rhinoplasty

I have had quite a few requests now to do a post on my experience(s) which rhinoplasty, and I thought I'd wait to post it on the anniversary of my last operation! I haven't ever really spoke about it on here, just my Tumblr and Twitter pages so it's about time I wrote a little more for anyone thinking about it or just those of you who might be curious about the subject in general.

I think I seriously started thinking about rhinoplasty in 2008. I knew something was wrong with my nose, I couldn't remember ever having a bump on it when I was younger, and over the years it just seemed like it got more and more obvious. Being a teenage girl I thought it might just be me and my insecurities, but there were also questionable headaches that I blamed my nose for. It literally felt like I had a small elastic band stretched and placed from my nose to the back of my head. At the time I also had a bad sleeping pattern, wasn't eating properly and thought maybe my eyes were the problem, so I (with the help of my new boyfriend at the time, who I am still with!) fattened up and got some more sleep. I also went for an eye test - my sight was perfect.

A year after that I went to my doctor again asking to be referred since the pain was only getting harder to deal with, and it was getting more obvious to me that the bump on my nose was the problem. My appointment was in October 2009, and within 10 minutes of sitting with the new doctor, he said I'd definitely be put on the waiting list and should hopefully have the operation before Christmas of that year to 'smooth the nasal shape' and improve it. Basically the bump on my nose wasn't natural and was stretching the skin around it causing discomfort and pain.



The day finally came around and I was so nervous! I was supposed to be in early but they called last minute telling me to come in at midday instead, although even after that I wasn't wheeled off till almost 3pm! At that point my heart started going crazy, everything was so clinical and I could see the surgery lights in the room next to me. I'm not going to lie, the anaesthetic needle hurt a LOT, I could feel the liquid going in and everything, although my adrenaline probably heightened all the feelings since I had nothing else to focus on. I was so scared when my bed was rolled in to the theatre, it felt like something from Saw! The bright lights are the last thing I can remember.

Next thing I knew I was awake in the day ward again, just over an hour later. I felt really groggy and kept falling in and out of sleep every 20 minutes or so, not to mention the blood pressure monitor would go crazy every time I fell asleep since my breathing would slow! It was a really weird feeling as it felt like a whole night's sleep each time, and I was also waiting for my boyfriend to come see me during visiting hours. There was a clock on the wall in front of me so I kept watching it and having a mini heart attack every time I came to in case I'd missed him!



The picture above is from my boyfriend's phone when he came to see me. I had a massive splint put over my nose and had packing (you can't see it though) in each nostril. I had so much blood in my nose that it managed to soak through all of the packing and I had to hold tissue under it too! To be honest though it just felt like I had a really bad cold what with not being able to breathe properly and stuff. Eventually he had to leave, and I was told I'd have to stay overnight since my surgery was later than expected and they wanted to keep an eye on my bleeding what with it being my first operation. I hadn't taken anything with me as I thought I'd be home that night, so I was super bored! I was put in the children's bit so I ended up reading the nursery rhymes on the wall about a hundred times. I was given a little lunchbox with some stuff to eat inside, I remember it being really hard to do anything though because the needle (?) was left in my hand from the anaesthetic, so it hurt to use! One handed opening of packets is not the way to go.

I was woken up at around 6am to have my packing removed. I think that was even worse than the anaesthetic needle. Imagine jumbo-sized tampons stuffed up your nostrils, or having to give birth through your nose. I thought my brains were going to come out too! The funny thing was though, as soon as it was taken out, the tea tasted like crap. I'd been drinking cup after cup all night!



This picture was taken when I got back from the hospital the day after my operation. The bruising on my hand was worse than that on my face so I don't think it was too bad at all.



I think this one was taken a day or two after the previous one. Notice how my bruising had started to fade already, although it looks a little more spread out than before too. Plus swollen lip?



I had to keep the splint on for a week, and had it taken off back at the hospital. There was no real improvement to my nose, the bump was a tiny bit flatter but also wider, so made the problem worse if anything. I was instantly put back on the list to have a revision. It's not uncommon for people who have rhinoplasty to have two operations, as it is never certain what results you will get. I imagine it's the same with most types of surgery to be honest! This time my blood tests etc. were all done in one day, so I didn't have to come back till my second operation.

Second round went so much better than the first. Again my operation was delayed, although this time we didn't get a call and were only told when we arrived at the hospital at 7am. It really sucked since I was fasting, but my mum made me eat something as I'd have to wait another 6 hours or so anyway. Going food shopping to kill time was a nightmare! Eventually it was time to go back and this time I was actually rolled right into the theatre before I had my anaesthetic. It felt a lot scarier than before to be honest, as if I was being abducted by aliens! The needle really hurt, probably more than before which was surprising to me. Check out that badboy in my hand!



After the operation I realised I wasn't given any packing, or a splint. When my boyfriend came to visit again he noticed instantly that my nose looked really tiny and straight. Relief! I was also allowed home the same night since I'd had a previous operation and they were sure I would be okay. I had to wait around for ages to get my saline injections and painkillers as before, but at least I got to sleep in my own bed that night!



Took this picture when I got home, look at all that blood! I had to peel the last bit of tape off really slowly, and even then it hurt quite a lot since the blood had dried up and stuff! I replaced it with some clean material as to avoid any infections overnight.

 

These two photos were from the next day (click to enlarge), and if you compare them to the the two photos below that were taken the night before my second operation, you can see the huge difference and improvement in shape. The bump had completely gone! I was super pleased.



My bruising was considerably less shocking than before, I think the photo below was taken a few days after the operation. I remember I had a couple little cuts/scratches on my nostrils too, scary!



Finally the time came to take off all the surgical tape. Et voila, how it was meant to be all along!



I know it must seem like the whole point of my operation was cosmetic by how I talk about it, but it honestly was a medical procedure. After all, it was free on the NHS, and I genuinely don't believe they would have done anything if I just didn't like it. I can wear sunglasses now, I don't have any pain from the area now and if I do get headaches they are from other things, and I can definitely tell the pain is not coming from that area. I have felt 'free' for a year now and I would definitely recommend going to see a doctor if you have a similar problem. I will be honest and say I like my nose a lot better now, but I don't think I would have minded it too much before if it didn't cause me so much pain and discomfort. It's hard to talk about this kind of thing without coming across as up myself or a know-it-all but I thought I would share my experience! I hope this has satisfied any curiosities that you may have, but of course feel free to ask any other questions you may have in the comments! If you're the kind of person that forgets to check back for replies (guilty!) then leave your email in the comment and I'll try to get back to you (would probably be easier and quicker to tweet me though!). Thanks for reading this monster of a post!