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Wow, it has been a while!
Basically, in the end it was worth it, but the lead up to everything, and during the process was sometimes full of anxiety. There were good and bad days, and days like I felt I went thru a lot of sh** just for a different imperfection than what I originally had.
My breathing issues are still there. I may have had a deviated septum, but I believe allergies are the real culprit. Anyway, Thx so much for sharing in my journey and if you have any questions, feel free to PM me. I'm happy to help guide others along the same path, or talk you in or out of a procedure. You are your own worst critic, and I guarantee the way you look bothers you more than anyone else around you! =)
Dave
More Pix 2.75 years post op (After all, it's all about the results!)
Anyway, I'm happy, and now just turning 40, hoping to age as gracefully and slowly as possible. Maybe if I was 20 I'd keep at my nose and demand perfection. But with aging, gray hair, etc, and shot at "perfection" is long gone anyway. =P
Nearly 3 years post op!
I wanted to wait before posting the doctor's name until the insurance was all settled and the doctor had done his final billing just in case there were any insurance companies trolling this forum. Anyway, great Doc, friendly, Harvard educated which initially gave me a lot of confidence going in and put me at ease. However, after he did my surgery, a year or so later, it was clear there was some definite unevenness or asymmetry of the flares of my nostrils that wasn't going to correct itself. From one side or another I looked fine, but straight on, there was a problem. It was quite obvious, and made me nearly as self conscious of my nose as before surgery even, and had me wishing at times that I' just left it alone! After hinting about a possible necessary revision in the 6-9 month post-op time frame, I had the revision done about 13 months post op, this time under local, not general anesthetic...traumatic in itself to have someone cutting on your nose and ear while you're awake..and the shots in the nose and ear were quite painful. Another cartilage graft from the ear, very little with regards to trauma and recovery compared to the original surgery. However, after the revision, it was looking as if now I had the opposite problem as the arch of the one nostril that had been way higher was now lower than the other, and flat (no arch). Fast Fwd 6-9 months and I'd had a series of 3-4 (very uncomfortable..lol) silicone injections in an attempt to correct the shape of the arch, along with me using a q-tip 10 times a day (for 5-10 mins) at home for 3 weeks to try and stretch the corner of the nostril at the doctor's instruction. That all made some progress and it was starting to look "good enough" for me. About that time, he started hinting at a 2nd revision. I was quite disappointed, and now feeling a lack of confidence since the initial surgery had somewhat failed, and then the revision, and was now lacking in confidence that a 2nd revision (3rd procedure) would even correct it. And since a 2nd revision would mean more "going under the knife," I had to ask myself how much the imperfection really bothered me. At this point, I stopped scheduling my "follow-ups" and just decided to live with "good enough." Today, 34 months post op, I'm happy with what I have and how it turned out. I wish my nose had been pinched just slightly more, that the arches were even, and that I could breathe! (the main reason I went in, which I know believe was not really a "deviated septum" but an allergy that I have yet to identify). But yeah, basically, it's good enough, and I'm generally happy with the way I look. I'm now 40 years old. If I was 20, maybe I'd bother. But faced with wrinkles, losing hair, gray hair etc now and in the future...no need to try and make things perfect. If it was bad enough, I would have a 2nd revision, but it's acceptable to me, and still looks a whole lot better than before the initial surgery. So, in that sense I'm pleased. I understand my initial surgery was quite complicated as a lot of things were done. And, from what I understand, septoplasty/rhinoplasty is a difficult to master procedure. Wish I could give the doc a 3.5 star, but rating only allows 3 or 4. I'm sure others have come out just fine with a single surgery, but since mine was less successful, I have to give an accurate rating for MY experience.
Provider Review
I wanted to wait before posting the doctor's name until the insurance was all settled and the doctor had done his final billing just in case there were any insurance companies trolling this forum. Anyway, great Doc, friendly, Harvard educated which initially gave me a lot of confidence going in and put me at ease. However, after he did my surgery, a year or so later, it was clear there was some definite unevenness or asymmetry of the flares of my nostrils that wasn't going to correct itself. From one side or another I looked fine, but straight on, there was a problem. It was quite obvious, and made me nearly as self conscious of my nose as before surgery even, and had me wishing at times that I' just left it alone! After hinting about a possible necessary revision in the 6-9 month post-op time frame, I had the revision done about 13 months post op, this time under local, not general anesthetic...traumatic in itself to have someone cutting on your nose and ear while you're awake..and the shots in the nose and ear were quite painful. Another cartilage graft from the ear, very little with regards to trauma and recovery compared to the original surgery. However, after the revision, it was looking as if now I had the opposite problem as the arch of the one nostril that had been way higher was now lower than the other, and flat (no arch). Fast Fwd 6-9 months and I'd had a series of 3-4 (very uncomfortable..lol) silicone injections in an attempt to correct the shape of the arch, along with me using a q-tip 10 times a day (for 5-10 mins) at home for 3 weeks to try and stretch the corner of the nostril at the doctor's instruction. That all made some progress and it was starting to look "good enough" for me. About that time, he started hinting at a 2nd revision. I was quite disappointed, and now feeling a lack of confidence since the initial surgery had somewhat failed, and then the revision, and was now lacking in confidence that a 2nd revision (3rd procedure) would even correct it. And since a 2nd revision would mean more "going under the knife," I had to ask myself how much the imperfection really bothered me. At this point, I stopped scheduling my "follow-ups" and just decided to live with "good enough." Today, 34 months post op, I'm happy with what I have and how it turned out. I wish my nose had been pinched just slightly more, that the arches were even, and that I could breathe! (the main reason I went in, which I know believe was not really a "deviated septum" but an allergy that I have yet to identify). But yeah, basically, it's good enough, and I'm generally happy with the way I look. I'm now 40 years old. If I was 20, maybe I'd bother. But faced with wrinkles, losing hair, gray hair etc now and in the future...no need to try and make things perfect. If it was bad enough, I would have a 2nd revision, but it's acceptable to me, and still looks a whole lot better than before the initial surgery. So, in that sense I'm pleased. I understand my initial surgery was quite complicated as a lot of things were done. And, from what I understand, septoplasty/rhinoplasty is a difficult to master procedure. Wish I could give the doc a 3.5 star, but rating only allows 3 or 4. I'm sure others have come out just fine with a single surgery, but since mine was less successful, I have to give an accurate rating for MY experience.