I can't believe I'm finally doing this! I've wanted to fix my nose for as long as I can remember but coming from a small town considered it to be something only people on TV did lol. Since finding this site, I've realized how common it is and that I'm normal for wanting this done! All of the experiences on here have made me so excited to get this done!
7 Months Post Op
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Wynter
- Worth It
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Cost:
$8,300 - Richard Bendor-Samuel, MD, Nova Scotia, NS
Whats getting done.......
Firstly I'll say, I'm 32 yo and have planned this out in my head for at least 10 years. Still feels surreal! What's getting done? The works. Most importantly getting my deviated septum fixed and straitened, then, secondly getting my tip narrowed and defined, nostril size reduced, hump removed, tip lifted. I'm not exactly sure if my nostril size can be reduced without having an alarplasty done (I think that's what it's called) I don't mind the width of my nose normally but when I smile I HATE how wide it gets and that my tip droops down. I'm terrified of getting that "pinched" look when your nose is narrowed too much but I'm very confident that my doctor will know what will and won't look good. I'm all prepped! Supplies bought, Hotel booked, and my awesome dad is taking 2 days off work to watch the kiddies while my honey takes care of me in Halifax! 10 days!!!!!!!!
Supplies hmm?
So, I've gathered some supplies I'm sure I'll need. The Clinic gave me a list of things I should have on hand for recovery which was very helpful. I also purchased the most comfy neck pillow ever! I added a picture of what I have so far. I also have tons of hydrating lip gloss as I heard the mouth breathing during recovery does a number on your lips. I'm on the fence about getting the moisture spray. To everyone that has gone through this. Do I need it? Would drinking lots of water be just as good? My prescriptions for pain won't be given to me until discharge but I do have Tylenol and advil on hand as well. If there is anything I'm missing, I'd love to hear suggestions. Thx!
Count down is on! 9 DAYS!
I took some more before pics after work. I still can't believe how crooked my nose is from underneath!
Nerves setting in...........
So with only 6 days left with this nose and it's ALL I can think about! I don't even see people anymore, all I see is noses! lol I keep thinking about what I'm going to say to the surgeon at our final meeting moments before my surgery. I have so many questions. I think I'm going to write them all down. I get serious white coat syndrome and completely go blank every time. I'm still undecided on a straight profile or slightly curved! Both look so nice. I only don't like the width when I smile so if he narrows the base, am I going to have the dreaded pinched look!!! I think I'm going to get a few pics ready too maybe just to give him an idea of what I have in my head. Does anyone have anything they wish they had told their surgeon that they didn't? I just can't stop thinking about every detail and I don't want to have any regrets because I didn't explain what I wanted good enough.
Less than 48 hours to go!
I'm literally sick to my stomach. I'm so nervous and excited at the same time. I'm also terrified I'm going to hate or wish I'd asked for something I forgot to mention. I've had dreams every night for the last week and in my dreams I love it! lol I'm writing down in point form what I want done so I can give it to the Dr. pre op. When they called me to give me my surgery time they told me to write down any questions I may have because people often do forget so that made me feel a little better. I'm the first surgery of the day! 7:15 am. They said I should be out of surgery approx 10:30 then recovery for another hour. It's a 4 hour drive so we're leaving here at 2 am to ensure we're not late! We're staying at a hotel in Halifax over night and could have stayed the night before as well but when you have kids you don't want to spend too much time away from them :( 48 hours is long enough!! I'm still torn between wanting a straight profile or a slight curve! Maybe I'll ask my Dr to make a professional judgement on what he thinks would look nicer????? I don't have a large bump so I'm sure either would be attainable. I just can't shake these nerves!!
Just a few pics
Just some pictures. I will update more when I get home! xx
3 days PO
Everything is going great! No pain today! only took 2 T3's yesterday. Surgery was very smooth and I had nothing to be nervous about! The care I received at the clinic was the best I've ever experienced. They are completely focused on you. :) Swelling is another issue! lol I look like a chipmunk today. Eyes are a little more bruised. Eyes, cheeks and upper lip are swollen and I have stitches inside my upper lip. Those stitches are the biggest pain in the butt. Everything I eat has to go inside my teeth because I'm afraid to bite down on anything in case I rip them out. My nose really drooped down when I smiled so releasing that muscle was necessary.
Swelling has subsided
So I guess yesterday was the peak of swelling for me. Well for my eyes and lips anyway. I woke up this am and even before looking in the mirror, could tell it was better as my eyes and cheeks didn't feel as tight. The cast has outworn it's welcome. It's driving me insane! I'm so itchy under and around it! I have to resist the urge to pull it off my face. Going to try half a diphenhydramine tab and see if it helps. Zero pain today, I just have this overall tightness inside and around the tip of my nose. My nose is obviously swollen. Though the tip is lifted and shaped better now it's larger than before surgery but I expected that so no worries. Cast comes off Tues at 10:45! Can not wait!!!!!!!! :D
Cast coming off tomorrow morning
Cast is coming off at precisely 10:45! I cannot wait to join the land of the living again. Needless to say, I haven't been out much in the last week. I'm starting to have fears that the tip wont be as small as I wanted it to be. I know it's only been 6 days but I'm a "want results yesterday kind of person" :) One nostril is slightly smaller than the other and I'm sure once swelling goes down it'll even itself out besides it was WAY worse before surgery! I feel like tomorrow is more exciting than the actual surgery day!!!! For the last few days I've been experiencing a nerve like pain that shoots from my left nostril down to my lip. Not sure if that's normal?? The stitches inside my upper lip have not disintegrated even a bit this week, they started feeling sore this am so I tried my best to put polysporin on the area and took an advil for swelling. Does anyone know how long they take to fall out? I will post more pics soooooon!
Cast off!
So had to travel 3 1/2 hours back to Halifax to get cast removed so figured we'd do a little shopping while we were there. I was buckling my 2 yo into his car seat and he full force kicked me in the nose and mouth with his winter boot. I have not experienced pain like that since childbirth. I was crying hysterically in the parking lot of the mall. I swear people must have thought my boyfriend was beating me. I caused such a scene. :( My boyfriend called the clinic for me as all I could do was cry. The kick ripped out a few stitches and was bleeding but the bleeding stopped within minutes. The clinic said monitor it through the night and call the surgeon directly if I notice excessive swelling or bruising etc. Anyway the cast coming off was nice! I immediately noticed the difference in the bridge but the tip is very swollen. The nurse warned me it would be before I looked. I really do like it. I know I'll love it when the swelling goes down although I think with today's incident, I may go backwards before I go forward :( A lesson very much learned to be more careful.
Day 10 post op
Today was my second day back to work and was a lot easier than yesterday! I haven't had pain but energy wise yesterday kicked my a$$! I literally got home at 6pm and went to bed for the night. My advice, take as much time as you can get off! Even if you're not in pain, your body is healing and it takes a lot out of you! I also noticed quite a difference in swelling and am happier with my results by the day!
And the swelling continues...................19 days PO
No matter how much you're told about the swelling and results not being immediate, nothing actually prepares you for having to live through it. I've had days where I want to cry all day because I feel like I'm disfigured and days where I wake up and start to see my nose taking shape and feel such joy. The last week has been an emotional roller coaster. I'm surprised at myself because I'm not an emotional person and I did SO much research on this procedure and felt like I knew exactly how everything was going to play out. WRONG! lol You really have no control and all you can do is be patient I guess. Today has been a good day :) Although I'm not in any pain per say. My nose feels like I'm having a nose bleed all the time. Sometimes I feel so much pressure, it feels like it's going to blow off my face! I had a few grafts put in to straighten out my septum and I've read that can cause extra swelling or take longer for swelling to go down. Also I'm expecting my tip is going to drop slightly as I believe it was over rotated on purpose to allow for this (thank God) This was a huge issue for me and he did an AMAZING job raising the tip. I have complete trust in the surgeon I chose and that's what calms me down when I start to freak out about things only 2 weeks in. My tip is still numb and hard as a rock! I'm guessing that's a sign it's still very swollen and all but one of the stitches in my mouth have fallen out. Does anyone know how long it takes to get your smile back to normal after the depressor muscle is severed? I'm about 50% at almost 3 weeks. I still look like a chipmunk when I smile but I'm glad he did it because when I do smile my nose does not move! it used to droop down like a witches nose! :D
Smile pics
So my surgery was 3 weeks ago yesterday! Things are improving, SLOWLY but improving! I'm starting to see progress in my ability to smile :) I have the famous rhinoplasty "constipated" looking smile many people talk about after having that muscle severed. As many of you know, my smile was pulling my already droopy tip down even farther so my depressor septi muscle was severed to ensure it wouldn't pull my tip down after it was raised. For the first week I couldn't lift my upper lip at all as you can see from past pictures. I looked very unimpressed! lol Week two was better. I was able to lift my lip so you could see about a cm or two of teeth and I did some "kissing exercises" as I called them by pursing my lips together to try to get some strength back in my lips. My daughter thought it was hilarious to watch because my mouth would quiver like crazy! For about 5 days now I've been able to purse my lips without any spasms whatsoever, major difference. I'm still unable to laugh without squeezing my cheeks in towards my mouth because I get this uncomfortable stretching sensation where the stitches were in my mouth. As for the nose, I started taking bromelain 500mg twice a day 4 days ago because the swelling in my nose was becoming so uncomfortable and I didn't think it was healthy to be taking Ibuprofen every day long term. My nose does feel a lot less stiff today and I no longer use the Ibuprofen but of coarse I don't know if it's a natural progression or if the Bromelain is working. Either way, I'll keep taking it for now. Thanks again to everyone for all of the support and encouragement. It has meant the world to me during this entire process! xx
5 and 6 week photo's
So it's now been 7 weeks. I haven't taken any pics this week so I've posted my 5 and 6 week photo's. The swelling is slowly subsiding. Every time I think my nose isn't going to change anymore, I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and low and behold there's a slight change! I'm definitely happy with the results and breathing is improving as the internal swelling subsides as well. The tip is still pretty stiff and when I try to stretch my top lip you can feel a definite tightness that has a ways to go in the healing process. My smile is almost back to normal which is a huge relief. This was a big deal to me as I've always liked my smile and it was scary to look in the mirror and not recognise myself. I'm looking forward to the weeks ahead as the swelling and shape improve!
7 Months Post Op! Keeps Getting Better!
I can't believe it's been 7 months already!! I officially have a love/hate relationship with my nose (mostly love) lol. As most of you who are post op know, swelling is not your friend. I saw Dr Bendor-Samuel for a post op on May 14 which put me at exactly 6 & 1/2 months. He said there is definitely still swelling in my tip and expects it to refine more over the next 6 months! :D He took more photos and will compare them again at my 1 year appt. I honestly love him more with each visit! My tip and inside my nostrils is still quite hard so I've been gently massaging it a couple time a day to help it along. I'm no longer a mouth breather and went from sneezing 50 times a day to maybe a couple times a week if that. Overall I'm 100% happy I did it! No regrets at all :)
He's a perfect 10. His credentials speak for themselves. He's very welcoming and easy to talk to. I didn't feel rushed, he explained in great detail the anatomy of the nose and what he would do to get my desired result. The staff I've met so far have been amazing. I've literally harassed poor Frances with questions for 6 months and she's always gotten back to me the same day and has been an absolute sweetheart. When I went in for my consultation I was greeted with a smile and waited no longer than 5 mins past my scheduled appt time.
5 out of 5 stars
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