Posts by rustygardener172

Betty Edwards22 said:Maybe take a second to actually digest what I just said—not a single tampon is going to hold a septum in place if it was pierced incorrectly in the first place.
Tampons serve a purpose regardless of how much you want to disagree with me.
Later!

Oh, they definitely have a purpose... otherwise, why would anyone even bother using them? And honestly, don't act like you're some expert on my writing style, because you completely missed the point. I never said they were useless; I said they aren't the deciding factor in whether a piercing is successful or not. They only work if the septum was done right to begin with.
I’m not "convinced" of anything, and frankly, you shouldn't be so sure of yourself either since it’s pretty obvious you’re still learning the ropes here. I’m just a regular person asking logical questions about things I see. It’s perfectly normal to wonder why some people keep a tampon in for one day, while others go for four, five, or even seven... and so far, nobody on this entire forum—including you—has actually given me a straight answer. So, if you’re so eager to be "helpful," why don't you try answering a real question for once?

Kenneth Walker15 said:I’m scheduled for a septoplasty soon. My doctor told me my septum is deviated to the right, but honestly, I can't breathe out of either nostril—it's not just the right side. I've been reading stuff online saying a deviation should only block one side... what do you guys think?

Look, you've got nasal turbinates in there too... and here's the thing: if your deviation is, say, blocking the right side, you aren't actually going to breathe fine on the left. Your body is pretty smart about this stuff; it tries to balance out the airflow on both sides, so those turbinates end up swelling up on the left side to compensate. That's why it feels like both nostrils are stuffed up.
When I had my surgery, my doctor ended up fixing my turbinates at the same time he corrected the deviation.

Betty Edwards22 said:Wrong conclusion—they aren't fixing the septum and nose themselves, they're just holding everything in place, right?

Actually, your logic isn't flawed at all... you mentioned those tampons need to stay in for five days to keep the septum aligned properly. Well, in my case, mine were out after just one day and everything stayed perfectly straight.
So, if the surgeon actually knows what they're doing and does a solid job from the start, it doesn't really matter how long those tampons sit in there. If the doc messes up the initial work, you could leave them in for ten days and it wouldn't change a damn thing...
...which pretty much proves my point: those tampons aren't some magic wand for the success of the surgery.

Betty Edwards22 said:Usually, they leave those tampons in for five days or whatever "splint" thing they use, but hey, something’s gotta keep that septum from moving around.

So, after my first nose job—just fixing a deviation, done through Medicare at the hospital—they kept the tampons in me for four whole days...
...and honestly? My breathing didn't get any better... the deviation was still there... the headaches thinned out a bit, but they stuck around... and my nose ended up looking crooked...
Then came the second surgery, the one where I did both the deviation and the aesthetics because I actually wanted to fix that crooked mess. This time, I went private, and they only kept the tampons in for a single day...
...and man, what a difference! No more deviation... no more headaches (well, except for when I'm nursing a hangover 😁), and I can breathe like a damn king!!

Bottom line... if you ask me... there doesn't seem to be any real rule when it comes to those tampons...

Amy Williams59 said:I actually went under the knife with him once, and let me tell you, I am never doing that again.

I was honestly floored by how much everyone here is raving about his work and how often he pops up in this thread. For me? Not impressed at all. One word: absolutely not. I wouldn't recommend him to my worst enemy.

That's just my two cents.🙂
...

Look, everyone’s entitled to their own opinion. Honestly, I feel for you, though. What exactly went wrong with your procedure?
Personally, I had a nose job done by him, and I actually thought he did a pretty solid job. 😁

Amy Williams59 said:...
Basically, I'm looking for some solid recommendations in San Francisco.

Just don't even bother suggesting Glusca.🙂

Care to elaborate on why?

Betty Edwards22 said:...
Over at Vineyard, we keep patients stuck in the hospital until their nasal tamponade is finished—zero extra costs involved. Follow-up is in a month.

But honestly, we're drowning in work right now; we're stretched thin as it is... no need to push us.

What on earth are you doing over at Vineyard?

Jamie Fowler26 said:...I'm telling you, I tried squirting saline up one nostril yesterday and it just shot right out the other side.🙂 I've got my fifth checkup coming up, so I'll know for sure then.

Look, even that doesn't necessarily mean you have a hole in your septum. Have you ever actually used a Neti Pot? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8sDI...e_gdata_player
With those, water goes in one nostril and comes out the other, and nobody's claiming they have a perforated septum... Just trying to keep your head on straight here. 😁
Good luck at the appointment!!

Amy Bailey4 said:Since nobody is actually replying to my thread about nose surgery, I’m starting a new one. I really hope you guys can help me out here because I need answers ASAP!

So, I have a question regarding nose surgery for medical reasons...
If someone is getting surgery because they've been struggling to breathe for a long time, does that procedure also include shaving down the nasal bone (the bumps)? Like, will they actually straighten the bone if there are protrusions?

Maybe the reason you didn't get an answer is that people are just totally fed up with answering the exact same questions over and over. This specific question pops up literally every few pages. I had my own nose surgery about a year and a half ago, and even now, I still swing by the forum to reply to posts or emails, but when it comes to a question like yours... I just straight-up ignore it. If you were truly serious about finding an answer, you would've put in the effort to scroll through at least two pages of existing threads!

Jamie Fowler26?!?!? I don't get it... What kind of hole? Can you actually see it, or is it just something you feel?
As for the rinsing... your best bet is saline solution. Just grab some from the pharmacy along with a syringe. Fill it up, spray it into one nostril (keep the other side blocked by pressing your finger against the opening), hold it for a second, and then blow... do the exact same thing with the other side.
Taylor Miller10 OMG!! Not even the private messages are safe, but man, what hospitals are doing nowadays... it's terrifying. Just hang in there... maybe everything will settle down eventually. I'm guessing you're still super swollen. When did you have the surgery?

Emily Vaughn46 said:So, tell me honestly—do you guys think I actually need a nose job?
I’ve mostly stopped obsessing over it, but every once in a while, that itch comes back and I start wondering... so, let's hear it. What's your take?
(Not sure how to upload photos properly, but hopefully this works. I took some shots where my eyes are visible so it's easier to see the scale of my nose compared to my eyes and all that... yeah, just like that.)
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images...fdsc01149.jpg/
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images...fdsc01286.jpg/

To put it bluntly: NO.
At the end of the day, you'd be doing more harm than good to your face.

Rachel Martinez94 said:I went for a consultation with Tončić yesterday feeling all optimistic, thinking: finally, I can fix this nose once and for all. But they basically told me I don't even need surgery.

...
What do you guys think, should I go hunt down a second opinion? 😢

Honestly, I think Tončić was being straight with you. He could have easily pocketed $2,000 and left you venting on forums later because you weren't happy with the results.
But then again, I've noticed Tončić uses the same script with everyone... "we can try, but there's no guarantee," "it's your call." It feels like he's just covering his own tracks so if things don't turn out perfect, he can shrug and say, "Hey, I warned you it might not work, but you insisted." It's a total way to dodge responsibility.

If you’re dead set on going through with it... personally, I think you just need to refine the tip and maybe slightly shorten it. From what I see in your photos—since I can't see your whole face—it actually looks small. Go get some other consultations. Maybe check out Glumičić. He seems solid when it comes to aesthetics.

Just really think about it first... there is no such thing as a perfect nose. Even after surgery, you'll find something else you don't like about it. There isn't a single person out there who thinks their nose is flawless; there are just people who accept their flaws and decide they look good. Is it really worth dropping that kind of cash just to tweak something that's already "fine" to you, but you wish was a little better? It’s way cheaper and more realistic to just embrace the nose you've got. Plus, if you aren't having any trouble breathing... there's honestly no point.

Taylor Miller10 said:So I woke up... swelling is down a bit, but...
My nose looks like an absolute train wreck; honestly, it looks even worse than before, and the worst part is that the bump on my nose looks EVEN BIGGER than it was originally.
Basically, it’s a TOTAL DISASTER and I’m sitting here wondering what on earth the surgeon actually did????!!!!!!
Like, they were supposed to do a nasal pyramid reduction and narrowing, but I don't see any of that happening!!!!

For those of you who had your bridge flattened immediately after surgery—was it actually flat right away or what???

HELP😕😕 😕

Are you even listening to yourself right now?! You literally just took the splint off yesterday and you're already spiraling for zero reason! I am officially banning you from looking in the mirror for the first month! 😁 That’s the only way you’ll get even a vague idea of the results. Honestly, even a month is pushing it. If you absolutely can't help yourself, maybe take a peek after two weeks. 😉 Either way, there is nothing you can do right now except sit there and stress yourself out.
Don't go scaring people who haven't even stepped foot in the OR yet.
That "nasal pyramid" stuff is bone. If they narrowed the bridge, those bones were broken 100%. When you break bones, you get callous formation at the fracture sites (bumps that feel as hard as actual bone), and that’s exactly why it looks deformed to you right now. You HAVE to be patient, just like all of us who have been through this. It takes about 6 months to a year for that extra bone growth to settle down. Only then will you see the true result regarding the bone structure. And hey, did they touch the tip?
If you want, shoot me a DM with a before photo and I'll try to tell you how much swelling we're actually looking at.

And one more thing... were you operated on in a hospital setting? No wonder you have no clue what they actually did... I didn't know anything after my first surgery either. In these hospitals, nobody talks to you like a human being or bothers to explain things. Most of the time, we aren't much more than a carton of milk on a conveyor belt to the staff.
The exceptions are rare... really rare.

So, I dragged myself to the hospital this morning to get checked out about this little lump under the skin right at the base of my nose... And once again, I proved to myself why I should have just gone private for my other surgery. I have never experienced such blatant rudeness in a private clinic!
I walk in, he asks what brings me in, and I tell him it’s for a follow-up—had surgery recently and just wanted to run a few things by him. His response? "Who performed your surgery?" I told him it was a private specialist, and he has the nerve to snap back that I should just go back to whoever operated on me so *they* can see what's wrong. I spent ten minutes arguing with the guy, trying to explain that it makes zero sense for me to drive all the way down to Miami just for one quick question, especially since I've been waiting a month and a half for this appointment. I was practically begging him to just take a look since I was already standing there. I just needed to know if everything with my nose is okay and what his take is on this "lump." He kept insisting there was no point in him looking because he wasn't the one who did the surgery, so he wouldn't know what was done internally and would only be guessing?!?!?!? What an absolute jerk! 🙂 He finally relented, gave my nose a half-assed glance... and said everything looks fine inside, that the mucosa is still regenerating, but as for the lump, he had absolutely no clue what it was. Honestly, I knew all of that before he even looked; I just let myself get worked up for nothing. To top it all off, I had to shell out $8.25 because I don't have supplemental insurance. Great doctor, truly. Makes me wonder how he even manages to perform decent surgeries in the first place!?!??

Has anyone ever actually heard of this doctor before? I didn't even realize this clinic was running things out in San Diego 😁
But hey, if you’re short on cash, this looks like a solid way to save about a grand 😁 So if anyone’s been there, hit me up and let me know how it went 🤣

restlessrider14...look, don't spiral. The swelling is definitely going to go down. It honestly takes about a year for things to actually settle into their final shape after surgery. I know that’s probably not what you want to hear right now, but there isn't much else to do besides sit tight and wait.

Taylor Miller10...make sure you tell them you want the tip worked on too. Narrowing the bridge is one thing, but sculpting the tip is a whole different beast. And seriously, don't stress about the procedure itself—it's a total breeze. 😁 Good luck!!

brightotter21 said:For those who had their nose shifted to one side or the other during recovery, did it ever straighten out? If it did, how long did it take? Does it happen again after the stitches fall out? And honestly, how many stitches are usually in there? I’ve already had three come loose on me.

Look, here's the deal... you can't fully fix a nose that's gone crooked like that... at least, that's what I was told. If that's just how your face is shaped, there's not much to be done.
My nose was leaning way off center... and even now, some days it still feels like it's crooked, though it's nowhere near as bad as it used to be. Some days it looks perfectly straight... I don't even know, man. 🤷I was actually just venting to my boyfriend about it... he thinks it might depend on how I sleep. 🤣

I have no clue how many stitches they put in... but mine last one popped out about four months after my surgery. 😁Don't sweat the stitches too much. Generally, the longer they stay in, the better. They're what keeps everything locked in place. 😉

Way to go, Tončić!! Honestly, you look adorable! It’s completely transformed your profile... in a good way! Your face looks way softer and more approachable now; before, you kind of had this super intense, stern vibe going on.
It’s pretty obvious that the top part is still quite swollen, especially in that profile shot. Just imagine how much of a little cutie you're gonna be once that "bump" finally settles down 😍

wanderingcrane21 said:hehe.. 😉
I can send you some pics, but honestly, they’re gonna deflate quite a bit over the next month or two... so if you really want them, just drop me an email address where I can shoot them over now—and just imagine them being a tiny bit smaller than they look right now.. 😉

So glad to hear the surgery went well!! 👍

Man, I’d love to see those photos too. But seriously, it’s way easier for you to just toss them onto Imgur and paste the link here in a PM rather than dealing with the hassle of emailing someone every single time.

Megan Flores42 said:Are you guys actually serious? I haven't seen a single thing written about that anywhere, and honestly, I don't see why it would even be an issue??

Nope, you definitely can't. People have been talking about this for ages. Look, I don't really follow this stuff closely since I'm not planning on going myself, so I don't care that much, but I know for a fact every doctor out there tells you to stay away from the sun for a few months.
You shouldn't even let a tiny bit of direct sunlight hit your skin during those first couple of weeks. You'll end up looking like a total ghost or just totally washed out. 😁 Your skin ends up looking ghostly white 😁

hahahaha it’s not even that swollen 😂

Honestly, once they pull the cast off, that's when the swelling hits its peak—it looks totally gnarly, like the tip is all puffed up and crazy, but it only lasts a few days. People talk about the lingering swelling later on, but most folks don't really get it, especially if they haven't been through the ringer themselves.
Even you won't realize how much it actually swelled until you compare the "just after" photos with how things look 5 or 6 months down the line. That initial swelling? It’s honestly nothing to lose sleep over.

🙂

brightcanyon45 said:😂 You aren't just a princess, you're a queen!!!
So what was the dealbreaker that made you pick Glusca over Toncic?

So, here’s the thing: Toncic actually sat me down and told me I had this weird cartilage issue. He said he had to cover his own assets right before surgery because he couldn't give me any guarantees that it would even work. He promised he’d do everything in his power, but basically told me to think long and hard about whether I really wanted to risk $4333, since it might end up being a total wash. Then the aesthetics guy chimed in and said he wouldn't even touch the cosmetic side because everything looked fine already—he didn't want to waste energy on extra stuff when the main surgery was already such a beast.
Look, this was my second time going under the knife, and honestly? A "maybe" just wasn't gonna cut it for me.
Though, I gotta hand it to him... that level of blunt honesty actually made me trust him more...
...but then I crossed paths with Glusca 😁 And man, what a character! He straight up told me that fixing my nose would be like a vacation for his hands. Hahahaha, can you believe that guy?! He was actually the one who suggested doing a little aesthetic touch-up while I was already out of commission. He might be a massive egoist, but at that moment, I was totally vibing with his confidence... and well, here I am... walking around with "Glusca's masterpiece" on my face 👏

He even joked that if I ever decided to go to him for 🙂, he’d throw in some lip fillers for free. 🤣🤣 Not that I’d ever actually do 🙂 right now, but hey, it's good to know... because, you know... life happens. 😉 😁