First, I had surgery last Wednesday, and I’ll leave a diary-style record of my progress up until this morning (Monday)!
I wasn’t really planning to write this, but as I had a lot of questions and searched around, I found that there wasn’t much detailed information. Especially in this community, there seem to be many people who worry excessively, so I’m writing this in the hope that it might help even one person who has surgery later!
Ps. 1. I’d like to write this on a computer, but I’m too lazy to get up, so I’ll write it on my phone ㅠㅠ Please excuse any typos ;)
2. For reference, I had nasal tip surgery before! I asked for it to look natural, but it was so insanely natural that even I could barely tell whether I had surgery. My original nose was on the higher side, but I had a supraorbital ridge, and in contrast my nasal bridge felt low. Also, even after surgery, as time passed, my nasal tip seemed to return to its original state, so I wanted to reduce that and decided on revision surgery!
3. I didn’t go around to multiple clinics in person..ㅠ
Since I live overseas, I didn’t have time to visit clinics, so I only researched online, and I had surgery with Director Lee Kyung-muk at Jo & Shin.
He is already very famous, but he also has his own firm philosophy and principles, so I didn’t go anywhere else and booked the surgery date right away when I went. (But is it okay to write the clinic name and the director’s name??)
The surgery was for the nasal bridge and nasal tip, and during the consultation I said I didn’t mind if it looked obvious, as long as it looked pretty. So we discussed using silicone, septal cartilage, and ear cartilage, and if the septal cartilage was insufficient, using donated costal cartilage as well.
Fortunately(?) during surgery, the director said, “Your septal cartilage is enormous..” so donated costal cartilage was not used. And for the ear cartilage, he used what was still remaining in my nasal tip as it was, so there was no unnecessary excision or suturing.
These were the kinds of things that made me think I had chosen the clinic and director well!
It hasn’t been two full weeks yet, so I’ll only share the progress first and tell you the result later, but so far I am very satisfied with everything from the booking with the consultant, the clinic’s response, the surgical process, and the care they provide!
Day 1 (Wednesday)
Surgery appointment at 7:20 p.m. After I arrived and prepared this and that, I remember going into surgery around 8:15 p.m.
Before anesthesia, the nurse trimmed my nose hair, had me gargle disinfectant in my mouth, then I lay down, got an IV, and had my arms tied to prevent movement while I waited for the director.
After a little time passed, the director came in, told me not to be nervous, then I went under sedation and the surgery proceeded. I think they woke me up from the medication from time to time to check my condition. (I don’t think you need to worry at all about things people worry about, like ghost doctors or hopping between surgeries.)
The surgery lasted about 2 hours and 30 minutes. (I’m not exact, but from what I remember, I think I got up from the bed around 10:50 p.m.)
At the end, they did the taping and shaped it, and I felt like they were doing it extremely meticulously.
After the surgery ended, I was assisted to the recovery room, did a cold compress for about 5 minutes, rested a little, then went straight home. On the way home, I bought porridge and tomatoes. After arriving and looking in the mirror, I could definitely feel that my nose had become higher, and I was surprised that, unexpectedly, there was no bruising or swelling. I wondered if this was that “surgery-friendly body type” I had only heard about. But there was a problem.
First, blood kept coming out, so I had to change the gauze frequently and wipe it carefully. Second, cotton was packed tightly inside my nose, so breathing through my nose was completely impossible and I had to breathe only through my mouth, and this was truly torture.. My bronchial passages and lips were so dry they felt like they were burning, I was tired but couldn’t breathe so I couldn’t sleep, and when I tried to sleep somehow by lying with my upper body elevated, my nose felt even more blocked, so I just kept counting the time until the day the cotton would be removed.. Anyway, to put it crudely, I really felt like I was going to die. More than the surgery, not being able to breathe and not being able to sleep were the hardest parts.
Day 2 (Thursday)
Breathing was still difficult. I repeatedly woke up and fell asleep countless times, then my body became exhausted and I fell asleep, but even then I don’t think I slept properly for even 2 hours.
The next day was the day to remove the cotton, so I was only waiting for that day and kept searching to see if other people were the same as me. They say it definitely gets better once the cotton inside the nose is removed, so I looked forward to it even more. I thought I would get too lazy to do cold compresses, but since everyone said to do them, I did, and maybe because the heat in my face gradually dispersed, I felt like I could breathe a little, so I did them diligently.
And at lunchtime, I went outside briefly and took a walk, and the stuffiness in my nose seemed to improve a little. I think they probably didn’t block both nostrils completely with cotton. If they had blocked both sides, I wouldn’t have been able to breathe no matter what I did, but since I could breathe even slightly, it seems like only one side was blocked.
Anyway, on Day 2 as well, more than anything else, not being able to breathe was so, so hard, and it felt like I might have a panic attack.
Even when I lay down to sleep, I felt so suffocated that I would suddenly sit up. Then when I became exhausted again and fell into a light sleep, maybe I had stopped breathing, because I would wake up startled with my heart pounding like crazy. I woke up every 10 to 20 minutes. That day too, the amount I properly slept was around 2 hours... ;-)
Day 3 (Friday)
Finally, the cotton was removed. When I looked around, people said removing the cotton hurts, that it feels like your brain is being pulled out, that it stings, that once the cotton is removed it’s heaven right away... Please don’t believe that.
I didn’t even know the cotton had been removed from inside my nose... After the cotton removal, while I was lying down receiving a swelling laser treatment and antibiotics, I didn’t feel my stuffy nose getting better, and above all, because I didn’t feel anything from the supposedly painful cotton removal, I kept looking inside my nose with a hand mirror, wondering if the nurse had accidentally not removed the cotton.
Personally, if I were to describe what cotton removal and disinfection feel like, those of you who have had a COVID test will know, but I think it’s good to imagine the feeling of a cotton swab being inserted into the nostril, but 70% less painful.
Anyway, the cotton was definitely removed, and breathing was still hellish.
Day 4 (Saturday)
Breathing was still so difficult that I just kept sitting or walking around.
I had plans, so I briefly went outside and ate meat for the first time in a while, but because my nose was blocked, I couldn’t taste the meat sigh.. I washed my hair by roughly putting the back of my head against the sink and shampooing it.
What changed after removing the cotton was maybe that breathing was still easier than when the cotton was stuck in there, and that I had so much nasal discharge that I had to wipe it often? At home, having my nose open and having a runny nose was actually better, but outside, constantly wiping it was quite a hassle..
From this day on, it wasn’t that breathing through my mouth was hard, but my lips hurt to the point that I applied Vaseline to my lips before sleeping.
Maybe because breathing through my mouth was so painful, all my senses became focused on my lips. In the end, I was satisfied.
After applying Vaseline, the sensation in my lips definitely became duller, and even breathing through my mouth was bearable. I felt like I slept clearly better than before.
Other than that, I frequently applied ointment to the sutured area (the pharmacist said twice a day, but while wiping my nasal discharge, I kept wiping off the ointment too, so it ended up being applied frequently). I looked inside my nose and saw something transparent? white, cartilage-like in the center of the nasal bridge, so I thought, “No way, did the surgery go wrong!?” After searching around, it seemed to be a silicone support.
Ps. If those who have surgery later also see something like that inside the nose, please don’t worry too much and just be aware..! Still, if it really seems wrong, I strongly recommend calling the clinic directly. For me, it was late evening so I couldn’t call, and I searched around here and there, but honestly, the fastest and most accurate thing is to ask the clinic directly!
Day 5 (Sunday)
The swelling and bruising seemed to have gone down a little. Instead, since I hadn’t been able to work out recently, my muscles also seemed to have disappeared, so I briefly went to a nearby gym.
I didn’t do any strenuous exercise. I just felt like I needed to at least breathe the air of the gym to have less muscle loss, so I only messed around a little on the treadmill.. There was a bench right in front of me, but I couldn’t lift, so I felt like crying, but I barely held it in because I was afraid my stitches would burst if I cried.
Breathing became much easier. My lips and bronchial passages, which I thought would suffer forever, are finally cheering. Still, my nose inevitably gets blocked when I lie down.
But when I do a cold compress, breathing becomes relatively easier, so everyone, just do cold compresses..
And since I can’t wash my face, I’m wiping it with the cleansing water the clinic gave me.
Day 6 (Monday)
Now my nose doesn’t get blocked even when I lie down.. I’m not religious, but when I woke up in the morning and felt myself breathing through my nose, I shouted Jesus.
I’m happy.. Compared to before surgery, my nose still feels slightly blocked, but I’m still happy... And the swelling and bruising have also gone down a lot.
Anyway, the surgery seems to have gone well, and I can breathe well, so I’m happy!
In two days, the splint and stitches will be removed, so I should post again later.
Lastly, about the “people who worry excessively” that I mentioned earlier.
I went through many sites to look up various things, and in the end, it seems that “most people became okay” (I also saw many replies in the comments like “I’m okay now!”, so that’s why I think so).
When I couldn’t breathe properly, I searched because I wondered, “Are other people the same as me?” But the people who posted other posts seemed to worry way too much, like what if it stays like this, do I need revision surgery even though it hasn’t been long since surgery, and so on.. I felt sorry seeing people get impatient and complain when it hadn’t been long, so I wrote this to help even a little.
I hope it helps even a little for those who will have surgery in the future and those who had it around the same time as me. If you trust the clinic and director you chose, endure just a little, and wait, I think results will come that are so good they won’t even compare to the pain you went through!
Please don’t worry too much and only think good thoughts!!
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