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Talksurgery adheres to the Health On the Net Foundation's Code of Conduct
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'All I wanted was a straight nose...'
Pros:
I didn't die during either surgery
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Cons:
Extremely disappointed in the results. Required additional surgery to correct the results of the first - leaving me with a nose that's very similar if not worse than my original nose. I'm going to need the procedure performed a third time.
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Cost:
$3,500 (first time) + $3,800 (second time)
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Healing time:
1 month
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Pain-o-meter: 5
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I grew up being mercilessly teased by my older sister who reminded me on a daily basis that my nose was big. ("if your nose were a salami it would have kept the Russian army alive during the war..")
When I turned 15 I begged my mother to let me have nose surgery and she eventually gave in and took me to what looked like a very high class surgeon in New York City. During the consultation the doctor used computer imaging to show me what my nose would look like post-surgery. He said the surgery wouldn't be difficult and he was certain the results would be as good as, if not better than the computer aided model. The procedure cost $3,500.
I woke up mid-surgery to "Foreigner" blaring on the radio, the sight of a nurse doing a little dance beside the table, and the sound of the doctor scraping my nose. Three weeks later the bandages came off.
The results were nothing short of horrifying. I looked like a burn victim: there was no definition in my nose - it looked like a blob of clay on my face. Worse still, the outer skin of my nostrils had pulled back leaving the openings extremely large, round and uneven. The doctor said he saw nothing wrong with it (!!!) but if there was a problem (hypothetically, of course..), it would straighten itself out in a year. It didn't. He said he'd charge us full price for repairing the first surgery.
I had corrective surgery performed by another doctor 2 years later ($3,800). It slightly lessened the severity of my nostrils and gave me a bit more refinement on the tip, but it also impaired my breathing on one side, widened the bridge, and left me with a bump, an overly long septum, and a visible scar on the inside of my nose.
Went to another surgeon a couple of months ago... was told that
my nose will have to be rebroken to correct the width problem and that he won't be able to fix the uneven file job of doctor #2 without cutting between my nostrils and pulling the skin back to expose the bone. This may leave a scar. He isn't overly optimistic about being able to correct the nostril problem.
It'll cost another $4,500.
Here are more details:
How results differed from what I expected:
First surgery: completely different results than from the Computer imaging -nostrils were enlarged pulled back, uneven and flared; the tip was bulbous with no definition; my profile was convex.
Second surgery: nostrils no longer looked pulled back; left a new sharp bump on the bridge; my septum is still too long; there's a visible scar on the inside of my right nostril.
Biggest fears pre-procedure:
The first time I had no fears - the second I was afraid I'd be unhappy with the results.
Healing aids used:
Tylenol 3
Number of doctors consulted:
1
Number of years I thought about having the procedure:
since childhood
Had an elective procedure before:
Yes
Complications or follow-up procedures:
Had corrective surgery a year after the first procedure.
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This information is not to substitute for professional medical advice. You
should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or
disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider. Please
consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have
regarding your condition.
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Gender:
Female
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Age:
30
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Ethnic group:
Caucasian
Education:
Community college or university
Country:
United States
State/Province:
Florida
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About 70 percent of obese girls remain obese as adult women.
(Source: the Role of Weight Management in the Health of Women" by Sachiko T. St. Jeor, professor and director of Nutrition Education and Research at the University of Nevada, School of Medicine)
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