JOHN: I work for the Sheriff’s Department in Los Angeles and several years ago I was involved in an incident where I was shot in the face. It went through my nose and pretty much blew out the right side of my face, the eye. Everything was pretty much taken care of at the time with surgery. That eye had some problems after a while; however, the nose inside is very damaged and I have had trouble breathing for the last umpteen years since this incident.
DR. NASSIF: When John came in he gave us a story of how he got shot in the face, especially in the nasal area. What that did was cause a lot of scarring inside of his nose. Also caused a big septal perforation. The whole area inside of his nose is like a bomb blew up, literally. There is a lot of scarring and he cannot breathe. Our goal is to open up his airway for him so that he can breathe again.
JOHN: I have never had it repaired and I came here today to get that taken care of and help me with my breathing.
DR. NASSIF: We had to release the tissue from both sides to create a little hole, a through and through hole called a sepal perforation. We just had to take a little fascia and fill that area with fascia and we should be ready to rock and roll. It looks like we do not have to do an open rhinoplasty. Most importantly, he should be able to breathe. That is our main, main goal with the surgery.
We also bluntly cut some of the attachments to the nose and put silicone splints inside the nose. We wanted to really make sure that we tried to give him the most normal nose back as possible. There was no cosmetic work. It was all inside.
We are just about finished. I am very happy with the way the tissue went in for the little hole, the airway is wide open. He has not been able to breathe out of his nose for a long time.
As soon as we get all the packing out and everything else, he will be able to breathe beautifully.
JOHN: I have always had a very supportive family who supported me through this whole caper, if you will. My wife is the best and she is waiting for me outside right now. She is going to be with me 24 hours a day once I get out of here. I have no qualms about anything. I am very happy. She is very supportive and she is going to be a blessing to me.
DR. NASSIF: We are all done. It went absolutely fantastic. I did not even have to open up the nose. It took me longer but I did not have to and that means the swelling will be a lot less. I did everything from inside the nose.
On the left side he had scar tissue, probably close to 2 cm thick in length, width maybe another 2 cm and there was scar tissue that was attached even posterior plus there was a deviated septum. On the right side, there was more scar tissue that was attached but higher up near the ceiling of the nose in the way back.
JOHN: Once it was over, I could breathe. I feel 100% better. I was having a lot of difficulty breathing. It was miraculous. The result was shocking. It was better. I could breathe and it was very much worth it. Outstanding job! It was like a miracle, it really was!
The experience here was outstanding. It really was. Dr. Nassif is outstanding, he really is. He is great. He is fantastic but he is very down to earth. He will talk to you in laymen’s terms. He does not impress you with his credentials which are outstanding but he will just talk to you like a friend. He is very good. His staff is wonderful. The experience has been great here, it really has.
DR. NASSIF: John looked great today. His whole right airway was wide open. The left side was a lot better as compared to before surgery but it was not open as much.
JOHN: I am just glad I met him firsthand. He has really done a great job with me. He is a godsend.
DR. NASSIF: I love helping officers. John is a Los Angeles County Sheriff.
JOHN: Believe it or not, I actually went back which a lot of people said I shouldn’t, but I did. I went back as a Patrol Sargent right now in the city of Carson. I work with an outstanding Captain and with and around outstanding people. So I am back out there.
DR. NASSIF: I am on Sheriff Lee Baca’s Youth Foundation Board so when it comes to helping somebody, especially another officer, I am there to do whatever I can to help them out.
JOHN: I would definitely recommend Dr. Nassif. He is the best, he really is!
