OMG, exciting news today. The office gal from my Ear Nose and Throat doctor called to say my insurance has approved my rhinoplasty along with my sinus surgery. They are checking on the necessary recovery time for me so I can schedule a workable date because of my business. They are also reviewing my medication to see if any adjustments need to be made prior to surgery.
Hugs,
Marsha

I am hoping it will help my voice, Melody. I am basically a mouth breather because I can't breathe through my nose very well. I have to kind of gulp for air when I'm talking so it definitely can't hurt if I will now be able to breathe through my nose. And hopefully no more sinus infections, for those who don't know, a real sinus infection makes you wish you were dead because the pain is incredible. Feels like someone jabbed an ice pick right below your eye socket.
Hugs,
Marsha

great news marsha - im really pleased for you x hugs x

hello Marsha,

that's really wonderful news - just the prospect of relief from sinus pain would be great, and the rest of the icing on the cake can't be a bad thing!

So glad that 2010 looks like being such a fine year for you,

hugs,

Judith

Thanks everyone for the supportive messages and Nikki thanks for sharing your experience with rhinoplasty. I was hoping to have the surgery done during my slower months which are the winter months, however getting approval from the insurance has dragged this out. The question is do I want to have it done before the summer when I'm most active, or am I better off waiting for the fall when it slows down. The problem is with SRS in December I have plenty to do in the fall and will be missing an entire month of work.

Also the way our insurance works here I have a $600 deductible I must pay, plus 20% of the surgery expense up to a maximum of $2000 out of my pocket including the deductible. My doctor wants me to have a colonoscopy so it would be wise for me to have as much done this year as I can so I don't have to pay the deductible and 20% next year. The colonoscopy is not a big deal other than the expense. No matter what schedule I come up with I'm confident I will work through it.

Hugs,
Marsha

Good luck Marsha,

I tried to post this earlier but I had IP problems.

I am surprised that your insurance is covering this. I tried that same route back in 04 and they would not cover any of it, even though the surgeon repaired part of the nose that had been broken a few times from playing hockey... Stroke of luck going your way girl, play the lotto..LOL
I have to agree with Nikki, take at least a week off, but rhinoplasty is will worth the discomfort. When I had mine done, I also did my chin shaved.
The nose does so much for appearance. Only thing they could not take care of is that, I have a little scar on the tip on my nose, the procedure lessened it but it is still there..sigh.

But please be careful, as Nikki has already stated, don't bang your nose, if so my surgeon told me to call him immediately to fix it. It seemed to take some time before I was comfortable with not injuring it. But still worries me a bit, since they took some cartlidge and used it in the end of the nose to reshape that part to feminize it.
Please post some pic's if you could, before and after. It's quite impressive to see the difference. My surgeon always took pic's before and after, just so that as you become accustomed to it, you can see the difference. At least in my case, I have a tendency to forget what it used to look like.
Good luck, keep us posted...and good luck with the colonoscopy, I just finished that
Tammy

Thanks Tammy. I now have a date for the nose surgery, it will be Friday April 30th and I will be seeing the doctor again this coming Monday to go over everything.

My doctor is adamant about me taking off two weeks, so two weeks it is. There is never a good time for this kind of stuff, just that it needs to get done. I have some serious sinus issues along with having broken my nose a number of times over the years. Because of the amount of sinus surgery required, some rhinoplasty is required, and if you are doing some, hey, why not do some more. LOL So it is kind of just working out for me. The reality of it is that I will just be happy to be able to breathe better, most people say my nose is fine the way it is.

Hugs,
Marsha

So today I saw my nose doctor and everything is set for Friday morning. Here is a picture of what we are shooting for. In the picture you can see the current nose and what he will be trimming down.
Hugs,
Marsha

Wow Marsha,
What a difference that is going to make. It is amazing in that all the work is done from the inside of the nose.
Good luck.....Tammy

I will be going in for my surgery Friday morning at 5:30. I went through the pre-screening today at the hospital, taking care of the paperwork, some blood tests, EKG, and chest x-ray. All and all it went fine, just seemed to take a long time. The hospital has entered my gender as female which made me feel good.

Some of you gals have messaged me about this surgery with well wishes and I want to thank you for your kind thoughts. I will update everyone after the surgery when I have the opportunity.

Hugs,
Marsha

You're going to look like a new person! Good luck...can't wait to hear how you are doing!
Traci xxxx

I'm looking forward to "Marsha has got her new nose"!
Hope it's not too painful and a speedy recovery.
Being admitted under your correct gender must have been a great confidence booster.
You're definitely going to have to do one of those "before and after" thingys.

Thanks everyone. I am home now, all appears to have gone fine. The pain is not bad at all, more of an ache. I can't really tell too much how things look because there is a cast type thing across the bridge. I've been keeping ice packs on it constantly since yesterday's surgery but it has still swollen some. They performed just about every surgery there is on the sinuses, something like 6-8 procedures, plus the major rhinoplasty. I will be going in Monday morning to have the stitches at the base of the nose taken out, and next Friday the cast comes off. I will pop on when I have the energy, take care everyone.
Hugs,
Marsha

Great,
Take care,
And try not to sneeze!

Hi Marsha,

Delighted to hear all went well - fingers crossed for a swift reduction in the swelling, and for a full and swift recovery from the after-effects of the surgery

Hugs,

Judith

Hi Marsha,
Hope you heal quickly and have a great week!
Hugz,
MichelleLynn

Marsha

I hope you recover quickly without pain. You will have to redo all your pictures so we can recognize you!

Hugs Jeri

Thanks everyone for the continued well wishes. The pain has been pretty minimal. The worse part is just not feeling like I have energy to do anything and that is probably a good thing so I will take it easy and rest up. The swelling started lastnight and continued most of today but noticeably went down some this evening. I also got the black eyes this morning. I am definitely looking forward to seeing the finished product but that is realistically months away. There should be enough of a change that when the cast comes off Friday I should have a pretty good idea how it will look. Thanks again for the kind words.
Hugs,
Marsha

Marsha,

I've not been keeping very up to date on what's going on with everyone, so let me take a moment to say hello, and wish you a speedy recovery.

I know what those sinus problems can be like; I hope that the procedures performed are a complete success.

Too bad about the black eyes though, it seems to happen to nearly everyone that has any sort of facial surgery. You should have seen the rainbow of colors on my face when I had FFS in 2004! And not just around the eyes, it appeared that Dr. O had some thugs beat me to within an inch of my life! And the humorous part is, I paid in advance for the "privilege".

Hugs,
Nicole

Today I had the nose cast removed. There is still plenty of swelling which takes from 6 weeks to 6 months to go down, along with the skin tightening around the new frame. I am not quite bionic, but not all the pieces in there are mine, lol. And OMG, I can breathe and fill my lungs up through my nose, what a difference. Also we have confederate jasmine blooming in our yard right now and the smell is almost overwhelming. It doesn't look too different yet in the picture but there are subtle visible changes. I go back to see the doctor in 2 weeks. Hugs, Marsha

Now at 2 weeks post surgery, the swelling is gradually going down. I have been very fortunate that I did not bruise bad at all. The two week picture is starting to show some of the change in the bridge of the nose.
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Cute

Here is a 3 week picture, it is hard to get the same exact angle but I think it is clearly a more feminine look.

Hi Marsha,

Good news. Happy for you.

Will the nose/sinus surgery help voice feminizing? Know the vocal cords control pitch, but wonder if smaller nasal cavities have an effect, too?

Best,
Melody

Rhinoplasty makes such a difference to our overall appearance, and is one of the most notable things to change in helping us blend in. I had mine done in 2008 and haven't looked back since because of the impact it has made.

For the record Marsha, I was advised to take a week off of work, though two weeks may be recommended depending on what was undertaken. There was absolutely no pain, but plenty of swelling so you may have to give it at least a month before you can see what you have. It doesn't really settle down until several months post op. It goes without saying to make sure you don't knock your nose during the healing process. If, like me, you have an active lifestyle, that was easier said than done.

The most awkward part for me, was having to sleep in a more of less sitting position, as I was advised not to lay down. You get used to that pretty quickly though and it's not for long.

Obviously it varies between surgeons and patients but this was my experience. Good luck with yours!

Nikki

Hi Marsha,

Glad to hear it went well and that you are not in too much pain.

Hope recovery happens quickly.

Hugs and best wishes,
Melody

Just wait until it settles down Marsha and you will be very pleased with the results I'm sure. It has such a dramatic effect to the appearance of the face. It really is a new you.

Nikki