Posts by Sam Kim12

Carol Cox55 said:Listen, I’ve been dealing with this deep-seated hatred for my nose since my teenage years—it’s been a constant weight—and honestly, I’ve always wanted to just go under the knife and get it over with. For the longest time, I kept putting it off, nursing this naive little hope that I’d eventually just grow out of the complex and stop caring. But here I am, twenty-four years old, wrapping up my degree, and the situation hasn't changed one bit. It's still there, just as nagging as ever.
I have a question for anyone who has actually gone through with surgery—specifically, if you’ve had work done, I want to know what the fallout was like from the people around you. How did everyone react? More importantly, how do you deal with the constant, unsolicited commentary about having a nose job? I’m looking for some real insight on how to handle the comments once the initial healing is over.
It’s eating at me right now—that nagging, sinking sensation that if word ever got out, I’d be absolutely mortified in front of my entire circle of friends and acquaintances.👎

It’s actually kind of hilarious—I made some subtle changes to my nose, and I bet 95% of people didn't even notice. Not a single soul.🤣 And those people who actually figured it out—the ones who saw right through the whole thing—they were met with nothing but a chorus of glowing, positive comments. It’s almost laughable how one-sided the feedback was.

Do you honestly think you’re getting this leg surgery done for your own sake, or is it just to satisfy everyone else? — Look, if you’re making this call for yourself, then frankly, I don't care what anyone else has to say about it—not that you should be listening to their unsolicited opinions in the first place.😉

Jerry Davis48 said:And then there's the age factor—the sheer complexity of the surgery itself, the potential complications, the type of packing used, well, everything. It’s impossible to predict. I remember when I went under the knife; I was in my mid-twenties and planned for a four-week break from work—just a simple septoplasty. And sure enough, it went exactly to plan. Two and a half months before hitting the gym again, and about a year until things finally felt stabilized.

The bolded part has already been mentioned😉

Naturally, you have to account for a massive range of variables, making it incredibly difficult to say how someone's recovery will actually play out.

In my case, I underwent an extremely grueling procedure that lasted nearly two hours—a closed reconstruction—when I was 33. They had me packed with foils and various dressings that had to be removed after four or five days, and all in all, my recovery was lightning fast—😁pure luck, really—whereas my neighbor, who only had a basic septoplasty, took three times as long to bounce back as I did.
Recovery is entirely dependent on a multitude of factors, which is why even the surgeons won't give you a hard guarantee on timing; they simply can't know exactly how the healing process will unfold or what hurdles might pop up along the way.

That said, I strongly recommend the procedure to anyone struggling to breathe. Looking back at my own experience, I feel like a fool for waiting and suffering through it for years just because of what people were saying. It wasn't until after the surgery that I truly understood what it meant to actually breathe properly and clearly through my nose.🙏

redranger82 said:Hey there, it's me again. 😁

I’m looking for some insight from anyone who has undergone a septoplasty—specifically, how long is the hospital stay following the procedure, and how many days pass before the follow-up appointment to have the packing removed? I'll be heading to Mount Sinai, though I'm not actually based in NYC.

You aren't "going for" a septal deviation; you are going to undergo surgery to correct a septal deviation😉.

Your actual hospital stay depends entirely on the scope of the work—whether they are simply correcting the septum or performing a full nasal reconstruction once the surgeon opens things up—as well as the specific technique used (open vs. closed surgery). Ultimately, the timing for removing the packing, films, or whatever internal supports they use is dictated by the surgical approach and what the doctor decides is necessary for your specific case.😉

Maria Anderson59 said:I urgently need some input here.
I just had my blood work done because I have to undergo a minor surgical procedure—everything looks fine except for my AST (38, ref 8-30) and my MPV (10.8, ref 6.8-10.4), which are both elevated.
Is this cause for concern? When I had my metabolic panel and enzyme tests checked five months ago, everything was perfectly normal.

AST is a liver enzyme—elevated levels are most significant when diagnosing liver diseases such as viral hepatitis, cirrhosis, toxic liver damage, primary or metastatic liver cancer, and then there’s myocardial infarction, progressive muscular dystrophy, or dermatomyositis. You might also see elevated AST levels in cases of acute pancreatitis, hemolytic disease, gangrene, muscle contusions, or a pulmonary embolism. Even a slight or moderate elevation in AST can occur after consuming alcohol or taking certain medications like penicillin, salicylates, or opioids. — Based on these results, your enzymes are moderately elevated, but you are absolutely going to consult with your doctor about this.😉

MPV represents the average platelet volume in the blood—a 10% increase above the upper limit is still generally considered a normal, or at least acceptable, finding.😉

Angela Moore63 said:I had swabs done for mycoplasma, ureaplasma, and chlamydia. I tested positive for urea and myco, but negative for chlamydia. I took doxycycline/Hemomycin—two pills a day for the first five days, then one daily for another 11 or 12 days. I completely cut out milk and dairy products. I didn't have any sexual intercourse during this time either. Now I’m due for a follow-up swab. However, I never had these symptoms—this abdominal pain, for instance—even though I clearly had those bacteria present. My boyfriend took antibiotics as well. I honestly don't understand how I even contracted this. It says they are transmitted exclusively through sexual contact, yet I haven't changed partners. Before me, he only had one girlfriend—his first—and they used protection. 😒

A swimming pool?

I dealt with ureaplasma myself once—my husband tested negative for everything (and naturally, I haven't been switching partners)—so the only possible way I caught it was from a swimming pool or a public restroom. I'm ruling out the restroom because, at the time, only my husband and I were using our toilet at home, and frankly, I avoid public bathrooms like the plague; if I absolutely have to use one, I literally hover over the seat 😛 and, according to both my gynecologist and my own gut feeling, the only culprit was the pool—specifically a pool that wasn't being treated with any chemicals whatsoever.

Kyle Martin67 said:It happened yesterday evening—I think—so I could take her to the ER...
Honestly, I don't think it’s anything major she hadn't eaten much and barely drank anything for three days—her immune system just tanked, and her body gave out—but you can never be certain, can you? Maybe it's better to just get her over to a specialist at the Mayo Clinic for a neurological consult or something similar... I'm not entirely sure what the protocol is...

Don't be so dismissive.😉
At an ER, they can run all sorts of tests, and in the best-case scenario, they'll admit her to the hospital where they can perform a full battery of neurological exams over the next few days—and if everything comes back clear on the neuro front, they might transfer her to another department altogether.

My aunt collapsed one day and ended up in the ER, then moved to neurology, only to end up being transferred to cardiology because, as it turned out, her neurological scans were perfectly fine.

The point is, you simply cannot afford to play games with this kind of thing.

Kyle Martin67 said:Hey everyone—I’m looking for some quick help and maybe a bit of advice here.

Basically, this involves my girlfriend. She went out this past Friday and really overdid it on the drinks. She finally rolled in around 8:00 AM on Saturday, slept until noon—so, barely four hours of shut-eye—and then we headed back out on Saturday night to grab more drinks and hit up some clubs. She seemed completely fine and alert, just like me, all through Saturday and most of Sunday.
But then, last night—yesterday evening—something happened for the very first time in her life, and honestly, I was terrified.
We were lying in bed when she got a text message; she sat up to grab her phone from the nightstand, and suddenly, she just... buckled. She collapsed to the floor and started shaking—it probably lasted about two seconds. I was by her side within a single second, shouting, "Hey! Hey! Hey!" while trying to pull her up from the floor. After that whole ordeal, which took maybe two seconds total, she snapped back to herself.
She’s shaken up because she’s never experienced anything like it—she said everything just went black, and all she can remember is hearing me yelling and then being lifted off the floor.
To provide some context: her last meal was Saturday before we went out, and after that, it was just constant drinking all through the night, all morning, and seemingly well into the afternoon—maybe until 2:00 PM. Was this just a result of her immune system crashing from the exhaustion, or is this a sign of an epileptic seizure or something similar?...

Thanks in advance—please, if anyone has any insight or personal experience, let me know.

Hmm... if she had just collapsed, you could chalk it up to a blood pressure issue, but that shaking part is what worries me. If that happened to me, I wouldn't hesitate for a second to head straight to the ER—and that's exactly what I’d recommend doing here, much like melloworca6 suggested.😉

Amanda Ross13 said:Hi there,
I'm looking for recommendations for a general practitioner in the Dubrava area who's actually taking on new patients.
To be honest, I’ve been pretty unhappy with my current doctor for quite some time now—so I'm looking to move myself, my husband, and our young child over to someone better.
Thanks.

I switched over to the West Health Center near Grizanski to see Dr. Đorđijana Macanović—I haven't actually sat down in her office yet (haven't had a reason to), but I got a glowing recommendation, and everyone I know who has seen her says she's a great doctor—really listens and isn't one of those meddling types who nitpicks everything...

Rebecca Scott said:I’m trying to figure out if there’s actually some sort of rule regarding taking on new patients. Honestly, I live on the complete opposite side of town—it’s a massive pain traveling 10 miles just to see my GP—but every single time I call an office at the local health center right by my apartment, they tell me they aren't accepting new patients 😕.
How am I even supposed to switch to a doctor who isn't such a hassle 9.3 miles from my place 😁? Am I expected to just start calling every health center in the city, starting with the closest ones and working my way out? It feels like everyone is just going to give me the same brush-off about being full. I truly don't get it 🙂
.

Maybe Matilda Tandara?
I used to be with Mrsic-Novacki, and for a while, Tandara was covering for her. To be honest, she seemed much more competent than Mrsic—she actually sent me for a whole battery of tests and generally seemed far more invested in my care 🙂. I wasn't with her for very long, though, so I can't say how she holds up "in the long run" 😉.

Here’s the deal: most doctors claim they’re at capacity because they’re "saving spots" for children or family members of current patients—which they aren't even allowed to do. My workaround? You call Medicare and ask which doctors actually have openings. If the specific doctor you want refuses to take you, you tell them to check with Medicare, and then Medicare tells them they're supposed to be accepting people. That’s exactly how I managed to get my mother transferred after every single clinic turned her away, claiming they were full even though the Medicare registry showed they had up to 300 open slots 😬. 😠

Tandara is fine, I guess, but her sister? Absolute nightmare... She practically looked at me like I was some idiot when I walked through the doors at Grizanski looking for my dear Mrsic-Novacki, who apparently moved to a new location without bothering to tell a single one of her patients—to top it off, she changed her hours too. And the kicker is that her sister only answers the phone for one measly hour a day; getting a hold of her is impossible. Anyway, Tandara's sister basically treated me like a nuisance, snapping, "Well, you should have known where your doctor moved to!" ... Give me a break. I'm not Nostradamus or some psychic; I can't just sense when a doctor relocates, especially when there isn't a single notice posted anywhere, not even at the old office.

goldenranger7 said:Hey,

Are you actually happy with how the aesthetics turned out? And honestly, how long was the wait for the surgery?

Thanks for the intel. 🙂

P.S. Has anyone here actually seen a maxillofacial surgeon over at the New Hospital?

I am beyond thrilled with the aesthetic results😉 — I waited about a month and a half.😁

It’s highly unlikely a maxillofacial surgeon will touch your nose unless you’ve dealt with some serious trauma—think a car accident or facial blunt force—in which case a whole team of specialists, including the maxillofacial expert, would step in.😉 — They all coordinate closely when necessary... In my case, an ENT reconstructed my entire nose and I couldn't be happier with the outcome.👍

Ryan Cooper37 said:Could someone please tell me how you actually manage without breathing through your nose for an entire week after surgery? Between the packing and everything else... honestly, my biggest worry is going to be trying to sleep.

Look, I only had stuff stuffed up my nose for less than three days—I had my procedure late Friday evening and they cleared out the packing and foil by Monday morning. Breathing through my mouth wasn't even an issue for me. Then again, maybe it didn't bother me because I was already practically a pro at mouth-breathing; I’ve dealt with chronic sinus issues so often that my nasal lining would swell up so badly that even the strongest drops or sprays couldn't touch it. Bottom line: it's really not as catastrophic as it sounds.😉

Does anyone have a recommendation for a solid general practitioner over in Grizanski?

Basically, I’m looking for a doctor who isn't arrogant—someone who actually knows their stuff—and, more importantly, a practice where the nurse actually picks up the phone. That seems to be a lost art these days.
Right now, I’m seeing Mrsic-Novacki, and frankly, I’ve run out of polite things to say about her; she has officially crossed every line imaginable. I was thinking about switching over to Dr. Puljević (I think that's the spelling), but then I sat in the waiting room and just heard a chorus of bitter patients complaining about the nurse. Apparently, she runs the place like it's the Wild West, and even the patients are unhappy with the doctor.😢

amberpanther352 said:So, can I get a urine culture regardless of whether my period is going on?
It’s just a little awkward to ask because my whole family knows both the doctor and the nurse working there...🕺

Urine doesn't come out through the vagina.😬

Of course you can get a urine culture while you're on your period.😉

velvetheron57 said:Can anyone with actual experience—or even just some intel—please share what they know about Dr. Poje? From everything I hear, he’s constantly being cited as one of the absolute best. Thanks!!

Everything absolutely terrible about him.👎 — He is incredibly arrogant, acts like he knows everything, and simply refuses to listen to his patients. Honestly, he dismissed me so aggressively that I actually started questioning my own sanity; he tried to convince me I was making things up! He insisted that corticosteroid sprays were the "only" solution, acting as if there was nothing wrong with my nose, even though I couldn't breathe. Fast forward two months later—with the exact same test results—I went to a different hospital only to be told the truth: a severe deviation and heavily inflamed mucosa. I ended up having surgery (a total reconstruction of the nasal bones along with removing a significant portion of the mucosa), and finally, I can breathe properly again.🙏.

Generally speaking, both Poje and Mladin have quite the reputation, but I honestly don't get the hype. I hear far too many horror stories from former patients, and frankly, I have my own bad experiences too (with Mladin, my issues go all the way back to when he was practicing over at the downtown clinic)😠.

Melissa Martinez5 said:So, my husband just got a referral for an ENT specialist.
They’re suspecting a deviated septum—it's making breathing pretty difficult...
Now he's also dealing with an ear infection—I'm not sure how much they're linked, but his primary care physician told him to make sure he mentions it to the ENT, because she felt something was off inside there:-/
What should be our first move regarding which doctor to see—which hospital—maybe the local University Medical Center or somewhere else?

Dubrava Hospital - Dr. Ožegović😉 is my recommendation.
I went to him myself—he handled both my tonsillectomy and my deviated septum surgery perfectly.😉

shadownomad43 said:URGENT AND IMPORTANT! About two and a half years ago, I underwent surgery for a perforated duodenal ulcer. To be honest, the incision left behind a pretty tragic, asymmetrical scar that’s anything but aesthetic, but I didn't dwell on it much at the time—after all, I survived, and I had to deal with the fallout of peritonitis and a pulmonary embolism following that procedure. However, I received a new shock yesterday: an ultrasound confirmed I have a ventral hernia. Since I’m likely facing another surgery very soon to repair it—which, given my medical history, feels like a massive gamble—I stumbled upon the idea that this could potentially be combined with an abdominoplasty. If I’m going to take the risk of being under anesthesia again, I’d much rather kill two birds with one stone, especially since, despite being 48, I still fully intend to enjoy some sunbathing on the beach in a bikini. I am covered by both supplemental and primary insurance. Given that these issues seem to stem from what was clearly a "clumsy" job stitching up my initial surgical wound (likely some resident who wasn't quite up to speed yet), I'm wondering if I have any grounds to have these procedures covered by Medicare. And if there is a way to do it, even partially, which hospital would you recommend? I would truly appreciate any insight or advice you can offer.

Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins Hospital do this, and I'm fairly certain a major metropolitan hospital like Mount Sinai would as well.

Since this entire mess is a direct consequence of the initial surgery, you absolutely have the right to have everything covered by Medicare😉. I personally know several women who had their aesthetic issues resolved for these exact reasons, and Medicare picked up the tab for the whole thing
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Taylor Jackson59 said:Honestly, $200 is a pretty decent amount to save. In my experience, guests mostly care about the vibe, the live band, and the food. Cakes are just a side note—everyone's got their own priorities when it comes to spending.🙂

Even if my own treats cost only $20/lb, they won't be any less delicious than those overpriced ones.☕

Is this being handled by a legitimate catering company or just some side gig?
If it’s a commercial outfit, then you already know the drill—they’re stuffing it with cheap stuff like generic supermarket chocolate (which has never even seen a cocoa bean) and swapping out real butter for bottom-of-the-barrel margarine, etc. 😳

wanderingnomad13 said:What on earth am I reading? These claims that you aren't allowed to touch your nose at all—for several months, no less—are absolutely preposterous. And then there’s this other bit of nonsense about not being able to blow your nose for ten days following the procedure? Give me a break. It's complete and utter madness.

Correct me if I’m wrong—though I highly doubt it—but I have been blowing my nose regularly and quite normally since day five. If I hadn't been doing that, I have no idea how I would have cleared out all the debris—it was essential. Thanks to that, my breathing has been absolutely perfect since day six, without a single bit of congestion or any lingering sniffles. Today marks day twelve post-op, and as far as my breathing goes, everything is functioning exactly as it should.
How on earth am I supposed to go a full month without touching my nose? Honestly—even my doctor was getting handsy with it while he was removing the mold! I’ve been being incredibly careful—just gently dabbing the outside with a cotton swab and applying moisturizer—because the skin there is already bone-dry. I’ll admit, I’ve been a bit too aggressive with myself a few times, but all the experienced girls I talked to assured me it wouldn't be an issue—they said, "It's a nose, not a piece of tissue paper"—yet now it turns out I’m supposedly forbidden from even a light touch? What is that even supposed to mean? Is my nose going to warp or shift shape just because I grazed it? It makes absolutely zero sense.🤷

Look, let’s get one thing straight—none of us are recovering under the exact same circumstances. We didn't all undergo an identical procedure—the incision sites vary, the mucosal quality differs from person to person, and even the intensity of the removal isn't uniform across the board. You have to account for varying levels of blood flow and capillary health, too. Because of those variables, no two experiences can truly be compared. So, please, believe me when I say that nobody was given those "don't touch your nose" instructions just for the sake of being difficult. There is a very real reason for it.
So, they hand me my discharge papers—which, let’s be honest, are about as precise as a weather forecast in a hurricane—and tell me that I have polyps and a portion of my intestinal lining removed. They don't specify exactly how much was taken out, though deep down, I know it was a significant amount. To make matters worse, the doctor basically told me straight up that I shouldn't expect any semblance of a full recovery for at least two years. Now, this is where the math stops adding up—it’s almost absurd. A close acquaintance of mine had the exact same specialist, and he told her she’d be back to normal in maybe six months, or a year at most. But then again, we aren't talking about the same scale of surgery, are we? It’s one of those situations where the "recovery timeline" feels less like medical science and more like a complete shot in the dark.😉

I was told that I shouldn't even consider starting any sort of gradual blowing process for at least another ten days—unless absolutely necessary—and I am certainly not to think about that reckless, gambling-style blowout approach. However, I did receive a rather sobering warning: I shouldn't be surprised if, in about two weeks, a massive sneeze triggers some intense bleeding. Apparently, there are cases where people have ended up straight in the ER because of exactly that.
Look, this is exactly why you need to listen strictly to your own doctor—period. Don't go taking advice from random internet strangers or anyone who hasn't actually stood in the operating room with you. Only your physician truly understands the specifics of what was done during your procedure and just how extensive the surgery actually was—it’s a level of nuance that outsiders simply cannot grasp.

And frankly—I’m not even going to dignify those comments from certain forum members regarding nose picking, pulling scabs, or dried blood—because that is nothing more than playing with fire and inviting unnecessary complications.

silverorca6 said:I have some questions for the folks on this forum who've already had their surgery:

How would you describe how you're feeling 20 days post-op? Would you say a person could handle a one-hour commute home on public transit—you know, in one of those cramped, airless subway cars where you can't even open the windows, and if you actually manage to, the draft is absolutely brutal?

Well, it all boils down to what kind of procedure you actually had and how your own body handles things—recovery is never one-size-fits-all.🤷
Personally, I was back at work after just 15 days😉 and my recovery went pretty smoothly overall (they used a closed technique for mine).

silverorca6 said:If you had the choice and someone offered you a recovery at a spa resort, how many days would you stay there?

At least two—but honestly, mostly just so I could get a break from everyone else and the kids.🤣 Though, if I'm being realistic, I think two weeks would be the sweet spot.😁

silverorca6 said:Why do you think Blanka Vlasic could get a nose like that through the public system in any hospital in our depressing country?

I don't just think it—I know it, because I see the evidence in myself.
(In my case, it was at Dubrava KB)🙏 😉

Kimberly Hughes17 said:Hey ladies, I need some insight from those of you who have been through this—will it be an issue if my surgery falls on the fifth day of my cycle? It’s basically winding down, but things didn't exactly go according to my original schedule... everything just got a bit thrown off.
Thanks in advance.

I was actually on my third day of my period right when I had my nose surgery—honestly, there was just some light bleeding, nothing out of the ordinary, and it didn't interfere with anything at all. Just a pad in my underwear and everything went super !!😉Honestly, I even had my abdominal surgery right in the middle of my period—but back then, I just used a tampon because during an abdominal procedure, you have to be completely naked. The only thing that actually gets noted on your medical charts is that you're on your period, and that’s it—plus, in my case, they added a specific note stating that I had a tampon in.😉

Olivia Gonzalez17 said:Look, at a private clinic like the Dr. Toncic Clinic, they won't give you any trouble—they'll take care of you. But trying to get surgery at a major hospital like the Mayo Clinic while you're dealing with that kind of blood loss? Forget about it. There's absolutely no chance they’ll touch you until that's sorted out—and honestly, it feels like it's coming down to the very last second. Why don't you just pick up the phone, call them, and ask?😁

That’s just plain wrong.🙂Look, please don't try to lecture me or spread misinformation if you aren't absolutely certain about what you're saying—it’s unhelpful. I had my surgery at Dubrava KB, and everything went perfectly smooth—no issues whatsoever. One thing that definitely needs to be emphasized is whether or not someone is on their period; while it might not be strictly mandatory in every single case, there’s no reason to make a fuss about it. I really don't see why some doctors feel the need to turn that into such a massive ordeal when they should just leave it alone.

By the way—you really need to make sure you mention the menstrual issues to the anesthesiologist at the hospital. 🙂