January 6th, 2014 marks the beginning of my second chances in rhinoplasty. I arrived at Gold Coast Surgery Center at 1:30 p.m. on the dot. How was I feeling? Well, unlike with my first rhinoplasty, I wasn’t feeling nervous at all. In fact, I was well-rested and feeling excited! So I checked in and filled out the necessary paperwork. After this, I sent out a few business emails since I knew I wouldn’t be able to work for the next several days. Shortly after, I was required to change into my gown, and my nurse accompanied me to a private room where I underwent some routine tests and IV. A bit later, Dr. Shah himself came to see me. He had some pictures with him and he wanted to go through everything that we already discussed. Can I just say how much I appreciated this personal attention? Dr. Shah actually took the extra time to review the morph images with me for one last time before we got started with the operation. I just found this so amazing, especially if you add the fact that Dr. Shah also personally called me the night before to check on me and make sure I was ready for the big day. Honestly, how many rhinoplasty surgeons in the country (or in the world for that matter!) will ever devote this kind of personal time and attention to his patients? Not many, I would think! My first rhinoplasty surgeon certainly never did. Dr. Shah knew that this was my second rhinoplasty and that I already knew pretty much what to expect. And yet he still “held my hand” throughout the entire process. 🙂
Surgery 2:30pm- 5pm
- My operation was scheduled for 2:30 that afternoon. I remember Dr. Shah telling me that he will meet me in the surgery room right after he gets a power shake. The next thing I knew was that I was strapped on a table in a cold room. The moment definitely reminded me of my first rhinoplasty operation seven years ago. I was so nervous and uncomfortable the moments leading up to my first surgery, but this time around, I was feeling nothing but excitement. Once Dr. Shah entered the room, I remembered thinking how lucky I was to be in the hands of not just the best rhinoplasty surgeon in Chicago, but also one of the best rhinoplasty surgeons in the entire United States. Patients fly in from all over the country and world to see my surgeon, Dr. Anil Shah, and I am lucky enough to have him in my backyard! During those final moments before the operation, I didn’t feel nervous all, but very blessed and extremely excited.
After the operation, I woke up feeling pretty out of it, and completely awful, which was already something I expected. I know they tell you that rhinoplasty is not painful at all, but both surgeries left me feeling quite terrible. Just like with my first rhinoplasty surgery, I also threw up some blood this time around. Not only was I vomiting, but I was also completely dazed and incredbily weak. Needless to say, I was not feeling so pretty! The only thing that kind of cheered me up was Dr. Shah checking in again to see how I was doing after the surgery. This was pretty unexpected since my first surgeon did not check on me after the operation. Since I was feeling so out of it, I really could not remember much of our conversation. What I do remember is that Dr. Shah was in great spirits and told me that everything went great. He also told me more good news, which is that we did not have to use a cartilage from my ear or rib, and this is something that we definitely hoped for. Despite the fact that I was feeling awful, hearing Dr. Shah’s good news was music to my ears. I mustered whatever strength I have left to give him a high-five. If only I felt stronger, I would have given Dr. Shah a hug and jumped around the room. I was so happy and excited, but my body felt like it was hit by a truck. The nurse then told me I was allowed to go home for the recovery process.
Me Just a Few Hours After Surgery. I feel (and look) like I was hit my a truck!
The first 24 hours after rhinoplasty are often the most difficult and uncomfortable. This is why my boyfriend planned to take care of me during this time. Unfortunately, there was a blizzard in the city that time and the interstate where he needed to pass through was closed down. The good news was that my good friend Julia came to my rescue at the last minute, and offered to help me my time of need. I felt horrible as she has to pick me up from the operation on the the coldest day of year. When Julia arrived, I was just about ready to be discharged. My nurse helped me to get dressed and get into the wheelchair. I was then wheeled down to where Julia was parked. It was brutally cold outside and I felt like I was getting weaker by the minute, which made me thankful that I had the nurse and my friend helping me out. It was around six in the evening when Julia picked me up. I had absolutely nothing to eat since the midnight before, so I was starving by this time. I couldn’t wait and get some food in my stomach, take my pain meds, and get into the recliner to ice.