My Post-op Open Rhinoplasty Story. September 2013.

I'm scared that I am seeing and obsessing over a tiny dip in my nose visible only from my nose profile. What do you guys think??

Just thought I'd give you a short summary of what my post-op week 1 was like.

- Day 1 was ok. Slept through most of it, or sat in front of the tv watching bachelor haha. I did not have much swelling or bruising. I lost my sense of smell and taste so food was no joy. My front teeth hurt when I ate. Very dry lips, especially at night. I would wake up several times at night because of my cracked painful lips.

- Day 2 and 3 were the worst. I was lucky enough to not get any bruising, but my face did get swollen. Especially around my jaw, cheeks and lips. I had bad swelling around my eyes the second day but it subsided by day 4. I am still a bit swollen in my upper lip and by the end of day 3 I noticed I was unable to smile showing my upper teeth. I still cant smile showing my upper teeth and yes, I look like 84 when I do :S Fingers crossed that my smile will go back to normal ASAP. Did anyone experience this and how long does it take to go back to normal?

- Day 4 was the best day yet. I had a good nights sleep, that's all that mattered to me a few days ago lol. My nose was (and is still) very runny and I used q-tips to "wipe" it. It was itchy but apparently thats a sign of healing so I was pleased haha. Around day 4 I noticed that when I woke up my nose would be very painful and sore...this would normally go away when I had taken my painkillers or within a few hours after waking up. This still happens and I'm now on post-op day 10 and I cant wait for it to stop because its definitely not a lovely thing to wake up to.

Day 5 and 6 - last day of antibiotics. REJOICE. Needless to say, I did not react well to them. By the 5th day I could go for walks, go grocery shopping, and cook but I did get tired quite easily so I do recommend taking it slow and easy the first week. My skin was breaking out, my hair was greasy (despite using dry shampoo) and I did not feel pretty.

Day 7 - cast is off! I was not mentally prepared to see my new nose so my friend who came with me took a few pictures of it. The doctor put the tape on and I looked myself in the mirror. I looked different. Maybe younger. My nose was wide, painful, numb and swollen...but cute too I guess. The doctor cleaned my nose thoroughly but as soon as I had left the hospital my nose was stuffy again :( I was given strict orders to not touch my nose for another week. I think I had septoplasty to fix my deviated septum so my left nostril/side is so so swollen and completely stuffed which means I can only breathe through my right nostril but most of the time I still breathe through my mouth which is a pain.

when i had my cast taken off i was too scared to look at my new nose in the mirror (so my friend was kind enough to take pictures of it before my doctor applied the tape on the nose, and although the profile looks lovely the front is wide as hell and i look like a nice mixture between a bear, a mouse and a pig...which is just lovely :) do you guys reckon once the swelling is gone the tiny hook which is still there (profile) will disappear? i dont mind it because it makes my nose look less perfect and im not striving for perfection so i would be okay with it being there.

and two questions for you guys who have had rhinoplasty!

1) does your nose/tip hurt the most in the morning? when i wake up in the morning my nose is throbbing and really hurts, and it usually goes away within a few hours/by breakfast...anyone experiencing the same thing?

2) is your nose dripping/running as much as mine? i was given strict orders by my doc to not touch my nose so i try not to but it keeps running (i use q-tips to "wipe" it) and i'm wondering whether this is common?