Not really much to update on day four. I was still bruised, still had swelling in my face and eyes, still blood shot and was still very tired. I started to feel nausea kicking in on day four which affected my eating. I thought I felt that way as I had to keep putting these disinfectant drops in my nose and it would go down my throat tasting like salty soap, but as day 5 came I realised it was a little more than just the drops making me feel sick. I think I slept for most of day four just to rid myself of the nausea.
Day five I started to feel really really sick. I didn't want to eat, the thought of food made my stomach turn. Even drinking a small amount of water was making me feel like being really sick. I began to get a fever and a pounding headache that not even paracetamol could touch. I couldn't breathe through my nose as big hard scabs had formed on the inside and I didn't want to touch my nose other than applying these drops and Vaseline as instructed by my Doctor. I told my Father something was up and that I was feeling really unwell. He told me to keep up with the medication and if I still felt sick on the morning of day six, we would call the Doctor and see what he said.
Day six arrived and boy did I feel ill. I had reached breaking point. My high fever remained, my headache was in full force and I just wanted to be sick. My Father phoned the Doctor who said it was normal to have a bit of a temperature and a headache, but told my Father that I must stop taking the anti-biotic's immediately and prescribed me another one to take for the remaining five days until my cast was to be removed. I did as I was told and began taking the new medication on the eve of day six. The bruising had gone down a lot by then and also the swelling. I was beginning to look semi normal but the blood shot eyes made me look freaky.
My eating was really minimal for days five and six, but I tried to get a lot of water in my system. I can't stress how important it is to get at least some fluids in your system if you are unable to eat like I was.
Sunday, 12 August 2012
Day three
I think day three was potentially the worst day in terms of trauma. I thought having the cannula put in my hand was bad...the worst was yet to come!
Today I was leaving the clinic. I was actually only supposed to spend one night there, but my Father felt more comfortable paying extra and leaving me there for another night until the stuffing was taken out of my nose. Madame Guessous kindly managed to arrange this for me and I was able to stay in the same room another night.
I woke up in the morning and was visited by Dr. Guessous to see how I was feeling and to inform me that the stuffing would be taken out this morning and I would feel much better after that and sure enough after an hour or so, I was being led to take them out. I can only describe this experience as absolute hell. I am not one for pain, I have a low tolerance for pain and discomfort and I thought it would be a lot less painful than it was. It literally felt like someone was pulling my brain out of my nose. This was by far the worst part of my whole experience EVER. It was over within 5 minutes (thank GOD) and I was breathing through my nose again and it felt great! Having the stuffing taken out really shook me up though, and I had to have two drips put through the IV which stung like hell..making me even more faint and uncomfortable. That's just me though.. I can't even handle 2 minute blood tests so for me this was hours of discomfort and light headedness.
My Father arrived to pick me up and his first reaction to the bruising and swelling was "oh my God...". Ever the charmer! We tied up any loose ends, paying for the change in meds and finally spoke to Dr. Guessous again to determine what day to return to have the cast removed. The journey home took forever, I felt sick from the air-con in the car and was continuously wiping my nose as it was still leaking. When we got indoors I went straight to the mirror, my face had BALLOONED in size. My cheeks were painful and really swollen and my eyes had become a shade lighter of purpley blue but were intensely blood shot. The bruising and swelling had gone down just a little I think and I put that down to my taking of Arnica Montana.
Today I was leaving the clinic. I was actually only supposed to spend one night there, but my Father felt more comfortable paying extra and leaving me there for another night until the stuffing was taken out of my nose. Madame Guessous kindly managed to arrange this for me and I was able to stay in the same room another night.
I woke up in the morning and was visited by Dr. Guessous to see how I was feeling and to inform me that the stuffing would be taken out this morning and I would feel much better after that and sure enough after an hour or so, I was being led to take them out. I can only describe this experience as absolute hell. I am not one for pain, I have a low tolerance for pain and discomfort and I thought it would be a lot less painful than it was. It literally felt like someone was pulling my brain out of my nose. This was by far the worst part of my whole experience EVER. It was over within 5 minutes (thank GOD) and I was breathing through my nose again and it felt great! Having the stuffing taken out really shook me up though, and I had to have two drips put through the IV which stung like hell..making me even more faint and uncomfortable. That's just me though.. I can't even handle 2 minute blood tests so for me this was hours of discomfort and light headedness.
My Father arrived to pick me up and his first reaction to the bruising and swelling was "oh my God...". Ever the charmer! We tied up any loose ends, paying for the change in meds and finally spoke to Dr. Guessous again to determine what day to return to have the cast removed. The journey home took forever, I felt sick from the air-con in the car and was continuously wiping my nose as it was still leaking. When we got indoors I went straight to the mirror, my face had BALLOONED in size. My cheeks were painful and really swollen and my eyes had become a shade lighter of purpley blue but were intensely blood shot. The bruising and swelling had gone down just a little I think and I put that down to my taking of Arnica Montana.
Day two.
Day two was an interesting day to say the least. I woke up with the most intense swelling around my eyes and I was literally purple/dark blue from bruising. I could feel pressure under my cast, perhaps from the swelling of my nose and it was uncomfortable. I had minimal pain for the early part of the day which I was pretty surprised about considering. I spoke to Madame Guessous soon after I had my first round of medication and breakfast and she told me what happened in my procedure. It turns out when the Dr. Guessous opened my nose (I had a closed procedure), he found it to be in a bit of a mess so the surgery took longer than planned. She explained to me that the bump had been removed, but he also had to fix the sides of my nose before finally breaking them and bringing them in to form a new bridge. I totally understand that as my bump was not only on the bridge, but on either side as well. Dr. Guessous came in a few times during the day to check on me and my nose and made sure I was doing OK, assuring me that any pain, bruising and swelling would be normal and this was very reassuring to hear. As the day panned out the pain got A LOT worse. The nurses didn't really want to give me any pain medication because of all the other meds I was taking. Not that you couldn't take them together, but they were concerned that all that medication was too much for my body too take all at once. It was very kind of them to consider this, but the pain was so intense that I would have been crawling up the walls..if I had the energy! I actually brought the pain meds with me from the UK. I brought Paracetamol, Ibruprofen and Codeine with me (my GP recommended them), but Dr. Guessous only allowed me to have Paracetamol which worked fine when I took it.
It was hard to eat from the pain in my nose and sleeping was out of the question! I had my nose stuffed straight after the op, I think it was to absorb the blood and to reduce the swelling in my airway, but I'm not sure and I never asked. Anyway, this stuffing was causing a strange pressure sensation in my nose. I would feel air in the top of my nose every time I spoke, breathed, chewed and it would block my ears. I woke up frequently during the night from the pain and at one point it was so bad that I had to buzz the nurse in and ask for pain medication. I couldn't hack it anymore.
It was hard to eat from the pain in my nose and sleeping was out of the question! I had my nose stuffed straight after the op, I think it was to absorb the blood and to reduce the swelling in my airway, but I'm not sure and I never asked. Anyway, this stuffing was causing a strange pressure sensation in my nose. I would feel air in the top of my nose every time I spoke, breathed, chewed and it would block my ears. I woke up frequently during the night from the pain and at one point it was so bad that I had to buzz the nurse in and ask for pain medication. I couldn't hack it anymore.
Saturday, 11 August 2012
Operation day - Day One.
The day finally came after a week of waiting! I was due in for 7:15am on the Monday morning, so my Father and I left very early to reach Casablanca in time. We got there and I started to feel really nervous and scared..the thought of an IV through my hand, the surgery itself, the pain after surgery. I'm really surprised I didn't chicken out last minute! We got taken to what would be my recovery room, lovely room with a tv and bathroom and small patio area outside. We were pleasantly greeted by Madame Guessous, the surgeons wife, and soon after the Dr. Mohamed Jamal Guessous came in to greet us and take before pictures of my nose. I then met the anaesthetist who was a very sweet guy, trying to make me laugh and ease up. I guess the fear must have been pretty evident on my face! I got into my hospital gown and proceeded to the operating room where the nurses did their thing attaching things to my chest and preparing me for surgery. By this point the anaesthetist was attempting to put the cannula in my hand.. I think that was the worst part of the whole surgery. I was all over the place trying not to faint at the thought of what he was doing, and I remember the surgeon and anaesthetist speaking to me in English and laughing at me after I screamed oh my God once the needle was in place. EW. It definitely lightened my mood to hear some English and relaxed me a little. At this point I must stress how nice and attentive all the staff were when trying to calm me down; I was a nervous wreck!
I don't remember much after that apart from the needles going into my nose to numb it. That hurt! After that I think I was asleep at first and regained conciousness to feel the surgeon filing and breaking my nose. I was talking to the surgeon answering his questions if I was feeling OK. It sounds insane but there really was NO pain at all. I was talking to myself saying oh he's filing your nose now and now breaking it....but I wasn't uncomfortable at any point. It was the strangest feeling ever! I recommend local anaesthetic and sedation if you are having a Rhinoplasty. If you don't need to be under general, don't be. The risks are much less. After the operation was over, I simply stood up and returned to my recovery room aided by some nurses and got into bed. My Father took a few photo's of my supermodel face with a huge cast stuck on and I fell asleep, soon after my Father left back for Meknes and I returned to sleeping.
The recovery for day one was really tough, I felt so sick the whole day, I'm guessing from anaesthetic. I had tomato soup for lunch, a banana and yoghurt and got back to sleeping. I woke up again still feeling super sick. I needed to take my medication, but there was a slight mix up. The girl (I think she was a receptionist) had purchased soluble medication - my worst nightmare! Madame Guessous soon sorted this out and the girl was instructed to go and buy the same medication in tablet form. I was in pain so I took some painkillers and went back to sleep. In the evening I woke up again to eat dinner, but soon after I was vomiting much to my relief. I felt SO much better afterwards. That horrible feeling of nausea finally left me alone to recover in peace!
I have to take a moment to give a huge shout out to a nurse called Ghizlane who was an absolute star looking after me that day and night. She kept returning to check up on me, and was there to hold my hair back when I was being sick and took me to the patio to get some fresh air, smiling and being so kind through the whole ordeal and when you are ill, and feel awful and someone is that nice to you..you sure do appreciate it. Ghizlane if you ever read this blog...a massive thank you from the heart for your kindness and for looking after me!
I don't remember much after that apart from the needles going into my nose to numb it. That hurt! After that I think I was asleep at first and regained conciousness to feel the surgeon filing and breaking my nose. I was talking to the surgeon answering his questions if I was feeling OK. It sounds insane but there really was NO pain at all. I was talking to myself saying oh he's filing your nose now and now breaking it....but I wasn't uncomfortable at any point. It was the strangest feeling ever! I recommend local anaesthetic and sedation if you are having a Rhinoplasty. If you don't need to be under general, don't be. The risks are much less. After the operation was over, I simply stood up and returned to my recovery room aided by some nurses and got into bed. My Father took a few photo's of my supermodel face with a huge cast stuck on and I fell asleep, soon after my Father left back for Meknes and I returned to sleeping.
The recovery for day one was really tough, I felt so sick the whole day, I'm guessing from anaesthetic. I had tomato soup for lunch, a banana and yoghurt and got back to sleeping. I woke up again still feeling super sick. I needed to take my medication, but there was a slight mix up. The girl (I think she was a receptionist) had purchased soluble medication - my worst nightmare! Madame Guessous soon sorted this out and the girl was instructed to go and buy the same medication in tablet form. I was in pain so I took some painkillers and went back to sleep. In the evening I woke up again to eat dinner, but soon after I was vomiting much to my relief. I felt SO much better afterwards. That horrible feeling of nausea finally left me alone to recover in peace!
I have to take a moment to give a huge shout out to a nurse called Ghizlane who was an absolute star looking after me that day and night. She kept returning to check up on me, and was there to hold my hair back when I was being sick and took me to the patio to get some fresh air, smiling and being so kind through the whole ordeal and when you are ill, and feel awful and someone is that nice to you..you sure do appreciate it. Ghizlane if you ever read this blog...a massive thank you from the heart for your kindness and for looking after me!
Contact and Consultation!
After hours upon hours and days upon days of research I finally decided to email about 5 different doctors in Casablanca. My surgeon (to my pleasant surprise) replied within like 2 hours, maybe less. I emailed him and the rest of the doctors a BUNCH of questions and sent pictures of my 'oh so beautiful nose'!. Maybe between 15 to 20 questions about their qualifications, experience and so on. One surgeon replied after a few days (one that my cousin recommended) and quite bluntly told me I had asked to many questions and was not willing to answer them through email and just through a consultation. My immediate reaction was ..no chance! My surgeon replied rapidly and really impressed me with the response. He has answered every single question I asked (I emailed in English), in addition to explaining in a separate paragraph what he would do to my nose, a price in Euro's, his personal mobile number for further information AND (the best part) he sent me a set of four different pdf's containing the before's and after's of four patients with similar nose shapes to mine that he had performed Rhinoplasty on. But thats not all..he also sent me all the medical tests I needed to take (blood and x rays) and a prescription! I couldn't believe how professional his response was and how quick he was to respond. I was secretly really happy as this was the surgeon that everyone was singing praises for and I had a feeling I would end up choosing this surgeon as soon as I read his name come up in many reviews. So over the space of a couple of months, I was in contact with the Doctor to establish a consultation date (which kept changing as I had a hard time arranging time to get out to Morocco...darn exams!) and it was finally arranged for July - I couldn't wait!
Consultation:
I got to Morocco, did all the blood tests that were required in a private clinic (that was an experience I could write a another blog about!! Hate blood!) and the x rays and was all set for my consultation.
Got on the train with a family friend and got headed to Casablanca from Meknes. Had a hard time getting a cab to take us to the clinic so lucky for me my family friend called his cousin to pick us up and take us so we arrived just in time for my appointment at 2.
I walked in to the clinic, which was beautifully decorated and was directed to the waiting room. Soon enough the surgeons wife entered who is also the manager and, to my pleasant surprise, spoke fluent English! I was so relieved! I was dreading having to speak Arabic in the consultation as my Arabic is hardly at a medical level and my French is a million times worse! She led me to the Doctors office and stayed with us to translate. They were both very very nice and quite the charming couple. I raised my concerns with them and was reassured by the Doctor and his wife about all my worries. He explained to me in Arabic and French what he would do to my nose, where the problems were and had a look at my medical tests. I had one major worry and that was anaesthesia. The Doctor insisted on local anaesthetic with sedation meaning you are totally concious, but drowsy and relaxed and obviously feel no pain but I wasn't convinced! The Doctors wife kindly offered to let me speak to two young French girls who had had their Rhinoplasties that morning to ask them about the surgery and being awake! I was so pleased and impressed that they allowed me to do so and soon after I was talking to the girls and they both told me not to worry, it's not as bad as it sounds being awake. You hear everything and feel it, but are too sedated to know what's really going on. I confirmed my surgery date and time and left the clinic totally excited!
Consultation:
I got to Morocco, did all the blood tests that were required in a private clinic (that was an experience I could write a another blog about!! Hate blood!) and the x rays and was all set for my consultation.
Got on the train with a family friend and got headed to Casablanca from Meknes. Had a hard time getting a cab to take us to the clinic so lucky for me my family friend called his cousin to pick us up and take us so we arrived just in time for my appointment at 2.
I walked in to the clinic, which was beautifully decorated and was directed to the waiting room. Soon enough the surgeons wife entered who is also the manager and, to my pleasant surprise, spoke fluent English! I was so relieved! I was dreading having to speak Arabic in the consultation as my Arabic is hardly at a medical level and my French is a million times worse! She led me to the Doctors office and stayed with us to translate. They were both very very nice and quite the charming couple. I raised my concerns with them and was reassured by the Doctor and his wife about all my worries. He explained to me in Arabic and French what he would do to my nose, where the problems were and had a look at my medical tests. I had one major worry and that was anaesthesia. The Doctor insisted on local anaesthetic with sedation meaning you are totally concious, but drowsy and relaxed and obviously feel no pain but I wasn't convinced! The Doctors wife kindly offered to let me speak to two young French girls who had had their Rhinoplasties that morning to ask them about the surgery and being awake! I was so pleased and impressed that they allowed me to do so and soon after I was talking to the girls and they both told me not to worry, it's not as bad as it sounds being awake. You hear everything and feel it, but are too sedated to know what's really going on. I confirmed my surgery date and time and left the clinic totally excited!
Researching my Dr.
So I have wanted to fix my nose since..well..FOREVER. It was wide, had a big hump on the bridge and a chunky tip. It did not suit my face at all. I decided to begin looking up getting a nose job here in the UK and came across the names of a couple of specialists. So I contacted them and the waiting lists for just a consultation were unbelievable and I'm the type of girl when I want something, I want it right away! I began to lose hope at the prospect of waiting around 3 months to just get a consultation until my Father suggested I have my surgery in Morocco, where my family are originally from. I had my reservations at first, but thought there is no harm in researching plastic surgeons over there. I began firstly by contacting a cousin who lives in Casablanca who recommended two names and after doing intense research on both, I was simply horrified! One surgeon of the two had the worst reviews I had ever read and my heart sank at the thought of even booking a consultation with him, but interestingly enough, underneath the reviews would be comments recommending a different doctor with an almost identical name..so I looked into this doctor further. I think it's important for me to state the names now to avoid confusion for those of you who may be interested in my surgeon. The surgeon who had bad reviews goes by the name of Dr. Mohamed Guessous of Guess Clinic. I have not had a consultation with this doctor, neither have I had direct contact with him so what is written regarding him on this blog is simply what I found from online forums. The surgeon who had outstanding reviews, and the surgeon whom I chose, goes by the name of Dr. Mohamed Jamal Guessous of La Clinique de L'Esthetique Guessous - http://www.cliniqueesthetique-guessous.com/ . It is vital to differentiate between the two as the latter has over 20 years experience and trained in Paris. Most of the forums I found about Dr. Mohamed Jamal Guessous, and Rhinoplasty in Morocco in general were ALL in French and it drove me crazy! My French is beyond a bit rusty so I had to translate forum after forum into English to get an understanding of what had been said. This is another reason why I'm writing this blog...so that English speakers who want to have a Rhinoplasty or any other procedure out in Morocco have something to read about in plain old English!
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