Recently I received a “surgery diary” from one of our patients. This is the first article of a series of three, where FlyClinic is publishing excerpts of this diary. We want to thank Jane* for sharing her experience with us.
January 5: Well, there I was in front of the mirror, asking myself: “Should I or Should I not?”. My nose, being the human’s face most distinct feature, has captured the attention of many people who have known me for long time. My nose is “beautiful, don’t get me wrong, it's “ethnic”, it’s “unique”, many have told me. So, Why the surgery? For reasons, that maybe others can't see, my nose does not satisfy me. However, it was not an easy decision.
Many people don't know or even understand the pressure and the anxiety one experiences when deciding whether to change a part of your body that has been with you for 32 years. It took me 15 years to make my mind, and even now I have doubts. But hey, "when in doubt, do it", right? Now, here I am, writing my diary to let people know what I felt, how I did it and how I recovered.
After two years of changes in my personal life, I decided to add more to the pile: “go for the Nose Job!”. This was the last thought that ended my inner battle. After making the decision, I told my parents: “I will get a rhinoplasty”. It was actually great relief for me that they did not discuss, they didn’t try to convince me with the “Inner-Beauty-Speech”, but simply backed me up! I was expecting more reluctance - but it didn’t happened. I took it as the final sign from the universe to go ahead with my plan.
January 12: I contacted two plastic surgeons to set up appointments. Not any Plastic surgeon!!! I did a lot of research and knew exactly what kind of surgeon was the most appropriate for my case. I learned that the only surgeons who are qualified to do a Rhinoplasty are Othorhinolaryngologists specialized in Facial Plastic Surgery and Rhinology. Yes, I did my homework!
January 20: After having met two surgeons, I chose the more experienced one. I don’t have to explain why, right? But, in case you wonder: I think 10 years of experience weighs more than five years. What did I feel? What happened in the consultation? What questions did they ask? And more importantly, what questions DID I ASK? Well, I went with tons of questions. Of course, I already knew possible answers, but still I wanted to hear it from them.
I felt anxious! I felt excited and very curious whether their answers would satisfy me or if they would be able to make me feel safe and relaxed.
First question: “Will it hurt?”
Straight answer: “No! Usually, what you feel afterwards is like a Cold.” Besides the analgesics, the doctors prescriptions will do the task of keeping you pain-free.
Second Question: “How would you proceed? Will you make an open or closed procedure?” (For those who don’t know you can check here)
Answer: The doctor I chose told me that he was going to use the closed procedure, since at first sight my case was not difficult. However, in case something unexpected would occur in the OR and he would have to change the plan, he also explained me the differences between the two. Nevertheless, I understood that at the end the decision is made by the surgeon.
Do you want to know more about Jane’s surgery? Then stay tuned and come back to read the next article.
Next week’s column will feature the surgery and Jane’s recovery.
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