Tell me about you after Septum Surgery

[Guest]

OK, I am waiting for an autho. from my Ins. to have the Septum Surgery, for everyone out there that had it PLEASE tell me your honest opinions about waking up from the surgery, pain levels on a sclae of 1 to 100 and what I need to ask the doc for meds, etc. and how long you keep the packing in your nose for and if you can get any air in it at all while the packing is in there, etc. Thanks , Shirley

[jburnham]

No need to be so bold

I'm about one month post-op. I had septoplasty and pillar implants. I believe I had an excellent ENT and a bad anesthesia experience. When I woke up in recovery, my throat was on fire. It hurt to breathe and I couldn't speak. I brought my cpap machine and had to make violent gestures to communicate how much pain I was in and to get my cpap machine hooked up. The humidifier helped, but the heavy dose of pain meds that nocked me back out helped more. I was in recovery for 6 hours and my nose and mouth barely bothered me. I think they either made a mistake when intubating me, or I had some kind of unusual reaction to it. My throat was the major source of pain and I had difficulty speaking for a week. I maxed out my Vicodan for 5 days.

Now the good news. Instead of packing, my ENT used flexible plastic splints with tubes in them. I could breathe better with them in, than I could before the surgery. I had very little pain or bleeding. I followed instructions keeping everything clean. I didn't drip that much either and other than the throat pain, I would have easily been back at work 4 days after surgery.

[Guest]

I had deviated septum surgery/turbinate reduction in 99. Do not recall the surgery post op being very painful. There was some but 8 years later it does not stick in my mind as bad as far as pain is concerned. The worst part was I had no air flow through my nose and would wake up with a very dry mouth about every two to three hours, so I just kept a big cup of water nearby. I was packed with gel and had splints. The gel was left in a bit longer than usual for reasons unrelated the actual surgery (they were worried I might bleed out due to low platelets). Other than the excessive dry mouth while packed I do not recall it being bad at all.

TM

I was not on cpap at that time (1999), that did not occur until May 06, after my wife finally convinced me to get a sleep study in Feb 06.

[SleepyNoMore]

[quote="jburnham"]No need to be so bold

I'm about one month post-op. I had septoplasty and pillar implants. I believe I had an excellent ENT and a bad anesthesia experience. When I woke up in recovery, my throat was on fire. It hurt to breathe and I couldn't speak. I brought my cpap machine and had to make violent gestures to communicate how much pain I was in and to get my cpap machine hooked up. The humidifier helped, but the heavy dose of pain meds that nocked me back out helped more. I was in recovery for 6 hours and my nose and mouth barely bothered me. I think they either made a mistake when intubating me, or I had some kind of unusual reaction to it. My throat was the major source of pain and I had difficulty speaking for a week. I maxed out my Vicodan for 5 days.

Now the good news. Instead of packing, my ENT used flexible plastic splints with tubes in them. I could breathe better with them in, than I could before the surgery. I had very little pain or bleeding. I followed instructions keeping everything clean. I didn't drip that much either and other than the throat pain, I would have easily been back at work 4 days after surgery.

[SleepyNoMore]

[quote="Anonymous"]I had deviated septum surgery/turbinate reduction in 99. Do not recall the surgery post op being very painful. There was some but 8 years later it does not stick in my mind as bad as far as pain is concerned. The worst part was I had no air flow through my nose and would wake up with a very dry mouth about every two to three hours, so I just kept a big cup of water nearby. I was packed with gel and had splints. The gel was left in a bit longer than usual for reasons unrelated the actual surgery (they were worried I might bleed out due to low platelets). Other than the excessive dry mouth while packed I do not recall it being bad at all.

TM

I was not on cpap at that time (1999), that did not occur until May 06, after my wife finally convinced me to get a sleep study in Feb 06.

[JeffH]

I had it in February. Pain was pretty well a 1 or 2 at most. I've had much worse experiences pain wise.

Did great until I got to feeling so good I over did it and got nose bleeds. I don't mean nose bleeds, I mean Nose bleeds!

Take it easy for at least three weeks and you should be fine. Even when you think everything is fine, TAKE IT EASY.

JeffH

[Snoredog]

had mine over 25 years ago, back then they didn't take any CT or x-rays for the diagnosis (they do now). The CT pretty much gives them the 3D of the septum. Your doctor would go online and examine those scans in addition to reading the findings of the radiologist interpretation of what was seen.

Don't worry about the pain it is no big deal, last thing I remember during mine I was sitting in like a dentist chair, they taped a needle of that good stuff to my right arm and said count back from 96, think I made it to 93.

I woke up once during the procedure when they were chiseling my nose off, they took the piece out, narrowed it up a bit, took the common bump off the nose, put it back in place a couple times (I could hear the doctor ask the girls assisting, how does that look, one would say I think you need to take a bit more off). Next I woke up in the chair being wheeled out into a recovery room, stayed there for a while and my wife took me home.

This was on a Wednesday at 11AM, by 12:15PM I was sitting in the car leaving. Went home and slept in the chair. I also took vicodin and alternated with Tylenol per doctors instructions. Pain wasn't ever bad at all, little bit of discomfort from the nasal packing (they pack your nasal passages with rolled gauze to control bleeding). After a few days they take those out, once they remove them you feel the full brunt of the results, it is like they expose your brain to the cool air, your first words are wow this is what you are supposed to breathe like? That sensation wears off but you know the before/after difference.

I took off Wed-Fri from work, I went back to work on Monday. I was fine by the weekend.

I had laproscopic hernia repair surgery done in 3 places (each side in the groin and belly button), now that procedure hurt, things swelled up and I was actually kind of proud there for a while, now that procedure hurt like heck.

The septoplasty is a breeze, don't worry about it, you would be better off asking WHO regrets ever having that procedure,

I'd bet you get very few bad experiences, unless you are Michael Jackson, oh wait you are in the music business, I'd still have it done.

[wabmorgan]

OK, I am waiting for an autho. from my Ins. to have the Septum Surgery, for everyone out there that had it PLEASE tell me your honest opinions about waking up from the surgery, pain levels on a sclae of 1 to 100 and what I need to ask the doc for meds, etc. and how long you keep the packing in your nose for and if you can get any air in it at all while the packing is in there, etc. Thanks , Shirley

Hi Again Stevie

When I had the Rhino-plasty with septum surgery, I had some swelling... and the inter tip on each eye lid was bruised about an 1/8 of an inch. (Which wasn't bad considering I had seen some people on the net that looked like the were in the ring for 5 rounds.)

I had nasal packing in for 4 days. Was told I would have to breathe thought my mouth for those for days... but I could still breath though my nose around the packing... it was just like having a really suffed up nose. I also had no additonal bleeding after the proceedure:)

The WORST part of my surgery was.... I had the WORST Sinus Headache of my life. It was horriable. Even the meds they gave me didn't help:(

I finally called ENT office on Saturday at about midnight. (LOL. Ya go figure. You know the on call doc LOVED me for that.) Got the refer line, the on-call doc tells me to put Afrin in my nose. Belive it or not... that did more than the meds did.)

Anyway.... Septum surgery itself isn't supose to be that bad.... hopefully you won't have as much pain as I did. (Aside from my headache... I had none other than my nose being a little sore..... which the nose itself really didn't hurt.)

Good Luck to ya

[SleepyNoMore]

[quote="Snoredog"]had mine over 25 years ago, back then they didn't take any CT or x-rays for the diagnosis (they do now). The CT pretty much gives them the 3D of the septum. Your doctor would go online and examine those scans in addition to reading the findings of the radiologist interpretation of what was seen.

Don't worry about the pain it is no big deal, last thing I remember during mine I was sitting in like a dentist chair, they taped a needle of that good stuff to my right arm and said count back from 96, think I made it to 93.

I woke up once during the procedure when they were chiseling my nose off, they took the piece out, narrowed it up a bit, took the common bump off the nose, put it back in place a couple times (I could hear the doctor ask the girls assisting, how does that look, one would say I think you need to take a bit more off). Next I woke up in the chair being wheeled out into a recovery room, stayed there for a while and my wife took me home.

This was on a Wednesday at 11AM, by 12:15PM I was sitting in the car leaving. Went home and slept in the chair. I also took vicodin and alternated with Tylenol per doctors instructions. Pain wasn't ever bad at all, little bit of discomfort from the nasal packing (they pack your nasal passages with rolled gauze to control bleeding). After a few days they take those out, once they remove them you feel the full brunt of the results, it is like they expose your brain to the cool air, your first words are wow this is what you are supposed to breathe like? That sensation wears off but you know the before/after difference.

I took off Wed-Fri from work, I went back to work on Monday. I was fine by the weekend.

I had laproscopic hernia repair surgery done in 3 places (each side in the groin and belly button), now that procedure hurt, things swelled up and I was actually kind of proud there for a while, now that procedure hurt like heck.

The septoplasty is a breeze, don't worry about it, you would be better off asking WHO regrets ever having that procedure,

I'd bet you get very few bad experiences, unless you are Michael Jackson, oh wait you are in the music business, I'd still have it done.

[SleepyNoMore]

OK, I am waiting for an autho. from my Ins. to have the Septum Surgery, for everyone out there that had it PLEASE tell me your honest opinions about waking up from the surgery, pain levels on a sclae of 1 to 100 and what I need to ask the doc for meds, etc. and how long you keep the packing in your nose for and if you can get any air in it at all while the packing is in there, etc. Thanks , Shirley

Hi Again Stevie

When I had the Rhino-plasty with septum surgery, I had some swelling... and the inter tip on each eye lid was bruised about an 1/8 of an inch. (Which wasn't bad considering I had seen some people on the net that looked like the were in the ring for 5 rounds.)

I had nasal packing in for 4 days. Was told I would have to breathe thought my mouth for those for days... but I could still breath though my nose around the packing... it was just like having a really suffed up nose. I also had no additonal bleeding after the proceedure:)

The WORST part of my surgery was.... I had the WORST Sinus Headache of my life. It was horriable. Even the meds they gave me didn't help:(

I finally called ENT office on Saturday at about midnight. (LOL. Ya go figure. You know the on call doc LOVED me for that.) Got the refer line, the on-call doc tells me to put Afrin in my nose. Belive it or not... that did more than the meds did.)

Anyway.... Septum surgery itself isn't supose to be that bad.... hopefully you won't have as much pain as I did. (Aside from my headache... I had none other than my nose being a little sore..... which the nose itself really didn't hurt.)

Good Luck to ya

HEY, IT'S STEVIE YOU KNOW I GET A HEADACHE IF I ACCIDENTALLY PULL ONE HAIR OUT OF MY HEAD AND I ALSO HAVE MAJOR SINUS HEADACHES, BEFORE CPAP THERAPY, THEY WOULD LAST FOR A WEEK AT A TIME AND NOTHING I TOOK HELPED, I WOULD JUST SIT IN A CHAIR ALL NIGHT AND PRAY FOR SOME KIND OF RELIEF OUCH

[wabmorgan]

I've heard of people waking up as well... but didn't happen in my case.

I think I barly remember them moving from the table... but I won't even swear to that one.

Make SURE they watch you in recovery. The one thing I do remember was waking up and feeling like I was completly out of breath. Like I had just ran around the block. I think they FAILED to watch me in recovery!!!!!!!!!!!

[lilsheba]

I had mine in August and frankly it sucked the first day or two. I was in a lot pain when they put the packing IN and no you can't breathe through that at all. It hurt bad until I pulled the packing out the next morning. Once that was out it felt much better. Although I had to take 2 codeines an hour before just so I could stand it. Oh and yeah I ended up dripping blood down my throat which made me sicker than a dog. I couldn't eat more than broth or water that first day. And couldn't keep much of that down anyway.

But again after the second day it got much better.

Jeanine

[Guest]

Hi lilsheba WOW! What a terrible experience you had, weren't you supposed to keep the packing in for a week ? And when did they put the packing in, the next day or what? I thought they did that in the surgery room, I thought you wake up in recovery with the packing already inside your nose! did you have a tube in your nose too? If so, when did you get that removed ? This is getting scarrier by the minute, did you read snoredog's reply above ?????????

[wabmorgan]

My packing went in at time of surgery. He also put in "breeze splints"

http://www.micromedics-usa.com/products ... breeze.htm

Packing stayed in for 4 days and the splints came out about a week after that. (You can't even tell the splints are in.)

I had heard horror stories from people about the packing.... about when it comes out, ect.

I had NONE of those problems. The ENT sucked out the packing with a vacuum device. And dispite hearing bad things about the splints coming out.... mine just pulled right out. (I don't have a really large nose either.)

If it hadn't been for that sinus headache I referenced earlier, I wouldn't have had any complaints.

[roster]

[quote="SleepyNoMore"].....ARE YOU SERIOUS SNOREDOG OR ARE YOU JUST PULLING MY LEFT LEG YOU SERIOUSLY DIDN'T WAKE-UP DURING THE SURGERY DID YOU I'VE HEARD "HORROR" STORIES ON THE NEWS ABOUT THAT, OH MY GOODNESS I FEEL SO SORRY FOR YOU AND ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY WE'RE USING A CHIZEL ON YOUR NOSE, EWWWWWW, I AM GOING TO RE-THINK THIS SURGERY THING.... ..... [/b]