. Undavia that I had already met all of my insurance deductibles for the year so he would be doing me a huge favor if he could fit me in before the year ended. He responded with that his schedule was jammed but he would do his very best to make it happen and he was able to do so.
The actual surgery went as expected and I saw Dr. Undavia every week for the first three weeks post-op. During every visit he asked me how I was feeling and asked if there was anything he could do to make me feel more comfortable. I was a little apprehensive about asking for more pain-killers even though I felt I really needed them and he assured me that it wasn’t an issue.
After three weeks, I needed to head back to the MD/D.C. area (I was staying with my folks in PA); Dr. Undavia gave me his cell phone number in case I needed to get in touch with him (since I would be far away), and accommodated my schedule for the remaining follow-up visits, since I would need to come back to NJ. Also, I want to note he gave me his email address as well and responded to several emails I had sent about some minor concerns within a 24 hour period. This is the first time I’ve ever had a doctor provide this type of access.

Final Recommendation:
Having gone through this procedure twice, I would highly recommend using Dr. Undavia and would be very confident that you would only have to go through the process once. My breathing is already 100% better then what it was before as I was completely blocked on my left side. I feel that part of it was due to the prior procedure not being done well, and the fact that I did break my nose again after the first procedure. I also am very happy with how he fixed the physical deformity and like the way my nose looks now. Dr. Undavia makes you feel like you are an old friend, shows a genuine interest in your understanding, concerns, and well-being, and most importantly he did a great job in fixing my nose.