Rhinoplasty: Experiences and recovery tips?

northernmaker84 said:It’s definitely still swollen, so just hang in there and be patient for at least another month or two! :-)

Yeah, thanks! I was actually a little freaked out for a second. Someone commented saying it looks even bigger now, and honestly, I was thinking the exact same thing—it still feels super swollen.

A few days ago, I underwent nose surgery. I opted for the full works—addressing the hump, the tip, and including a columellar incision. Essentially, it was a decorticative rhinoplasty involving medial and lateral osteotomies along with tip cartilage work...
The packing has been removed, but I’m still wearing the splint. From a frog's-eye view, the splint looks slightly crooked—leaning to the right. 😲 It seems to me that because the swelling was so intense—regardless of how much ice I applied—it actually pushed the entire splint up, widening it and elevating it away from my facial plane. To make matters worse, the splint itself looks slightly crushed toward the right side. I am genuinely terrified this will mess with the bone healing, leaving me with a wider nose, a base that sits too far from my face, and an asymmetrical tip pointing toward Greece. 🙂
I brought this up with the doctor, but he dismissed it entirely, claiming it’s impossible and telling me not to worry. My mom, however, thinks it does look a bit off, though she suggests the swelling is just playing tricks on my eyes.
Regardless, I can't shake the fear that the splint is shifted to the right, which might cause the tip to tilt rightward, or that the swelling has forced everything to spread out, including the bones... All I want is a small, narrow nose! 🤷
What are your thoughts?
Has anyone else dealt with swelling so severe that you actually feared it would peel the splint away from your face? 😕

Hey everyone, here’s my experience...

Surgery was Thursday around 5:15 PM. I woke up back in my room around 7:15 PM. They told me the rhinoplasty took about an hour and a half.
I figured I’d start from the beginning since I know those of you just waiting for your dates are probably feeling pretty anxious.🙂
I checked into the surgical center at 3:00 PM, got taken to my room, and they handed me a gown and some slippers. I had to shower in the antiseptic wash to make sure everything was sterile. The nurses popped in a few times to run an EKG and bring over anesthesia questionnaires that I had to fill out. Since I’m a massive worrier, they tried their best to get me to relax, but honestly, it wasn't really working. Around 4:40 PM, the anesthesiologist came by. We had a quick chat about my health, and she promised me I'd wake up just fine once the meds kicked in.🙂
At 5:00 PM, they came to pick me up and headed to the OR. I had to ditch the gown and stayed in just my underwear. They laid me on the table, and after they started the IV they set up in my room, they gave me something that made my head start spinning... After that, they injected one last thing, and the last thing I heard was "Goodnight, sleep well."
I woke up in my room with zero pain. No swelling, no bruising, and absolutely no nausea. I was just incredibly groggy from the anesthesia, which is totally expected. I stayed at the facility until the next day and headed home around 3:00 PM. By Friday evening, I noticed a little bit of swelling near the bridge of my nose and a tiny bump right there, but that was about it.🤷
I'm going in tomorrow to get the packing removed, but I'll tell you this: you can function and breathe reasonably well even with them in your nose. It’s not the disaster people make it out to be. Also, just a heads up—I don't strictly have to sleep on my back; I can handle sleeping slightly on my side too.
Anyway, I hope this helps someone out. Reading through the other posts here actually made everything I went through feel a lot more manageable.🙂

brisklynx42 said:Yeah, thanks. Honestly, I got a little spooked. Someone commented saying my nose looks even bigger now, which is what I was worried about—that the swelling hasn't gone down enough yet.

I mean, I honestly don't know how someone can be so incredibly dense and mean-spirited as to tell you your nose looks bigger...🙂Since you just had surgery, the swelling could easily last much longer than six months. In my case, it’s been six months and I'm still dealing with some swelling myself.

Brenda Collins59 said:Hey everyone, here’s my story...

I had my surgery on Thursday around 5:15 PM, and I woke up back in my room around 7:15 PM. They told me the rhinoplasty took about an hour and a half.
Since I know those of you just waiting for your dates are probably super anxious, I figured I’d start from the beginning.🙂
I checked into the surgical center at 3:00 PM, they took me to my room, and gave me a gown and slippers. I had to shower in a Plavasept scrub to disinfect everything. The nurses came by a few times to do an EKG and bring over anesthesia questionnaires that I had to fill out. Since I am a huuuuge panicker, they really tried to help me relax and calm down, but honestly, they weren't having much luck. Around 4:40 PM, the anesthesiologist came to my room; we had a quick chat about my health, and she promised me I'd wake up just fine after the anesthesia.🙂
Around 5:00 PM, they came to pick me up and took me to the OR. I had to take off the gown and stayed in just my underwear. They laid me on the table, and once they started the IV they set up in my room, they gave me a med that made my head start spinning... After that, they injected one more thing, and the last thing I heard was someone saying, "Goodnight, sleep well..."
I woke up in my room with zero pain! No swelling, no bruising, and absolutely no nausea. I was just still really groggy from the anesthesia, but obviously, that's totally normal. I stayed at the facility until the next day and headed home around 3:00 PM. On Friday evening, I had a little bit of swelling near the bridge of my nose and a tiny bruise popped up right there, but that was pretty much it.🤷
I'm going in tomorrow to get the packing removed, but I just wanted to say that you can function somewhat normally and breathe with them in your nose—it's really not a huge deal. Also, just a heads-up, I don't strictly have to sleep on my back; I can sleep slightly on my side too...
Anyway, I hope this helps someone out, because reading through the other posts here actually made everything I went through feel a lot easier.🙂

Jay! Now it's just a matter of being patient and following all the post-op instructions they gave you. Fingers crossed the results are amazing! 😁

northernmaker84 said:Hey everyone! :-)
So, I had my surgery yesterday around noon. Honestly, I feel pretty good—no real pain at all. There’s just some slight swelling and a little bit of bruising right under one eye. It doesn't actually hurt, except when I touch the base of my nose; that spot is a bit tender and swollen between my eyes.
I actually managed to get some stuff done and even caught a few hours of sleep last night. I've been applying those CVS compresses constantly.
If anyone has questions, feel free to ask. :-)
Good luck, everyone.

So, you went to see G., didn't you? 😁
I only care about the end results, but I guess we'll probably have to wait another year or so to see them. 🤣
But hey, if you can remember us, maybe you could drop a few photos after like two or three months? 🙂
Since I’ve already mentioned that I’m a bit skeptical about just handing everything over to him, I really hope things go smoothly with you and that you end up being totally satisfied! 🙂

Rachel Vaughn85 said:I suppose you went to see Tony as well, didn't you? 😁
I suppose I am mostly interested in seeing what the final results actually look like, though I guess we might have to wait maybe a year or so before we can truly tell. 🤣
I was wondering, if you wouldn't mind remembering us, maybe you could possibly share a few photos in about two or three months? 🙂
Since I’ve always been a bit skeptical about just handing everything over to someone else, I really hope you find everything to be alright with him and that you end up being truly satisfied with the results! 🙂

I might be able to snap a photo for you later; I'm planning on stripping off the mold this Wednesday, though I suspect I’ll probably end up looking like a little piglet, haha! :-)
Thank you so much.🙂)

northernmaker84 said:Maybe I'll post a photo. I'm taking the mold off in mid-July, but I'll probably look like a total pig, haha:-))
thanks🙂)

It doesn't matter, don't panic. You can see most people look like they've been stung by a swarm of bees for the first few days or weeks. 😛 It'll pass. 😉

Harold Long14 said:A few days ago, I had nose surgery. I decided to go all out—fixing the hump, the tip, and getting the columella incision too. So, it was a full decortication rhinoplasty with medial and lateral osteotomies plus some cartilage work on the tip...
The packing is finally out, but I'm still wearing the splint. From a "frog's eye view," looking up, the splint looks a bit crooked toward the right. 😲 Honestly, because I've been so swollen despite all the ice packs, it feels like the swelling actually pushed the whole splint up, lifting it away from my face and making it look slightly crushed toward the right side. I'm terrified this will mess with my bone healing, making my nose look wider, pushing the base further from my face, or leaving me with an asymmetrical tip pointing toward Greece. 🙂
I mentioned it to my doctor, but he just brushed it off and told me not to worry. My mom thinks it does look a little off, though she thinks it's just because the swelling is so intense.
Still, I can't help worrying that the splint being tilted right means my tip will tilt right, or that the swelling is spreading everything out, including the bones... All I want is a cute, slim little nose! 🤷
What do you guys think?
Has anyone else dealt with swelling so bad that you were scared the whole thing was being pushed away from your face? 😕

Mine was tilted to the right too, but it ended up perfectly straight. I totally panicked at first, though!
🙂 🙂

Karen Clark12 said:Mine was on the right side and felt perfectly level—yet I still found myself spiraling into a total panic. Why does that happen? 🙂🙂

I just want everything to work out! 🙂
Two friends of mine both had rhinoplasty about a year ago. For one of them, the septum ended up slightly misaligned—just a bit off—but everything else looks perfectly straight. People keep telling me that the septum position doesn't affect the external shape, but honestly? I’m still worried. If that internal structure isn't sitting right, is there a real risk the whole nose will eventually shift or collapse? I can't shake the fear that a bad septum means a bad result overall.

It’s an immediate weight off my shoulders just hearing that I’m not the only one dealing with this. 😉
I’m heading to the doctor tomorrow to have those external stitches pulled out—then we'll finally have the full story.

It’s been 25 days since my nose surgery, and I still haven't fully gotten my sense of smell or taste back. Is that considered normal?

Gary Wells2 said:I had nose surgery 25 days ago and I still haven't fully regained my sense of smell or taste. Is this normal?

I didn't lose my sense of taste or smell at all. But reading through the experiences shared on this forum, plenty of people lost them and needed a month or two before everything came back to normal.

Ugh, I'm feeling much more relaxed now. 🙂 Quick question though—how many times a day am I supposed to be applying those drugstore nasal compresses, and for how long each time?

You don't need to keep holding those pads—I only bothered with them on the second, third, and fourth days after surgery... Up until the day I finally pulled the tampons out for about ten minutes at a time, and after that, everything just moved along. As for swelling? That’s entirely up to the individual.
Yesterday, I had those external stitches pulled. You can't even see anything now... He yanked them out so fast I didn't even have time to feel it. I'm still low-key panicking that Vrsak is going to end up pissing all the way to Greece, but I guess we just have to wait until the Ostojic mold is removed.

I haven't lost my sense of taste (thankfully 😛), but I definitely lost my sense of smell for a bit... it finally started coming back after about two or three months.

So, I finally pulled the trigger on getting a nose job about a year ago—well, I decided to do it, anyway. But since I’m trying to go through Medicare, I've just been stuck waiting. And honestly? I'm still waiting. Basically, I've got this longer nose with a bump, and the tip looks... well, let's just say it looks like a trumpet. It runs in the family too, because my sister has the exact same thing going on. I have a few questions if anyone can help me out. First off, is it actually possible to lift the tip and narrow it down so it doesn't look so thick and huge? Second, has anyone here gone to Rib through their insurance for cosmetic stuff? I see a ton of you guys using private surgeons, so I'm just trying to figure out what to expect. And third—since I've got exams and lectures coming up—how long am I going to be hiding from the public eye before I can basically just mask it all with makeup? Thanks in advance!

I finally took the mold off today, and I have to say, I am just absolutely thrilled with how everything looks!!!
I still have some bandages on for another couple of days or so, and there is definitely still some swelling, but honestly, I’m actually quite happy with the progress.
My nose is also acting up a bit with all the congestion and stuff -_-
Wishing everyone the best of luck!

Does anyone happen to know what the current wait times are for surgery through Medicare?

Has anyone here actually gone to Pocket Clinic over on Washington Blvd for a rhinoplasty? Looking for some honest feedback on how they do things there.

northernmaker84 said:So, I took the mold off today and I am seriously loving it!!!
I've still got some bandages on for another couple of days and everything is pretty swollen, but I'm actually happy with how it looks.
The little mites around my nose are driving me absolutely crazy -_-
Good luck to everyone!

🙂 Jay, that's awesome! 😁