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Well, since I've already gone on record elsewhere in the file on this....I've
had surgery done to reduce the size of my nose (length mostly). I had been
diagnosed with a deviated septum, which was causing some of my migraines,
and since I'd always hated my nose, I figured, as long as this needs to be
done, let's make it look better in the process!
The cost to me at the time was $2,000 for the surgery (included Surgeon's
fee), $200. for the anesthesiologist and $400.00 for the hospital fee.
I went home that night, so there was no hospital stay for me, so I don't
know what that cost would have been.
The post surgery period was interesting - Consider the fact that when you
come out of the anesthesia (which is horrible to begin with, and to me was
the worst part of the surgery!), you are very disoriented and have trouble
focusing, breathing, and staying awake. Now add to that the fact that your
nose is *completely* packed with cotton and you really feel like you are
suffocating! They only wet your lips for a while, so it's pretty uncomfortable
all around. I can't say I was really in pain, just uncomfortable and very
disoriented and dizzy, *very* dizzy! About 5 hours later, I was able to be
driven home. I slept sitting up for a few weeks because laying down it was
very hard to breathe. The packing came out the next day, which helped the
breathing a lot, but it still was a gradual return to what felt like normal
breathing. Think of how your nose feels when you have a very bad headcold
and that's about what it felt like. You will have a big metal piece on your
nose and bandages holding it that will cover most of your face for about a
week and a half, then they'll come off.
As far as telling people, my friends and most family knew before I went in.
The only people at work I told were some close business associates, my manager
and my secretary. Not many people I worked with knew, and I didn't say any-
thing when I got back either - Many people didn't notice anything different,
which didn't bother me, since people aren't always that observant in the first
place. Others said I looked great, but I don't think they knew why! I was
out for 4 weeks, and could have been back in 2 except for the bruising. The
black eyes took 4 weeks to clear out, but I felt well enough to go to work
again after 2. I just stayed out until the bruising went away so I wouldn't
have to explain it! And be prepared for some major bruising! My eyes were
black (not purple...black!) from the top of my eyelids down to the bottom of
my cheekbones!
I was very happy with the results - The shape of my nose remained close to what
it was, it's now just much shorter - The biggest thing I noticed and still do
is that I used to think my nose entered rooms before me and it would be the
first thing people saw, now I just don't think of it at all, and that is just
wonderful! I feel *normal* looking. That sounds like a simple thing, but to
me it's made all the difference. I'd do it again in a minute!
The only negative side effect for me was the bone didn't set right the first
time and I had to go back after two weeks and have it readjusted which meant
another (although much shorter) surgery. Recovery was much quicker, and the
bruising was uneffected, so it wasn't a major problem. The only other thing
is that my nose ran in cold weather for a long time, and still does more than
it used to, but not very much, and it's not really an issue.
I found a surgeon by checking around, talking to various doctors and mostly
by a recommendation from a friend who had gone to the doctor I finally chose.
All in all, I was never in any pain, and the results were very much what I had
wanted. I won't say it was a pleasant experience, but it wasn't a bad one,
and the change in my self-esteem has been well worth it.
Hope this answers some of your questions, and sorry it's so long! Contact me
via mail if you'd like to talk about this some more.
bright blessings,
-HA
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Hi..
First of all, feel free to contact me via mail also for anything more
specific. I do live in NYC though, and used a local surgeon, so that
won't help you much. Also, I had it done over 10 years ago so any
associated costs have probably changed a lot. That said..
It really wasn't awful at all. Really! Yes, it's uncomfortable to
have packing in your nose - but it comes out in a day. And my
breathing couldn't have been that horrible since I do remember going to
the lounge to smoke. :-/ My swelling and black and blueness was also
not that bad, but that was definately due to:
BIG IMPORTANT HINT !! :-)
Once you find a surgeon, or if you already have one, speak with him/her
about taking vitamin K prior to the surgery. My surgeon suggested I take
it for the 3 days prior to the operation and I was BY FAR the least black
and blue person in the entire hospital. Yes, I had black circles under my
eyes - but everyone else looked like they had been run over by a truck.
Seriously, I remember my roomate and her family being furious that their
surgeon hadn't recommended the vitamin k when they saw how "good" I looked.
The worst part for me was a week or so after when the bandages come
off. I had a large bandage at the base of my nose that was sort of
holding/pushing it up I guess.. I don't really know. Anyway, when the
bandages came off, and I'm standing in front of this mirror with the
surgeon and my parents standing there grinning at me.. and all I could
think of was I LOOK LIKE MISS PIGGY! :-) I was so mortified.. even
when the surgeon spent the next 10 minutes telling me it was because of
the bandage position and my nose would "fall into place" in a day or
so. I remember walking back to the car with my parents with my head
down the whole way convinced everyone would be staring at me. :-)
So, other than that moment of trauma :-), it was a fairly positive
experience and I think I have a great nose! It definately "looks like
me" (as opposed to looking like a nose job nose).
Good luck!
Phyllis
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| Vitamin K huh?! Geez, I sure wish I'd been told that! I was told to
take megadoses of vitamin C to minimize bleeding during surgery, but
nothing about vitamin K! If I'd had less bruising, I probably could
have been back at work in a couple of weeks! Actually, I didn't mind
being out of work for that time, but the *cabin fever* was driving me
crazy! The worst was, once, I talked my husband into taking me out
for a bit anyway, and he kept getting these *nasty* looks from people!
I just know they thought he'd beat me or something! I felt bad for
him!
Boy, I sure wish I'd know about the vitamin K
though....grumble...grumble! ;-)
bright blessings,
-HA
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| I was involved in a bicycle accident and because I landed on my face,
I needed to have surgery on my nose. The bone/cartilage was crushed
and essentially I went through the same type of surgery process that
someone having a "nose job" would go through.
Much to my misfortune, the first surgeon that performed the operation
shaped the cartilage and bone wrong so I looked worse after the surgery
than I did from the accident. I had a large lump of bone in the middle
of my nose and needed subsequent surgery. I trusted the same physician
(after all, he was touted as the "best" in the area), and because of
another blunder (not letting the topical antibacterial dry before
putting on a bandage), I got a chemical burn on my nose and the bone
and cartilage still weren't shaped correctly. (Imagine pouring acid on
your nose to get the full visual affect) ;^)
Due to the nature of the healing from this type of surgery I had to
wait another year and consulted with several doctors who could not
believe what a mess this guy made. I found a surgeon who told me he
could improve the mess and had surgery again. This time my nose
looked/felt better - most people say they can't see the scars but they
may just be polite. ;^)
Sorry for the long dissertation but...
Be sure to ask about the *risks* involved because there are risks
involved in the procedure. The surgeon I went to was one of the best
in Massachusetts.
Be sure to understand what the final product will look like. The
current structure of your nose/face will limit what you end up with.
The experience and comments in .2 are in line with the first surgery
I had. For the later surgeries I insisted on local anesthesia and for
one of the surgeries the local wore off before the surgeon was finished
but local is "safer" than general for most people. You'll feel some
discomfort from the gel they fill your nostrils with, but I had the
type that dissolved in about a week for the last two surgeries.
Good Luck!
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re: .6 Yikes! :-/ That really sounds horrible. .0, if you cannot
find a surgeon you feel comfortable with in your area and would like to
consider coming to NY, send me mail. A week or so prior to my
operation, when I was the most nervous, the New York Times Sunday
magazine section cover article was devoted to plastic surgery. They
profiled several prominent surgeons in several large cities (NY, LA,
London, Paris, etc) and mine was one of them! In fact word had it that
he performed Rose Kennedy's face lift although I'm not sure if that's a
positive or negative comment. ;-) Anyway - it made me feel a lot
better.
FWIW, I too had local anesthesia, not general. I felt a little
pressure (like my head being pushed back into the pillow) but no pain.
I remember saying over and over "just tell me when you're gonna break it,
tell me when you're gonna break it" and finally he said, "I did it ten
minutes ago!" Even with just the local, I know I dozed through some of
it. I was awake when they rolled me out, though. I remember some
woman on a table about to be operated on asking me if it was bad and I
said no.
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