Rhinoplasty: Experiences and recovery tips?
in Health ·
Consulting with three different surgeons
Picking a surgeon and scheduling the date for a month out
During those thirty days, there was one more detailed consultation and final agreement.
Getting all the necessary tests done and meeting with the anesthesiologist
The day before, everything is confirmed over the phone; you stick to light food until 7 PM, and after that, nothing else.
Surgery Day
No eating allowed—though I did sneak a little water because I was absolutely parched.
I arrived at the clinic around 1 PM; by 3:30 PM, everything was ready for the procedure.
Right before the operation, there was one last chat with the doctor and the anesthesiologist, plus some imaging of the nose.
Changing into the "surgical gown," which I wore over a tracksuit and a camisole underneath.
My procedure involved narrowing the nasal bridge, a slight lift, and smoothing out a small bump.
It was all done under local anesthesia with sedation. Honestly, you sleep right through it. I drifted off incredibly fast and woke up in a recovery room on a bed about an hour after heading into the OR. I felt pretty normal, just a bit foggy for the first five minutes, but nothing major.
A mild pain started to kick in, but they immediately gave me something intravenously for the discomfort, and that was it. That was both my first and last time feeling any actual pain. I had packing inside my nose and a splint, with everything taped down like a mask over my face.
Soon enough, someone was in my room checking on me. Around 6:30 PM, I was given some chocolate milk and water. They provided the discharge instructions, pain medication, and sterile gauze to change under my nose where some bleeding occurs; otherwise, don't touch a thing.
I headed home at 7 PM.
On that first day, you're only supposed to eat soft foods, but frankly, you won't want anything else because everything feels numb and moving your upper jaw is such a chore.
I had some bleeding if I tilted my head too far forward, but I didn't feel any pain at all, and I didn't even need to take more painkillers.
The night went better than expected.
The meds helped me sleep okay. I slept a bit propped up, which made my back ache slightly. I breathed normally through my mouth, though I was constantly applying ointment and sucking on Isla lozenges to keep my throat from drying out. Usually, I breathe exclusively through my nose, so I worried that breathing through my mouth would be much harder, but it turned out fine. Sleeping flat was the tricky part. By the third night, I was already sleeping on my side, and on the fourth day, they removed the packing. It wasn't scary or painful at all. Everything is quite slippery from the ointments, so it slides out easily; it’s a little uncomfortable for a second, but then comes the relief. After the packing is out, the "mask" on your face itches a bit and you feel a little warm and restless from the whole ordeal, but the seventh day rolls around quickly and it's time to remove the splint.
Oh, and I didn't get any bruising, just some yellowing around the eyes. That discoloration lasted about ten days total.
Removing the splint on the seventh day hurts just a tiny bit—the nose is sensitive, after all. But it’s brief, and you're so excited to see the results that you barely notice the pain.
Personally, I was happy with the look of my nose immediately. It clearly looked smaller. However, I was quite swollen, so the nose looked a bit bulbous, and you couldn't move your upper lip—it almost looked like a pig's snout for a moment. 😉
All in all, you look a bit strange, but I was prepared for that, so I focused solely on the nose. Today is
Day 17 post-op, and it looks better every single day. Every morning brings more improvement. I started venturing out in public on day 8, though I used plenty of makeup. Right now, the most noticeable part is where the bump used to be; there's a slight indentation that wasn't there before. My face looks fine, but the area between my eyes is still swollen. You really have to see it for yourself. Also, I have a slight feeling that I'm speaking through my nose. I don't touch my nose much—actually, not at all, except when I'm cleansing my face and removing makeup.
I highly suggest taking "before and after" photos from every possible angle. You forget how your nose actually looked much faster than you think.
So, overall, nothing too bad. Maybe the first three days were a bit tough, but after that, everything proceeded quite normally for me.
I am happy with my nose. The swelling has gone down a bit, and I hope it continues to subside rather than just narrowing further. I still have this sensation of numbness, but I've grown used to it and it doesn't bother me. It feels similar to when you hold an ice cube against one spot for a long time.
Sometimes I’ll pull on a t-shirt, for example, and it stings just a little bit—but everything is fine. I still have to be careful until the healing process is completely finished.
Good luck to everyone!!! I am feeling so happy!!![INDENT[/INDENT]
Picking a surgeon and scheduling the date for a month out
During those thirty days, there was one more detailed consultation and final agreement.
Getting all the necessary tests done and meeting with the anesthesiologist
The day before, everything is confirmed over the phone; you stick to light food until 7 PM, and after that, nothing else.
Surgery Day
No eating allowed—though I did sneak a little water because I was absolutely parched.
I arrived at the clinic around 1 PM; by 3:30 PM, everything was ready for the procedure.
Right before the operation, there was one last chat with the doctor and the anesthesiologist, plus some imaging of the nose.
Changing into the "surgical gown," which I wore over a tracksuit and a camisole underneath.
My procedure involved narrowing the nasal bridge, a slight lift, and smoothing out a small bump.
It was all done under local anesthesia with sedation. Honestly, you sleep right through it. I drifted off incredibly fast and woke up in a recovery room on a bed about an hour after heading into the OR. I felt pretty normal, just a bit foggy for the first five minutes, but nothing major.
A mild pain started to kick in, but they immediately gave me something intravenously for the discomfort, and that was it. That was both my first and last time feeling any actual pain. I had packing inside my nose and a splint, with everything taped down like a mask over my face.
Soon enough, someone was in my room checking on me. Around 6:30 PM, I was given some chocolate milk and water. They provided the discharge instructions, pain medication, and sterile gauze to change under my nose where some bleeding occurs; otherwise, don't touch a thing.
I headed home at 7 PM.
On that first day, you're only supposed to eat soft foods, but frankly, you won't want anything else because everything feels numb and moving your upper jaw is such a chore.
I had some bleeding if I tilted my head too far forward, but I didn't feel any pain at all, and I didn't even need to take more painkillers.
The night went better than expected.
The meds helped me sleep okay. I slept a bit propped up, which made my back ache slightly. I breathed normally through my mouth, though I was constantly applying ointment and sucking on Isla lozenges to keep my throat from drying out. Usually, I breathe exclusively through my nose, so I worried that breathing through my mouth would be much harder, but it turned out fine. Sleeping flat was the tricky part. By the third night, I was already sleeping on my side, and on the fourth day, they removed the packing. It wasn't scary or painful at all. Everything is quite slippery from the ointments, so it slides out easily; it’s a little uncomfortable for a second, but then comes the relief. After the packing is out, the "mask" on your face itches a bit and you feel a little warm and restless from the whole ordeal, but the seventh day rolls around quickly and it's time to remove the splint.
Oh, and I didn't get any bruising, just some yellowing around the eyes. That discoloration lasted about ten days total.
Removing the splint on the seventh day hurts just a tiny bit—the nose is sensitive, after all. But it’s brief, and you're so excited to see the results that you barely notice the pain.
Personally, I was happy with the look of my nose immediately. It clearly looked smaller. However, I was quite swollen, so the nose looked a bit bulbous, and you couldn't move your upper lip—it almost looked like a pig's snout for a moment. 😉
All in all, you look a bit strange, but I was prepared for that, so I focused solely on the nose. Today is
Day 17 post-op, and it looks better every single day. Every morning brings more improvement. I started venturing out in public on day 8, though I used plenty of makeup. Right now, the most noticeable part is where the bump used to be; there's a slight indentation that wasn't there before. My face looks fine, but the area between my eyes is still swollen. You really have to see it for yourself. Also, I have a slight feeling that I'm speaking through my nose. I don't touch my nose much—actually, not at all, except when I'm cleansing my face and removing makeup.
I highly suggest taking "before and after" photos from every possible angle. You forget how your nose actually looked much faster than you think.
So, overall, nothing too bad. Maybe the first three days were a bit tough, but after that, everything proceeded quite normally for me.
I am happy with my nose. The swelling has gone down a bit, and I hope it continues to subside rather than just narrowing further. I still have this sensation of numbness, but I've grown used to it and it doesn't bother me. It feels similar to when you hold an ice cube against one spot for a long time.
Sometimes I’ll pull on a t-shirt, for example, and it stings just a little bit—but everything is fine. I still have to be careful until the healing process is completely finished.
Good luck to everyone!!! I am feeling so happy!!![INDENT[/INDENT]