Posts by wanderingangler8

Ashley Carter95 said:my nose wasn't feeling great either—no ointments used, just some nose strips every single time I went in for a cleaning.

I went in this past Saturday to get my molds removed, and they just kind of scraped off those little crusty bits with something—not sure how else to put it—but they didn't apply anything to it afterward. Should I just pick up some oil at a drugstore?

swiftheron48 said:Oh man. I was really hoping everything would just settle down after 10 days 😢 but now I’m feeling pretty wiped. I'm just praying it gets easier every single day. So, did people at work figure out you had nose surgery? Or did they just ask what happened?
🙂😍

Honestly, nobody even realized I had my nose done—which is actually wild. When I was reading other people's stories about life after surgery, I didn't really get it when they said no one could tell. Now I totally do.
Did they put any ointment on your nose?

swiftheron48 said:Ugh, man 😢 how many days has it been for you now? This whole thing with the tampons is just brutal—it’s not even that it hurts, it’s just such a weird, gross sensation. When I started pulling it out, I honestly thought it was never going to end. It feels SO long 🙂 at least that's how it feels to me. Where else are you feeling swollen? My whole head feels puffy 😍

Today is my tenth day. Man, I don't even know where I'm not. Same here—my whole head is still swollen, though maybe not as bad as those first few days. My nose is still puffy too. Honestly, I just feel like total trash right now. I can't wait for this all to be over 🙄

swiftheron48 said:hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha... oh my god, you should see my face right now. I am so swollen—I look like a total cartoon character 🙂 hahahahahahahaha, seriously can't wait for this swelling to go down 🙂😍

I’ve actually checked online a few times already just to see if you took the mold off yet and to get your take on it...
Man, it's gonna subside. It was my first day back at work today and everyone was asking what happened. 😍
And yeah, I'm still super swollen—even though I had to drag myself into the office 🙄

swiftheron48 said:hehe 🙂 they're taking out my mold and my tampon tomorrow 🙂 which is awesome. 🙂 Honestly, I couldn't care less how things look from underneath. 🙂 So—was it actually large enough to make you decide on the surgery?

Well, I can tell you it was long, and my pelvic bone was pretty flat. Now everything is nicely shaped and lifted. What about you—what kind of trouble was it giving you?

swiftheron48 said:I was actually debating between two different options too. Fingers crossed I don't regret it 🙂 hehehe can't wait for tomorrowyyyy 🙂 just one more night and I'm stripping it all off yippeeeeee 🙂 How many days were you wearing it, miss? 🙂

I mean, I don't know, maybe about 5 days. By the time I was getting the mold off, it had already dropped 😍
I'm just hoping it stays put this time—it's way better like this 😁

swiftheron48 said:Honestly, I'm just hoping I don't have to deal with any more swelling... 🙂 Fingers crossed this is it—just smooth sailing from here on out. 🙂 So, which surgeon did you go with?

I went with the specialist in Chicago. The consultation felt right, so I pulled the trigger.😉
It's such a tough call. You always hear both sides of the story, but at the end of the day, it's your nose and your decision. I just really hope I won't regret this.

swiftheron48 said:🙂 Thanks—I’m really hoping I don't end up with any bruising either. I was scrolling through the forums and it seems like everyone gets them... which is honestly terrifying. But honestly? It totally surprised me that I haven't had any pain at all—not a headache, nothing in my nose, not even my teeth. Nothing. Just this annoying breathing thing that's getting on my nerves. Are you still swollen, or has it gone down yet? 🙂 I had my surgery just the other day, and yesterday I was looking deep purple. Now I've moved on to a sort of yellowish-green vibe 🙂 pretty glamorous, right? 🙂😉

I didn't have any pain either. Didn't even touch a single painkiller after the procedure. I will say though, the swelling was definitely there. Not super bruised/blue, but my head felt like a giant balloon 😍My doctor mentioned that once they take the molds out, there might be some extra swelling, so we'll see. They said everything should settle down in about a week.

swiftheron48 said:I’m only on day four myself. But once you pull the tampon out and get the mold off... man. Tell me, do most people say they look like a pig once that tampon comes out? 😢Was it like that for you too?

Yeah, even my dad was like, "Look how much your nose is sticking up now." 😍
Look, it's been a week for me and the tip has already dropped—people actually think it looks totally natural.
Don't sweat it; there's nothing you can do about certain things right now, and Monday will be here before you know it.
Fingers crossed you're happy with the result and we don't end up seeing any weird bumps. 👍

swiftheron48 said:Did they just take out the mold and the swab? Or did you pull the swab earlier? I'm getting mine done Monday and honestly can't wait because this whole situation is intense. Did it hurt at all? I'm low-key terrified about finding any lumps. 😢

They pulled the swab out the very next day. And honestly, it didn't hurt me one bit. It’s a little uncomfortable, sure—but my pain tolerance is basically zero, so don't stress too much. It really just depends on the person.😉

Okay, so they took the mold off and my nose actually looks pretty great.
I’ve got a follow-up appointment in a month, so we'll see what the deal is with those bumps. Honestly, I'm a little nervous since that seems to happen quite a bit.
One thing that's bugging me, though—they didn't apply any ointment to my nose, but I see you guys mentioning it.

Laura Castillo7 said:I've got my follow-up in two months—May 3rd. Honestly, I'm feeling pretty good about it. I was terrified there might be some weird lumps or something, but if nothing's popped up by now, I'm assuming I'm in the clear. Plus, everyone keeps telling me how cute I look—apparently this nose fits my face way better than the old one.

Glad to hear it—really hoping everything stays on this track.👍

Susan Smith13 said:Ugh, I honestly don't know what to do—I've been obsessing way too much about my nose lately. It's always bothered me and I've been struggling with it for years, but now it's just driving me crazy. I've decided I'm finally going to get surgery, but I just don't have the cash right now. Please, if anyone has any advice, I'd appreciate it. Thanks in advance.

Look, I can't really give you specific advice or tell you to "just stop worrying"—because I've been exactly where you are. I wasn't happy with how I looked either, so once I landed a job and saved up enough, I went through with the surgery. That's really all I can say—I just hope you get to your "time" soon so you can finally do this for yourself, especially if it'll make you happy.🙂

Laura Castillo7 said:Didn't they tell you to put some kind of ointment on the wound? I was constantly applying stuff so things wouldn't get dry—though honestly, I didn't have much bleeding, so there wasn't really anything to scab over anyway.

Nah, they didn't give me any ointment.
They just mentioned I could use Aqamaris, but that’s basically nothing.
It’s not like I was bleeding heavily or anything, but after I take the tampon out, there's still a bit of spotting and leftover blood from my nose, and it's started to crust up.
Whatever, though—I'm sure everything will clear up this Friday once they take the mold off.
Anyway, how long has it been since your surgery? Are you totally happy with the results?

Laura Castillo7 said:Yeah, when I was switching out tampons, they told me to just use Q-tips. Just gently pull out whatever’s bothering you. Honestly, I was terrified I’d hurt myself too—totally get it—but you get the hang of it eventually. Those swabs were a lifesaver for me because pads don't really help with this stuff.

The issue is everything feels pretty dried up right now. I've been using Aquaphor and waiting for things to loosen up so I can actually clean it out, but nothing's working. I'm low-key worried even that won't be enough to clear it all out.🤷

Laura Castillo7 said:I'm not sure which doctor you saw—they cleaned mine out, applied some kind of ointment, and told me not to blow my nose for a month. Just gentle cleaning with swabs only.

The specialist.
Did they do that cleaning and apply the ointment while they were removing the cast?

Laura Castillo7 said:Just clean your nose with Q-tips—but be super careful and gentle, since it's still an open wound inside.

Honestly, I'm scared to even touch it when everything feels swollen and numb—I don't want to shove a Q-tip in too deep and cause more damage. Will my doctor handle the cleaning when they take the mold out?

Laura Doyle9 said:Honestly, I think people’s biggest fear is waking up one day and realizing they've lost their national identity entirely—that sense of "who are we?"—whereas with local issues, you at least know where you stand. To be real, that's exactly what keeps me up at night.😢

I ended up going with general anesthesia because, honestly, I was freaking out. But like the doctor said—every surgery comes with its own set of risks. At the end of the day, it’s just on you to decide if you're ready to take that leap or not.

Bryan Gomez27 said:Tell us a bit about how your surgery went...

Alright, here’s the whole rundown from the start.
I rolled in there around 7:30 AM. My husband dropped me off and headed out. Then I had to swap into those surgical scrubs—pants and a top—and put on a diaper. Had to pull on those weird open-toe hospital socks, too...
I went back to have the doctor take some photos and mark up my nose to show exactly where the incisions would be.
After that, I got onto the operating table and they poked an IV into my left arm. The doctor warned me I’d feel dizzy, and honestly, within a few seconds, I was spinning. Then I just passed out—blackout. When I woke up, I was in a recovery room; it was 11:20 AM. I tried to grab my phone right away, but it took me about ten minutes just to actually feel human again. Once I could think straight, I called my husband and shot everyone a quick text to let them know I was awake...
A nurse brought me a cup of water with a straw—chugged that immediately—and asked if I wanted some pudding. I wasn't really feeling food, though, I just needed to hit the restroom. She walked me there and helped me back to bed.
Around 1:00 PM, I called my husband because the nurse mentioned I should call him if I wanted someone by my side to make things easier. He showed up right away, and we hung out until about 3:30 PM. That's when the doctor checked in, gave me all my results and discharge papers, and we finally headed home. I didn't have much bruising that first day—actually felt pretty okay—but around 10:30 at night, I almost passed out because I hadn't eaten anything all day. I finally caved and ate some pudding since I was getting worried about myself.
I slept pretty poorly that night; my throat was incredibly dry, so I kept waking up to drink water. The next day, I had to go back to get the packing removed. I had an appointment around 9:00 AM. It's not actually that bad... it's a little awkward, sure, but it literally takes five seconds.
Today is day three post-op. I'm still avoiding solid food—just sticking to pudding, yogurt, and broth.
The bruising isn't too intense, just some swelling. I've got some dried blood in my nose which looks pretty gross, but I'm going to try using a spray today and hope it cleans things up.
Anyway, if you guys have questions, fire away. And if you see any typos, it's just because I can't wear my glasses and I can't do contacts right now.😍

Alex Campbell54 said:Well, you can start using a spray right away—it didn't do much for me, though. It’s just sitting there...
There's actually a better way to go about it using a homemade saline solution!

Anyway, did you actually slice the muscle?

Yeah, I sliced the muscle. It had to happen because my nose was sagging quite a bit, so I wasn't really against it.
The swelling is still there, but now it’s starting to drift down toward my cheeks. Is that normal?
And how did you clean out all that dried blood from your nose? Mine is still all crusty.