Rhinoplasty: Experiences and recovery tips?

Daniel Sullivan36 said:Here’s the deal. I went to see my doctor because of some breathing issues, specifically on the right side of my nose. Most of the time it feels clogged, and air barely gets through that side, though I can catch a breath every now and then. Looking inside, I can see something that makes me think that's the culprit. It looks exactly like this. Basically, more than half my nose (the right nostril and part of the left) is blocked by this slimy buildup—which I assume is what's stopping the airflow—and it’s been like this for years. After doing a little digging online and looking at photos, it seems like it might be a deviated septum. Well, my doctor sent me for imaging, and once she saw the scans, she reached the same conclusion: I have a deviation. My nasal bridge is also a bit bumpy; there's a visible bump that shifts things slightly to one side. In the meantime, she sent me for blood work (after seeing the ENT, who then ordered the tests), and it turns out I actually have allergies. I mean, maybe I do since the results say so, but I honestly don't feel like allergies are the main issue here. Suddenly, the deviation isn't even being mentioned anymore. I don't sneeze, I don't cough, and it doesn't flare up in the spring when pollen is everywhere; it's just constant all year round (just weak breathing). I saw an ENT too. The paperwork says "thickened nasal mucosa" and a bunch of other stuff. They gave me some pills and sprays (like Avamys and some saline rinse for clearing things out), and I spent more than $167 on them. I used them for two months, but it was a total waste of money. Nothing reduced that mucus or helped my breathing; I still can't breathe well. I’m honestly fed up with buying whatever they prescribe because it feels useless. So, I've just given up on it for now. I'm either waiting weeks for a follow-up or months while they shuffle me from specialist to specialist. I was really hoping for surgery—either functional or cosmetic—but obviously, that's not happening while I'm still on my supplemental insurance where everything is covered. Looks like I'll have to go fully private eventually. Anyway, I'm posting this to see if someone who knows their stuff can tell me if this could truly be caused by allergies and if I need longer treatment to reduce the swelling, or if it really is just the deviation (I can send over the scan).

I read the whole thing—what jumps out at me immediately is that this happens whenever things are done just for the sake of doing them.
Let's start from square one: breathing issues are about the state of the mucosa. In this case, Avamys wasn't meant to be just an allergy med, but rather something to help soothe a chronically inflamed and altered mucosal lining. Under these circumstances, you need consistent application for at least two months before you can even judge how much that edematous mucosa is affecting your airflow.
Second point: having a deformed septum doesn't automatically mean you need surgery; the key is linking that deformity to the actual difficulty breathing. At the end of the day, you don't operate on an X-ray, you operate on the patient—there are plenty of people out there who breathe perfectly fine despite having a crooked septum. That’s why routine pre-op X-rays of the nasal bones don't make much sense.
Finally, aesthetic corrections need to be stated clearly—they are performed in conjunction with the septum repair, provided the diagnostic and treatment process described above is complete.

Should I shave before this surgery? I'm a bit confused about how washing my hair works if I've got that mask on my head and tampons in my nose and all that... feels like getting water in there might be a bad idea. 😁

Kevin Hall51 said:Should I cut my hair before this surgery? I'm just not sure how washing works if I've got that head mask thing on and tampons in my nose and all that... feels like getting water in there might be a bad idea 😁

Haha, no, you definitely shouldn't cut your hair. 🤣
I don't know what your hair is like—mine is pretty long, so I usually just tilt my head back while someone gives me a hand with the washing. Plus, those tampons aren't staying in forever, so you probably won't even need to wash your hair during that window anyway... 🤷

How long is the wait for an OP at Vinogradski? Should I go to Budoin or Džepina?

What did you guys end up paying for a rhinoplasty?

Hey,
I had nose surgery that left me with visible bumps on both sides—basically a step deformity—plus my right nasal bridge bone sank a few millimeters. If anyone has dealt with this exact mess and actually fixed it, please reach out. DM me. Thanks!

Hey there—if anyone happens to be active on the forum right now and has undergone surgery at the Holy Spirit hospital under Dr. Raguž, I would truly appreciate it if you could reach out to me. I have a few lingering questions regarding the pre-op preparations😉

On a separate note, for those of you who have been through the surgery itself—if it isn’t too much trouble—could you let me know how long the pre-op testing typically takes? I just received my list of requirements and I'm trying to gauge the timeline. thanks

stormyrider4 said:Has anyone here actually had surgery with Dr. Glumicica? Or does anyone have a different recommendation?🤷

So, where did you actually end up going? Did you even make it?

Man, those prices are getting pretty steep—makes you think twice, right? Anyway, I was wondering if it’s actually realistic to get an operation scheduled with someone before the end of September? Or am I looking at a massive waitlist where I'll be stuck waiting for like six months just to get a slot??

So, I've scheduled surgery for my nasal septum in about three months, and I'm trying to get a sense of what the recovery timeline actually looks like. Specifically, I’m wondering how much downtime I should plan for—how long I'll realistically need to stay home from work. I just want to be prepared regarding my obligations and figure out exactly how long I'll be out of commission.

neonstag63 said:Haha, nah, I wouldn't go through with the haircut if I were you. 🤣
I don't know what your hair situation is like, but mine is pretty long. I usually have to tilt my head back and get a little help just to wash it properly. Besides, your tampon isn't going to last that long anyway—you probably won't even need to wash your hair before it's time to change it. 🤷

Haha, thanks! 😁
I had surgery yesterday. Everything went smoothly, and I handled it better than expected. No nausea, no vomiting, and thankfully no sore throat from the intubation. Once I was back in my hospital room, I could walk on my own—though you still have to let the nurses keep an eye on you for a bit. You’ll be checking in here every 20 minutes once the IV drip is finished. 🤣

Still stuck in the hospital. Everyone here is great—super kind and helpful. I don’t get the swab removed until Friday, and they keep teasing me about it because having that thing stuck up my nose is incredibly annoying. There's this gauze tucked under my nostrils that I have to swap out a few times a day because of the bleeding.

Sleep is becoming a universal struggle. Everyone’s complaining about it, and honestly, I get why. When you can only breathe through your mouth, lying down feels completely awkward. It’s uncomfortable. Right now, I’m basically trying to figure out how to sleep sitting up just to cope. 🤣

Mostly just getting handed painkillers and sitting around bored. 😁
If anyone else is hanging out around Vinogradski, let me know. I'm looking to connect.

Kevin Hall51 said:Haha thanks 😁
I had my surgery yesterday, and honestly, everything went surprisingly smooth. I handled it quite well—no nausea, no vomiting, and thankfully, no sore throat from the intubation. I was even able to walk back to my hospital room on my own, though you still have to let the nurses hold onto you for a little while. You'll be checking in here every twenty minutes once they switch you off the IV 🤣

I’m still at the hospital, and the staff has been wonderful and incredibly kind. They aren't going to remove the nasal tampon until Friday, and they're teasing me a bit because having that thing stuck up my nose is such an annoying sensation. There’s also some gauze tucked under your nostrils that you have to change a few times a day because of the bleeding.

Getting any sleep is the real struggle; everyone seems to be complaining about it. Since you can only breathe through your mouth, it gets pretty uncomfortable. Personally, I’ve been trying to catch some shut-eye sitting upright.🤣

For now, I'm just managing the pain meds and dealing with a fair amount of boredom 😁
If anyone else happens to be over at the local medical center, let me know—it would be nice to have some company.

How long do you usually have to stay in the hospital? I think I caught what the nurse was saying about it being a week, so I'm wondering if that's actually the case... My septum is so crooked that I already breathe mostly through my mouth anyway, so I don't think the sleeping situation will be much of an issue for me.

Amy Brooks17 said:How long do you actually have to stay in the hospital? I thought the nurse mentioned about a week, so I’m wondering if that’s right. My septum is so crooked that I’m already breathing mostly through my mouth anyway, so sleeping shouldn't be much of an issue...

Yeah, you're looking at about a week in the hospital, especially for a heavy-duty case like yours—assuming they're doing open surgery under general anesthesia. Also, plan on sitting out any activities where you might take a hit to the nose for at least a month. No sports or anything high-impact. I don't know what your routine looks like, so just a heads-up. Your doctor will give you the full rundown regardless.

I’ll probably be in for about a week too (maybe a few days more depending on how it goes).

Look, people... obviously things aren't the same everywhere. Try to realize that.

NYC, hospital setting—open septorhinoplasty. That means septum realignment plus aesthetics, all under general anesthesia. You show up Monday morning at 7:00, you’re heading home Tuesday by 11:00. What else is there to do in the hospital for the rest of the week? You can walk, you can eat.

In 10 days, you can be out and about without any issues. At most, someone would only notice the swelling if they were looking incredibly closely.

steelwalker26 said:Look, everyone... you have to realize that things aren't the same everywhere. Just pay attention to the details.

In NYC, at the hospital, an open septorhinoplasty—meaning both septum realignment and aesthetics—under general anesthesia... if you show up Monday morning at 7:00, you’re heading home by Tuesday at 11:00. What else would you even do for the rest of the week in a hospital bed? You can walk, you can eat.

By day ten, you can go out without any issues; the swelling might still be noticeable, but only to someone looking really closely.

Well, I'm asking because I realized after checking once I got home that I'm scheduled for surgery on the Monday before Easter. I'm actually based in San Diego.

If the procedure went smoothly without any complications, and you’ve actually got decent conditions at home—meaning you can get some peace and quiet without someone constantly breathing down your neck or bothering you, plus you have someone to grab extra water or run to the drugstore if you need something—there’s really zero reason to hang around the hospital longer than necessary. Honestly, you'll sleep much better in your own bed. You'll need to swing by for a follow-up in a few days to have the tampon removed, but there's no need to stay stuck in a hospital ward just for that.

How long are you planning to stay on the ward? What does the pre-op routine look like? How do they actually put you under in the operating room? And once it’s all over, where do you go—did you have to spend time in the ICU, or did they move you straight back to your regular room?

Are you dealing with much pain?

Kevin Hall51 said:Haha Hvaaalllaaa 😁
I actually had my surgery yesterday, and honestly, everything went incredibly smoothly. I handled the whole ordeal pretty well; I didn't deal with any nausea, no vomiting, and surprisingly, my throat didn't feel sore at all from the intubation. Once I was back in my hospital room, I was even able to walk around on my own, though the nurses definitely need to keep a close eye on you for a little while first. Since you'll be hooked up to an IV, you'll probably find yourselves checking in here to post updates every twenty minutes or so. 🤣

I'm still hanging out at the hospital, and everyone here has been wonderful—truly kind people. They aren't pulling my tampon out until Friday, and they're teasing me about it because having that sensation in my nose is just so annoying. There's also this gauze tucked under your nostrils that you have to change a few times a day because of some bleeding.

Getting any sleep is a real struggle, and I know everyone else is complaining about it too. It's tough because you can only breathe through your mouth, which feels so unnatural; personally, I've been trying to catch some shut-eye while sitting up. 🤣

For the most part, I'm just getting my pain meds and fighting off boredom. 😁
If anyone else happens to be staying at the hospital here in Washington, D.C., let me know—it would be great to have some company!

Money seems a bit tight right now—so I was wondering, do you think it’d be possible to get an operation scheduled with someone by the end of September? Or am I looking at a six-month wait just to get an appointment??

analogbison15 said:The prices seem pretty steep... I was wondering if it’s actually possible to get surgery scheduled with someone by the end of September? Or am I looking at waiting like six months for an opening??

I haven't really been following your posts, so I'm not sure which doctor you're looking at... But when I went through a private specialist, I had everything sorted out within two weeks—well, it could have been sooner, but my schedule was just too crazy at the time. You basically go in for a consultation, they give you a list of all the tests you need, you grab your referrals, get it all done, and you're good to go. 🙂

- As for staying overnight at the hospital, I think that mostly depends on what kind of anesthesia they use and how intense the procedure is... 🤷

neonstag63 says a ton, which is exactly what I was looking for! 😉

But seriously—if I have a pretty clear idea of how I want my nose to look, what are the actual odds that someone would just toss $1,500 into the wind and end up with a nose that's crooked or just... off?