I have never been fully happy with my nose, mostly...
I have never been fully happy with my nose, mostly my profile. About 10 years ago, I was in a car accident in which I fractured it. After which, I hated the way it looked even worse. I also have a pretty badly deviated septum. I am hoping to have my surgery by the fall, if I can find the right surgeon, I went to see Dr. Scaccia in Red Bank, NJ a week and a half ago. Although, I do feel like he is very competent and could definitely do the job, he had no way of showing me what his vision for my nose would even remotely look like. Also, after he told me what he thought I should change about my nose, he then asked what I thought was wrong with it, and he barely listened. So, I had no idea whether or not our vision of what it should look like was even the same. It's too bad because I think he's well qualified. He also quoted me close to $15,000 for a primary! He said I had to leave a blank check during surgery in case it runs longer than expected or something like that. I think for the anesthesiologist or something. Ridiculous.
Anyway, I now have my next consult with Dr. Wise in Wayne, NJ, toward the end of July. I like his work, although I wish I could find more rhinoplasty reviews with pics of his. It seems like he does a lot of face lifts, but he's dual board certified, so I am hoping that will count for something. He's the only doctor I was able to only find one bad rhinoplasty review on.
Any suggestions would be super helpful.
Set the date
I went on my second consultation and it was with Dr. Wise. He has an excellent personality and is very honest and straightforward, all of which I love. So, I decided to look no further. My surgery date is scheduled for 9/22/16. I am excited and nervous, mostly just about the results more than anything. I have uploaded a few pics from the simulation he did of my prospective nose. I LOVE the side profile, but am not thrilled with the front view. I would like it a little less "pinched" looking I guess you would say. Diane, his patient coordinator has been super helpful. I emailed her after the consultation to explain some of my concerns and questions and she said she would be emailing me more before and after photos, as per my request. Unfortunately, Dr. Wise doesn't have a tremendous amount of them online. She also recommended and reschedule my pre op for August to go over changes to my simulation and make sure we are on the same page for what I can expect as far as results.
Overall it has been a great experience so far. I will post with updates as I go along.
Day of procedure
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22 Sep 2016
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Day of treatment
So, I barely slept last night, I was a little restless. Dr. Wise made me feel really comfortable when I got to the surgery center, so nerves were nearly non-existent for me. I was actually really surprised with how great I felt.
Waking up, the thing I remember most was a strong burning feeling inside my nose and then some nausea. I was treated promptly and effectively for both. Pain was almost non existent when I got home, but by the evening, even after my first pain pill I was still experiencing some pain. Icing actually seemed to relieve more of it. I am also very gassy which is making me nauseous periodically..I'm contemplataking gas ex as opposed to the nausea meds prescribed because they make me dizzy. I was able to eat some pastina at room temperature with almost no broth (easier to eat like that), a small half bowl of some turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes. I ate to take the pain meds just in case. Hanging in there so far..i will attach some photos. Also, I keep having to change my drip pad pretty frequently. The congestion isn't horrible, just been drinking tons of water and sprayed my mouth with Biotene about 3 -4 times today in between.
POD 1
POD 1: swelling is worse, congestion is horrible, pain is moderate with meds regularly. Sleeping a lot so that's a good thing. So far it sucks but nothing totally unbearable. Mostly just discomfort.
POD 3
POD 3: Can't help but laugh at what a chipmunk I've turned into :) the swelling is uncomfortable, I've been icing a lot so I hope it goes down soon. Nausea is a little better..I actually ate an egg sandwich this morning and I think I'm starting to actually feel hungry. All I keep doing is sleeping, I'm so tired and sore from sleeping on my back. Dry mouth sucks so bad also
Cast off tomorrow
Cast off tomorrow, cannot wait to rip this crap off and out of my nose!! Swelling has gone down tremendously and bruising is minimal. So far I love the way it looks even swollen. Excited and nervous about tomorrow.
Cast is off ..recovery summary and tips...
My cast is off and I love the results even with the swelling and bruising I still have. I still look like myself, not like I had a nose job just a straight more refined nose which is exactly what Dr. Wise and I discussed. Taking off the cast and taking out the splints was uncomfortable, but not unbearable. The only part that really hurt was at the end when the doctor had to press on my nose...but honestly it wasn't the worst pain I've ever felt. Recovery was rough for me days 1-4, it is definitely not a cake walk, but the last few have been much better. I only took the pain meds the first two days and the next 2 days after that I took 2 extra strength Tylenol every 6 hours. So, constipation was never an issue for me, I believe it was my limited use of the pain meds. If you don't really think you need them, I would try to take them up until the point you think you can try something non narcotic. The nausea meds will definitely come in handy, use them as long as you need to. I used them until day 3/4, as soon as I got nauseous I took them. The also make you drowsy which helps with dealing with the discomfort. Now I am on day 7 and I just lose my energy easily doing the stairs or walking around a lot, and my stomach and appetite are still not 100%. Otherwise, I'm breathing fine after the cast/splint removal and feeling normal again. I took two weeks off of work to play it safe, although one would definitely be enough if I didn't have the luxury to take both weeks. I will update again on my progress with the swelling and healing since I know there will still be changes.
More pics
Here are some pics from the weekend about a week and a half post op
POW: 5
So, I have been swelling on and off, but I can finally breathe..and much better than before surgery. Everything seems to be healing well and I'm happy with the results so far. I am looking forward to future procedures, now that I found a surgeon I can trust. Dr. Wise is a great person and surgeon. I will post again in a few more weeks to show my progress.
2 months post op
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19 Nov 2016
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2 months post
Still healing and swelling on and off , but minimally. I have good nose days and just ok ones. Overall I am extremely glad that I went through with the surgery and even moreso, that I found Dr. Wise and I intend on using him for other cosmetic procedures I may need in the future. I have already started referring my own clients to him, one of which has already seen him for injectables and was incredibly satisfied with him, as well. I wouldn't trust anyone else with my face after finding Dr. Wise.
