I love my new nose! - Victoria, BC

I am 18 years old, turning 19 in a month. I've had a dorsal hump on my nose since I was young. It was always a debate whether it was genetic or result from injury, as my dad's side of the family all have strong noses, however I have suffered a few injuries to the nose.

I've wanted the hump taken off my nose for as long as I can remember. I was teased about it a bit when I was younger, but now that I'm older, it's not an issue with friends or guys. I've had people tell me they actually LIKE my unique nose! But I decided to do this for myself and no one else.

My surgery was on November 5th. I didn't feel nervous at all in the days leading up to the surgery. I think that's because I've wanted it for so long that I just had no second thoughts. I've also been put under general anesthesia for my wisdom teeth, so I know what it feels like and wasn't worried about that.

I went into the OR - a gorgeous room with big bright windows, laid down on the extremely comfortable operating table, went to sleep super fast, and woke up with barely any pain. I remember them asking me about my scale of pain between 1 and 10, I think I only said about a 4. I talked to Dr. Naysmith as well. Apparently they found a bone (not cartilage - bone!!!) completely blocking my left nostril, and said that I would notice a huge change in my breathing after. I was pretty out of it at this point but I remember my nurse feeding me crushed ice. She helped me get into my clothes and walk me down to the parking lot with my mom and was so sweet to me the whole time! I was pretty nauseous on the ride back to our hotel but managed to keep it together, never felt like I was going to throw up.

We had a follow up appointment the morning after. I felt really good and they were surprised at how little I had swelled or bruised! I was surprised at how good I felt as well. Dunno if it was the painkillers or the numbness, but I haven't had an issue with pain at all really. We were supposed to take the packing out that morning, but they decided to wait longer, and told me I could take it out myself in a few days.

The following days were okay. One thing that never occurred to me was the mental weight of the surgery. I've been feeling really lonely staying at home all day, and with this huge big numb thing on my face. I definitely realize it's easy to take normal everyday things for granted. I also couldn't smell anything, or taste anything at all, through my packing. The mouth breathing didn't bother me whatsoever, as I had been breathing out of my mouth mainly pre-surgery. The only weird thing is that when I swallowed water or anything else it felt kinda like I was drowning or something, super weird. My sense of smell was totally gone and my appetite too. I haven't been the best at getting myself to eat and ended up throwing up the other night a few times because of taking the painkillers on an empty stomach. Not fun. Now I'm making sure to at least drink a shake before taking any pills!

I took my packing out this morning, I was really worried but it didn't hurt at all. Maybe mildly uncomfortable but it was over fast. I can't even describe how incredible it feels to breathe properly for the first time in my life. What a huge difference. This alone makes it so worth it! I am still wearing gauze to catch the dripping blood, just in case, I think it may be more of a safety blanket type thing though as I'm just used to it by now.
I get my stitches out tomorrow so hopefully it doesn't hurt too much.
As far as appearances go - I can already see a change in the overall shape of my nose even with the cast over top. I'm not going to judge for a while because I know it is very swollen right now, but I am so excited to get my cast off on Tuesday!

updated with some more photos!

Got my stitches out today! I haven't been having to take my painkillers lately, but I took a couple in anticipation of getting the stitches out and I am glad I did. It hurt pretty badly, probably the worst part of this entire ordeal! Don't know if it is like this for everyone. I only had 4 stitches though, so it was over fast. I'm still a bit swollen, and the small bit of bruising I had is turning yellow. Can't wait to get my cast off - counting down the days.