1 day post-op rhinoplasty – how much swelling Started by: slb81

Lol sorry, not sure what happened with my post! I’ll try again!… I had open rhino with Dr G yesterday morning at Highgate. It’s such a nice hospital, with lovely nursing staff, they make you feel so comfortable and looked after! I was really nervous but they were so warm and caring and really put me at ease. Dr G is clearly the favourite rhino surgeon there, several of the nurses said to me ‘off the record’ (lol!) that he’s the one they would all go with if they had it done, he’s really highly regarded! So that reassured me; even though I researched for a long time and had 4 different consultations (1 free (HMG) and 3 paid for – Dr Chout, Peter Arnstein from the Extreme Makeover UK programme, and Dr G) I was still having second thoughts even the day before, thinking ‘am I doing the right thing, what if I end up with a result I’m not happy with’, etc etc! But I kept reminding myself how much research I’d done before choosing Mr Gonschior and how long I’d wanted to have it done. Really, when I met him, I just knew he was the right choice, with how in depth he went and how many questions he asked me. It was obvious he has such a passion for what he does and genuinely cares about giving you what you want, but at the same time he’s very realistic and honest in telling you what he can and can’t achieve, and in making you aware of all the risks as well as the benefits. I went in as a day case cos Mr G said there’s not much point spending the extra £500 it costs to stay the night at the hospital, me and my boyfriend stayed at the Holiday Inn Golders Green which was a short cab ride from the hospital and was perfectly adequate for getting a night’s sleep (well, for my boyfriend it was! I could only sleep for a few hours at a time cos of sleeping propped up and feeling all weird, and what with all the excitement and nerves of the day!) We were ready to leave at 8pm, after some practice walking up and down the hallway to make sure I didn’t faint going outside to get in the taxi, the nurse suggested it and I didn’t realise how light-headed I was til I did the practice walk in the hall. Wouldn’t have been great to faint and fall over onto the new schnoz! A V-pillow is a godsend, I’m so glad some forum members recommended getting one. I got one from Asda for £7, it came with a pillowcase and is so comfortable! It makes a big difference to you post-op when you’re feeling ropey! 1 day in and I feel ok (though obviously quite uncomfortable!) and haven’t had any pain, which surprised me cos even though people had said it wasn’t painful, I still thought it was going to hurt like hell! But I’m just all stuffy and swollen. I had blurry vision for half an hour after the op cos they put ointment in to stop your eyes drying during the op, and I had a bad headache and sore throat which still hurts today, hurts to swallow which doesn’t make eating fun (and the drip pad gets in the way a bit!) But overall I expected to feel worse! I think I’m going to like the result, though it’s really difficult to tell through all the bruising and swelling. My nostrils look cute and neat but I think the splint makes my nose look like it’s a bit pointy, I hope that’s the splint and not the shape of my new nose! From the underneath (ie ‘up the nose’ view) it’s a triangle shape, looks a bit Michael Jackson-esque!! Is that what everyone’s nose looks like in a splint?? Please put my mind at rest someone! 🙂 Also another question, I’ve got so much swelling, all the way up to my forehead in a column shape between my eyebrows! Is that normal? There’s so much swelling that my head feels like it could burst, loads of pressure, and the swelling under my eyes is bulging out above the plaster, my eyes are only able to open half way. But the bruising has turned from black to dark red overnight, so hopefully it’s going in the right direction. Didn’t realise how much swelling and bruising there’d be! But maybe it’s because I had open, so more invasive than closed rhino. For info for anyone looking into it, I paid £5450 as a day case for open rhino with Dr G, and was able to get an op less than a month after my consultation with him in late January. I’d read that he’s very booked up so maybe I got lucky with a cancellation, or maybe it’s cos I went with him privately rather than through MYA (which I did by accident, found his own website & booked a consult before I realised he worked for MYA too!) He said the ops with him cost the same whether you go via MYA or private, which is good to know. I haven’t posted any pics up yet but will do so once I have the cast off, if I’m happy with it obvs! So nervous about seeing it! 11 days to go… Sorry for the v long post! S xx