Rhinoplasty: Experiences and recovery tips?

Nancy Perez74 said:I’m back home from surgery and getting some home care now. Honestly? I look like I just went twelve rounds in a boxing ring—bruises everywhere... though, surprisingly, nothing actually hurts. Every morning I have to deal with removing the tampons, and today the nurses were hovering over me while I was lying there... so yeah. I don't really know what the recovery process is going to be like yet—it'll take about seven days before I can tell. If anyone has specific questions, just ask... 🙂

Does that hurt now?😬

I’m trying to wrap my head around whether it actually hurts as much as some people claim—because I’ve seen a few folks in here saying it was the worst pain they’ve ever experienced in their lives... though I guess it all depends on how intense the procedure is. Like, obviously, someone just getting a minor tip worked on isn't going to be in nearly as much agony. Personally, I have a pretty low pain tolerance—it's a real issue for me—so I honestly can't even begin to imagine what pulling out a tampon would feel like...

I'm getting ready to have my tampon removed now, and honestly, I haven't felt any pain yet, so there's probably nothing to worry about. My bones feel kind of achy even though I don't have a huge fever. I'll let you know how it goes once they're out.
Even having them in isn't as bad as some people make it sound; for me, it just feels a bit like having a cold. Sleeping on my back was a little tricky—I spent half the night awake and the other half asleep—but it was alright.

Just pulled the swabs out—nothing too crazy. Now I’m just waiting for the mold to come off to see what kind of surprise is waiting for me... honestly, it hasn't been much of a drama. They give you some painkillers and everything is fine, though it looks pretty gnarly if you end up with bruises like I did. It’s giving me major 'purple smokey eyes' vibes right now... hehe😉

Nancy Perez74 said:Got my swab done—nothing major. Now I’m just waiting on the mold removal to see if there’s any actual surprises waiting for me. Honestly, it’s not even that big of a deal. They give you painkillers and everything's fine, though it looks pretty gnarly if you end up with bruising like I did. Right now, I've basically got a permanent "purple smoky eye" look going on... haha.😉

Look, everything went fine, clearly. As for the bruising, I was a total wreck. Just go grab some Heparin and slather it on. I practically bathed in the stuff, but at least it helps the bruises fade faster. You won't even deal with the pain—nose surgery doesn't hurt. Even when I had broken bones, I didn't feel a thing, and my nurse told me straight up that nose surgery is painless. 😁

Nancy Perez74 said:'purple smokey eyes'

🤣

Thanks for the info—it’s actually pretty encouraging to hear. So you get some kind of pain relief? rustygardener172, did you get that too (assuming you saw the same doctor)?😬

@Nika... Heparin, you say? *scribbles in notepad* 😁 I feel like I'm going to look like a total wreck since my skin is as pale as Snow White's... I bruise if someone even looks at me wrong. Honestly, I'm worried about it because I can't stay in the city where the doctor is practicing for long, and I really don't want to have to head home looking all bruised up. 😳

stormyharbor2 said:🤣

Thanks for the info. Good to hear. So you actually get pain meds? rustygardener172, did you get them too? (Assuming you saw the same doctor).😬

@Nika... Heparin, huh? *scribbles in notebook* 😁 I'll probably look like a wreck. My skin is basically Snow White levels of pale—I bruise if someone even looks at me wrong. Worried about it because I can't stay in the city where my doctor is for long; I'd have to travel home looking like a giant bruise. 😳

Yeah, Heparin is the way to go. But I heard from some girl who just got home after surgery that she used cold compresses on the back of her neck and didn't end up with any bruising at all.
🤷

It’s probably a little too late to stop the swelling now; I already dealt with that back at the clinic... but what’s actually worrying me is that my lips have almost vanished. It feels like they're half the size and much thinner than before, and my eyes are all puffy, kind of like a raccoon's.🤷...what happened to my lips? Where did they go??
I guess my whole face looks a bit distorted right now, but maybe it's better if I just avoid looking in the mirror for a while.....

Nancy Perez74 said:It’s a little late to try and stop the swelling now—I was already dealing with this mess back when I was still at their clinic... but honestly, my biggest worry right now is that my lips have basically vanished. It’s like they’ve shrunk to half their size and gotten super thin, and my eyes are all puffy like a raccoon's...🤷...seriously, what happened to my lips? Where did they go??
I mean, look, my whole face is pretty much distorted right now, but I’m doing my best to just stay away from mirrors.....

hahahahahhahahahaah, they'll come back, don't even sweat it! They probably just dried out because you've been mouth-breathing through the swelling 😁 hahahhaha
My best advice? Stop looking in the mirror entirely. I swear, I didn't even give myself a proper look in a mirror for the first month... and honestly, that’s the best tip I can give you. Your face is going to change by the hour, so there is zero point in just scaring yourself half to death :*

stormyharbor2 said:🤣

Thanks for the heads-up, man. Honestly, that’s actually pretty encouraging to hear for once. So, you actually managed to get some decent pain meds out of the visit? That’s huge. Hey, rustygardener172, did you end up getting anything prescribed too? I think you saw the same doctor, right?😬

I don't know... all I know for sure is that nothing ever actually hurt. 😁 Yeah, probably... I mean, honestly, if you ask me, that's likely how it's gonna go down. It’s just one of those things where you see the writing on the wall and realize there isn't much else to say. Just another day in the life, I guess.
Honestly, I’ve been down that road too—I ended up on heparin myself for a while. It’s just one of those things you have to deal with. 🙂 And of course, you’ve got those cold compresses to deal with. You can pick them up at any CVS or Walgreens around the corner... they're dirt cheap, honestly. Like, less than a few bucks. $6.75I mean, seriously? That’s just freaking awesome!

rustygardener172 said:I don't know... all I know is it didn't really hurt 😁 though maybe it did...
I used heparin too 🙂 ...and obviously cold compresses. You can grab some at CVS... they're dirt cheap... less than $6.75, and they actually work!

http://www.centar-zdravlja.net/lijek...heparin-krema/

That stuff? Did a doctor actually prescribe that for you?

And yeah, I'm with you on the whole "don't look in the mirror" thing—best advice I've heard yet. 😁

stormyharbor2 said:http://www.centar-zdravlja.net/lijek...heparin-krema/

This junk? A doctor actually prescribed this?

Agreed on the "don't look in the mirror" part. Best advice I've heard yet. 😁

Just self-prescribe 😁, grab it over the counter at a CVS 🙂

Ashley Young34 said:just get a script written 😁, or grab it over the counter at a CVS without one 🙂

The text literally says you can't get it without a prescription.

I finally figured out what’s going on with my lips—I bit the inside of my mouth and now everything is just swollen... that's why I look like this. I have a feeling this is going to drag on for a good couple of weeks.

@stormyharbor2/">@@stormyharbor2: You'll definitely get some painkillers, everyone does, and you can probably pick up some heparin over the counter at a CVS without a prescription.

my mouth feels like it belongs to a heavyweight boxer after a rough fight.

Nancy Perez74 said:they cut one of my muscles

😢 Cutting a muscle right above the lip sounds absolutely brutal...

I feel like my mouth looks like some old Hollywood character's

🤣 So they basically just pulled them outward?😁

stormyharbor2 said:😢 That muscle trimming above the lip sounds pretty intense to me, I guess.

🤣 So, I guess they finally stepped outside?😁

I don't really see the point. Once you're under anesthesia, what they actually do doesn't matter much, I guess. As long as you don't feel anything and the end result turns out okay, that's all that counts.

Regarding my lips, I have this feeling they look huge, though when I catch my reflection, they actually seem smaller than usual. It might just be that the area where the muscle was cut is really hard and swollen. My cheeks feel a bit puffy too, almost like I’m hiding something in them... I feel like Quasimodo!😢

Nancy Perez74 said:Why does it matter? You're under anesthesia anyway—it shouldn't matter what they're actually doing... as long as you don't feel a thing and the end result looks good.

That doesn't change the fact that it sounds pretty gross. Pretty sure I'm not the only one here pointing that out...

I'm basically Quasimodo

🙂 It'll pass, just hang in there...

Yeah, I know most people were pretty against trimming that part, but personally, it didn't bother me. I knew that was what the doctor intended to do, so I just went along with it.
It’s such beautiful weather outside, yet here I am, stuck in bed... if anyone saw me looking like this, they might actually get scared.😂......
stormyharbor2, did you ever make a final call on going through with the surgery or...?😍

Nancy Perez74 said:I finally figured out what’s going on with my lips—they cut that muscle in my mouth and now everything is just swollen... that's why I look like this. I have a feeling this is gonna drag on for weeks.

@stormyharbor2/">@@stormyharbor2: You're definitely getting pain meds, everyone does. And you can grab heparin over the counter.

Man, I feel like my mouth looks like a total disaster right now.

...yeah, they cut that muscle in mine too and it felt exactly the same.😁
And I agree, when you're under anesthesia, it doesn't matter what they're doing. Honestly, breaking bones with a hammer—that "nose hammering" thing—is way worse than a little muscle incision.😛

@stormyharbor2/">@@stormyharbor2 - plenty of stuff says you can't get it without a prescription, but here in the States, those rules don't mean much. Just head to the drugstore and buy it.😁

@Zachary Nguyen29 - yeah, I feel the same way. Thinking about construction tools breaking bones sounds way worse than cutting through muscle, so I don't really get why everyone is panicking about this...🙂
anyway... your signature is actually pretty great 😍

Nancy Perez74 said:stormyharbor2, did you finally pull the trigger on that surgery or what...?😍

Yeah. First step is getting that checkup—but I need to figure out the logistics first, since I don't exactly have anyone to crash with...

Ashley Young34 said:stormyharbor2 - plenty of people claim you can't get stuff without a prescription, but honestly, that rule doesn't really carry any weight around here... you can just walk right into a pharmacy and pick up what you need... 😁

Yeah, I know that... 😁 I honestly thought this was "serious" enough to actually include in the recipe...

I feel the exact same way—honestly, thinking about construction tools that can actually shatter bones is way more terrifying to me than some muscle being cut... I don't really get why everyone is panicking over this...🙂

Look, it’s a minor thing compared to actually getting your nose broken, but there’s just something about this whole situation that’s unsettling. Can you please talk normally? Does my smile look different to you now...

@Princess, did you have that same muscle cut too?

Sorry if I keep bugging everyone with all these questions... 🤣