Posts by Melissa Ramirez53

wearyhawk122 said:[

Whatever you decide to do, I suppose you should probably sleep in a recliner or propped up after surgery. You really shouldn't lie flat, because if you do, all that bruising might just migrate straight to your forehead, and then you’ll end up looking like a very agitated Klingonac. Also, you might want to brace yourself, since having those packing tampons removed on day seven can be quite uncomfortable.

Wait, what do you mean removing tampons after one day and bandages after five?

Nonsense.
First off, I slept perfectly normally on my back and nothing migrated to my forehead at all; I guess everyone's bruising patterns are just completely different from person to person.
As for the tampons, removing them isn't actually that painful—though again, maybe that's just down to individual pain tolerance, as some people are obviously more sensitive than others.
And thirdly—what do you mean about the timing? Well, in my case, they pulled the tampons out after a day—actually, it was two days because of the Sunday break—and the mold and bandages were taken off on day six, and look at me, I'm doing just fine.

Goodness, I’ve been catching up on the recent posts—I haven't been around for nearly a month—and I find myself torn between how much I feel compelled to say and whether it might be wiser to just stay quiet. 🙂
So, first off, I suppose I should address all this dissatisfaction people are expressing regarding their results.
In my view, we are all fundamentally different individuals with our own unique anatomy; it’s simply not possible for every single nose to look identical after surgery, nor can they all achieve some impossible standard of perfection. We probably shouldn't be hunting for absolute flawlessness. If someone ends up with a tip that sits a bit low, or if there are minor irregularities here and there, it’s usually because the underlying structure of the nose itself is naturally asymmetrical in those spots. Certain things can certainly be corrected through surgery, but I doubt everything can be, and even if it could, we’d likely run the risk of looking like Michael Jackson. I think we ought to be able to make peace with our own faces to some degree, rather than expecting to wake up from anesthesia looking like we stepped straight off a magazine cover.
Regarding the whole issue of expectations versus reality, I should mention that when Dr. Smith first saw me, he noted immediately that the previous break was evident and that my right nostril was clearly obstructed. He also observed that the tip tends to droop because of a short muscle between the nose and the upper lip. I explained that my goal was to fix the aftermath of the fracture—the small bump and the breathing issues—but I also wanted a more refined tip that wouldn't sag, but rather stay level. He showed me photos of his previous work, most of which featured these incredibly tiny, dainty noses, but I told him quite firmly that such a look would be far too small for my face. I really don't want a radical transformation in size or shape; I just want to fix what bothers me while still looking like myself. He actually agreed that a tiny nose wouldn't suit my features and respected my wish to keep the changes minimal. He also mentioned that he always honors the patient's wishes, even if he personally thinks a smaller nose might look better—he listens to the patient.
As for Dr. Smith, he was both professional and genuinely friendly; he knows how to joke around and communicate like a normal human being, and I honestly can't find anything negative to say about him. The billing process was straightforward, and he didn't act like he was just trying to squeeze money out of me—in fact, I should mention that he actually performed one part of the procedure free of charge, even though it normally would have cost an extra $200.
And, unfortunately, he didn't exactly hold my hand through the recovery process. 😁 😂

Susan Scott5 said:I went in this past Tuesday. 😉 My muscle under the lip still feels a bit stiff, so I end up looking pretty ridiculous whenever I try to laugh—you can really tell my upper lip isn't quite back to normal yet. My nose stays swollen in the mornings, though it seems to settle down by the evening. My only real annoyance is that the stitches haven't fallen out yet, but I don't quite have the nerve to pull them myself, so I'm just dealing with it.

So, tomorrow marks three weeks since the surgery. There’s no real pain, just some occasional congestion—probably due to the swelling and the sutures—and it's definitely sensitive to any touch or bumps. They told me things will keep shifting until we hit the two-month mark.

Hey Susan Scott5. My last stitch in my nose actually just fell out today. The ones under my lip dropped off a while ago. It's been a little over a month since my procedure, and those final two bits from the nostril finally gave way today. 🙏👍😁 Honestly, I'm relieved; I was starting to get paranoid that I was feeling some kind of growth instead of a thread, because that's how it felt when I touched it. I have a follow-up appointment this Tuesday, so I'll see what the doctor has to say about it.
The muscle between my nose and my lip isn't exactly perfect yet, but I suppose it's behaving itself reasonably well enough. 😁 Maybe in a little while, everything will eventually smooth out completely. My lip still feels tight, so I can't exactly give a massive, toothy grin to the whole room, but then again—I'm still expecting to see a few more degrees of progress every day, much like I have so far. 👍 How are things going with you? Are you feeling any better than I am? 😁

So, Susan Scott5, you’re brushing me off for another four days, though I suspect you aren't feeling much better than I am—you know, that numb upper lip, that vacant expression whenever you try to smile, and those stitches still lingering... I keep telling myself that everything will just settle down in maybe three or four days. 🙂
Hehe, seriously though, let me know when the stitches finally come out and you can actually move your upper lip normally again, just so I have some idea of what's waiting for me in four days. 😉

coastalpanther96,
it’s exactly what you said—as for my hair, I haven't even figured out how I might change it yet, but right now, I have absolutely no clue how to do my makeup because nothing seems to work anymore. Whether it’s dark shades, bright colors, gloss, or matte, every single lipstick just makes my swollen lip look even more exaggerated, and as for my eyes, whatever I apply just seems to highlight the dark circles and the swelling. Honestly, without any makeup at all, I look like I just got jumped half an hour ago 😁 I suppose I either need to find a whole new routine or just wait until I get used to this...
My family keeps telling me I look fine either way, and they know I tend to value inner beauty more anyway (I know, it sounds like a total cliché, but I really do mean it), and honestly, looks aren't even the point here; I just wanted to be able to fall asleep at night without having to tug at my nose or stretch my face just to breathe... plus, I'd give anything to lose this sensation of being constantly pulled by the nose, haha. 😁
And now that that's gone, I'm dealing with the weirdness from everyone around me—just people staring and making comments about how strange I look. It's not like I was aiming to be some breathtaking beauty, but I didn't exactly want people commenting on how odd I look with these expressions... maybe it's just the first-day jitters, I'll see tomorrow. 🙂
It isn't jealousy, really, since most of the reactions are coming from men, mostly older guys, and even a few older women, and I highly doubt they have anything to be jealous of. I think they're just from that generation where nothing new ever seems to be good enough, Google. 😉 I guess I've finally realized that now. 😉

I honestly find myself wondering just how many people actually undergo this procedure, to the point where I catch myself questioning which faces out on the street are genuine and which have been surgically altered 🙂 if they haven't already, since everyone seems to know at least one person who has gone through it 🙂
I haven't started my blog yet, though I've decided I definitely want to, even if some of the photos are a bit gruesome and leave me feeling slightly embarrassed, but I suppose it doesn't matter much 😉
As for whether I'm satisfied, I suppose I am, although I didn't immediately burst into tears of joy in front of the mirror or start hugging the surgeon like they do in those reality shows 😁
I'm slowly trying to adjust to the change. It feels as though I might be a little too old for such transformations, and after staring at my own face for so many years, it's hard to get used to something new in just a few days. I felt a bit discouraged during my first day back at work today, too, because everyone kept giving me these surprised looks and telling me I looked strange 😢
Still, my face feels quite stiff, especially around the upper lip and that muscle just above it, so I'm really hoping that’s the main issue and that once the swelling goes down, people will just look at me normally again...
Oh, so Susan Scott5, you were basically at the same place at almost the same time as I was 😉
I was there on Saturday, April 19th
Yes, Dr. Smith is truly fine, but I have to say his charming nurse is absolutely wonderful and sweet; she was so kind, and it made things feel a bit easier whenever she spoke to me or offered a little smile...
It was actually quite lovely during that last minute before the surgery when I had to take off my shirt to lie on the operating table; my tattoos on my back, shoulder, and foot were visible, and they both just started shouting "WOW!" about how cool they were and what a badass I was—those tattoos really boosted my morale, and for a moment, I felt like the bravest person in the world, haha 😁 😁

coastalpanther96 said:With all due respect to anyone who thinks I’m being dramatic, I just can’t bring myself to agree. ... But then again, I should probably mention that this isn't exactly a textbook case, so please don't hold my experience up as the standard! That’s all I have to say, really; I just felt this sudden, intense urge to defend myself because I know exactly what I went through, and I find it frustrating when people who’ve had routine procedures try to downplay what happened to me.

I don't think anyone is trying to minimize what you went through, nor am I suggesting you're overreacting—it’s actually quite the opposite. Because your situation was clearly an outlier, it might actually scare off others reading this, so I suppose your experience shouldn't be used as a benchmark for everyone else. I wasn't even targeting you specifically; I was more reacting to the people describing their "typical" recoveries—you know, those who act like dealing with tampon removal or breathing through your mouth for three days is some kind of monumental ordeal.
I guess the pain following the surgery isn't particularly extraordinary in the grand scheme of things.
I'm not sure how it felt for you, but I truly wasn't aiming at you when I suggested some people here were exaggerating.
A standard septoplasty or a basic cosmetic nose job isn't exactly a life-altering trauma, and usually, within two weeks, you feel almost entirely back to normal.
I certainly hope you're feeling like yourself again by now and that you'll be able to put this whole thing behind you soon. 😉

Greetings to everyone
It’s been exactly two weeks since I underwent rhinoplasty and septoplasty with my surgeon, and I have to say, things aren't nearly as catastrophic as some people here seem to make them out to be, I guess. On Saturday morning, I arrived, they gave me two shots in the hip to help me relax, and after about half an hour, they administered a sedative—not full general anesthesia, just enough to knock me out—and once I was under, they applied the local anesthetic. About an hour and a half later, I woke up with absolutely no recollection of what had actually happened, so I just drifted back to sleep in my room for a bit; then, another ninety minutes later, my folks picked me up and drove me home. Two days later, they removed the nasal packing—which feels like a sudden, sharp coughing fit but lasts maybe half a second, nothing too dramatic—and a week later, the cast and bandages were finally off.
In my case, besides the nose itself, the doctor also had to adjust the muscle between my nose and my lip, so I still have some internal stitches near my mouth because the muscle was too short and was pulling my nose downward. He also had to shave off a few millimeters of skin above my upper lip and stitch it back so my lip wouldn't get pulled too far inward... he basically refined my philtrum and fixed part of the septum base that was sitting right over the bridge and obstructing my breathing.
Years ago, I actually broke my nose—an external fracture where the bone shifted—and that specific spot was blocking the airway in the upper third of my nose, while the septum base was clogging one nostril. Now, I have a lovely, clear nose and a perfect upper lip; the only thing is that I'm still a little swollen, and that muscle above my lip hasn't quite "woken up" yet, so my face looks a bit puffy. As for the bruising, there's hardly anything left, just two tiny little spots under my eyes that are easily hidden with concealer. I'll be heading back to work in two days.
It doesn't really hurt; during those first couple of days when I felt discomfort, I just took a couple of Advil throughout the day and it passed. My nasal mucosa is still a bit swollen and dry, so I've been using a saline spray a few times a day.
So, there's a little encouragement for anyone who might be feeling anxious 🙂
The surgeon is a very calming presence, incredibly kind, and honestly just a great guy.
As for the swelling and puffiness, that's probably the most annoying part of the whole ordeal, though it does seem to subside a little more every single day.
Honestly, those TV shows about plastic surgery don't show the reality of the recovery process at all 🙂
I've actually been thinking about starting a blog with photos—since I take pictures of myself every day to track my progress—so people could follow my transformation day by day and better prepare themselves for what to expect 🙂