28 Years Old, Functional Septoplasty and Turbinate Surgery. Woodbury, MN

Hi. Thanks for the question. I am happy to share what I found helpful for me.. When you get surgery, your Surgeon will provide you with a list of supplies and medication to pick up which are ultimately the instructions you should follow.

Please note that everything listed below was not actually on the list provided to me by my Surgeon (some were). The list includes items that I picked up along the way to help make recovery easier for me or purchased ahead of time recognizing it may or may not be helpful (I tend to over prepare). I had surgery in the winter time in Minnesota so one thing I didn't consider was how dry the air was going to be which was the worst part for me. Especially right after surgery when you're primarily breathing out of your mouth. Making the dry air a bit worse, I travel for work so when I had the go ahead to fly, I was back in airplanes and hotels (dry air central).

Some items that helped me:
-Aquaphor https://www.aquaphorus.com/aquaphor-healing-ointment-touch-free/
-Saline Nasal Spray http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/walgreens-saline-nasal-spray/ID=prod1607694-product
-Neti Pot http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/neilmed-nasaflo-porcelain-neti-pot/ID=prod6109432-product
-ACT Dry Mouth Mouthwash http://www.actoralcare.com/products/act-dry-mouth/act-dry-mouth-mouthwash/
-Dry mouth spray to coat the back of your throat for bedtime http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/oasis-mouth-moisturizing-spray-for-dry-mouth-mild-mint/ID=prod6011892-product
-ACT Dry Mouth Toothpaste http://www.actoralcare.com/products/act-dry-mouth/act-dry-mouth-toothpaste/
-Cough drops (again to help with the dry mouth at night)
-Humidifier in the room
-Oral Care Swabs http://www.amazon.com/Toothette%C2%AE-Oral-Care-Swabs-Untreated/dp/B006GQOGGG?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00
-You may want to check with the surgeon for the following, but if you do find difficulty with recovery and dry air you might consider http://www.amazon.com/MyPurMist-Handheld-Inhaler-Vaporizer-Personal/dp/B00NVV6OWS?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00
-Long cotton swabs http://www.amazon.com/Medline-MDS202000Z-Sterile-Cotton-Applicators/dp/B000TVM43G?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00 (This helped me make sure I was able to coat the inside of my nose with aquaphor)
-Follow Dr. Tolan's (and the nursing staffs) instructions - including taking the medication on schedule. It might help to have a notebook to write down the different meds to take and the time and/or set alarms on your phone. If you're out of it, it can be difficult to remember when/what to take. So better to have the plan ready to go.

Food items to consider:
-Vitamin C Packs - http://www.amazon.com/Emergen-C-Vitamin-Supplement-Raspberry-Tropical/dp/B004L56DT2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00
-Popsicle (if you like them or a slushy to have around the house)
-Applesauce
-Oatmeal
-Easy mashed potatoes
-Soup
-Crackers
-Yogurt or other soft foods
-Sweet potatoes
-Amino Acids + water
-Soft fruit - grapes for example

Prior to surgery:
-Hydrate. Water, water, water.
-Exercise
-Eat healthy foods rich in nutrients
-Begin using Aquaphor in your nose as soon as you decide you are going to have surgery - this helped keep my nose moisturized prior to surgery - it may not have made a difference, but I personally would do this again.
-Be realistic. Don't overthink the results. Don't pay too close of attention to what your nose looks like following surgery for weeks or months - your nose will do quite a bit of healing - so don't panic just remain calm. This is something I read over and over in many blogs prior to surgery which I am grateful for. It can take up to two years for the nose to fully heal. I had surgery in January 2016 and was back to work after 1 week because I work from home primarily. I would consider taking 2 weeks off of work and then if you don't need the full two weeks - have a YOU day prior to going back to work. On the other hand, if you do need it you'll be glad you took the time off. I didn't experience any bruising on my face to the extent you would imagine. I had a very small bruise that was maybe half the size of a penny and extremely faint.

Please feel free to let me know if you have any additional questions that I can help with.

Yes, you're very welcome. It's my pleasure.

If you have had surgery - Were there items that helped you post surgery?
If you haven't - Let me know if there are any other concerns, questions, or suggestions that I can help with.

Hi! Yes, I would still recommend Dr. Tolan 100% to friends, family, and the general public. The results were better than I could have expected. Dr. Tolan is a board-certified facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon. This is important because Dr. Tolan has vast credibility in the field to reconstruct and fix functional issues AND gives a special attention to detail to his work because he is a plastic surgeon. Dr. Tolan takes the time to listen in order to truly understand what you're looking for and partners with you to determine what the next steps are to get to the ideal desired outcome.

Please feel free to ask additional questions as I am happy to provide a response.

Thanks so much for the reply, I really appreciate it! This is a pretty intimidating and scary experience for me as I've heard plenty of horror stories and it's hard to find a surgeon you can trust. Did he change the shape of your nose at all or was it just internal work he performed? My nose is crooked and pretty messed up since I broke it so I'm terrified of getting botched. Do you know anyone else that has had a nose job from Dr. Tolan? Thanks again for the help!

Thanks for the message. I can relate to exactly how you're feeling. I went back and forth on whether or not to do this for years. Ultimately, I knew that my desire to do this would never really fade away so I decided to go for it. I was never sure who to go to and who I should trust as a Surgeon after seeing so many botched plastic surgery shows on TV. After moving to Minneapolis, I started going to the Metropolitan in Edina, Minnesota for facials, massage, Botox, etc. The owner is who recommended Dr. Tolan to me as a Surgeon to set up an appointment with for a consultation regarding the concerns I had with my nose. The owner, who I know and trust has worked with Dr. Tolan for many years. As soon as I had my first consultation with Dr. Tolan I knew this was the right place for me. I did my research online about him and asked questions when I was at the appointment until ultimately feeling confident and comfortable with my decision to move forward. Since you broke your nose you'll want to make sure to tell Dr. Tolan that since insurance might be more likely to cover it. My nose had been broken in a car accident that I was in years back. Internally it was difficult for me to breathe and externally my nose was very C shaped. it was difficult for me to wear glasses because they would sit on my face crooked so I was constantly adjusting them. Because of this there were both internal and external adjustments made. I put full trust in Dr. Tolan that as his area of expertise he would know what needed to be done and what he suggested was ideal for me. In fact, no one even knows I have gotten a nose job (unless I tell them) because there's nothing botched about it. You can talk to Dr. Tolan about ultimately what you're looking for as he can perform both the internal/functional work and aesthetically adjust your nose if that's what you're looking for. Prior to the surgery he showed me what it could look like with a Photoshop/editing system on the computer so we could make sure we were not only verbally on the same page, but visually also on the same page. I am very happy with the end results both internally/externally. To be honest, I can't even remember where the stitches were made for the surgery. I will work on getting my before/after pictures from the office, but for now I will post an image on my account of my nose only a month after surgery. The nose continues to heal for 2 years so a month after surgery there's still considered to be "a lot of swelling". Dr. Tolan's work is done with such a high skill and precision that even a month after surgery I was extremely happy with the results.

Please feel free to let me know if you have any additional questions as I would be happy to answer them.

Wow you look great! I'd love to see a before pic if you have the chance since our before noses sound quite similar. Mine is a c shape too and looks horrible when I wear glasses! That's reassuring to know that he uses software to show what the possible results could be, I was going to ask about that! Do you have any friends that have gotten their noses done by him? Wish there were more reviews out there. I'm so appreciative of you posting yours! Thanks for being so willing to answer questions, I'm sure I will have more :)

Thanks for all this helpful info! I've already had a consultation with him but it was very short and everything was sort of a whirlwind since I was nervous! Hopefully the next meeting is where he goes more in depth and shows me the photoshop mockups of my nose? Judging by his before and after photos he is so talented but I just can't help but feel nervous about doing this. Like you said, I will never stop wanting this so I need to trust him! I was thinking about seeing the other doctor there, Dr. Griffin before meeting with Dr. Tolan again. I wish I could just wake up and have my dream nose! Haha

You're very welcome. We went over the image at the pre-op appointment prior to the surgery date. I completely understand being nervous. I was nervous as well - this includes on the way to the surgery center. All I knew was that I did not want the nose that I had. In the end (after research), I realized there was nothing I could do except move forward, hope for the best, and prepare for a successful post op. It is better than I expected - and in actuality it is better than the image Dr. Tolan put together in the pre-op. It's still my nose, but the better version of it. Any change with your body takes time and patience - in this case making the right choice for a surgeon and then post-op recovery and healing. Good luck!

Thanks so much! I'm beginning to feel better about this whole thing. Hoping for results as wonderful as yours!

Hi again! Another question just came to me. I came across some info recently of people complaining of lost facial fat and sunken in eyes after surgery. Did you notice any such changes? I'm scared that after fixing one insecurity I will just gain another. Thanks!

Hi! Thank you for your question. No, there was no other implication of the surgery (i.e. lost facial fat or sunken in eyes after surgery). If you see a highly skilled surgeon with the right credentials and reputation nothing like that would even be of concern. I was extremely insecure of my nose prior to surgery. With realistic expectations that surgery will not fix my insecurities alone - I worked on being more positive about myself and what I was naturally born with. The surgery went well with zero complications. A benefit from surgery was that it did help take away insecurities that I did have with my nose (especially with my profile) - although it's important to not rely solely on the surgery.

Any of the "horror stories" I've heard about or watched on TV, it sounds like there's a common denominator that the person did not go to a skilled surgeon who performs the type of surgery desired as one of their primary surgeries.

Please feel free to ask additional questions as you think of them or keep me posted if you decide to move forward with surgery and setting a date.

Are you able to give me a estimate on the cost of your surgery? It varies so much and I'm just trying to understand. Thanks!