Day 4

Last night was probably the worst night so far, mainly due to my upset stomach and headache. Again my nose has no pain at all, and it is starting to wake up a bit because i can feel slight tingles and itching underneath the bandages.
Well i couldnt really sleep, felt like i was going to faint and i took some panadol and tried to sleep it off.
It came to morning and my eyes were sore from lack of sleep, it felt as if i was bruised but when  i looked in the mirror there was no bruising at all, just little swelling. I was amazed i havnt bruised, especially on day 4 which is suppose to be the most bruising expected. Ive eaten breakfast, took my antibiotics and at 330 today i have my first post op appointment with my Dr. Hopefully he can tell me when i can take off the cast and get rid of all the dry blood.



Well i went into the hospital, and went to my Dr's office and he walked in and said it went all great, then he accually took off the cast on my nose and removed all of the dry blood! He kept the stitches in because they were not fully healed up yet, i get them removed on friday.
He handed me a small mirror and i was so amazed, i was sshocked i didnt know what to think. of course i loved it! It was so over whelming to see no bump in my nose, and the tip was much reduced and my nostrils were smaller. I couldnt believe after just 4 days my nose turned out the way it did. It is really swollen but i can tell already it is amazing. My Dr did a terrific job, i couldnt ask for anything better. He took a few photos and told me i will have follow up appointments in 2 weeks then 4 and so on..
The nurse came in after to tape up my nose with skin colour tape just to help the swelling. Then she will take out my stitches on friday.

So i came home and wouldnt stop looking at myself in the mirror, i still couldnt believe how i looked! So here are before and after pictures.

before and after (i have skin coloured tape on my nose btw)

only after 4 days!

After on left and before on right

Day 3

Well last night i had a little trouble sleeping, my neck was so sore and i think i bumped my nose while i was sleeping because i remember a slight bang on it. Luckly i fell asleep fast and didnt wake up in the middle of the night.
I havnt coughed up any gunk but there still is some in my throat i can feel. I have a really bad headache today and i am taking panadol for it. Ive been slowly walking around the house so im not lying down all day, and building up my headache, and my face is looking pretty good at the moment, only slightly yellow around my cheeks and under my eyes, not much bruising....yet haha.

I find that when i eat my throat is much better, though i cant have any hot food, mainly toast for now. My stomach is feeling a little yuk  due to the medication ive been having, which is causing constipation, but ive stopped that medicine so hopefully i can eventually go.

Tomorrow i go to see my Dr for a check up and hopefully he can either remove the cast or at least the dry bloody in my nostrils. It hurts everytime i laugh or smile.
Well here is my day 3 picture...again not pretty, but i cant wait to see the final result, i know it is all worth it.

Day 2

Well it is day 2, and last night my nose decided to block completely and I had to just breath from my mouth, it was awful, I felt I really had to blow my nose and I was coughing up all the bits of blood from my nose. I managed to sleep but woke up at 430 to take some panadol.

Anyway I woke up today not too sore, I can't feel any pain on my nose, just a sore throat still. I had my antibiotics and breakfast, and I've just been watching movies like tomb raider and hot chick, and  all day just relaxing. As for signs of bruising, my eyes arn't blue at all, just a little bit yellow which is the swelling starting i guess.
So far today's been good, just eating and resting and not coughing up much at all. My cast gets a little itchy at times but it's nothing too annoying. I can breath through my nose a bit now aswell.

day 2

side profile day 2

So not much to report today, here is a photo of day 2, not much difference from day 1.

Day 1

Well last night ( the night I stayed over hospital) was very uncomfortable. I had a drip in my arm, and everytime I moved it, it would sting so bad! I also had to go to the toilet so many times because of all the fluids I had. The nurse came every half an hour to measure my blood pressure and she kept injecting medicine into my drip. I was in no pain, until something decided to come early! Stupid woman pains! So I had to ask for panadol alot because I had the worst cramps, and most uncomfortable sleep. I was in and out of it all night.

In the morning I asked for a hot water bottle and more panadol. I was sharing a room with an old lady but she was very nice and didn't snore thankgod.
Well It was 830 and my dr came in to check up on me'. He told me' the procedure went very well, the hump was gone and he didn't have to break the side bones of my nose. So my healing will probably be quicker. He saidvto expect small amount of bleeding ( it bled a bit last night) only for up to 3 to 4 days. He then said he will proscribe medication for me' and he will see me' next week for checkups.

He left and then I ate breakfast which was toast and cornflakes, and I got dressed and mum camacho pick me' up. The nurse gave me' my medication which was a strong panadol and antibiotics. Sl

So now I am home resting, all I feel is something heavy on my nose and no pain at all. My throat is just sore when I swallow and I gotta keep up on water and eating. Anyway it still doesn't feel like I've had the surgery, it's too overwhelming that I have wanted this for so long and it's all over. Once the cast is off it will hit me' for sure!


me the day after surgery (day 1)



The surgery

Ok so I left to go to the hospital at 110, arrived at 145 exactly, and I went straight to admissions to sign in. I then got taken up a level to a small waiting room where I had a nurse weigh me' and test my blood pressure ect. She said at first my temperature was too high, but the room I was in was so hot and i had my jacket on. Luckily the anasteasiest came in and took over and tested my chest and he said I was fine to go through to surgery. He was incredibly nice, even the nurse said so haha.

Anyway so I was then taken to a small ward where I had to put my gown on, which as very unattractive at the back mind you! I stayed in that room for about 2 hours. Here is a pic of me with my gown on.

 

 I also needed to go to the toilet while I waited, and as I went to open the door some guy was in there pissing and he didn't lock the god damn door! So i went back to my room laughing hysterically. I eventually went and a nurse man wheeled me' to the opposite aide of the building to the pre op waiting room. On the way I farewelled my mum and my partner.



the last blow



So I was left for about an hour waiting, then my doc came to visit and just explained again what he was going to do in the procedure, and he said all the best and he will see me' the next morning. The aneseasiast came and wheeled me' into the op room. I got placed on the op table and for the 4th time had to repeat my name and date of birth. I then had a wonderful chat before I got put to sleep, he was asking me' what I do and told him I worked for revlon, and apparently he sold revlon products when he used to work at a pharmacy haha. Mex thing I knew I was awake with a gas mask on after the procedure in the recovery room.

I was then being wheeled to my ward, and on the way I saw my family and partner there sitting down with balloons, and the nurse guy said oh are they your fan club? Haha.



me arriving to my ward from recovery room



 So I as in my room, the nurse took off the gas mask and I had a sandwich with beef ( eating was the last thing I wanted to do) and I explained how it went even though no one told me, I was just guessing haha.

straight after surgery...suprisingly remember this!

side profile after surgery

 My family could only stay 15 min coz it was passed visiting hours. So they left me' with 2 get well balloons and a kiss, and also my partners scarf which accually helped me' alot throughout the night. Anyway i was on no pain, my throat was just very sore and my eyes heavy, but it was no pain what so ever :)

Today's the day!

Yay! Guess what day it is? 28th july (the date on this thing is wrong btw) and it is the day i am gonna look like bloody Voldemort haha. I slept very well last night, i woke up at 130, thinking it was morning but i was clearly wrong, then i slept up til 5am because a thunderstorm woke me up, then i went back to sleep and mum woke me up at 640 so i could eat my breakfast before 7am. I had bikkies and 1 piece of toast with nutella....gotta have my nutella fix! Then mum and dad said goodbye on their way to work, mum will Finnish early to take me to the hospital but i wont see dad until after my surgery.

So now it is currently 7:04 and my eating is done for now. the anesthesia dr called last night to check up on me and told me i could drink up until 9 which is good i guess. He asked me simple questions and he sounded very nice. I told him about my throat and nose and he said it is a 90% chance i will go ahead with the surgery, and i woke up today feeling the best ever! No runny nose, a tiny bit of phlegm and that's it!

I was going to go back to bed for a bit more sleep but i dont think i can, im too excited!. I will get my overnight bag ready later, and going to have my morning shower since i may not have a very nice one in a week or so.

I will hopefully remember what happened tomorrow during surgery because of staying over night in hospital, as far as how  i am feeling, it is kinda scary to look at myself in the mirror and knowing i will never look like this again, but on the other side this is something i' have wanted for years, and when i look at myself after healing i will be happy for once to like what i see everyday and know that i actually stuck to my guns and did it for myself.
I feel that i am in very good hands, i know i have the best Dr and i feel very lucky.

Well if i don't report before my surgery, wish me luck! I know i will be ok with my mum and my wonderful partner waiting with me, this is going to be a great yet ugly experience haha.

btw i did final before shots so here they are....

the day before

Well i woke up this morning on the 27th July, and still with the flu :(
I have phlegm and a runny nose, so hopefully by tomorrow it will be gone. It better be gone or i will be one angry young lady!  As for nerves i am not nervous at all, just concerned about the surgery being postponed til the next week.  I'm gonna eat a big dinner tonight because i have to starve from 7am tomorrow morning, so i will eat a light breakfast and maybe go back to sleep. I need to get as much rest as i can to get rid of this cold, and also because i probably wont sleep overnight in the hospital.
Anyway ive got my lovely partner looking after me. He and my mum will be taking me to the hospital  tomorrow, and my sister will meet them after work while i am  in surgery. I told them to take as many pictures as they can no matter how avatarish i look haha.
Anyway i will report tomorrow morning on the day of my surgery and hopefully i am much better!
as a suprise this is me currently sick, and that is a vicks inhaler! not you know what  ;p

my partner looking after me haha

so sexy ;p

4 days before surgery

well not much to report, besides the fact i have the worst cold! I just hope i am much better by thursday, otherwise my surgery will be postponed until the next week. This would be so terrible! I cant tell work i need another week off.

Hopefully it will be fine, im drugged up on cold and flu so it better work! Just gotta stay relaxed and out of the cold i guess. Anyway thats all i can report for today.

final appointment with Dr Tim Hewitt

Well today was my final visit with Dr Hewitt. I arrived at 9am and was called into his office, i also had my dad come along with me, so he could understand what i was going to go through. Basically he explained everything over again, and asked me if there is anything besides the hump i dont like about my nose. I suggested to him that my nose was slightly on an angle, and that the tip was a little big. I asked him his opinion and he said he would remove some cartilage from the tip of my nose, and also it will straighten naturally when the hump is removed. He knew exactly what i meant when i was saying the tip was too big, he reworded it as to put it in proportion when the hump is removed.

He explained everything so clearly that i had only 1 or 2 questions to ask. Even my dad was amazed in how the method he is using is so simple and he knows exactly what he is doing, and that it will be very unnoticeable scarring. For anyone who doesn't know what i am getting, it is an open in fracture rhinoplasty procedure.

He showed me recent post opp photos of noses that were simular to mine, and he showed me one of this girl who was accually the one who told me about Dr Tim Hewitt. He then took photos of my nose for records and also explained that during the surgery he has them up on the wall to look at for guidence and all of his drawings to what he is going to do.

He told me that i am the  perfect caanditate for rhinoplasty because i have an obvious hump. He told me how he dislikes performing the proceedure on patients that don't really need it or it isn't obvious. But its how ever you feel about yourself that is important i guess.

From there i spoke too his secretary about times and details about fasting for the day of the surgery. I am schedualed for 1:45 pm and i have wait approximately 2 hours before the surgery. I'm told to bring magazines or a book because of the long wait, and then i will be accompanied by a nurse who will prepare me for the surgery. Of course i will meet my anaseisist beforehand.

So it is offical now that payment is all done, and i am very VERY excited til next week! I have started to prepare myself by buying button up shirts/pj's and making everything easy to access so i don't have to bend over to get anything i need while i am healing.

I cant wait now i am very confident it will go great!

1 Week before surgery

So I've decided to document my surgery process, I've researched around the net about how other people have prepared for the surgery and how they handled the recovery, so sharing my experience will hopefully give others confidence as it has given me. So where do i start.....

Basically since i was in year 6 i have felt very uncomfortable with the way my nose looked, i would get comments and i would always feel i wasn't normal looking. I have a hump in my nose and it is slightly slanted. Of  course being Italian doesn't help! I wanted to be like  those girls in magazines who are considered "beautiful". I wouldn't feel comfortable having my hair out of my face, i would avoid turning side on to people, and i would try and cover my nose every time i laugh or smile. It came to the point it was affecting me mentally and it is hard to explain to people how i felt, when they have no idea what it is like to live with it everyday and feel the way that i do about it.

I knew if i told my parents they would call me stupid and that nothing was wrong with it, so i finally built up the confidence to write them a letter explaining exactly how i felt, so i would get no interruptions. i found this the best way to get through to them. They fully understood and all they want is their daughter to be happy with herself. So this made my day! and i was off to research Dr's in Perth (not that i haven't looked before).

Luckily i asked around and it was from word of mouth that i found the best  Doctor in Perth. I made an appointment with Dr Tim Hewitt in St John of God hospital. I felt very comfortable with him and he explained everything i needed and wanted to know. He gave me an unbelievable quote and i was 100% certain i wanted the surgery, in which  i booked it straight away.  A few months later and i have my second visit with    him tomorrow for final details and payment, and also before photos to be taken.

I had several nurses calling me up throughout the week asking common questions about my health, and little explanations about the day of the surgery. Everyone i have spoken to have been incredibly helpful and nice and i am extremely excited and confident about the surgery.

I have only told my close family, as it is a personal thing for me and i'm not feeling comfortable with everyone knowing, because you are easily judged, but i dont care what people think anyway,as long as i'm happy thats all that matters. With work i had to get 2 weeks off, im only nervous about how people would react when i go back since i deal with customers everyday. Good tips i found on the net was to change your hairstyle so people would compliment on that.Most people say that the reaction you get is always positive and they can never put their finger on what has changed, but once people get used to it i guess it's alright.

ok so i  will report tomorrow about how my second visit with Dr Tim Hewitt went.