Hi people
Firstly I would like to thank all of the people that have contributed to this thread. It really helped me a lot during my decision making in getting Rhinoplasty, alarplasty and Otoplasty.
I have always wanted to get my ear fixed (otoplasty) since I was fifteen and later decided that I would do Rhinoplasty and alarplasty at one go as well. This thread helped me to get to finally deciding on one doctor to do up my surgery.
As a silent lurker and avid reader for the past five years since the thread started, I learn and weigh the pros and cons of each individual doctor and finally decided that dr nara is who I will be going for.
I wanted to write this post as my way of saying thanks and hoped that it will help other who are trying to make a decision of whether to do the surgery, which doctor and etc. I wish to contribute like how the other previous forum posters have.
Alright let me begin my detailed trip to hatyai for surgery now.
I landed at hatyai on the 22 Jan 2013, 1.30pm. Headed straight to my hotel to put my stuffs down. The transport cost me 300thb. (Just walk out the gate towards your right when you exit the custom, there are several taxi uncle there)
My hotel is at Hi-Season Hotel it is not of walkable distance to dr nara clinic but if you take the motorcycle taxi, it will take only 5 minutes and it cost you 30 thb. I am a girl and I would say that it is pretty safe.
The hotel is also nice enough. There is wifi, nice comfy queen size bed, a good hotel i would say if you want a quiet hotel. There is also convenience store at level one which is really helpful. I book the hotel for 22 jan - 29 jan for a total of SGD $195. Really cheap and worth it.
Tip : It is good to buy two big bottles of drinking water from the convenience store and some cotton buds before hand. Small bottles of conditioner and body wash if you like. It is pretty cheap like around 25thb per item.
Day 0 - Surgery Time
Anyway, after washing myself up for the last time in days to come, I head to dr nara's to begin my surgery around 6pm. I did not have to wait long. Once you are there, you will have a mini consultation with dr nara. This is the time you tell him of what you want and what you expect. He is really soft spoken but somehow, you feel like you will be in good hands.
You would then be told to wear a surgical robe, wear a shower cap and wash your face with their facial social and up your nose-strils.
Minutes later, you will be in the operating theatre with your hands strapped to the side of the bed. Not as scary as it sound. It is probably to prevent you from touching your face during surgery. The nurse would then use a solution which I think is iodine? to cleanse your face and up your nose strils again for the last time. Dr nara will then make markings on the silicon implant and sculpt it accordingly. Mine is a L-shaped implant.
Anesthetic would then be inserted by a needle through the veins in your hand. It feels like ant bite, totally bearable. The next thing you know, the surgery is done and you are awake, though you still can't feel any pain.
I woke up after my rhinoplasty and alarplasty surgery but was there to witness my otoplasty surgery. There wasn't any pain at all so I was really cooperative. Dr nara unbuckle the tie on my hands and I turned my body so he could cut my ears properly. Sounds really brave uh.
Shortly after, the surgery was done at 9pm + and I had gauzes on the stitches at my alars and ears. The nurses kept asking if I was ok and I didn't understand the big fuss until 3 days later when I read through the forum again and saw some people have difficult time cooping with the after effects of anesthetic after surgery. I felt really fine and even took a motorcycle back to the hotel by myself. Guess I was lucky nothing happened.
I had a hard time falling asleep that time after the anesthetic wore off because I could feel the swells. I also didn't manage to have any dinner.
Day 1 - First day post surgery
Forum posters were not kidding when they say you look like the character from avatar. I do indeed look like them and I was horrified. I do not look anything like my old self and I think my own mother wouldn't recognize me. The swelling was a lot worst than the day of surgery. It was very depressing and i doubted my decision of surgery. I looked so much better previously. I avoided the mirrors and took my antibiotics religiously. I did not have any supplement like sinnech with me. I just clean my stitches around my alars with the saline solution given to me over and over again to prevent infections. You will need more cotton buds than the few the nurse give, so do prepare more. I slept a little better.
Day 2 - Second day post surgery
The swelling went down by just a little but I still look like avatar. Again, took my antibiotics and cleanse the stitches with the solution. Still as depressing. I didn't dare to get out of my hotel room. I refused room service and ordered delivery from the hotel menu. When the delivery man came, I would wore my cap and look down so he couldn't see that he is delivering to an avatar. I avoided all seafood but did have chicken. I guess chicken is safe. Sleeping was getting easier.
Day 3 - Third day post surgery
The swelling went down again but this time, it spread to my cheeks. Now I just look like a chubby avatar. That was the most depressing day of all. There was swelling all over - my nose, my eyes (which made me look like I have horrendous dark circles), my cheeks and of course my ears.
Same thing with the cleansing and antibiotics. I also took out the gauze from behind of my ears and went to bathe and wash my face. I really could not take the oiliness building up on my face. My nose feels very rough and there is like white heads forming. Urghhh. I was very careful while washing my face though. After washing, I clean my stitches with the saline solution again just to be on the safe side. ( I am afraid of bacteria from the bathing water. )
Also super thankful for the wifi and the shows i brought over from SG to kill time here. There really isn't anything to do in hatyai. Avoided meeting people also. So no room service and same old delivery from hotel menu. Getting sick of the food. Really limited choice.
Day 4 - Four day post surgery
Today is day four post surgery and I am feeling so much better already. The swelling is still visible but not as bad, cheek is still swollen. I dont look like avatar but more like a hamster that had a bad nose accident. My ears are looking much better just a tad reddish. I really like my ears now, they look sooooo not dumbo the elephant-ish. There is yellow bruising across the area of my eyes and the nose bridge. It is still very swollen. My nose tip is still very swollen as well but I do not feel any pain at the alar areas anymore.
I manage to head out to centara tops market to shop for pineapple juice (finally) and for breakfast at lee gardens. I hid my hideous face under my cap and I really just shunned any eye contact especially children's. I feel like I will frighten them
.
Heard that pineapple juice will head in reducing the swelling and I really want the swell to go away mostly by the 7th post surgery day because that's when i will be back in singapore and that's when my family member will see me.
I am really afraid of the outcome of the surgery. The area between my eyebrows and eyes are high up (I kinda look like a bird?) Wonder if that is the final shape? I really hope it is just the swelling and will go away in time to come? I went to the surgery to be a better looking human and not to become a human bird
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Alright! Shall update again few days later to track my progress and hope it will help others that will be soon going through their 'transition'