etan@tellab1.UUCP (Nate Stelton) (10/10/85)
Has anybody had any first or second-hand experience with a nose-reduction
operation. My wife is very seriously considering one, and would like to hear
from others who have had one or know someone who has. Some specific
questions are:
1. How much did it cost? She was quoted at $2800 by two doctors, but all
the consumer info I have read states that it should cost about $1500.
2. What are the risks? Is it possible that it won't come out as expected?
Any health risks or long periods of pain or discomfort?
3. Might it help clear her nasal passages for easier breathing at night?
4. What is the better method -- breaking or shaving the bone/cartilage?
5. When was the operation? This should throw the above answers into a
time perspective.
-etanpaveleck@ihlpl.UUCP (Bob Paveleck) (10/11/85)
> > Has anybody had any first or second-hand experience with a nose-reduction > operation. My wife is very seriously considering one, and would like to hear > from others who have had one or know someone who has. Some specific > questions are: > > 1. How much did it cost? She was quoted at $2800 by two doctors, but all > the consumer info I have read states that it should cost about $1500. > > 2. What are the risks? Is it possible that it won't come out as expected? > Any health risks or long periods of pain or discomfort? > > 3. Might it help clear her nasal passages for easier breathing at night? > > 4. What is the better method -- breaking or shaving the bone/cartilage? > > 5. When was the operation? This should throw the above answers into a > time perspective. > > -etan I had such an operation just over 3 years ago. In my case, the operation was done to correct a deviated septum and to repair a badly-broken nose (which I got flak about for over 9 years). The doctor who performed it was recommended by my family doctor and was a very competent maxillofacial surgeon and otolaryngologist. The surgery went very well and I had very little discomfort or trouble with it, so I'm all for people getting the operation. COST: My doctor charged $1500 for the whole thing (which amounted to 3 1/2 days in the hospital), which, at the time, was a reasonable price (the costs back then supposedly ranged from $1200-$1800). My Blue Cross insurance picked up all but $35 of the charges, but that's because the broken nose was caused by TRAUMA. If you just want to get your nosed fixed for the heck of it, the insurance company considers it "cosmetic surgery" and won't pay for it. RISKS: I don't think there were that many risks to be taken with the surgery. There's always the risk of having an incompetent anesthesiologist, surgical team, etc., but neither my doctor nor I were really concerned about it. DISCOMFORT: If you have a deviated septum, they plug your nostrils with cotton for a couple of days after the surgery (which isn't the most pleasant thing in the world, but not unbearable). Repairing a broken nose requires (in my case, anyway) the surgeon's re-breaking and setting the bone. You'll have some really wicked-looking black eyes (like somebody beat the hell out of you, which is really what the doctor probably did while I was asleep), but aside from a slight headache, I had very little pain. I didn't really need the Tylenol- codeine pain relievers they gave me in the hospital; I felt pretty good even when I first woke up after the surgery. BREATHING: Repairing the deviated septum helped my breathing noticeably, since my septum was badly out-of-line in the first place. SURGICAL METHODS: I'm not really sure how the doctor decided to fix my nose; I had a pronounced hump in the bridge, so he may have shaved the bone. I was under the impression that the doctor broke the bone during surgery, as my nose was also straightened and narrowed somewhat when he finished. TIME OF OPERATION: I had the operation in July, 1982. I hope this helps you make your decision more easily. Your doctor should explain to you exactly what he/she intends to do during the surgery; they can't make you look like a movie star or perform miracles. My doctor explained things very clearly and realistically to me and the objectives he was shooting for, I think, were met. Bob Paveleck ihlpl!paveleck
brown@utflis.UUCP (Susan Brown) (10/17/85)
In article <634@tellab1.UUCP> etan@tellab3.UUCP (Nate Stelton) writes: >Has anybody had any first or second-hand experience with a nose-reduction >operation. My wife is very seriously considering one, and would like to hear >2. What are the risks? Is it possible that it won't come out as expected? > Any health risks or long periods of pain or discomfort? >3. Might it help clear her nasal passages for easier breathing at night? I could comment on these two questions only. Mine was done to correct very narrowed passages caused by a deviated septum (which also makes for a crooked appearance). My provincial health insurance paid since it was a medical purpose. Risks include the ususal ones connected with hospital surgery, i.e. you are under anasthetic (sp), eating hospital food etc. :-) and could have a reaction or complications. I vomited a lot in the recovery room which caused exceptional discoloration around the eyes but there was not *real pain* involved. It is icky to have your nose packed for a few days but no worse than a bad cold. Subsequently swelling goes down more slowly and some startlingly large clots of blood slip into your throat and have to be coughed up, but I was back at work within a couple of days, though taking it easy and difficult to look *at*. It should certainly improve your breathing even if your nose functioned normally before since a nice straight nose on the outside should be ditto on the inside. I have a very marked improvement; fewer colds and those I do get are much much shorter in duration.