Rather than before-and-after photos, I’ll write in detail how everything went for those who are scheduled for their first nose surgery. More like, this is what it actually feels like when you go in for surgery? Since I just had it done today, photos don’t mean much yet, so I’m not posting any. Since I’m also writing this as a personal record while it’s fresh, I used a casual tone.
First, I went to the hospital and signed the surgery consent form.
After signing everything, I changed clothes and washed my face. I took off everything except my underwear, then changed into a patient gown. I had to remove all accessories, and from that point on I couldn’t carry my phone. While washing my face, for some reason they also disinfected my mouth. They told me to rinse with a gargle solution, so I did, and it tasted salty. After changing and washing up, they took photos.
After the photos, I went inside and waited in a recovery-room-like area, sitting on a soft chair, then went into the operating room. Once inside, they used paper-tape-like strips to tuck away and secure all my hair. Then they removed the nasal hair. They applied something inside my nose and cut it with scissors. It’s hard to explain, but it felt a little humiliating to let someone else handle the inside of my nostrils. Then they inserted the IV needle. When I got IV fluids at a neighborhood clinic before, they had inserted it well, but here they had trouble finding the line, burst a vein once, and had to insert it somewhere else again While they were finding the line, they did a test injection for antibiotics on the top of my foot. Honestly, the IV needle hurt so much going in that I couldn’t really tell whether the top of my foot hurt or not.
I waited in that state for the doctor-in-chief to arrive. But it was like twenty minutes? thirty minutes? I think I waited that long. I don’t know why, but they were late. Later they came and apologized for making me wait so long. In the middle of it, I was moved to a larger operating room and kept lying there waiting. The waiting time was pretty long, so... after lying down for so long, all kinds of thoughts start creeping in. I wished they’d just get it over with quickly, I started getting bored, and while my fear of ruining everything was becoming a little numb, at the same time I got anxious thinking about what kind of pain might be coming next And the thought that kept going through my head was It doesn’t really fit the situation, but the saying that it’s not love but the anticipation of love that drives people crazy The anticipation of surgery is what really makes people panic, not the surgery itself.
Anyway, while I was waiting like that, the doctor came and did the design while talking one last time about the nose shape. I kept hesitating until the very last moment about whether to put in an implant and whether to use rib cartilage, so I discussed that thoroughly with the doctor. In the end, we decided to open it up and have the doctor decide on the spot whether to put something in, depending on what they saw. And during the consultation they had firmly said I wouldn’t need alar reduction, but at this point they suddenly said that if I wanted the shape I wanted, I’d have to get it done. What the hell, are you kidding me Then they compared the inner eye line and the alar base with a cotton swab and this time started going on vaguely that my alar base doesn’t pass the inner corner of the eye, so I might not have to do it after all... So I said I’d skip it for now. I said if I’m not satisfied after the surgery, I’ll do it next time. Still, I liked that they gave me enough time to think and enough time to explain what I wanted. I’ll have to see the shape to know whether that actually got reflected well, though..
After the design was finished, I lay down and they disinfected my face. They pulled my clothes down almost to my shoulders and drenched my whole face, including my ears, with disinfectant. Of course it was cold and not pleasant at all. They said if the disinfectant got into my nose or mouth, I should just swallow it. It didn’t get into my mouth, but when some got into my nose, it stung. I coughed a little. They also inserted something like a cotton swab into my nose and disinfected every corner. The smell wasn’t great. In that state, they wrapped my head even more tightly and fixed my arms and legs to the operating table. They told me it was to keep me from moving if I fell asleep. They placed gauze-like material over my mouth and attached something to both eyes. So even if I opened my eyes, I couldn’t really see ahead, and only the operating-room lights appeared in a hazy circle in my field of vision. It felt like the world in front of me was becoming very distant and dreamy..? And then they kept covering my body with something. They layered it on like stacked linen, so I felt tightly wrapped up in something. Over that, I could feel them setting up surgical tools or placing things down. At that point it really felt like I was about to have surgery, and because I couldn’t move at all, I kept thinking about waking up during surgery and got really scared. I decided that if I regained consciousness even a little during the operation, I’d whine and ask them to put me back to sleep.
As I was feeling like a newborn baby wrapped in swaddling cloth, the doctor came in. I couldn’t see, but I knew by the voice. Someone asked, shall we put it in? and they said yes. They told me I would fall asleep now. While they were waiting for me to fall asleep, they chatted among themselves. The nurses asked the doctor what his blood type was, and they were saying things like what do you think it is? Type O? No, he can’t be type O. I thought it was so unscientific that medical staff would believe in blood-type personality theory, but I figured it was just their own social chatter. I was still awake at that point, and then I felt gauze being placed over my face. I was like, damn it, why am I not asleep yet?? I shouldn’t be doing anything yet, should I??? They asked me if I was sleepy, and I did my best to act normal and said, I’m not sleepy. very clearly. (I don’t know how it actually sounded.) I was terrified that if I was conscious I might do something. They said I’d get sleepy soon.
The process of falling asleep was a bit strange. It felt hazy, like I was drifting off to somewhere else. The lights in front of me seemed to get farther away and then closer again... Ah, where am I... I don’t know... Is this New York...? I wanted to go to New York... It feels like something from a movie... Is there a pool here...? Random streams of consciousness like that kept going. When they turned on the lights over the operating table, my vision turned orange, and I felt like I was being endlessly pulled into some soft orange tunnel. Then I fell asleep, and when I woke up, the surgery was already over. Since I couldn’t see ahead, the first thing I asked was whether they used silicone and rib cartilage, and the doctor probably answered me. But at that moment I was half asleep, and if I hadn’t asked, I don’t think anyone would have properly told me. Later on, no one really explained how the surgery went. They only told me during discharge that they had used rib cartilage, so I had to pay more And after I got up, I was supported and taken to the recovery room. In my dazed state, I think I asked whether the surgery went well. The person who brought me to the recovery room told me not to sleep and left. I desperately wanted to sleep, but I figured it’d be better to go home quickly, so I tried hard to stay awake. Sitting there, I soon became clear-headed again. My throat was so dry I felt like I was dying. It was the worst thirst of my life.
After that, they told me to go change clothes, so I changed and came out. No one gave me any instructions, so I just walked up to the desk and they asked me what my name was, and I answered. They said they’d handle the discharge process and told me to wait.
While I was sitting and waiting, they took care of other people’s consultations and completed other people’s discharge procedures, but only mine wasn’t doneㅅㅂ did they forget about me? I got a little annoyed and went to the desk and asked whether I’d have to wait a long time, and only then did they schedule my next visit, collect the additional payment, and explain the discharge process. They explained this part kindly. I got the medicine, ice packs, and instructions, then took a taxi home.
On the way home, the cotton inside my nose felt so stuffy that I was discouraged, wondering how on earth I was supposed to survive two days like this. The anesthesia still hadn’t fully worn off, so the upper front teeth felt numb and a little painful. Breathing was so hard, and even just sitting still, my mouth kept drying out. Please, if I close my eyes and open them again, let two days just fly by. I don’t have a religion, but I ended up praying to some unseen transcendent being. I was scared it might hurt, so as soon as I got home I gulped down two Tylenol tablets... Then I ate a piece of steamed sweet pumpkin so I could take the medicine the hospital gave me. It was the blandest food I’ve ever eaten in my life. My mouth was so dry it was hard to swallow too... After forcing down a piece of sweet pumpkin, I took the medicine, drank some de-bloating tea I had bought in advance, and am writing this now.
Honestly, it’s not that painful, just uncomfortable because my nose is blocked, so I decided to think of it as going through the most extreme rhinitis imaginable. Blood keeps slowly trickling inside my nose. I just lifted the gauze a little and looked in the mirror, and now I’m wondering whether not doing alar reduction was a mistake....... My alar base looks bigger than I expected.. Could it be because of the swelling..? I feel like I’m going to end up lying on the operating table again, I guess.. I don’t know how it’ll look later, but that’s how I feel right now.. Anyway, I hope the surgery turned out well.