Rhinoplasty

On September 29 I had rhinoplasty surgery. I don't know if anyone is really that interested in this, but I thought I would put it out there. So if I am boring with my narcissism than skip it.

In my case, my nose was crooked at the tip and slightly crooked at the bridge because of blunt trauma and I was very self conscious about it, especially the tip. There was also a slight hump at the bridge from trauma but that didn't bother me too much. Also, my nose was... genetically confused. In profile I have a shallow nasal root but a prominent angle from the root to the tip, which actually made my nose look longer than it actually it is. I also had a slight hook at the tip. From the front, the nasal bones were broad, then too narrow (exacerbated by collapsed nasal vaults) but then broadened out again to a large and slightly bulbous tip, so I had a, "lumpy" nose, even if it wasn't too dramatic. Blunt trauma had also made the tip (major alar cartilage) crooked and pushed the angle of one side back into my nose at a very sharp angle that did not match the other side (I know exactly when that happened. That naughty pony chipped my tooth that day too.)

Over years of bad allergies and many pops to the snoot, my nose was A. Not very pretty ("unstable" as my plastic surgeon, Dr. W. described it) and B. Not very useful. I just couldn't breathe. I was plagued with sinusitis issues that were increasing in severity, duration, and frequency; which were in turn contributing to more and more lung infections which in my case, often leads to secondary infections and even a hospital stay because of asthma. So, insurance covered this one.

At first Dr. W thought we might be able to get away with just working with the cartilage. I wasn't that unhappy with my nose overall. It was strong, but I have strong features so... I wasn't that interested in dramatically rearranging my face. We also live in a small town and well, people talk and so subtle seemed more sensible. The morning of my surgery, Dr. W. comes in and says that he had been looking at my pictures felt that we were going to have to break the bone, like 20 minutes before surgery. There wasn't much I could say, so, under anesthesia I go.

3 hours later, he has broken my nose in at least two places (but I think maybe more). When he got inside things looked far worse than they did on the outside. In fact, the phrase "I had never seen anything like it" passed his lips, and considering his education and experience, if this was noteworthy it must have been just a mess. He was pretty sure I had broken it in the past, probably more than once. So, this was the full monty, bridge, tip, septum, all of it; they rebuilt my nose, and used cartilage from behind my ear to supplement. I guess he just figured since they had to completely rebuild it anyway he might as well go for "ideal" proportions. Or maybe he just worked with what was left. I dunno. I have a much smaller nose now though, or at least I will once all of the swelling resolves.

Recovery is brutal. Holy crap. I had two black eyes immediately and was so swollen and bruised over the next few days that I think my husband and daughter are just as traumatized by this as I am. There was pain but it was manageable. I have a hard time with narcotics and anesthesia so they had me on three different anti-nausea medications. I was pretty loopy the first two days. The swelling and stuffiness are epic though.

It is early days yet (day 8 from surgery), but they took that cast off and my face was very, VERY different. The angle in profile is completely different. The hump is gone, the bones that flow into the nose on the side under my eye sockets (intraorbital foramen) are... tucked in (I'm not sure how else to describe it) and my husband says I don't even want to know how he did that. The bridge is straight, from the front and side, narrower toward the top and broader where it nipped in at the upper lateral cartilages. The tip will be narrower (once the swelling is gone) and it is tipped up rather than hooked down at the tip. For a comparison, Kim Kardashian is pretty close; (I know, I know, but she is the closest one I've found). My nose is a bit shorter than hers maybe and my tip comes up a bit more and is round instead of pointy. When they first take the cast off you can get a decent, if not perfect idea of what the final product will be, but then the whole nose swells up and I looked like a garden gnome. That is finally starting to resolve.

Oddly, my eyes don't look so close set or deep set with the changes that were made. My philtrum (from base of nose to mouth) was already long and is longer still now so I'm not sure if that will balance out ok. I do like the new look a lot, but I will NOT be able to hide this. Even casual friends will know I've had work done. I was hoping to float this one under the radar, but there is no way. Which is causing quite a bit of anxiety, but I really, REALLY like this better, even if it wasn't exactly (okay not even close to) what I asked for. So I'm conflicted at this point.

At any rate, that is a quick synapses of my journey so far with plastic surgery. I'm happy to answer questions, in no small part because I am still in recovery and housebound and I'm not talking to anyone because I don't know how to explain, and so I'm lonely and bored (full disclosure).

a reply to: redhorse

Everyone in my family with the exception of my brother and I have had this done. They all had Roman noses (my brother as well) and had deviated septums. I got lucky and ended up with a smaller nose but I still do have a partial deviation. I thought about getting that corrected but it does not bother me too much.

All of my family members felt that it was absolutely necessary and it improved their quality of life so I think you did the right thing.

a reply to: redhorse

I actually found that a very interesting read. Thank you for sharing and I hope your recovery is fast and smooth with no complications.

Fret not ol'pal'o'mine....

Pinocchio is here.

Always say "it sure is funny you should mention that!"

Then reflections are born. People go quietly and silently into themselves whilst you wait for them to return.

Beware... it may take a while.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Well thank you. My G.P. and Dr. W, certainly agree with you. It helps a lot to know that I'm not the only one to need something like this. Right now, I am still very stuffy so my fingers are crossed on the promise that I will be able to breath better eventually though.

a reply to: redhorse

You'll be fine. When my mother got out of surgery I joked that it looked like she went 12 rounds with Mike Tyson.

Good luck on your recovery.

I wouldn't worry too much about what others think or say. Chances are if they do notice they might just question themselves how they hadn't noticed the shape of your nose before. It's not really their business. It's akso so commonplace these days.

Thanks for sharing, I too found it an interesting read

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus
a reply to: redhorse

You'll be fine. When my mother got out of surgery I joked that it looked like she went 12 rounds with Mike Tyson.

Yeah... That sounds about right. My eyes swelled shut. I looked like a Chinese chipmunk.

a reply to: Pinocchio

I think I'll take your advice, with a few of them at least.

originally posted by: violet
Good luck on your recovery.

I wouldn't worry too much about what others think or say. Chances are if they do notice they might just question themselves how they hadn't noticed the shape of your nose before. It's not really their business. It's akso so commonplace these days.

Thanks for sharing, I too found it an interesting read

I'm glad people thought it was interesting. It's such a small town, and well... gossipy even for a small town. Everything is a scandal, even when it isn't; maybe even especially when it isn't. But you're right, it's not really their business.

a reply to: Ameilia

Thank you so much for the well wishes. I'm glad I was able to make my account least some what entertaining too.

originally posted by: redhorse
a reply to: Pinocchio

I think I'll take your advice, with a few of them at least.

Freemasons call it the zero degree chamber of reflection. Dark and lonely place.
Once there... there is no lower to go. Only thing left for them is to rise.
They'll 1st degree obsess (purple) to break free... but rising has begun. Next comes 2nd degree frustration (red) ... its powerful stuff. After frustration... comes that 3rd degree burn called depression (blue). You should then know that what goes must come down. And that is a mouthful of spittle... swallowed up along with pride. Hence blue lodge. Or simply the blues.

a reply to: Pinocchio

Beware... the reality check leads to two things. One or another. That come down may be black for bitterness... or white for better. Some dont take it so well. Such are the feet back on the ground. Hence checkered or simply checked

Great read and I can definitely relate. I broke my nose in a car accident when I was 23. I am now going on 30 and still have not inquired any information on Rhinoplasty. My nose has deformed over the years and living in a populated city like NY can be difficult, in fact so difficult that I've become a misanthrope due to the harsh judgemental encounters throughout the years.

It's a shame how cruel humanity can be towards one another and no one knows exactly how bad it is until you experience it for yourself. I'm glad that you are satisfied with the results and hopefully this will decrease the social anxiety when making eye contact while conversing with friends and family.

Enjoy your new self


Namaste.

It would be cool to see some before/post-op/healed images so we can see the external changes that were accomplished. I wish you a speedy recovery and hope this helps with all of the issues you have been experiencing!

I have thought a lot about a rhinoplasty. The thought of looking different to my children and loved ones is weird. But what will likely prevent me from ever having it done is that my oldest daughter has my nose, and I think she is beautiful, and wouldn't want to send a negative message to her.

Thanks for the insight. It was interesting.

a reply to: seattlerat

Yeah I can probably do that, but it will take a few weeks for the swelling to settle down and give a more accurate picture for a before and after.

Thanks to the mod who moved this to Health and Wellness. That is a much better fit.

a reply to: redhorse

How's the nose coming along?

a reply to: Ameilia

The nose is coming along pretty well. Swelling is continuing to go down. The tip is still really swollen, so there is still a garden gnome-ish element going on to my eye, but people that don't know me probably wouldn't know I had surgery.

The left side cartilage below the nasal bone is especially swollen because that is where he did the most work, so there is some asymmetrical swelling that is slooooowwwwly resolving (so frustrating). There is a bump at the top of the nasal bone between my eyes. It sort of straddles it like a saddle and that area hurts a bit, if I furrow my brow between my eyes I know about it. I am hopeful that is a bone callous that will dissipate over time but I will have to ask my surgeon about it when I see him. I had to miss my two week post op check because my Doc is 50 miles away, we got our first snow and the road through the mountains was iffy. I'm rescheduled for next Tuesday though.

That left side is still pretty numb, but that is getting better too. As the swelling resolves I am more and more impressed with my surgeon both with the aesthetic and functional aspects. I am breathing much better overall and on the right side I am moving air better than I have in over a decade already.

I have strong features, a strong chin and big ol' cheekbones so a teeny, tiny cute nose would look weird. Aesthetically I still have a strong nose but it is not nearly so severe and large, and is much smoother and straighter; definitely softer and well, more feminine. My nose really dominated my face before and my eyes stand out better now, which I love. It seems like he rode a line that was still in keeping with my face. I do think that people that know me will definitely notice a difference because frankly it is still considerable. I'm hoping I'm about a week out from before and after photos.