So I have had a badly deviated septum all my life and have been unable to use both nostrils since birth. It is deviated 2 different directions. I’m 26 now and decided to get it taken care of since I have good insurance. My nose is also pretty large and crooked.
So I decided that while I am under the knife for the septum I will get a few cosmetic corrections. Shorter and not crooked.
Anyone had one of these? What can I look forward to pain wise? Did you bruise bad? Bleeding?
My sister had one in her early 20s - she also had a deviated septum, as well as some other issues that led to various sinus problems. She didn’t have a lot done that was noticeable externally, barring the slight enlargement of her nostrils to help her breathe better. Be sure that your insurance will pay for any of the cosmetic changes, or that the cosmetic work is justifiable as a change that can help your breathing, or you might get a surprise bill.
What I remember of her complaints:
I would love to have a nose job. I can barely breathe through my nose, never have been able to. I also think my nose is too long.
This hurts me just thinking about it. When are you having it done?
I think it’s pretty painful, but they’ll drug you up for the appropriate amount of time. And you’ll look like shit before you look better. I’ve never had it done, but I know people who have. Good luck!
I’m getting one of these this summer, but for cosmetic reasons. My sister had one, and she said that once she awoke post-surgery, she was too dazed to feel much pain. They gave her some pain meds to take home and also suggested that she apply an ice pack with the lightest of pressure if she saw fit. You will be bruised facially (this includes black eyes) pretty nicely for the first week or so. Don’t be shocked when you get the cast off to see that you’re still swollen and bruised. However, the bruising should be all gone from 2 weeks-a month after the surgery. The swelling, too, goes down in time and is barely noticeable after two months. There was some bleeding, in fact, when the surgery is being done you swallow a little blood, and my sister coughed some up barfing smiley. But this doesn’t happen often, so don’t worry. Just change the packing regularly in the first week and you’ll be fine.
I forgot–on a related note, my cousin had one done for a deviated septum, but had somewhat of a deformed nose to begin with, so also had cosmetic changes made. Insurance covered it, and she paid $10 for the surgery, IIRC.
Yes, I had one. My nose was literally crooked and I had trouble breathing. Stupidly, however, I did it in August when it was hot and I was miserable lying around for a few day. It wasn’t particularly paiful as it was uncomfortable. My nose doesn’t look perfect, which is good, I think. I am glad I got it done.
I’ve had two.
First one when I was about 13 because a softball hit me square in the face and obliterated my nose. It was a very long, complicated, difficult surgery because they basically had all these tiny little pieces of nose to put back together like a puzzle. It was pretty painful for about 3 days after. I had to sleep sitting up for two weeks and was not allowed to play any sports or even run for a year after. I had black eyes for several weeks and was allowed to wear sunglasses to school so I wouldn’t be embarassed.
The second one I had three years ago when I was 26 because a drunk guy in a bar punched me and broke my nose–pushed the bridge sideways. This was in May and I was getting married in August so I was very worried about how it looked. This surgery was much more painful after but I think that’s just because I was older and less resilient. It was an out patient surgery–went in in the morning, had the surgery (lasted about 3 hours) and went home the same day. The surgery took a little longer than planned because I had a bunch of “scar tissue” on the bones from the break when I was younger and that caused some problems. I had severe bruising for about a month, it finally went away after about six weeks total. Right after the surgery I was in a lot of pain for about three days but I had the surgery on a Thursday and was back at work the following Monday. No special instructions about how to sleep but I was not supposed to sneeze or blow my nose for two months. (It was really hard not to sneeze!) All was well in time for my wedding.
Both times I had to wear a metal splint or cast which is just taped over your nose so nothing bumps it. And both times they put plastic splints inside that were held in with two stitches (also inside)–those were removed after about a week, and it’s true–when you see these splints you can’t believe something that long and big was just up your nose. I felt like they were practically touching my brain. And when they removed them–aaahhh…your nasal passages feel so open and you can breathe.
All in all, the pain is not too horrible–I just stayed on my meds for a few days and used a lot of ice packs. The ice helped tremendously. And the bruising looks worse than it feels.
Chiming in as one who’s had the same procedure for the same reason. I, too, had a deviated septum that prevented proper breathing (when my ENT asked “how on earth do you breathe?!”, I replied, “through my mouth, is there any other way?”), and, like you, as long as I was going under the knife, I wanted some minor cosmetic changes as well (actually, they were somewhat necessary, as my septum didn’t end in the center, but was bent off to one side, making one nostril rather thin compared to the other).
However, this was my big mistake… though the diagnosis and prescribed treatment came from two ENTs, since I wanted cosmetic work done, too, I chose to have the procedure done by a cosmetic surgeon. I did a lot of research and found one of the best in the state, and, I must admit I have a really great-looking nose… that still doesn’t work, however. 
Granted, I don’t suffer the debilitating sinus infections I used to get, but I still can’t breathe properly, either. And now I can actually feel the deviation near the top of one of my nostrils, even though it’s unnoticible to the eye.
I’m told that it’s probably not the septum, but a problem with my turbinates, which should’ve been addressed at the time of my surgery, but wasn’t because my ENT didn’t specifically mention them as a problem.
So, after all that, here’s my advice: seek out an otolaryngologist, or otorhinolaryngologist, that also does cosmetic work (sometime after my surgery, my ENT group brought in a partner with specialties in both fields <sigh>) and make sure to ask them to examine your turbinates to see if they need any work while they’re already in there.
As for after-effects, as others have said, expect some minor bruising and a little pain and/or discomfort. Ice packs and pain meds help. I was up and around and feeling great in just a couple of days. And yes, it is utterly amazing how long those splint thingies are and that all of that could be stuffed up your nose!
Oh, one unusual thing I noticed, though, is that I’ve never had so many people accidentally (or purposefully!) bump/hit my nose so much in my entire life as I did within the six months after my surgery. :eek:
Good luck and let us know how it goes!
(P.S. If you want to see some before and after pictures of mine, you can do so here.)