Now that my Septorhinoplasty was completed over a month ago, I thought it would be interesting to share with you some things about healing from the surgery I didn’t realize would happen. I did a TON of research before and after my surgery to see what it would be like and to prepare myself. There are certain things though that most people don’t share about having a septorhinoplasty that I would have liked to know ahead of time. So if you are thinking of having surgery or are just curious, I thought I would share the things that surprised me the most during my healing process.
1. There will be SO MANY BOOGERS!
This is probably the grossest thing about healing that no one talks about. But I am here to tell you, there will be boogers and there will be a lot of them. Not only will there be boogers but there will be blood, stitches and who knows what else coming out when you clean your nose. I was constantly checking my nose because the tip was numb (and still is!) and you can’t feel if anything is hanging out. It was very necessary for me to check my nose constantly and take a mirror wherever I went.
2. You won’t be able to smile
I did not realize that it would be impossible to smile. When I did try to smile it was truly horrifying. Like a scary movie smile. Haha! My smile is still not 100% back yet but it was super strange to not be able to smile for photos. When I searched the internet for information on this it basically said that it was normal to lose your smile and that it was best to just try to “look pleasant” in photos for the first couple of months. Slowly my regular smile is coming back but it’s still not fully there yet.
3. You will look weird when the cast comes off
On the day I was getting my cast off I was so excited. The pressure from the cast was starting to bother me and it felt like the swelling from my nose was pushing the cast off. It was starting to become loose and I was getting stressed out about it. When the nurse finally removed it and I saw myself, it was so weird. Andy looked at me and said “Wow, it doesn’t look like your nose!” and he was right! It looked so odd to me. I remember telling him it looked like a “nose job” nose and it was strange not to look like myself. Luckily, as time goes on the swelling goes down and the nose changes. I found myself liking it more and more. Just know that when the cast comes off you may feel like you made a mistake but I promise it gets better!
4. You may be emotional
Holy moly, guys! This was so unexpected for me but I was SO emotional. The first week after the cast came off I would cry daily about how I looked. It wasn’t that I didn’t like my nose, it was cute but it just didn’t look like my nose. It felt weird to know that when I looked in the mirror, I wouldn’t see my crooked, pointy nose again. Instead I was looking at a straight nose with a more rounded tip. Granted, this was not a cosmetic procedure but because of the severe damage to my nose, the surgeon had to reinforce it with cartilage and therefore it changed a bit of how it looked. I would text Andy daily with my current emotional state and he would remind me that it would become normal eventually. He was right and now I am so glad I had the septorhinoplasty. It was worth it to be able to breathe well again.
5. You may have pain in places other than your nose
My nose didn’t hurt almost at all throughout the healing process. There was pressure and swelling but not really any pain. However, because the surgeon had to take cartilage there were other parts of my body that did hurt. Before going into my septorhinoplasty we discussed that he would be taking cartilage from my ear and, if necessary, from my rib. The rib was only if he had to and didn’t seem like it would happen. During the surgery however, it turns out my nose was more damaged than they thought and ear and rib cartilage were both needed. My ear did not bother me much at all after the surgery but as the stitches started to come out it became more sensitive. It’s still sore now so I can’t lay on that ear. The rib was the hardest part of surgery for me, getting up and down from chairs and beds hurt and even breathing hurt. It took a few weeks for me to feel normal again and be able to do things without being in pain.
6. All of the pain and healing will be worth it
Overall, the surgery was worth it for me. I went to my month and a half post-op appointment this week and the surgeon was very happy with how it was healing. My septum is straight and both nostrils are wide open so I can breathe through both with no issues. It is amazing to me how fast I healed and how happy I am with the result. I used to be pretty self conscious about how crooked my nose was and would think about it all the time. When taking photos I could only do it at certain angles and when sitting next to someone I always thought about the awful angle of me they were seeing. Now, those thoughts are gone. I don’t think about my nose at all! In fact, even when I am congested I can still breathe better than I ever could. It’s truly amazing and my only regret is that I didn’t have a septorhinoplasty sooner!
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