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POSTED UNDER Rhinoplasty Reviews

It's all over and i'm leaving Real Self

UPDATED FROM Matilda24

bad news

Matilda24
The very next day after i last updated my review, we got a bill for £67,000. Before we were in about £10,000+ of debt but we made a plan together to get through it and travel to Texas to get my nose fixed. I always said that i wouldn't pay so much money travelling back and forth to the States (a place we've ALWAYS wanted to go) and spend Lord knows how much on surgery unless we were financially stable enough that we wouldn't be left poor and back in debt afterwards. Then this happened.

£67,000 on top of what we're already paying out is just ridiculous and there's no way we can manage it. We booked an appointment with a debt specialist and thought he would just tell us that we could go bankrupt. That way our debts would be wiped out after a year and we could start again.

But thanks to D*ckhead Cameron, the Prime Minister that nobody elected, bankruptcy is just not what it used to be and we would end up worse off. Now we can either go the IVA route which will take 5 years to get through and will see us and my precious little girl hungry and only with the clothes on our backs, or we can make the mortgage (oh yeah, this was all cos of a mortgage we were kind of tricked into) company an offer of at least £5000 upfront and hope that they will accept it. Then of course we have to figure out how on earth to come up with that amount of money in such a short amount of time.

We have a month to decide what we're going to do, either way a rhinoplasty is out of the question for the foreseeable future...

I won't be on Real Self much cos of course it's heartbreaking. When there was a light at the end of the tunnel, your stories were soooooooo inspiring, but now i can't stand to look. I have been putting on a brave face, positive of what might have come out of this meeting today, but it has all fallen through and i'm devastated (as well as feeling incredibly bloody stupid for getting so excited).

I will never forget all the support i have received here though, you are all such beautiful people and -however dramatic and silly this sounds- you have all restored my faith in humanity with your kindness and support. I can't thank you all enough, you are wonderful people.

Maybe one day i will be back and have my consultation booked, but who knows. I'm just taking it as it comes now and trying not to get emotional and whatever, so...

My writing has even fallen through (and i LOVED it!!) cos i'm just not in the right frame of mind to carry on.

Good luck with all of your surgeries and recoveries and thank you all again. Bah-bye! :*

Replies (2)

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October 13, 2013
I hope that one day you will come back with a story of success. I know how hard life can be. I have had the worst year I can imagine so I hope things get better for you.
October 16, 2013
Thank you, that means a lot. On the bright side though, you're looking great!
October 17, 2013
I'm just checking on you. Wondering how you're doing. Sending love and the magic to change your circumstances for the better!
UPDATED FROM Matilda24

Moving forward!!!

Matilda24
So the past week or so something has happened to me. Slowly over the years i have been coming to terms with everything that's happened, having to fix what somebody else did to me, yadda yadda yadda. But more recently i seem to be getting my backside into gear. My fiance Craig and i have FINALLY decided to quit smoking. We figured out how much we were spending on our habit and realized we could be saving £370 a month! I tried to convert this into dollars for you but i'm having a stupid day and couldn't figure it out. On top of that, he's changing shifts at work which means he'll be getting paid more to work less! That's an extra £320 a month! I'm so excited i can barely contain myself!

Craig and i are writers (i guess) and he's doing movie work after dilly-dallying for like ever. I am finally turning my life into a book and i know that sounds really lame -cos it is- but i'm kind of making it into a comedy. It makes me laugh! But i'm glad i can finally laugh about my life instead of getting angry at feeling like a victim.

We've found some cheap flights over to the US for when we can book a consultation, so that's also good. I have my heart set on seeing Dr Cochran in Dallas for my surgery cos every review of him that i have read has been fantastic and every last photo of their new noses are PERFECT!

It's still going to be a while before anything happens, we have a fair bit of debt from when Craig was like 21 (he's 34 now) to pay off, but after that we're on our way! At least now we have a plan and we're being sensible, there is finally a light at the end of this tunnel!

I know i do this every update and it's probably getting old, but i do really want to thank everyone again for being so incredibly kind and supportive. It's nice that you're all putting a positive and encouraging spin on things instead of pitying me cos it's helping me stay positive and strong. In particular, thank you AriaD'Fontaine for knowing exactly how i feel without me even knowing myself.

I will of course keep you all updated, but i'm thinking when i actually book my first consultation i will write a separate review. I will get permission first of course, but in the build up to my surgery i don't want any negativity in that review, i want to keep it all positive like with everyone's comments below. I just think that this review so far has a lot of negativity in it (things i've written) and while i don't mind you all knowing that side of my life, i'd prefer to keep it separate from all my excitement.

Good luck everyone with your surgeries, happy recovery! :*

Replies (3)

July 24, 2013
Woo hoo! I'm so excited for you, Matilda! I've got tears in my eyes! I just KNEW some forward movement was coming for you! Such an advantage, the purchasing power of the £ here in the States, although, it seems the surgeons in the UK charge about 20% less if you're looking at straight numbers. I smoked for 7 years, and in quitting, I adopted the philosophy, "Never quit quitting." That means, if you relapse, quit again. I also programmed myself to get sick with a cold when I smoked, so I had to quit if I did relapse. I clearly remember the day that I gave in to a craving, took a drag, and felt distinctly that this wasn't what I wanted. I put it out instantly and got rid of the pack. I told myself in my head, that I never smoked. I'm a non-smoker. You are a woman of great will, and your will will win! If you gain a little weight, forgive yourself, and don't smoke. It will come off when your body knows it's a nonsmoker. I've seen many fail for that reason, just stay the course. I so look forward to your new review! I love that you are healing your heart through your writing. You inspire me!
July 24, 2013
Hehehehe! Yeah, i've had tears in my eyes pretty much all day and a sore face from smiling so much! I've found that UK surgeons are much cheaper, typically, but it's so hard to find a specialist that does lots of work over here. There are lots of bad reviews and plus Dr Cochran's work and his whole attitude towards rhinoplasty just blew me away. I will be sensible and have a few consultations with him but i already know he is the surgeon i want. That is very, very good advice about quitting smoking! I will definitely do as you suggest, though i don't really enjoy smoking any more anyway, i definitely am ready to quit!! I can handle gaining some weight, we've all been there before! As long as i can get my nose fixed i don't care what i have to sacrifice, be it food, my figure, anything. I am sooooo ready for this surgery, i would have it today if i could. I would definitely suggest writing about your life! When i first started, i kept breaking down and couldn't get out of the mindset of "I'm having to re-live all of this again!" But now i'm not letting it get to me and am looking at it as something fun that's going to help my -new- little family and giving myself a little chance to speak up and air a few truths. I recommend this to anyone, it has been so positive and more fun than i ever could have believed. As always, thank you for your supportive message!
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August 12, 2013
Thank you for sharing your story and I look forward to your updates.  I can't wait to hear how your consult with Cochran goes.  Best of luck!
August 13, 2013
Thank you so much! It will be a while away of course but i'm so excited. I am looking forward to your progress too, your reviews really got to me. Do you have a consultation booked with Dr Cochran too yet? I have so much faith in him, it's harder for you of course with what's happened, but i think he could be the surgeon to fix everything the other guy did to you. Good luck to you too and thank you again for your message!
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August 13, 2013
Thank you. I really think Cochran has tons of experience and has a lot of happy patients. I need to work on saving money right now. I have consulted with two different PSs and hope to go on a couple of more before making up my mind. Hopefully by then, I'll have enough money saved. Congratulations on quitting smoking...that's probably just about the best decision anyone can make.
August 13, 2013
Sounds like you are on the right track! Keep in touch, my friend, for I care about your healing.
August 13, 2013
On the right track? What review were you reading? Hehehe :)
August 13, 2013
I just know everything will work out for you. I believe in you. I believe in your ability to overcome all. Always.
August 13, 2013
I am also crying. I know how scary it feels.
August 13, 2013
Thank you, that does mean a lot. I've had enough of crying for one day, my chin is staying up in the air! Get yours up there too! :)
August 13, 2013
I'll put my chin in the air, not my nose, lol! : )
UPDATED FROM Matilda24

OK, this time i'm definitely not updating again...

Matilda24
OK, this time i'm definitely not updating again until something significant happens (after this time, of course), i'm beginning to annoy myself! I'm not very good with words and a lot of the time i accidentally insult people or explain myself wrong and people take me for being a bit rude, or just plain nuts. It's hard cos i have quite a dry sense of humour usually and now i'm all excited after reading all of your reviews! I kinda just want to explain myself a bit more, then provide a rather dull mini-update..

My nose looks fine from certain angles so whenever someone whips a camera out, i strike a rather silly pose with my head facing the right. Because my nose twists to the left (and my tip tilts to the right), it looks small and a little upturned from the left and i don't mind how it looks like that. But face on, as you can see up top, it looks a hot mess! That photo is equally unflattering cos my top lip tends to disappear when i smile, but i can live with that -i just have to start applying a bit of lippy once in a while! From the right side, you can see how twisted it is and it looks huge and like a big lump. It also looks all bumpy too.

I've said to a few other people on here that it's always different when it's someone else's nose. I could look at anyone's nose on here and say 'Oh, it's fine, you're just being silly!' But truthfully, though some noses genuinely need nothing doing to them, others wouldn't be so fine if i was the one with it on my face! Then it would be another story, if i had to look in the mirror every day and see it staring back at me and being the main focus of my whole face. That's all i'm saying.

For the record, i'm not trying to convince you my nose needs seeing to, i'm having the operation regardless of what anyone thinks, but i would like to share with you all and even poke fun at my silly wonky, clicky nose! I've had enough of being serious and feeling like a victim, i want to laugh about it get spurred on. Why should i let that woman (my mom, of course) have that kind of power over me any longer and laugh with all her mere minions about how she got away with everything? Forgive me for this, but BOLLOCKS to that! She'll get what she deserves and, though i won't sit there and wish and plot for it, i can have a little peace of mind knowing that if evil exists in this world, it has to exist in the next. That i will laugh about! :)

I am genuinely grateful for everyone's input and i'll never tire of hearing your opinions, honestly, but if any of you are just trying to make me feel better -stop it! :) I know what my nose looks like and i'm fine with that, knowing i can do something about it (eventually). I want a rhinoplasty for the same reason as you guys: because i think it's ugly. It just so happens it looks this way because of someone else and sometimes it reminds me of that and i get upset. I don't expect the surgery to fix all my problems, it won't change anything but my nose, but i've worked hard to forget my past and stop getting angry and now i can go months without even thinking about it, but then when i rub my nose the wrong way, the physical pain and the sickening crunch brings it all back. I'm not expecting a miracle.

Anyway, enough of that. Bored with it.

The past few weeks, nothing much has changed. I'm still being harassed by MYA and i'm still poor. But i'm still working hard and doing my own little Private Investigations of sorts and i'm a bit closer to picking a surgeon or three to have a consultation with a little further down the line and i'm planning on making some morphs this weekend. I'll take some better photos of my nose now and upload them soon then share the morphs with you guys.

Thanks for reading,
Take care and good luck :*

Replies (5)

March 19, 2013
you look gorgeous.i would not get a nose job
March 19, 2013
I was waiting for you to tell me that; you've told everyone else. I appreciate the compliment but clearly you would do that cos you have had a nose job. If you read my story, you'll find my nose is broken so yeah i kinda need a rhinoplasty. Do you ever have something supportive to say to people? What is exactly is your contribution to Real Self? I'm sorry you had a bad experience, but you're in the minority and you're not doing anyone any favours by spoiling other's reviews and excitement with your self-pity.
March 19, 2013
I am sorry, but you really do have a nice nose. I have been careful with my comments, but in your case..I do think that you are beautiful. If your really want it..have it. Sorry for upsetting you /. You are beautiful
March 19, 2013
Hi - I agree with other posts, your nose looks great already. But the crunching sounds sound a bit worrying. maybe you can get that fixed through the NHS? as that is a medical thing? have you been to your doctor? ....i am sorry if i missed that bit if you said so! You are really pretty and seem to have come out of all that abuse level headed. I bet your mum regrets it now? - anyway, none of my business, but she should do. Try not to let your feelings about that she did that to you influence the way you feel about yourself too much, you really do look fantastic already, i would try to get the breathing bit seen too, but your nose looks lovely from your pictures. But then again, often these things bother oneself more than anyone else. You will get there with it all and work out what is best to do, but try not to get too chewed up about it, from a complete strangers perspective, your nose looks absolutely fine :) xx
March 19, 2013
Thank you. I've said it before, my nose looks fine on these photos cos i don't usually allow people to take them from my really bad sides. We all have our go-to poses when someone pulls out a camera, i'm no different. I mentioned it to my GP briefly, but my breathing isn't so affected that i qualify -even though i'm in pain! I'd prefer to do it properly anyway, i like being a part of the minority in England, you know... My mom hasn't changed, no. She laughs about how she got away with it all and no-one bats an eyelid. But hey, what goes around comes around and there are lots of people worse off! :) Thank you for your wonderful comment and good luck with your journey! Stay in touch, ducky x
March 20, 2013
I know that feeling. I generally run a mile when anyone does get a camera out as my nose looks horrendous from all aspects!! My mum always says.. There's nothing wrong I don't know what you go on about. Which is really unhelpful! Well, keep chatting, it's good to talk. You have a lot of listeners here. Sorry to hear what dr said. You are right, about what goes around comes around, also he who laughs last laughs longest. Keep smiling :) x
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March 22, 2013
HI there, I live in UK too, I found your story really moving. its awful what some parents do to their kids, I am going to save for a rhinoplasty and go to the states as I think they are always a few years ahead of us arent they lol. Have you managed to save any more towards your surgery so far? if ever i can help you financially i will as it really would help you to move on..i wish i wasnt as poor as i am now as its annoying but i'm earning very good money now so i reckon i can save quickly...x
March 22, 2013
Thank you so much! Genuinely. But, as tempting as it is to accept financial help, i just couldn't live with myself if i did. My mom never worked a day in her life until the age of about 47 and i saw her scrounge and beg and lie etc, i don't think i could ever accept a person's money -even my fiance's! This is just something i feel i should do myself, that way i'll have no reminders and i know i'm not like her. I didn't even want NHS help, but i mentioned it to my GP when i asked if my nose being broken was on my medical records (it wasn't, shocker) and she said i wouldn't be entitled anyway. I agree about having surgery in America -i was looking into it too after reading so many reviews here but i think i'd be setting myself up for a fall if i got my heart set on it. I can't even afford new shoes right now! I'm sure you will save up soon though, perception is reality and if you believe it, it will happen. I haven't even saved a pound yet, but that's being working class in England for ya -even parking the car outside the hospital costs an arm and a leg. Wow, sorry for the long reply, i just go on and on sometimes...Please keep in touch and good luck with your saving! xx
April 15, 2013
Matilda, I found your profile through your lovely comment on my own and, just wow. I wish you were recovering right now along with me :( What a story. Nobody deserves that, and though I am a Christian woman, I'll say she will indeed get what she deserves. No matter what faith you belong to, life does seem to have it's way of dealing with evil. I relate to you when you describe people telling you your nose doesn't need it etc. It is kindness gone awry hehe. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, if you would feel better with a new one, a new one you shall have! Everyone always told me I was nuts to want a new nose too. I still cannot believe I am post-op recovering. I cannot believe my old nose, and all the many years of anguish it caused (yes, as you said, ruining special moments in photograph for instance) are gone. In highschool I could NOT for the life of me walk down the hallway staring straight ahead if people were on the side. I'd always look away. If there were people on both sides I would feel humiliated. It hurt so bad :( I am free! Never give up on your dream. See it internally, will it to live! I truly believe you'll be on this site updating us someday and I truly hope I am around to be a support for you as you recover, as you are for me now, in the future. I wish you nothing but the best. You are a truly stunning person, inside and out. Remember, in life, anything can happen. Anything. Nothing is guaranteed, but in turn nothing is limited. XOXO, Jemoiselle
April 15, 2013
Wow, what a lovely comment! Thank you! I wasn't brought up to be religious of course, but i do believe in and have faith in God. For a long time it was what kept me going. There's not much justice in this world, but i have faith there will be in the next :) I also believe that God helps those who help themselves and, for a long time, i did nothing about anything. i sat and snivelled like a victim and hated the world, now i am pushing myself to make my life better in every way i can and am working very hard! I agree that there are no limits, only excuses not to do things. I am so excited for you and to see your final result! I've loved reading your story so far and look forward to reading more. Thank you for everything you said, i genuinely needed to hear that today :) xox
April 15, 2013
You are most welcome, I meant every word of it :) Stay in touch and keep us all updated! I just know someday we'll be looking at your before and afters! :)