Rhinoplasty: Experiences and recovery tips?

Nathan Taylor2 said:Sam Kim12, you say it’s normal, but honestly, it scares the hell out of me—that whole SRMC vibe... did you actually have those bones sticking out on the sides too? And how long does it take for that to smooth over? Should I be using massage oils or maybe some specific creams?

In my case, the bones weren't protruding right after surgery—instead, I had this hard lump that felt just like bone when you touched it. But looking back, it was really just swelling that took at least two months, if not longer, to subside; I could feel it, even if the people around me didn't notice anything unusual.😉
You can definitely try facial lymphatic drainage (there are plenty of tutorials on YouTube showing you how to do it).

Grace Richardson44 said:Just a heads-up for the ladies on birth control: you absolutely have to stop taking them two weeks before surgery to lower the risk of an embolism. Nobody bothered to tell me that, by the way—so they basically sent me home today and canceled my entire procedure.🙂 🙂 🙂

Well, isn't that just wonderful—our healthcare system at its finest.
😢

Nathan Taylor2 said:Sam Kim12, you say it's normal, but honestly, it scares me. Those hip bones sticking out... did you have that too? How long does it take for that to settle down? Does massage help, or maybe some kind of cream?

Listen, Nathan, those hip bones are still noticeable for me even after a year and a month. I've got a feeling they might just stay that way... I really hope your experience is different from mine.

Sam Kim12 said:First time I've ever heard of that.😕

So, what exactly happened that gave you such a bad experience?😢

They stuck a needle right up my nostril to drain some lymph buildup. It was absolutely brutal. Honestly, the pain is just unreal.

Amy Richardson86 said:They actually shoved a needle right into my nasal passage to drain the lymph that had been building up in there—it was absolutely excruciating...

😲 brrrrrr, but why on earth was the lymph even accumulating? 😕 If they had actually blocked the flow, they really should have just inserted a catheter instead 😢

Thanks everyone for the replies regarding the scans, yeah, that all sounds pretty standard.

Question for neonwolf9: did you go to a private clinic or just head to the hospital?

Question for everyone else: I don't really have any lumps or bumps, it's more like asymmetry. My septum grew in crooked, so my whole nose looks tilted to one side—like maybe 6 mm to the left, which is honestly visible even from an airplane. On top of that, I feel like it’s way too big for my small head, and I'm not a fan of the tip either since it sticks out even further from the bone. During the winter, I have to be super careful about which side I sleep on, because once that left nostril gets blocked up, it’s a total nightmare.

Does anyone here have experience dealing with that?

PS. It wouldn't hurt if people who only write things in parentheses mentioned where they actually had their surgery and who exactly was poking them with needles at the tip of their nose, because reading about that was pretty terrifying for me... I can only imagine how it actually feels to go through it!
And thanks to William Robinson80 for the info.

I’m really hoping things turn out just like you say 😢 My nose has been swollen all day today—I definitely noticed it—so I’m praying it settles down soon because this is driving me crazy 🙂, and the doctor basically told me it feels soft to him, but if it doesn't improve, we'll have to head back in 🙂 Plus, a few days ago my little niece accidentally smacked me right on the nose, which honestly made me panic that everything might get messed up

Sam Kim12 said:I can see you're being persistent.

Of course you aren't seeing a change yet! Whether you think it looks better or you feel like your nose is swollen, it's obvious you're noticing it, and there's no way your nose looks exactly the same three weeks after surgery as it did before 😉 Some parts are more swollen (in your case, the tip) while other areas are less so (the whole nose), and you won't truly see the final result until about 6 months—maybe even a year—has passed.

Take my experience for example: after two months, my nose looked amazing and nobody could tell I'd had anything done. But fast forward 9 months since my surgery, and I still have this tiny bit of swelling at the bridge (between my eyebrows) and on the left side (because of some internal scarring). It's minimal, but yeah, things haven't fully returned to "normal" yet, which is actually totally standard.

Nicole Ortiz34 said:I’m really hoping it turns out just like you said 😢—my nose feels completely swollen today, which I definitely noticed, so I’m praying things settle down ASAP because this is driving me insane 🙂. The doctor was pretty vague about it, too; he just said it felt soft to him, but if it doesn't clear up, we guess we'll have to go back in 🙂. Plus, a few days ago my little niece accidentally hit me right in the nose, and that was when I truly started panicking that everything might get messed up
.

Where did you have the surgery done?

It honestly sounds like that doctor hasn't the slightest clue what he actually did to your nose if he's being that dismissive—I mean, he should be the one who knows whether we're dealing with bone or not, especially since he was the one poking around in there, presumably 😬
.
In my experience, when the bone itself hurts to the touch, you know immediately—there’s a distinct difference between actual bone pain and just a hard swelling 😉
.

had surgery at a hospital in Miami

neonwolf9 said:had surgery at the hospital in Miami

Who’s performing the surgery?

@Nicole Ortiz34/">@@Nicole Ortiz34, were you that girl I was chatting with on the day I was being discharged, right by the main entrance during my admission?

Grace Richardson44 said:Just a heads-up for the ladies on birth control: you actually have to stop taking them two weeks before surgery to lower the risk of an embolism. Nobody bothered to tell me that, so they just sent me home today and postponed my procedure.🙂 🙂 🙂

They postponed my surgery for the first time because of my pills, too. So, the second time around, I didn't even touch my Claritin for my allergies.🙂 You really have to watch out for stuff like this, even if all your other tests and labs come back perfectly fine.

I am... how did your nose turn out?

Maria Thompson4 said:Who's doing your surgery?

@Nicole Ortiz34/">@@Nicole Ortiz34, are you that girl I was chatting with at the main entrance on the day I was being discharged and you were being admitted to the hospital?

Nicole Ortiz34 said:I did... how is your nose doing?

Great, perfectly straight!

I really did try to warn you about how unhappy people get after surgery with that specific doctor 😢 I feel bad for you... have you gone in for your follow-up yet? We can always chat more privately in my inbox if you want. 😉

I just booked a consultation with Dr. Glusac in Miami for this coming Monday. He was absolutely fuming when we spoke—he says he’s constantly having the same run-ins with the hospital! Apparently, he’s already had to fix three different cases behind the hospital's back just this week 😠 I'm honestly not sure what my other options are since there are so many doctors out there and people seem pretty unhappy with them, but I'm going to see what he suggests. I'm starting my search with him 🙂

Hey there

I've got both aesthetic and health issues going on. My deviated septum is a total pain and makes breathing a struggle—not constant, but I definitely find myself mouth-breathing way too much. I was thinking about heading
to the Mayo Clinic in Miami for surgery, specifically at the public hospital rather than a private clinic. Does anyone know if it’s actually possible to get both done at once? And what are we looking at price-wise? Is it even worth doing it at the hospital
versus some fancy private place? What's the deal with the results and the costs? I tried digging through this forum for answers, but there are just way too many pages to sift through.
If anyone's down to shoot me a DM, I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks in advance!

After my surgery, I’m planning on staying at a hotel to recover. Since the hotel has a wellness center, I was wondering if anyone knows whether I'll actually be allowed to use the pools or anything like that. I assume the sauna is definitely out of the question, but the pools seem somewhat okay to me... Does anyone happen to know? thanks 😉

@ Nicole Ortiz34

It’s way too early to start worrying.
Trust me, I went through two surgeries myself. After the first one—where it was immediately obvious my nose was tilting TO THE SIDE (plus it was huge, along with all those other lovely issues)—it was clear the surgery had been rushed and poorly done.
After the second one, my nose was straight but MASSIVE—just long and terrifyingly weird. And yeah, there was also some kind of "bump." That’s how it felt for a good 3 or 4 months, until you eventually just "get used to it." A year later, it looked completely different. Now, it’s been a year and 10 months since my surgery (so almost 2 years), and just these past few days, I've noticed that the "bump" has flattened out—it's gone. Only now have the grafts softened up a bit; only now does my nose look smaller, or rather, a normal size. Right after the surgery, it was so long I looked like a stork, but now it’s quite short. And I have very thin skin.
So, yeah, there's hope that you'll be happy with the results. I know it’s incredibly hard to hold onto hope when things feel impossible right now, but believe me, things ALWAYS eventually settle into place. There’s a reason why they say you should wait at least 2 years before making any calls.

I know it’s early, but honestly, I don't think there's any chance this just disappears on its own. My surgery was done pretty sloppily 😢 I have really thin skin too, which is exactly why you have to be extra careful

steelangler88 said:@ Nicole Ortiz34

It's way too early to start worrying.
Trust me, I went through two surgeries myself. After the first one, where it was immediately obvious my nose was leaning TO THE SIDE (it was huge, not to mention all the other issues), it was clear the job had been botched.
After the second one, my nose was straight but MASSIVE—just long and terrifyingly weird. And yeah, there was also some kind of "bump." That’s how it looked for a solid 3 or 4 months, until you eventually just "get used to it." A year later, it looked completely different. Now, it's been a year and 10 months since my surgery (so almost 2 years), and just these past few days, I've noticed that the "bump" has leveled out; it's gone! Only now have the grafts finally softened up, and my nose actually looks smaller, like, a normal size. Right after the surgery, it was so long I looked like a stork, but now it's quite short. And keep in mind, I have very thin skin.
So, look, there's hope that you'll be happy with the result. I know it's incredibly hard to hold onto hope when things feel impossible right now, but believe me, things ALWAYS eventually settle down and correct themselves. There’s a reason why doctors tell you to wait at least 2 years before judging the final result.

Hey ladies, I was wondering if any of you have experience with this... will it be an issue if I'm on the fifth day of my cycle on the day of my surgery? It’s basically winding down, but I didn't plan for things to happen this way—everything just got a little thrown off schedule...
Thanks in advance!

Kimberly Hughes17 said:Hey girls, does anyone have some experience they could share... will it be an issue if I'm on my 5th day of my cycle on the day of surgery? (That’s basically the end of it). It wasn't how I planned things, everything just got a little thrown off...
Thanks in advance

If you're at a private clinic, it shouldn't be an issue at all. However, if you're at a major hospital, there's no way they'll operate while you're still on your period, even if it's just the last day... why don't you just give them a call and ask?😁

Kimberly Hughes17 said:Hey ladies, I need someone to weigh in on this... will it be an issue if I'm on the fifth day of my cycle on the day of surgery? It’s basically winding down, but things just didn't go according to plan and the timing got thrown off...
Thanks in advance

It's exactly what was already said; when you're at a private clinic, they won't care, and the only real difference is that you'll bleed a bit more during the procedure if your period is active, and that's really it.