cosmicbadger83
Newcomer
2 messages
joined Feb 2014
Hi there. Even though I’m new here, I’ve been lurking in this thread for a while, gathering info and reading through everyone's experiences.
Four days ago, I had my rhinoplasty. I had a tiny bump on my profile, a slightly heavy bridge, and the tip was a bit thick. Honestly, it wasn't terrible or ugly, and I didn't have any deep-seated trauma about my nose, but it bothered me—especially from the side. I just didn't want to spend the rest of my life looking at a photo and thinking, "It's fine, but I really wish I didn't have that bump."
The hardest part was picking the surgeon. Experiences on this forum are all over the place. I reached out to three surgeons who seemed the most reputable after scouring this thread and listening to people I know who either had surgery themselves or knew someone who did. I sent them front and profile shots to start. I was actually relieved that two of them gave me identical feedback regarding my nose (Tončić and Zambelli), but I was pretty annoyed with Glumičić because I kept getting replies from a nurse instead of the doctor, which felt totally unprofessional.
In the end, I went with Tončić after reading positive reviews on some international forums and heading in for a consultation. I met Dr. Tončić Jr. there. The consultation lasted about 30 minutes; he asked what I wanted, explained how he viewed my nose, what he thought would look best, what to expect during the procedure, recovery, necessary pre-op tests, and so on.
The clinic is spotless, modern, and beautiful, and the staff is incredibly kind. I have zero complaints, except for the bathroom doors sticking, lol.
I felt a wave of anxiety when he mentioned that he performs almost all rhinoplasties under enhanced local anesthesia, reserving general anesthesia only for extreme or complicated cases. His reasoning is that it results in less bleeding and a faster recovery.
I had imagined lying there wide awake, and the mere thought sent me into a panic. But the truth is, the local anesthesia knocks you out quite well, and you basically just drift off during the procedure. And yeah—it's painless! First, they give you a pain injection in the hip (honestly, I didn't even feel that), then they start an IV to administer sedatives and pain relief. On top of that, they apply a local anesthetic inside the nose—I don't even remember that part, and it was actually what I feared most. I just remember everything feeling wonderful once the sedative kicked in. 😁
My memory of the actual procedure is spotty. I remember the doctor (it was Tončić Jr.) showing me a piece of cartilage he was removing, I remember the sound of grinding, and I remember waking up to the sound of sneezing. To give you an idea of how drugged and blissed-out you feel under those meds: I actually managed to crack a joke and ask the doctor if he ever misses and hits someone in the eye or something. 😂
I don't remember much afterward. I just know they got me up quickly once the splint and tape were on, and they put me in a room where a young woman from general anesthesia eventually joined me. Seeing her wake up made me so grateful I had only had local anesthesia. I didn't experience any nausea or anything. About an hour later, once I had been scrolling on my phone for a bit, my head started to throb slightly, so I asked the nurse for more pain meds. She gave them to me via the IV immediately, and I felt great again. 😁
I took a taxi home about 2.5 hours later.
That first day was rough. I just had a small bruise on the inside of my left eye. No real pain. The only annoying thing is breathing through your mouth and being unable to chew, so I've been living on soups, yogurt, applesauce, and purees for four days now. 😁 You have to keep your head elevated as much as possible and use cold compresses. My first night "sleeping" involved about three wake-ups because breathing through your mouth feels so unnatural. Plus, my head kept drooping, and I was trying so hard to keep it at least at a 45-degree angle.
Day two was alright, though honestly, yesterday—day three—was the absolute worst. It’s just a slog. You're stuck inside, the pads are getting incredibly uncomfortable, and I’ve started noticing some pretty noticeable swelling under my eyes. Other than that, things are fine. No pain, either. Ever since my sister gave me some painkillers back at the clinic, I haven't touched the two extra pills they prescribed for as-needed use.
So, I pulled the tampons out this morning. I’d read online that it would be agonizing, so I was bracing myself, but it actually went by without any pain at all! Such a relief. There was a little bit of spotting, so I had to hang around their office for about 20 minutes just to make sure I didn't start bleeding heavily, but after 10 minutes, it had completely stopped and I headed home. My only disappointment is that I’m still a mess. They literally just removed the tampons; I was really hoping I'd be down to just a small mold and a bandage, but I'm still covered in dressings and the mold. At least I can breathe normally again and talk without sounding like a broken record. 😁
Now I’m just counting down the days until day eight post-op, when I finally get to take off the mold and see the actual results. So far, I'm thrilled with how it looks. I really hope it stays this way. 🙂
