Be Prepared and Take Notes

All the information I had already gathered through my research combined with the F2F consultation was overwhelming. I was so exhausted from going clinic to clinic, at times I just wanted to give-up and simply go with whichever clinic I saw last just to get it 'over and done with' so to speak.

What helped the most was to keep notes, being honest with myself and honest with the clinics i.e. when I was unsure, felt felt pressured or needed time to think. Don't be too hard on yourself, give yourself time and trust that you will make the right decision. If you have the time, there is no hard in visiting the same Dr or clinic twice should you have more questions. In my case, I felt that if I didn't ask about the nose 'dent' I couldn't make a fair decision on which doctor to choose.

Tips for consultations:

1. Write a list of your concerns with your nose and what you would like improved

2. Take down notes - as many as you can.

3. Take a list of questions to ask the doctors

4. Don't be afraid to visit a clinic twice (like I did) or schedule consultation with different doctors in the one clinic

While this sounds tideous, after a long day of consultations I found this really helped me reflect when I got back to my hotel. I found myself constantly referring back to my notes to remind myself whether I has told the doctor everything I wanted to or asked all the questions I needed answering.

These are some of the questions I asked doctors:

1. What method will you be using?

2. What kind of material will be used?

3. What is the rate of infection associated with each foreign material used?

4. Can you explain the procedure?

5. Ask the doctor to show you some photos of their rhinoplasty preferably a nose similar to your own

6. Ask what happens during an emergency?

7. What happens if you wake up during the procedure?

Etc.