cloudbusting

Thanks K, I would be happy if the top of the tip flattened out. Right now it's like a ski slope with a speed bump. Only thing to do is to be patient now. I probably won't update here for at least another month.

 

My nostrils before were small and round. I agree the shape is drastic and it is quite a change.. my tip is not upturned and my nostrils aren't very visible in the front, but the tip is over projected. I think the over projection may have been intentional to stretch out the thick skin.

 

It is still over projected but not as bad as a couple weeks ago. Dr. Park (through Daphne) never got back to me about the over projection. I plan on contacting him again soon. I don't expect a detailed analysis though, he seems busy

 

Thanks a lot ddalgi, that's reassuring. It does look crooked from the front on, like the tip is pointing more towards the right. Oddly, Dr. Park only put packing in my right nostril, which I hope was deliberate. I mean, maybe the other nostril wouldn't look so depressed if he had originally put packing in it. I also still have a stitch that hasn't completely dissolved in the right nostril. It's probable that the swelling is from my body absorbing suture material. This whole wait-and-see phase is just so nerve-wracking. It really is the hardest part of the whole process.

 

Hey all,

3 1/2 weeks post-op now and my nostrils are still crooked. Anyone know if this is probably due to swelling? I am so worried.

 

I'm not sure yet. I'm not in Korea anymore. Any good plastic surgeon should be able to do it though.

 

Yeah, it could be swelling. My nose is really overprojected right now and the thick skin bump that is contributing to the beak look makes it hard for me to even go outside >< It's hard for me to dismiss it as just swelling because Dr. Park was very short on his opinion of what's going on with my nose. He was not reassuring.

 

It decreases soft tissue inflammation and also thins out thick skin. Too high of a dose can have bad effects such as indentations. I would need an injection on the large and rounded nasal bump above my tip. As for my over projection, I think the steroid will only help it if it's due to swelling.

 

I sent my pictures to the team client manager at Dream today and was advised by Dr. Park to wait 2-3 weeks before making a decision to have a steroid injection. I guess it is not obvious to the doctor if it is just swelling. All I can do is wait

 

Thanks Vichy, I hope so

 

Hmm just felt my tip, I think it's definitely still swollen as it is stiff and a bit numb. I am really just worried about the supratip thick skin bump as I had it to begin with and it doesn't seem to be going down. It just looks horrendous with the lengthening of my nose. I hope you are right, K That would be a big relief.

 

Not yet. I didn't see him at my last check up appt as I was informed by the nurse that he abruptly took a last minute vacation :/ I'm going to contact Dream tomorrow when the office is open.

 

Hey guys,

I am now 11 days post-op, 5 days post cast removal and I am no longer in Korea. Swelling is going down slowly day by day and the incision across my columella has completely healed. But I am not having a celebration just yet, lol.

Right now, my nose looks like an enormous bulging bird beak. I don't know if this is normal but it is totally freaking me out. There's a lot of fullness in my supratip and overall it looks like I have too much projection. My tip looks too long. Maybe Dr. Park should have excised more tissue from my tip area. My nose looks like a round ball that has been stretched out a bit lengthwise, if that makes sense. It kind of resembles a pollybeak deformity. Idk if it's swelling because I had a really thick round supratip to begin with.

Has anyone experienced something similar to this? I am wondering if I should get a steroid shot from another surgeon (since I'm in another country now).

Funny, my mother's nose healed perfectly and looks beautiful. Her tip came down and is a lot longer now. Now I'm the anxious one

 

Anyone know if it's normal to have a runny nose and excessive mucus buildup on post-op day 5? Would this affect the rate that my inner stitches are dissolving? It looks like the dissolvable stitches are hanging out of my nostrils.

It's difficult for me to breathe through my nose because I'm so stuffed. During the few moments of the day when I can breathe through my nose, it feels a little raw/tender on the inside as air goes in and out.

I reaaaaallllllyyyyy don't want to be restitched. I have suffered enough

 

If you're under general anesthesia then you won't wake up at all. In Korea, doctors use IV sedation more often. When you're under IV sedation, you are in and out of sleep during the surgery. The IV sedation didn't work very well for me so I was awake for most of it. Dream may have been light on it in general though, as my mother said she felt like she was awake for most of it too.

 

Thanks for giving us an update, Mrs. Lucky. Yes, I hope my mother's nose will look better soon. Your comment made her feel better. Did you have open or closed rhino? I had a slightly bulbous nose and was recommended by Dr. Park to have open rhino for better tip definition.

So glad for you that you're liking your nose more and more. It seems like Dr. Park's style is undoubtedly subtle and natural. I look forward to your update in 6 months time

 

LIFE is across the street.

 

My consultation at Dream took 3 hours. Commuting to the clinic took 30 minutes in traffic. You should definitely plan for this if you don't want to be late for other appointments. Dream was my last stop so I didn't miss any appointments but it was such a pain to wait so long. It wasn't a walk-in appointment either, I had scheduled it beforehand.

 

If you have the time, getting LASIK first is probably better. I had my lasik surgery last October and am glad I did because I can see without contacts/glasses after my operation. I was advised not to wear contacts/glasses post-op, which I didn't worry about because my vision is 20/20.

I think it takes a few months to completely heal from lasik surgery, but I was able to go to school the following day. You should talk to the doctor about it first.

 

Mrs. Lucky,

Dr. Cho could have responded to us through the translator. My translator was present during the entire surgery. I am sure she at least understood what the word "pain" meant in english. I mean, she is a doctor! I don't know if they gave me enough local anesthesia even, because I swear I felt it when she scraped at my septal cartilage.

Anyway, the worst is over. Enduring the surgery was the hardest part for me unless I'm in for a surprise when my stitches are removed, lol.

How are you healing Mrs. Lucky? I recall you saying that you weren't too pleased with your nose? Maybe you can tell us how you feel.

 

Thanks, I am pleased with my results so far but my mother isn't pleased with her revision. I told her it's too soon to tell and it will get better over time. She thinks her nose is too short, pig-like and worse than before.

Dr. Cho doesn't seem like a very nice doctor. I didn't meet her at the consultation. Daphne told me right before my surgery that Dr. Cho would be working alongside Dr. Park for my operation. So I only "met" her during surgery, and my opinion of her is based on her aggressive bedside manner.

I got an ultra-soft silicone implant, 3.5mm. Dr. Park said I couldn't go higher because my forehead is too low. I also got tip plasty.

In general, most clinics ridiculously photoshop B&A photos. Some v-line photos on the TLPS website are laughable, in the before photos the patient purposefully rests her chin on her chest, creating a double chin look. Don't go by B&A photos. Dream hardly has any on their website and it doesn't mean that they don't have good results. During my consultation at Dream, the consultant showed me a ton of B&A photos that aren't on their website.

 

I was surprised too, I said the exact same thing to the consultant that I heard most open rhinos are done under GA. I asked for "extra" sedation before the surgery and was told by the nurse that it's too dangerous. I think the accident at Grand got all the clinics shook up.

Lol, I have to be meticulous because of dietary restrictions. I researched beforehand where to buy specific products and recipes to make, etc. Cheesecake does sound good though.

Thanks K, my nose is looking pretty good so far. I can't say for sure but I think my tip looks more defined than I thought it would. I won't be able to say whether or not I'm satisfied until much later. From my experience so far, I think open rhino is very suitable for those with bulbous noses who are looking for more tip definition.

 

Finally posting an update on my surgery @ DREAM. I have been busy watching re-runs of my favorite TV show. I'll start from my surgery day^^

SURGERY DAY
My mother and I had our surgeries scheduled for 10:30am. There was an issue with billing (my mom forgot her credit card at our flat!) and so a driver at Dream drove my friend back to get it. I was so embarrassed! Jasinee, our coordinator at Dream, held onto our passports as collateral so we could proceed with our scheduled surgeries. We were taken to another floor to change and store our belongings in a locker. Nail polish had to be removed on both index fingers for the heart rate monitor. We went through a checklist and signed some final paper work with Jasinee.

My mother went in for surgery first. Because Dr. Park can only operate on one patient at a time, lol, I had to wait about 3 hours in an empty recovery room before I could go into the operating floor. I was very anxious of course, with 3 hours to kill. Daphne and Jasinee frequently checked in on me to see how I was doing.

Finally, it was time for me to be prepped. I was taken to the operating floor and directed to lie on the surgery bed. I saw Dr. Park finishing up on my mother in the next room. Then, I noticed a big clear container near the my surgery bed that was filled with blood(!) and an old towel that had spotty blood stains. That freaked me out. So I lied down and was directed to shift certain ways while the nurse wiped me down with disinfectant. Jasinee was by my side the entire time. An IV needle was inserted into my left inner wrist and then I was out.

I woke up while Dr. Cho was harvesting my septal cartilage. She had already finished with my ear. I could feel her scraping away and I began to moan "PAIN PAIN," I began to tear quite a bit. Dr. Cho ignored me and kept going at it aggressively. I felt so vulnerable. Maybe she was pissed that I chose not to have her do my eyelid surgery? Who knows. The nurse was also aggressive and had her elbow resting on the IV needle that was inserted into my wrist. I remember thinking that they were like two mean school girls torturing me. I wanted to be put out again.

After Dr. Cho was done, she pushed all the surrounding trays and stormed out of the operating room. I remember thinking that she was temperamental. The nurse threw some kind of wet nap over my nose, which I knew was "open" while waiting for Dr. Park to take over. I heard clinic staff laughing outside of the operating room, because the doors were always kept open. The outside noise startled me. When Dr. Park finally came in, I began to feel calm. Another round of sedation kicked in and I was out (but not completely). Dr. Park finished up my nose and I completely regained consciousness while he stitched me up. The stitching hurt because I could feel the needle go in and out.

When I was all done, I was directed to sit up and lift myself into a wheel chair. Jasinee said I was awake for almost the entire surgery. The nurse who wheeled me out practically raced me over the elevator. I think she was trying to see how fast she could go before I vomited all over the place. She took me to the recovery room where my mom was already resting. Jasinee came in and informed me that they are going to charge me an additional 1.65 mil won for donor rib that was used on me (not my mom). She asked us when we wanted to pay, and I replied that it would be convenient for us to pay at our follow up appointment. She said that's not possible and the clinic needs to be paid immediately. Luckily my friend (who was waiting on the 2F) had his travel credit card on him, so we charged it onto that. My mother and I got dressed after that and a driver at Dream drove us back to our flat where I had a small bowl of plain oatmeal and then passed out until the next day.

POST-OP DAY 1
No swelling or bleeding the day after surgery. I got up and made a smoothie with a mini lightweight blender and fresh produce I purchased from E-mart. I used lettuce, pineapple, apple, banana and lemon. I had a small bowl of oatmeal sweetened with stevia for breakfast. For lunch and dinner I made vegetarian baechu-doenjangguk (cabbage and soybean paste soup) with fermented soybean paste I purchased from the Hyundai Department Store next to Dream the day of my consultation. To avoid excessive sodium, I only added a little paste and also tofu and napa cabbage.

POST-OP DAY 2
I woke up with the worst swelling. My face had completely ballooned overnight. I went to Dream for my follow up and to have the gauze removed from nostril. It was a little painful because the wound was still sore of course. The nurse was very nice and gentle. Jasinee was by my side translating for me. I was told to wait an additional 40 minutes to see Dr. Park. He evaluated me and said that I didn't need a nose retainer and that everything looks good. The nurse informed me that they won't be able to get all my stitches out and I'll have to have the rest removed in my home country.

POST-OP DAY 3
My nose is leaking like crazy and is so stuffed, I can only breathe through my mouth. I walked to Orange Pharmacy in Gangnam to buy Arnica Cream for my mom's bruises. Orange didn't have it but the pharmacy two doors down did. It's called "BRUISING+" and it's made by Kadis Natural Health Care. A 30g tube cost 10,000 won. I also purchased saline solution and cotton swabs. Now I'm going out to buy pumpkin and more pineapple from a local market. Produce in Korea is SO expensive!

My final check-up is three days from today. I will update later and I might post pics

 

Thanks kkim,

Your reply made my mother feel better. I was just told by pretty much everyone at the clinic that my mother's tip will drop down. I guess this is to be expected. She keeps saying "I hope I won't be a pig forever", lol.

 

I PM'ed you how much I paid.