Posts by Rebecca Gomez37

Sam Kim12 said:So when did you actually have the procedure to get reimbursed? Was it before 2011?

It’s not actually called "polyp surgery"—FESS is just the method used, basically Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery (FESS).😉

It shows up on every single one of my medical reports—it's constantly there—so since I had surgery for sinus polyps, I just assumed that was the name of the thing. My bad.
Yeah, back in 2010, that was definitely the deal.☺

Linda Wright19 said:I’m guessing that price tag is just for the cosmetic stuff or a deviated septum. Do you happen to know how much it costs to get polyps removed, and how long you have to stay in the hospital for either one?
Apparently, he already knows before the exam that he's "Fixing this mess." If that's the case, it's a total waste of cash.

thanks again

When I went for my consultation, I made sure to grab the bill—since my surgery wasn't strictly cosmetic, I actually got a tax refund on the 14 $0.00 which turned out to be a decent chunk of change.
Look, ladies, I don't mean to lecture anyone, but I've been dealing with breathing issues since I was eleven—a messy combo of allergies, inflammation, polyps... I practically know the entire staff at the Mayo Clinic, then there was the local hospital after that... I’ve seen private specialists like Smith, Kurtovic, Racic in Saint, Toncic, Depine, Klapan in Chicago, and even John Smith in Maryland. John Smith left a terrible impression on me; he spent the whole time gossiping about Madonna and other celebrities while I was sitting there holding my spinal CT results, trying to tell him I can't even smell anything anymore, but he just kept doing things his own way.

Polyp surgery is called FESS, and you can get it done at a hospital... in Saint, there are really good doctors like Dr. Roje, Dr. Cikojevic, and Dr. Racic... I'm sure there are others too—you usually stay in the hospital for 5 to 7 days.
With that specific surgery, they aren't going to fix anything aesthetic. However, when doctors perform a septoplasty to fix a deviated septum, they often end up fixing cosmetic flaws too. That price you mentioned is what Smith charges for FESS, but if you're looking at a septoplasty, it'll be closer to $20,000, and that's when they'll touch the aesthetics—though nothing too dramatic. If you have a massive eagle nose, you'll notice the difference, but if your nose is pretty standard, they won't exactly lift it, narrow it, or change the profile significantly...

hiddenseal14 said:The 90s were war years and the aftermath. Did you forget that?

And those weren't exactly "golden era" years in Miami, either. Everyone was just scraping by, doing whatever they could. I honestly don't even know why I'm bothering to explain this. 🤦

Yeah, your comment is incredibly stupid and just plain tasteless. It’s so bad I actually have to reiterate—I'm basically begging for a single drop of common sense here. John Smith is working on it right now. 😁

It’s a total disaster how everything seems to hinge on specific individuals. Like I said before—what comes next?

Hahaha, so he's probably just some war profiteer who decided to open a private practice instead of a retail chain. Unfortunately, doctors were more in demand than ever during the war, but hey, everyone chooses their own path.
This is my final word on the "coffee" topic!

Rebecca Gomez37 said:You’re honestly being ridiculous with a comment like that... we all know how much doctors make—especially plastic surgeons, particularly those running private practices. He probably just needed an afternoon off to grab a coffee and unwind.
I respect every profession, really, but finishing med school, grinding through a residency, and then spending ten years selling coffee instead of practicing? You have to wonder what kind of doctor—what kind of expert—that actually makes. I work a second job alongside my main one to help with the finances, but let's not even compare the two. And please, don't try to present yourself as some top-tier architect just because you have a degree and a fancy new office when you spent a decade selling popcorn at a movie theater... give me a break!!!!

One more thing—I finally settled on a specialist, an ENT who's also a professor at the university. He’s been in the field his whole life, keeping up with every single advancement in the specialty—Dr. Racic. Right now, I can barely breathe, whether it's from allergies or these new polyps. Every time I go in for an exam, the doctor treats me like I'm made of glass, even though he isn't the one at fault here.

hiddenseal14 said:rowdyfalcon35, just stand up for yourself. Threaten to go public with all these 👍

comments—it’s obvious he’s a bad doctor if he used to spend his time selling coffee. Honestly, I can't even bring myself to comment on how stupid and tasteless people can be.

You are honestly being ridiculous with a comment like that... we all know what doctors make—especially plastic surgeons in private practice. It wasn't like he had to spend his afternoon mastering the art of serving coffee or whatever.
I respect every profession out there, but finishing med school, completing a residency, and then spending 10 years selling coffee instead of practicing? You have to ask yourself what kind of doctor—what kind of expert—that actually is. Look, I work a second job on the side for the extra cash, but it’s not even in the same league as this. If I tried to present myself as the greatest architect in the universe just because I have a degree and a nice office—when in reality I spent a decade selling popcorn at a movie theater—well, give me a break!!!!

Amy Phillips3 said:So what if he worked with coffee? This whole comment is just plain stupid... it has zero to do with his actual job. Why shouldn't a guy have a side hustle to make some extra cash alongside his main gig?😂

I don't know how old you are, but this idea that "I'll be a doctor for a little bit, then I won't be—I'll actually be an entrepreneur, but not really a doctor, and certainly not the best in the world"—is, in my opinion, completely ridiculous and totally unprofessional.

Linda Wright19 said:Has anyone dealt with Dr. Liscec in ST?
Does he handle deviated septums and/or nasal polyps?

Thanks in advance

Yeah, but his prices are absolutely insane—he quoted me 23 $0.00. Apparently, he’s some big shot who spent years working at a high-end clinic in Switzerland before deciding to move back to the States.
A while back, I told a girl—I think it was stormyharbor2—that Glusac spent about ten years back in the 90s just flipping coffee beans for a living. For me, that was more than enough reason to cross him off my list. It feels pretty unprofessional for a doctor, honestly.

Here’s a link to a 30% discount for Dr. Borić in my story.
I haven't actually been there myself—no clue what he's like—but some girl mentioned he was great, so it might be worth checking out.

Ashley Wells16 said:Look, ladies—it’s not like I’m obsessing over whether someone offers free consultations or what the exact price tag is (I assume everything falls within a certain range anyway). I just want to be fully informed, because at the end of the day, it all comes down to trust. I’m a total worrier by nature, so since I've been trying to work up the nerve for this surgery for a long, long time, I need to gather enough intel to finally make a decision. So, please don't judge me for double-checking things and comparing options—that's why we have this forum, right?

rustygardener172,
regarding the heparin cream—does that mean I’ll have to get a prescription from my primary care doctor?🙂Lioton is way better and you don't even need a prescription!

Kimberly Thompson75,
please, if you could just let me know where you did your research—if you don't want to advertise it here, just shoot me a DM, thanks!🙂

Lioton is honestly so much better and doesn't require a prescription; it literally wipes away bruises.

Betty Edwards22 said:Maybe, maybe... Though, if breathing is your main concern right now, you'll probably get seen sooner by Dr. Grgić since he uses the same surgical technique. There isn't some complicated flowchart just to book an appointment here.

That doesn't really have anything to do with it. Just go back.
As for the voice issue, it could be a symptom of what they call laryngopharyngeal reflux—basically, stomach acid creeping up and "burning" the throat lining. It usually shows up as slight hoarseness, losing your voice if you talk too long, or that constant feeling of mucus or something stuck in your throat.
One more thing: Prof. Baudoin is pretty much the gold standard for this stuff in the States. 😉

I saw Dr. Davor Dzepina for an exam at the medical center three years ago because my voice cracked, and he told me the exact same thing you did.
But even then, he mentioned he wouldn't take
patients from Dr. Baudoin for any kind of procedure—it’s just not done, even though I am one of his patients...
It's basically an unwritten rule among colleagues.

Betty Edwards22 said:That was just a little connection there. Here’s how you handle it this time—call the main clinic desk, and they can give you the number for the lady over at the Hearing and Balance Center. She manages the professor's pre-registration list. Just tell them you were his patient before and had surgery under his care—that should do the trick.
You'll probably have to be patient, but if you've made it this far, you can handle one more hurdle.
Otherwise, he does private practice outside the hospital, but we both know that won't go through Medicare—at least not regarding the cost of the exam.

As for your other concerns—you really ought to get a CT scan of your paranasal sinuses. And those comorbidities you mentioned? They make you almost the perfect candidate for Professor Baudoin, since that's his specialty—and honestly, the guy deals with allergies himself. 😉

I'm not even bringing up septorhinoplasty—I mean, I don't even know what the point of it was if you still can't breathe after the surgery.
Or maybe it's because even though the septum was fixed, you already had polyps, so they're the real reason you can't feel the effects of the septoplasty. You follow?

It's possible, but you have to be careful. It all comes down to the extent of the issue and whatever the professor prefers during the actual procedure.

Thanks for the reply!
I'll do exactly that; I can't take this anymore—I can't smell anything at all, I'm struggling to eat, and I'm constantly gasping for air... It's awful!!!
When he saw me at the hospital, he actually asked me, "Is it possible you're so congested that you aren't breathing through your nose at all?"
Even he looked shocked, you could really see it in his face.
My doctor told me my case was so extreme there was nothing left to try at St., so she referred me straight to him. I'm taking Vitamin C + Zinc every single day. I try to eat healthy, stay active, I don't smoke... It's just miserable. I lose my voice all the time too...

Betty Edwards22 said:Look, it’s pretty straightforward—the same old issue is back. I'm struggling to breathe because those polyps have returned. The thing is, they're just incredibly stubborn to get rid of completely; you're never really certain if they’ll pop up again in a year, five years, or ten.

So... why couldn't you breathe properly after your septoplasty? It’s honestly tough for me to weigh in here—I have no clue if you were already dealing with nasal polyps back then or if that developed later.

Look, you can try to shrink those nasal polyps by mixing intranasal corticosteroids with some oral steroids for a bit—it might work for a short stretch—but let’s be real: if you want them gone for good, surgery is the only way to go. Period.

Don't waste your money on those herbal drops—they aren't going to save you, they're just going to drain your bank account. Like I mentioned earlier, you need Avamys or Singulair... especially if your allergy symptoms are actually hitting you hard enough that Avamys can't keep up.

If I were you, I’d reach out to prof. Baudoin again—honestly, it’s totally normal for polyps to come back. Since we last spoke, surgical techniques have actually leveled up quite a bit; nowadays, they can handle both FESS and septoplasty in a single go. For instance, Dr. Grgić is an expert at this and does great work with FESS.
Prof. Baudoin is back in the clinic starting January 26th.

What’s the standard protocol here for reaching out? I’m coming from Miami—last time, Dr. Roje contacted him directly and just gave me a time slot, while he already had all the details handled. I made sure to bring every single lab result and report I could find... But now, should I go ahead with the CT scan and bring those results straight to him, or should I just use that old discharge summary to request a follow-up? It’s a massive pain to drive all the way from Miami only to have him tell me, "Actually, come back in two weeks once you have this specific test result." Honestly, I know I’m a bit of a handful—between the allergies and the bronchial asthma, things get complicated. I've cycled through Flixonase, Nazonex, Tafen, and now I'm on Avamys. And one more thing—why even mention septoplasty if my deviation is fine right now?
One more thing—can I actually use FESS to slim down my nasal tip? It’s looking a little potato-like lately, and honestly, even prof. Baudoin pointed it out to me without me even asking, haha.

Betty Edwards22 said:Believe it or not—you just need patience.
Everyone is trying to get on his schedule, but he can only see so many people in a day, and the guy ends up stuck in the clinic for 5 or 6 hours straight.

Besides him, there are plenty of others doing incredible work here:
Prof. Baudoin, Doc. Vagić, that Dr. Grgić I mentioned, Prof. Bedeković, Dr. Geber, and Dr. Solter.

Honestly, you’re better off just packing your bags for Washington, D.C.—the list of doctors over at the University Hospital there who specialize in septorhinoplasty is much longer.

Dr. Boduen operated on me way back in 2004. My CT scan was a disaster then; they did a FESS, and the doctor told me I had a deviation too, but said we couldn't tackle everything at once—you know, deal with the polyps and the deviation in one go. He’s a wonderful man, really, but even after six months, I still couldn't breathe. Six years later, I went to San Francisco to have the deviation fixed by Dr. Racic, but I still can't breathe through my nose AT ALL, which is driving me insane. I recently did a sinus scan with that little camera, and yep—polyps everywhere...
I’m losing my mind. I just bought some Jozing herbal drops to try out. Otherwise, I’m sticking to saline rinses and Avamys... I’ve also taken Singular.
Do you have any advice? An ENT specialist from San Francisco, Dr. Roj, referred me to him because they collaborate.

Hey everyone,

I’ve been avoiding this thread for a while—didn't even bother checking my inbox. I came back to a ton of messages... so I'll just give you the short version here.
Basically, here's the breakdown:
1. Back in 2004, I had my first surgery at the Mayo Clinic with Dr. Boduen. It wasn't about looks or fixing a deviated septum; it was FESS (removing sinus polyps). Breathing got way better, but my nose ended up looking... different. Apparently, they have to go in pretty aggressively through the sinuses, so the shape just changed a bit.
2. Then in 2009, I went to a private clinic in San Francisco run by Dr. Kurtovica, though Dr. Racic actually performed the surgery. Since I still couldn't breathe well, they told me I had a severe deviation and needed surgery. I figured, hey, if we're doing this, let's touch up the aesthetics too. They said sure. During the procedure (they called it an osteotomy, though I didn't really grasp it then), they fixed the deviation and smoothed out a tiny bump on my profile.
It cost me $2,000. Right after, I started getting these little bruises and bumps right where they worked. Naturally, I was upset, and they basically told me, "Look, we need to do a full osteotomy." We were trying to avoid that in the first place, so they scheduled me for a follow-up procedure for free six months later.
3. In 2010, I went back. This time they did the osteotomy, significantly reducing the profile, which turned out fine—but they didn't narrow the nose at all. After that, a little lump formed in the middle of my nose. They had to go in locally to fix it—a few injections, a scalpel, a couple of stitches—to get it out.
Fast forward to 2011. My nose is okay now. The tip is a bit thicker, and I'm satisfied, but it's not like it's some massive transformation.

If I ever go under the knife again, it'll be for a pure cosmetic surgeon to narrow the tip. These ENT/maxillofacial specialists just don't want to do it, or they don't know how...
All my surgeries were done by ENTs whose main priority is function, with aesthetics being an afterthought. And honestly, despite that, they actually gave me a decent nose.
Anyway, cheers to you all.

Taylor Miller10 said:Woke up... swelling is down...
My nose looks like a total disaster; it's uglier than before, and worst of all, it looks like the bump is actually BIGGER than it was!
It's a complete wreck. I'm sitting here wondering what the doctor even did?!!!!!!
They talked about reshaping the nasal pyramid and narrowing it, but I don't see any difference at all!!!!

For those of you who had the bump straightened immediately after surgery, was it actually straight right away or not???

HELP😕😕😕

In my opinion, your nose looks its best the exact moment they take the cast off—you know, when it's been held tightly in place for a few days. Of course, it's going to be swollen, especially between the eyebrows and the tip, which gets lifted up and then drops heavily.
If it looks crooked or bumpy now, imagine how much worse it'll look once all the swelling finally goes down. It might stick out even more.

stormyharbor2 said:Does anyone else deal with this—where you try to squeeze one little pimple on your nose and suddenly your whole face swells up like you just went under the knife?🤣 I remember right after getting my mold removed, I had a breakout near my nose and Dr. Glušac told me to leave it alone because it might spread to the rest of my nose or something. I thought he was joking at the time, but now it all makes sense... hello, potato nose. *sigh*😳

My nose is relatively fine most of the time, but if I start messing with a pimple, the swelling gets intense. Honestly, though, the absolute worst is those two days before my period hits—I can't even describe how much of a potato my nose turns into. It almost looks twice its actual size (especially the tip). If someone happens to snap a photo of me during those days—like at a wedding or a birthday party—I can barely look at myself when I see how massive my nose looks in the pictures.
Anyone else going through this?

So, about a year and a half ago, I went under the knife with an ENT and maxillofacial surgeon—some people here probably know the drill—to fix my breathing and that annoying deviation. Honestly? Breathing is great now. I still deal with allergies in the spring, which is a bit of a pain, but the actual function is totally fine.
Back then, my plan was to get an aesthetic upgrade too—basically, I wanted a much better nose. But the thing is, it still looks way too wide, so I’m planning to go back later to slim it down. The doctor shortened it and took care of the bump, so my profile looks decent, but from the front? It actually feels wider than before. I need to save up some more cash since I already dropped $2,200 on this whole ordeal.
Let me tell you something: if I were to post just photos of my nose right now, you'd all think I'm losing my mind and tell me it looks perfectly fine. But once you see the rest of the face—the eyes, the lips, the forehead, the overall head shape—the whole thing feels like a total punch in the gut.
Bottom line: those photos you guys post here don't mean much at all unless we can see the rest of your face.

Kate Taylor59 said:I'm looking for some insight here if anyone knows 😁...
Has anyone dealt with breathing tubes placed through nasal tampons? Do you think that's actually a good move?
And how bad is the nausea after anesthesia—is it just a thing for certain people, or is it usually pretty minor?
Also, do the tampons hurt more when they come out after two or three days, or is it better if they're pulled the next day?
The doctor I’m seeing for consultations this Thursday insists that nasal packing is absolutely vital to support the septum and keep everything straight.

Look, the packing—just like the cast, the molds, or the Steri-Strips—is incredibly important during those first few days...
I had surgery for an appendix removal once, and I was literally vomiting just 12 hours later. I told my surgeon about it, and he gave me an injection specifically to prevent that, so I didn't deal with any nausea at all during my nose surgery. As for pulling the tampons out, I've heard mixed things about them being stuck or clotted together, but my doctor soaked them down well and pulled them out gently. It wasn't exactly pleasant, but it was over fast—honestly, for me, it was even more uncomfortable when he was peeling off the cast bit by bit, since there was broken bone underneath... And I have to say, I actually preferred the feeling of being held together by the tapes; he kept those on for about 7 to 11 days, and once everything was finally removed, I felt totally exposed.

Kate Taylor59 said:It’s nowhere to be found—if you actually go in for a consultation, they'll show you everything. They just won't put any photos online because of patient privacy laws.🤷

I seem to remember about a year ago, some girl was posting here saying she had surgery with Dr. Dzepina—but over at Vinogradski instead—and she was totally unhappy with the results. From what I recall, she had a septoplasty along with a little corrective work.
Maybe in his private practice, he'll actually focus more on the shape of the nose. 🤷

Adam Johnson said:Hey girls, I'm a bit swamped right now so I haven't had a chance to move my photos over from the camera, but I'll try to get to it in the next few days.

Literally the prettiest nose ever!!!!!!!!!!!!
I've actually seen it in person—sooo good.😉))
There you go—proof that when Glumicic is told you want a normal, pretty woman's nose—not some overdone, pig-like, narrow thing—he actually delivers perfect results!!!

Ryan Garcia39 said:Do you really think they struggle more to breathe? Is there some kind of rule that breathing gets worse after cosmetic surgery, or is that just happening to these specific people?
I'm honestly not happy with my nose and I'd consider surgery, but I am not sacrificing my health or being able to breathe properly—absolutely not. 👎

Look, here's the deal. One actress in Hollywood has an absolutely stunning nose now.
But before the surgery, her nose was hooked and really wide—you know, a strong, masculine look.
Now, she's got that Angelina Jolie vibe, but her nose is like four times smaller than it used to be, which I think is the issue—it's way too narrow.
So, aesthetically? It's gorgeous. But compared to what she had before, it feels like she's breathing through a tiny straw.
Then there was another woman who went through it with Barack Obama's surgeons—her nose looks fine, nothing crazy, just fits her face perfectly, but apparently, they completely wrecked her nasal lining during the procedure. We're all different, obviously, but now she's dealing with polyps because the airway is so constricted.