Rhinoplasty: Experiences and recovery tips?

I'm going with Ostojić. He pulls the tampons out the very next day—like, within 24 hours. I’m just banking on being able to handle that one day with a stuffed-up nose😁
Laura Booth6, fingers crossed you end up with a perfect nose😉

Ashley Young34 said:I’ve actually made my decision to go with Ostojić, and with him, they pull the packing out almost immediately—like, within 24 hours. I’m just trying to tell myself I can handle being stuck with a stuffed-up nose for that short of a window.😁
Laura Booth6, I am crossing my fingers for you and praying you end up with a absolutely beautiful nose!😉

Zachary Nguyen29, honestly, I have my doubts about whether 24 hours is really enough time to keep the packing in. If it truly is just a single day, then it sounds like an incredibly straightforward procedure.

But hey, did any of you know there are surgeons right here in the States who perform septum repairs without using packing at all? My case ended up being way too complicated for that kind of approach, and just the thought of having packing shoved up there used to make my skin crawl. But you know, now that I've actually been through it... you grow to love them.🙂

Those tampons are shoved up in there specifically to provide enough compression to actually stop the bleeding... honestly, I think staying in for 24 hours is fine, but only if they get that cartilage part sorted out properly first... repairing the septum is a whole different beast—way more brutal and way bloodier than this

ruggedbadger9 said:Look, I actually dealt with that stinging sensation you're talking about tonight. I made the mistake of skipping my pain meds, and around 2 AM, my nerves just started fraying. My advice? Pop some Advil. It makes everything significantly easier.

Anyway, my roommate just had his tampons removed about two hours ago. He said it felt like pulling two aliens out of his brain. His nose bled for a bit, but he’s fine now. His sense of smell is already coming back, too.

I'm taking pills—just Tylenol right now, and I haven't had any since yesterday evening... I really hope removing the tampons doesn't hurt too much. How long are they usually?

Ashley Young34 said:I'm actually going with Ostojić. They pull the tampons out the very next day, like 24 hours later, so I'm just telling myself I can handle having a stuffed-up nose for that long.😁
Laura Booth6, I've got my fingers crossed for you. I hope you end up with a perfect nose.😉

Thanks! You too!! I hope your surgery goes perfectly and your nose turns out indescribably good!!! 😘

ruggedbadger9 said:Honestly, once they're in there, you actually start to love them. 🙂

It hurts to laugh because my nose feels like it's being stretched, but that totally cracked me up! 😂 😂 😂

Trust me, I did *not* love them. I'm trying, but it's just not happening! 😁

Susan Watson31 said:Those nasal tampons are just there to provide the compression needed to stop the bleeding. Honestly, I think being stuck with them for 24 hours is fine, provided they adjust the cartilage part correctly. Septoplasty is a whole different beast—much more brutal and bloody.

Any idea what they actually did to me based on that description? I honestly have no clue. Nobody explained a single thing to me.🤷

I’m telling you, they definitely messed with the bone structure too—there’s just no other way to get that specific final look you're chasing... the difference between the nose you started with and the one you actually want is massive (we're talking from a bump --> straight and sleek)
As for the methods to get that initial shape... don't sweat it, you'll get through it

Susan Watson31 said:They definitely shaved down your bone structure too. There’s honestly no other way to get the end result you’re looking for. The difference between the nose you started with and the one you want is massive—going from having a bump to a completely smooth, sloped profile.
Don't sweat the initial swelling and rough edges... it'll pass.

I know exactly what you mean,😁 but do you actually know the technical name for the procedure? Everyone gets squeamish when they hear the word "shaving."😁 I tried to look it up on their website, but based on my experience, they would have described my nose as looking like I went twelve rounds in a boxing ring.😁 🤔 So, was yours an internal approach while yours was external? I'm asking because you mentioned having scars right on the bridge of your nose.

ruggedbadger9 said:I’m currently at the Sisters of Mercy—over on Vinogradska—and based on the bed list they have here, it looks like I'm stuck in this place until Tuesday.
I saw my own nose from that angle—right at the exact moment I was busy swapping out my lighter.
As far as food goes—I don't have any issues there.

I went through that exact same stinging sensation last night—really nasty stuff. I made the mistake of skipping my pain meds, and by around 2:00 AM, the nerve pain started absolutely shredding me. Honestly? Just take some Advil—it’ll make things a hell of a lot easier for you.

So, a roommate of mine just had his nasal swab pulled out about two hours ago—honestly, he said it felt like trying to extract two aliens from his brain. He had some nosebleeds for a bit afterward, but he’s doing fine now. At least his sense of smell is finally coming back.

Finally—someone who actually spent time in a public hospital instead of just some overpriced private clinic. 🙂

Could you please walk me through how you actually ended up at the hospital—did your primary care doctor just hand you a referral to an ENT, or what exactly happened?
So—how many days am I actually stuck in the hospital? 😲
So—you were under general anesthesia, right???
So, I have a really important question here—how long does it actually take to get scheduled for surgery once you’ve had that initial consultation? Like, following up on my first question—how much of a wait are we talking about?

Thanks a million. 🙂

Laura Booth6 said:I know what you mean😁—but does the procedure have an actual name? People practically recoil when they hear the word "scraping"😁—I tried doing some research on their website, and honestly, I felt like my nose had gone ten rounds in a boxing ring😁 🤔 Is the method closed (from the inside), while yours is external? Since you mentioned having scars right on the bridge of your nose too

Look, I don't know the official medical term for it, but basically, they just scrape away the bone using some instrument that looks like a slightly more high-end chisel

I found some clips—there’s quite a bit on YouTube if you want to check them out; you'll be able to see those little instruments clearly

I would've posted it here, but the file is a bit 😲 in the States, a rhinoplasty usually runs about $4,000

Grace Williams19 said:Finally, someone who actually spent time in a hospital rather than just some private clinic! 🙂

I was wondering if you could walk me through your experience a bit—how did you end up at the hospital? Did your primary care doctor give you a referral to an ENT specialist or how does that work??
- Roughly how long are you stuck in the hospital? 😲
- You had general anesthesia, right?
- And this is a huge one for me—how long was the wait from that very first specialist appointment until you actually went in for surgery? Like, from point number one?

Thanks so much! 🙂

Hey hey!

So, I got a referral to a specialist from my regular doctor. I went in to see the specialist at the hospital, we had a consultation, and then we just settled on the surgery. Basically, he told me it was necessary, and I was just like, "Okay, let's do it."

As for the stay, I was in the hospital for at least five days following the surgery, maybe give or take a day or two. It depends, obviously—if you're traveling from out of town or if there are any unexpected complications and things like that. In reality, you should probably plan for about seven days total. You get admitted on day one, you have the procedure on day two, you spend five days dealing with the packing/tampons, and then you're discharged on day seven.

Regarding the wait times, I had my initial appointment with the specialist on April 28th, and I didn't actually go in for the surgery until September 10th. Apparently, I could have gone as early as June, but he didn't recommend it because of the summer heat coming up. From what I can gather, you're looking at a minimum of about 30 days between seeing the specialist and being at the hospital, though that all depends on the waiting lists and which doctor you end up seeing.

Before the surgery, you just complete whatever lab work or tests they prescribe, and once you show up at the hospital with those results and your referral, you're good to go. 🙂
Oh, right... as for the anesthesia, yeah, it was the full deal... I don't remember a single thing.
🙂

Yeah, just the cold, hard truth...

ruggedbadger9 said:Hey hey!

My doctor finally handed me the referral for a specialist. I went in for the consultation, met with the specialist, and we worked out the surgery details—basically, he said it was necessary, and I just said "fine."

As for the hospital stay, you're looking at a minimum of five days post-op—give or take a day or two if you're traveling from out of town or if things get complicated. In reality, you should budget about seven days total. Day one is admission, day two is the actual surgery, then five days dealing with the packing, and on the seventh day, they let you go.

Regarding the wait times, I saw my specialist on April 28th and didn't head into the hospital until September 10th. Apparently, I could have gone as early as June, but he didn't recommend it because of the summer heat. From what I gathered, there’s at least a 30-day gap between seeing the specialist and getting into the hospital—that's including everything, the waiting lists, choosing your surgeon, all that stuff.

To get the surgery done, you just complete whatever tests they prescribe, show up at the hospital with those results and your referral, and you're set. 🙂

Oh, and the anesthesia... man, it's the real deal... you won't remember a thing. 🙂

Oh, awesome, awesome. 🙂
This is exactly the kind of answer I was waiting for...
For me, it's this—when I was maybe 10 or 15 (I'm 25 now), I fell off a curb—straight onto my face. Thank God the curb wasn't high enough to kill me, but I broke my nose. Now, it's slightly crooked, and there's this bump when you look at it from the left side (the right side is okay, I guess)... and I have breathing issues all year round—constantly using nasal spray, and it drags on for weeks while I'm dealing with it. 😢
I really want to get this fixed... I should have done it immediately after it happened, but you know how kids are—they just won't do it. My mom would try to take me, and I'd run away... well, can't blame anyone but myself, I suppose.

I'm working right now, so I don't think I could disappear from work for two weeks... and since my contract ends on January 1st, I'm not renewing it because I plan to take a month or two off specifically for stuff like this. So, I'd likely be looking at surgery around January or February.
Is it too early to go in for a consultation or to get things scheduled?

By the way, what's the hospital vibe like? Is the room crowded or anything? Because I'm planning on doing mine at Dubrava Medical Center!

Grace Williams19 said:I'm working right now, so I don't think I could step away from my job for about two weeks... and since my contract ends on January 1st, I’m not planning on renewing it because I want to take a month or two off specifically to deal with stuff like this. Basically, I’d be looking at having surgery sometime in January or February.
Is it maybe too early to go in for a consultation right now?? Like, to get everything scheduled and set?

By the way, how is the hospital atmosphere? Is it pretty crowded in the rooms and stuff? Because I'm actually planning on going to Bedeković instead!

You should definitely start getting your affairs in order now, because once you have all those logistics squared away, you might find yourself ready for surgery during the very months you're aiming for.

The rooms are decent. Usually three people per room.

My nose got absolutely wrecked in an accident too—functionality is shot and the aesthetics are a total mess—but Dr. Bedeković over at the local hospital told me straight up that they can't fix it there, just like the folks over at Dubrava Medical Center and the VA...

ruggedbadger9 said:Zachary Nguyen29, I doubt just holding tampons for 24 hours is enough. If it’s really just a 24-hour thing, then it’s a pretty basic procedure.

Anyway, did you guys know there are doctors in Chicago who do septum surgery without even using tampons? My case was way too complicated for that, and honestly, just thinking about tampons made my skin crawl. But now that they're actually in my nose—you actually end up loving them.🙂

Yeah, sure, 24 hours for cosmetic rhinoplasty, but it's 3-5 days for rhino-septoplasty and septoplasty.😁
I only need the cosmetic part, so the tampons come out on day two.🙂

Grace Williams19 said:I noticed we have some medical folks in here 🙂 so I figured I'd throw a quick question out there --- when someone is under general anesthesia --- do they just stop breathing on their own? Or what exactly happens????
I know this is probably just a routine Tuesday for hospital staff, but... I'm genuinely curious..

Depending on the specific anesthetic technique used and how deep the sedation goes, a patient under general anesthesia might:
- breathe entirely on their own without any airway assistance
- breathe with help from an artificial airway (like a laryngeal mask or a tube...)
- not breathe at all and rely entirely on a machine through an artificial airway to handle the ventilation.

Please, don't go playing fast and loose with your life by rushing into any kind of cosmetic surgery without a real anesthesiologist present!
ENT procedures are especially tricky in this regard. They often perform surgeries where they're constantly injecting a mix of lidocaine and adrenaline into the surgical field... first to manage pain, and second to constrict blood vessels so you don't bleed out too much. Now, if that adrenaline gets absorbed systemically, things can get pretty dicey very quickly.
Also, someone who’s been knocked out with premedication could easily aspirate blood or saliva into their airway as it drains from the surgical site down into the throat.

As for my own experience, I'd honestly call it pretty sloppy. Between using those basic "blue" Braunals (which feel like they're meant for amateurs), the messy way they handled setting up the IV line, the shaky attempt at positioning the needle in the vein, and then that half-baked excuse about injecting into the thigh because "there are nerves there... blah, blah, blah..."(🙄)... personally, it tells me that neither I nor anyone I know would ever step foot in that ENT specialist's office again.

This is absolutely terrifying—a living nightmare. My experience, however, was such a complete success that I would go back in a heartbeat. They didn't even bother with any injections in the backside or anything like that; they simply gave me liquid sedation that makes everything feel wonderful... well, let's just say my brain went "bye-bye." I had the consultation with the nurse to fill out all those forms regarding allergies and similar nonsense, then met with the anesthesiologist, and finally spoke with the surgeon right before the procedure. In the OR, there was the anesthesiologist and the technician, and the anesthesia was administered in a split second—I didn't feel a thing. The staff spent the whole time joking with me to help me relax, continuing to chat even though I drifted off almost instantly. When I woke up in my hospital bed, I realized I didn't even have a mold on my nose; honestly, I wouldn't have known I’d even had surgery. Out of our group of five, not a single person suffered from nausea after the general anesthesia. We were all in great spirits, joking around... When I regained consciousness, my mother, the head nurse, the anesthesiologist, and the doctor all came by to check on me. The doctor even remarked that I have a beautiful nose and so on...
And I wasn't covered in adhesive across my entire face—just something firm on my nose, like a cast, holding that purple mold in place, haha.
I was given two IV bags and took antibiotics for a few days to prevent any infection, but as far as pain goes—zero points, just as the doctor predicted.

Oh, right—during my initial consultations, I asked if the procedure could be done under local anesthesia because I was terrified of going under general. However, the surgeon explained that facial surgeries, especially on the nose (which is one of the more difficult areas), must be performed under general anesthesia due to the significant amount of blood that can drain down the throat and other complications I can't quite recall. Under general anesthesia, they use a breathing tube, which allows them to suction blood much more easily than if you were breathing on your own—they can't risk having something obstruct the airway and cause choking. He is a maxillofacial surgeon, so he certainly knows more about this than I do. And I have no regrets; everyone tells me I made the right call.

To those of you heading in soon, I'm crossing my fingers for you! Good luck.

Laura Castillo7 said:this is just terrifying—a total nightmare. my surgery was such a breeze that I’d honestly do it all over again. they didn't even bother with shots in the butt or anything—they just gave me some liquid sedative that makes everything feel wonderful... well, okay, I felt "fine," but my brain was basically gone... I had my chat with the nurse to fill out those forms—allergies and all that nonsense—then the anesthesiologist, and finally the surgeon right before the procedure. In the OR, it was just the anesthesiologist and their tech, and the anesthesia was in me in a heartbeat—didn't feel a thing. They were actually joking around with me the whole time to help me relax, though I drifted off pretty fast. When I woke up in bed, there wasn't even a mold on my nose; I wouldn't have even known I'd had surgery. Out of the five of us there, nobody threw up after the general anesthesia. We were all in great spirits, just joking around... when I came to, my mom, the head nurse, the anesthesiologist, and the doctor were all there asking how I felt, and the doctor even commented on how beautiful my nose looks and stuff...
and I wasn't even covered in tape all over my face—just something hard on my nose, like a cast, and this purple mold thing, haha.
I got two IV bags and took antibiotics for a few days to prevent any infection, but as far as pain goes—zero. Just like the doctor said.

Oh, right—during my first consultation, I asked if they could do it under local anesthesia because I was terrified of going under, but he told me that facial surgeries—especially nose jobs, since that's one of the tougher ones—have to be done under general. Apparently, there's too much blood draining down the throat and other stuff—I forgot the specifics—but with general anesthesia, they use a breathing tube, so they can suction the blood out much easier than if you're breathing on your own. You can't have them shoving things down your throat while you're struggling to breathe. And hey, he's a maxillofacial surgeon—he probably knows more about this than I do. I don't regret it; everyone tells me I made the right call.

For those of you heading in soon, fingers crossed! Good luck!

reading this actually makes me feel better immediately 👍

Laura Castillo7, where on earth did you have your surgery for everything to go so perfectly??🙂

Grace Williams19 said:Honestly, I can't believe what I'm reading... 😲😲
I wouldn't want to go through an operation like that—it sounds terrifying!!!
I feel like if someone actually had to deal with that shock, they'd just pass out on the spot!!

I see there are some medical professionals in here 🙂 so I wanted to ask one quick thing --- when someone is under general anesthesia --- do they stop breathing on their own? Or how does it work????
I know it’s all routine stuff for hospital staff, but... I'm just curious..

+ also, how long do those bruises/hematomas/discoloration last??
Can you fix it with some creams 🤷🤷 basically just rubbing it in to make it heal faster, or should you just wait it out??

(I'm planning to go in January or February -- though I'll probably use my insurance, assuming it kicks in -- so that's why I'm asking everything -- since I need to get back to work and all that?)

Goodness, what am I even reading... this is awful.
Just don't go under general anesthesia, seriously.😲
Anyway, when I went through with mine using my insurance, I really struggled to catch my breath at first.
You should go ask around at Mercury... I heard they do cosmetic procedures through insurance there and they do a decent job, though you still have to live with that nose forever, I guess.
As for the bruising, mine showed up on the second day, but it was pretty minimal.
It lasted about 3 days.