Posts by Brenda Sanders16

Sarah Brooks said:Honestly, I didn't get seen that quickly either—I had my exam at 11 AM and they didn't even get me in for an appointment until 7 PM... I'm working on both aesthetic and functional stuff right now. I've already had two surgeries with Dr. Mladin, but since I'm trying to build a perfect pyramid shape now, I’m going to see Poj because he's supposedly the specialist for aesthetics... at least that's what everyone recommended... Anyway, I'll definitely keep you guys posted if you're still hanging around this forum...

That's awesome! Please let us know how everything goes. And yeah, I'm sure I'll still be around here. Fingers crossed for you and good luckkkkkkkkk!!😉

Sarah Brooks said:Hey ladies! So, I'm heading in to see Dr. Miller on May 28th, so I guess I’ll be our little guinea pig... just so you all know whether to run for the hills or start counting down the days. Honestly, I booked my surgery back in June for a May slot—crazy wait times, right?

Awesome, please let us know how it goes immediately! Are you going for purely aesthetic stuff or is it functional too? And man, you got in so fast... did you go to him for an initial consultation first? I haven't been keeping up with your old posts if you've mentioned this before—sorry about that!

Dana Alvarez said:Well, it’s been just over a week since then... yeah, we're hitting that 10-month mark.👍Honestly, you’re better off just knocking everything out in one go while you're at it—total efficiency, right? Haha, who knows, maybe I'll run into you around town!🙂

You should probably go first—that way we can all see exactly how it goes for you... haha! Seriously though, I might just need to switch doctors before this is over.🙂.
Hey, if you can remember, give me a shout after your checkup—I want to know exactly when they’ve got you scheduled for that surgery...
Well, if not all, then at least some of it—good luck, and hey, maybe I'll see you around...🙂)))

Alex Moore62 said:Look, the nurse is usually the one scheduling the surgery—at least in my experience—and she’ll just look for the very first opening available. If you’re eyeing a different slot that actually fits your life, just ask her if it’s doable. Especially if you want something later in the day, there's a better chance it's open. I'm telling you, you don't have to just blindly accept the first thing they throw at you; see if you can negotiate for a time that works for you. She’ll flip through the schedule and you two can pick 😉
together.
And seriously, don't be terrified of the surgery itself—it’s really not that big of a deal. Honestly, if I had to do it again, I probably would (maybe even 😁 because there are a few other things I’d want to fix—just functional stuff, though, I have zero interest in cosmetic work). Just be ready for the fact that you won't be able to breathe through your nose for a bit while they have the packing in, and your throat might be sore if they struggle a little during intubation. But all that passes quickly. The main thing is just managing any pain (if there even is any), resting, and keeping up with fluids and food 😉
.
As for cosmetic changes, I haven't gone down that road, so I can't really speak to it. For me, he just lifted the tip a tiny bit—barely noticeable—mostly because he decided it would help the airflow or whatever. I didn't end up with any bruising or anything like that, and my tip was actually quite a bit higher right after the surgery than it is now (it settled down a bit once everything healed and the tightness went away), so my nose looked significantly narrower for that initial short period.

I don't check this thread as religiously as I used to, so I'm not sure what your exact plan is—at the end of the day, the doctor is going to make the final call, and that determines how long and intense your recovery will be. That guy is definitely skilled enough to handle the aesthetic side of things; I know he does full reconstructions for medical issues, so he clearly knows his stuff 👍
.

Thank you sooooo much!🙂

Dana Alvarez Asks:
Ugh, I’m in the exact same boat—I've got my appointment scheduled with Dr. Smith for June 30th. Honestly, I’m starting to get a little anxious wondering when the first available slot for surgery will actually pop up. I just really hope it doesn't end up being too late.🙄

So, since you already put your order in—I actually placed mine back on March 19th, 2010, for July 7th! Honestly, I’m just crossing my fingers here. I really hope everything goes smoothly for both of us. Who knows? Maybe we'll end up with similar scheduling and get to share a room together.🙂I’m really hoping I can snag an appointment in October—they told me that’s the sweet spot for timing. Are you also looking to fix a deviated septum along with a full rhinoplasty? I honestly haven't made up my mind yet. If the surgeon suggests doing the correction at the same time, I'm torn between going all in or just sticking to fixing the immediate issue. To be totally blunt, I'm pretty terrified about how the final result is actually going to look.

Alex Moore62 said:Honestly, you won't go wrong with Dr. Smith—don't even sweat it 👍, he's solid.
Taylor is probably just slammed this year—like, seriously overbooked—because his patient load is massive and he's handling some incredibly intense stuff (oncology surgeries).
And just a heads-up: try to schedule the surgery for when it's colder out (winter), rather than mid-summer. It'll make your recovery way smoother and help dodge any unnecessary complications.
Good luck 🙂

Hopefully everything turns out fine. If I'm lucky, I might actually get scheduled for surgery in October. I have to admit, I'm terrified—I've never been in a hospital in my entire life and I've never had surgery before. Please, just tell me: if you've had nose work done, are you happy with the results? I'm thinking about fixing that too, but I'm honestly freaking out about how I'll look🙂.
Thanks for all the replies, you've been such a huge help.

Chris Robinson6 said:I haven't asked for any more corrections besides the deviation—though I really wanted them to shave down that little bump on the bridge of my nose while they were at it. But the surgeon told me he wouldn't do it...
I just didn't want to push my luck by asking for more, since that technically falls under cosmetic surgery and we hadn't originally agreed to anything like that.
I actually mentioned before that I was supposed to see Dr. Mark during the surgery. She had promised she'd fix that little bump for me on the fly, but because her nurse messed up the scheduling, I ended up stuck with Dr. Brady instead...
Still, I think it all comes down to the individual doctor and what they're willing to throw in as an extra...
Good luck!!!!

Thanks!🙂

Alex Moore62 said:It feels pretty weird to me that you can't get an appointment with Taylor anymore—an acquaintance of mine tried to book an initial consultation just 10 or 15 days ago and didn't get a slot until the end of August... obviously back in 2010.
Maybe try calling them directly to see if they give you a different story, or just head down to the VA Hospital in person to sign up—I'm not sure where you're located right now.
Honestly, my best advice? Wait for Taylor. He is incredibly skilled, so don't let the wait scare you off! He performed my surgery, and there is absolutely no way I'd trust anyone else.

Well, I called User000 this past Friday on July 7th, 2010, and then I tried reaching out to Taylor via both email and phone—but every single time, they told me there are zero openings left for this year.
It makes zero sense to me—I mean, a consultation only takes about 10 minutes, yet I’m dying to see him specifically.
I actually have a friend who works there as a nurse, and she told me I can't get in with him either, but nobody is willing to say *why* it suddenly became impossible to see him. I can't just sit around waiting until 2011 just to finally get on the schedule.
When I was poking around asking questions, people kept saying User000 is the best, followed by Taylor, and then Brady. Anyway, I've been reading your posts, which is why I decided on Taylor in the first place, so thank you for getting back to me. By the way, did you go through with the corrective procedure? How are you feeling about the results?

Chris Robinson6 said:I know it’s basically impossible to get surgery this year—if you're looking at general anesthesia, anyway. And if you go the local route, you'll be waiting 1-2 months just to get on the list.
As for just a consultation? You're looking at a 2-3 month wait. Maybe you misheard what the nurse told you...
By some crazy coincidence, I was operated on by Dr. Brady instead of Dr. Mark, but honestly, I’m happy with it. My sensation is finally starting to come back—specifically in the septum of my left nostril.

No, I didn't misunderstand her. I sent an email and she told me straight up that Taylor has zero openings for even a single consultation, and if you want to see any of the other doctors, you're looking at a 7 or 8-month wait.
I actually have an appointment with Brady in May for my first check-up.
Thanks for the info! Just one more thing—did you have any other corrections done, or was it strictly just the deviation?

Hey there!

I need to get a checkup and surgery for my nose and sinuses—dealing with chronic inflammation and a deviated septum that makes breathing through the right side impossible. After digging through some threads about getting this done via Medicare versus going private, I've decided I definitely want to have the procedure done in a hospital setting.
Since so many of you have been raving about Dr. Taylor at the VA Hospital, I’m leaning toward him.
Does anyone know why it's impossible to get an appointment this year? When I called the nurse to schedule, she told me to just call back in 2011 because they aren't taking any more patients this year. She did mention I could see Dr. Brady in May, though.
The thing is, this time last year, you could actually book an appointment with Taylor without much trouble—maybe a 2 or 3 month wait, but it was doable.
So, should I just bite the bullet and go with Dr. Brady? I didn't see nearly as many glowing reviews for him, and honestly, I don't want to leave this problem unresolved or end up looking worse than I do now.