Reviews you can trust, from real people like you.
How it works
- Our highly-trained Review Moderation team evaluates all reviews before they're published to ensure they're written by people like you and not a member of a doctor's office.
- This multi-step process takes up to 24 hours from review submission to publication.
- Doctors can't pay to have reviews removed or hidden.
- Reviews are only removed at the reviewer's request or if they violate our Terms of Service.
If you have questions or believe we should re-evaluate a published review, let us know.
Sort by:
*Treatment results may vary
So happy to say...
I had such wonderful follow ups and communication with the team after being able to use this platform to express the things I'd been hesitant to.
My revision is rapidly approaching and I genuinely am so looking forward to it! I feel like we have a thorough understanding of what we both see and want to see.
Soooo excited! I feel like VIP.
Not many places are able to go through so many high level changes and keep the patient experience streamlets.
Did I mention how excited I am? :-D
My revision is rapidly approaching and I genuinely am so looking forward to it! I feel like we have a thorough understanding of what we both see and want to see.
Soooo excited! I feel like VIP.
Not many places are able to go through so many high level changes and keep the patient experience streamlets.
Did I mention how excited I am? :-D
Just had a follow up visit and ...
Dr. Sand understood my concerns and addressed them right away. He didn't just ask about the medical portion of things, he sat down and really wanted to know my feelings overall as a patient and what could have been done better or differently. He listened to what I had to say and made some notes. The sincerity of his concern for my discomfort of approaching the clinic wasn't something you get anywhere on a regular basis. I think as consumers we get used to living in a culture where we sometimes gag ourselves so as not to have to face the typical responses given or people that we perceive certain ways. I will own that played a part in my not going back and directly facing this head-on.
I want to make it absolutely clear that he is a wonderful and kind person that is very talented and cares a great deal (even more than I knew) about what he does. He takes great pride in his craft which automatically means it's personal. He himself never made me feel uncomfortable or a burden at any point in this journey. I wouldn't have trusted him to work on me if we hadn't had the dialogue we did during visit one, or if his history didn't speak for itself. Take a moment and look him up, you'll be surprised. The gal at the front desk is absolutely one of the sweetest and most gentle, yet professional people that could greet you. She knows what she's doing in the system and is just so nice.
So - at this time, he and I are starting with some steroid injections to softly assist the healing process and if this approach doesn't do the trick, we will revisit the options. I think that the least invasive approach is always great. I feel relieved to know that the main structural concerns I had weren't from anything I had done nor were they some one-off oddity, just the feeling of such different cartilage tripping up my senses. He isn't sure why the rib is still tender but I can say that because we all heal and move in our own ways, I probably am just taking a bit longer than some others.
I am happy that I had time with him today and am looking forward.
I want to make it absolutely clear that he is a wonderful and kind person that is very talented and cares a great deal (even more than I knew) about what he does. He takes great pride in his craft which automatically means it's personal. He himself never made me feel uncomfortable or a burden at any point in this journey. I wouldn't have trusted him to work on me if we hadn't had the dialogue we did during visit one, or if his history didn't speak for itself. Take a moment and look him up, you'll be surprised. The gal at the front desk is absolutely one of the sweetest and most gentle, yet professional people that could greet you. She knows what she's doing in the system and is just so nice.
So - at this time, he and I are starting with some steroid injections to softly assist the healing process and if this approach doesn't do the trick, we will revisit the options. I think that the least invasive approach is always great. I feel relieved to know that the main structural concerns I had weren't from anything I had done nor were they some one-off oddity, just the feeling of such different cartilage tripping up my senses. He isn't sure why the rib is still tender but I can say that because we all heal and move in our own ways, I probably am just taking a bit longer than some others.
I am happy that I had time with him today and am looking forward.
Needed to Breathe.
I want to make sure that I am clear on two things:
1) He was a kind and attentive physician during my initial encounter, surgery, and follow up visit.
2) I have PTSD and because this wasn't aesthetic, my government insurance covered my procedure cost.
*I have posted a number of photos in the question section*
I went in liking my nose other than that I couldn't breathe. An ENT in the same building had attempted to resolve the issue with a closed outpatient procedure. It didn't help my breathing at all and the difficulty seemed to switch nostrils, oddly enough.
I waited over two years and spoke with my primary provider and he thought it merited pursuing and referred me to the center. I was so floored when I discovered I was going to be having a facial plastics specialist that was not just an ENT working on me. I felt confident and informed going in and very blessed.
I had a realistic expectation that my nose would be slightly more wide at a certain spot and felt that was worth being able to breathe. The Dr. told me in the room before my surgery that he may have to take some of my rib if he needed cartilage. I understood that and if you need it, you need it. Cartilage was taken and all of this sounded reasonable.
After my surgery my breathing was like a wind tunnel. It was so lovely to feel that - it had been so long! I had minimal bruising, no casts or plasters, and my gel stints were removed a little less than a week later. My breathing was still good. My nose was pretty big and the shape change was drastic, but I knew it would go down eventually and I'd be almost back to normal. I had one follow up visit shortly after my stints were removed and that was all I was told I needed. That was mid October 2018.
It's now nearing the beginning of August 2019 and my nose has continued to change in shape, but not so much in size. (The swelling has gone down of course.) My nose has developed a flat ridge in one area and a point in another. I have a piece of cartilage that sticks out inside of my right nostril and in general the tip of my nose, and my nose itself are large, feel heavy, and look droopy.
The breathing isn't as good as it was and the interior walls feel as if they get stuck to one another and I will have to wiggle, sometimes holding it in place with my finger, in order to sort of "pop" them back open. I'm not sure how to explain it other than that, it sort of reminds me of the chiropractor or knuckles. I have also experienced times where I sneeze or some other movement happens and the center of the tip will jump to the other side of center. I wiggle it back and it goes to it's place. The scar under my breast where the rib was grafted isn't a light one and my rib is still tender if I am stretched out certain ways.
I had been waiting because I was told I didn't need another follow up unless something was way off, the swelling would go down, and it would take a year. I feel silly now. I posted here to see if other physicians at least externally saw what I did...and they do. They obviously can't feel how I do when it gets "stuck" or it shifts, but I know that at the very least I can confirm the visual portion looks odd and needs revision.
I scheduled an appointment with my original surgeon and will be seen in August. I am beyond fearful that because I am disabled, my insurance will not cover an additional surgery/revision to address all of my concerns and I am facing the fact that in order to fix this, I might wipe out any and all of my savings. I can't live with the way it feels, and the visual of it obviously will knock your confidence down pretty low.
If I had a choice between clear breathing and having never touched my nose, I would choose the latter. This is uncomfortable, odd feeling, and my nose looks like someone drew two different profiles and then set them on my face.
I guess I would not recommend this surgery and I can't say if it was just me or if my type of insurance was a factor.
I'll post a follow up with where this journey ends up taking me. I'm just so bummed.
1) He was a kind and attentive physician during my initial encounter, surgery, and follow up visit.
2) I have PTSD and because this wasn't aesthetic, my government insurance covered my procedure cost.
*I have posted a number of photos in the question section*
I went in liking my nose other than that I couldn't breathe. An ENT in the same building had attempted to resolve the issue with a closed outpatient procedure. It didn't help my breathing at all and the difficulty seemed to switch nostrils, oddly enough.
I waited over two years and spoke with my primary provider and he thought it merited pursuing and referred me to the center. I was so floored when I discovered I was going to be having a facial plastics specialist that was not just an ENT working on me. I felt confident and informed going in and very blessed.
I had a realistic expectation that my nose would be slightly more wide at a certain spot and felt that was worth being able to breathe. The Dr. told me in the room before my surgery that he may have to take some of my rib if he needed cartilage. I understood that and if you need it, you need it. Cartilage was taken and all of this sounded reasonable.
After my surgery my breathing was like a wind tunnel. It was so lovely to feel that - it had been so long! I had minimal bruising, no casts or plasters, and my gel stints were removed a little less than a week later. My breathing was still good. My nose was pretty big and the shape change was drastic, but I knew it would go down eventually and I'd be almost back to normal. I had one follow up visit shortly after my stints were removed and that was all I was told I needed. That was mid October 2018.
It's now nearing the beginning of August 2019 and my nose has continued to change in shape, but not so much in size. (The swelling has gone down of course.) My nose has developed a flat ridge in one area and a point in another. I have a piece of cartilage that sticks out inside of my right nostril and in general the tip of my nose, and my nose itself are large, feel heavy, and look droopy.
The breathing isn't as good as it was and the interior walls feel as if they get stuck to one another and I will have to wiggle, sometimes holding it in place with my finger, in order to sort of "pop" them back open. I'm not sure how to explain it other than that, it sort of reminds me of the chiropractor or knuckles. I have also experienced times where I sneeze or some other movement happens and the center of the tip will jump to the other side of center. I wiggle it back and it goes to it's place. The scar under my breast where the rib was grafted isn't a light one and my rib is still tender if I am stretched out certain ways.
I had been waiting because I was told I didn't need another follow up unless something was way off, the swelling would go down, and it would take a year. I feel silly now. I posted here to see if other physicians at least externally saw what I did...and they do. They obviously can't feel how I do when it gets "stuck" or it shifts, but I know that at the very least I can confirm the visual portion looks odd and needs revision.
I scheduled an appointment with my original surgeon and will be seen in August. I am beyond fearful that because I am disabled, my insurance will not cover an additional surgery/revision to address all of my concerns and I am facing the fact that in order to fix this, I might wipe out any and all of my savings. I can't live with the way it feels, and the visual of it obviously will knock your confidence down pretty low.
If I had a choice between clear breathing and having never touched my nose, I would choose the latter. This is uncomfortable, odd feeling, and my nose looks like someone drew two different profiles and then set them on my face.
I guess I would not recommend this surgery and I can't say if it was just me or if my type of insurance was a factor.
I'll post a follow up with where this journey ends up taking me. I'm just so bummed.
Provider Review
