I had my first nasal surgery in 1993. My goals were improved breathing, especially through the left nostril, and reduction of a dorsal hump. After surgery, my breathing was not any better. If I had even a little bit of congestion in the left nostril, I couldn't get any air through it. And, although the hump was gone, the bridge of my nose was now crooked and there was a "swoop" shape from the lower portion of the nose to the tip of my nose that I did not like.
Although I was not happy with the results, (1) I didn't want to undergo the pain and expense of another surgery and (2) I was worried that, if I did decide to do it again, the second try wouldn't yield any better results than the first. So I just lived with it.
18 years later, I was on the golf course one day struggling to breathe, as usual, and I thought to myself "I've got to get this fixed".
So I made an appointment with my ENT, Dr. Fann.
On my visit, he told me that I had a severely deviated septum and enlarged turbinates. After his explaining the condition and treatment options, I decided to do a septoplasty and have the turbinates shrunk. I also showed Dr. Fann what I didn't like regarding the aesthetics of my nose and asked him if he could make some changes. He agreed with my assessment and said that he thought he could make improvements, so I asked him to perform a rhinosplasty along with the septoplasty.
I was nervous about going through surgery again. You don't know exactly what your nose ....something that sits right in the middle of your face that you will have to look at every day in the mirror for the rest of your life---will look like after surgery. It is a bit unnerving. And, based on what I have read, follow-up surgery is more difficult than the first one because of scar tissue that formed after the first. Dr. Fann confirmed that the risk of success drops for patients who have already had one rhinoplasty. But I decided to put my faith in the doctor and get it over with.
I liked that Dr. Fann is an ENT as well as a plastic surgeon (my first surgeon was not an ENT). He has done over 700 nasal surgeries and he told me that that he is increasingly operating on patients whose first surgeries were unsuccessful. These facts, along with his strong academic and professional background, gave me extra confidence that the procedure would be successful this time.
I underwent surgery on April 11. It took about 3 hours. The recovery was no walk in the park, but much better than the first. Surgery seems to have come a long way since 1993. Dr. Fann used stints instead of packing so I was able to get some air through my nostrils and the after effects of the anesthesia weren't nearly as bad (the first time, I vomited and was completely miserable the evening after surgery). The swelling gets pretty bad on the 2nd though 5th days (you'll spend lots of time with frozen peas on your face) and breathing though the stints becomes increasingly difficult. By the end of one week , you are dying to have them taken out.
A week after surgery, Dr. Fann took the stints out. I took the first stint-free breath through my nose and I couldn't believe the sensation. I had never experienced such a large volume of air flowing through my nostrils. It was fabulous!
Now it is two months later and I can say that my nasal surgery was a success.
Almost all of the swelling is gone now and it looks great. The bridge is straight and the "swoop" is gone. It is much more natural looking and it fits my face well. I will go to his office this week for the "after" pictures.
And I can breathe.... Being able to breathe well is absolutely life-changing . Everything is better--exercising, sleeping, smelling , or simply sitting at the computer and typing this review. It really does impact your quality of life.
Having nasal surgery is a big decision. If you are considering it, I highly recommend a consultation with Dr. Fann. read more