coblation turbinate reduction

I was wondering if there are any people here who have had the procedure and what they think of it. I have been thinking about maybe having it done.

Gary

I had the turbinate coblation done 3 months ago, and I breathe much better and it was essential to my cpap therapy. Not much pain with the procedure since it was a coblation technique, so you should be able to work the day after. However, if you suffer from nasal allergies, the coblation is of no help. Eventually, your trubinates will inflame and swollen again, which is why I still take Zyrtec and use Nasonex for my nasal allergies. I did the turbinate reduction because I only had to pay a $50 copay and it was worth it.

Was your procedure done in a doctor's office?

Were you able to breathe through your nose that night after surgery?

Please consider carefully all your options for turbinate reduction. Coblation may be a good option, and depending on your surgeon, it may be worth your while. However, knowing some of the problems that can happen is important. Without trying to be alarmist, do a search on 'open nose' or 'empty nose' on this forum. Ask your surgeon for patient references who have had the same surgery completed by him/her from a year previous or more to get local feedback.

I had septoplasty and polyp removal that ended up fairly well, but there is still one spot where the turbinates conspire either to constantly touch or hold phlegm for no apparent reason. (Yeah - I know - too much information. ) I still consider sometimes whether it would be worth reducing the one spot. When I went to the surgeon to discuss options, she originally suggested coblation as an out-patient office procedure. Then when I pointed out the trouble spot, she back-tracked and said I should probably have it done surgically. In other words, the coblation would be too imprecise for exactly what I needed, and actual surgery would be a more practical way to do it in this instance. She knew coblation might have killed too much of area already opened up by polyp removal, possibly causing open-nose-related symptoms some have had problems with. The polyp removal has left that side feeling pretty open, but not uncomfortably so.

I elected not to do anything right now because I can generally breathe. In-patient surgery might have been more precise, with fewer side-effects, but also more expensive. Given that I'm not in any real pain from the turbinates - just a little discomfort - I feel I'm better off living with what I've got rather than expecting more surgery on the same area to answer all my problems.

Sometimes it's about dancing with the devil you know, rather than the devil you don't.

Of course, this is my personal experience. Yours may be entirely different and within the parameters of what's perfect for coblation.

garyland wrote:Was your procedure done in a doctor's office?

No, the procedure was done at a hospital as an outpatient because my insurance wouldn't allow the procedure to be done at his office, so I was put under general anesthesia for a 15 minute procedure that could have been done in a doctor's office under local anesthesia for less $$$. I can't complain because my copay was $50.

You will have stuffy (more like completely clogged) nose for at least 1.5 weeks. I don't think you'll be able to use cpap until 2 weeks later. I suggest a full face mask after the procedure if you want to use cpap. The good thing about this procedure (coblation) is that it's almost painless. I didn't even take the pain killers, Vicodin, my doctor prescribed, and you can immediately go back to work the next day.

I had this procedure done yesterday in the doctor's office. ( she knocked out about 4-5 patients in a short timeframe) It took 6 syringes of anistetic and even then when she started the procedure I could still feel it and it was weird. That day I could breathe great and my symptoms of coughing and clogged nose went away. The next morning I felt good but around 10:00 I started getting stuffy and went on a sneezing fit (10-15 in a row) Now it feels like it does when I have a sinus infection and my nose is pouring mucus at times like a faucet. I hope this doesn't last long because it is annoying and counterproductive. (can't sit in meetings like this)

in april i had this done among other things (septoplasty, sinus surgery, polyp removal, tonsil/and adnoidectomy).

I went from severe OSA (undiagnosed except by my wife who would hit me every 2 minutes so i would wake up and breathe) to moderate OSA (AHI 26 and wife who now was checking if i was still breathing as i am "scary quiet").

Take the tonsils out of the equation and recovery would have been a few days. Thats the time it took to removed the gauze packing in both nostrils and be able to breath out of them.

I wonder if the people who have the congestion and mucous after the procedure for a week or two have allergies. I don't have allegies and don't have mucous at all. My ent says if I have the procedure, I will be good to go from the start. Hope he is right because I am not a mouth breather.

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I would have to do a lot of research and then think very carefully before I would consider such a thing.
I have a pocket somewhere in my sinuses that suddenly releases a salty fluid about a day or two before I get a cold sore.
This gives me (usually) enough warning to take an antiviral to stop or greatly reduce the outbreak.
I would really hate it if this monster were released to spread and infect full-time.

Does anyone know of any coblation surgeons I'm the north east? I need my tonsills removed but am deathly afraid
Of the the ole fashioned way, I know 3 people in that past 5 years say it's the most painful thing you can imagine! And voilà i see coblation and all the praises it's been getting! Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I has coblation turbinate reduction done in the doctors office about 6 weeks ago. It was not what I truly expected. I had to sit in his office for about 20 minutes with numbing medication sprayed in my nostrils and then cotton balls stuffed up my nose. The ENT doctor came in and put needles in my nostrils to further deaden my nasal passage. He was very careful and kind but it still was scary and I could still feel him doing the procedure. I just wish I could have been put asleep or given a valium. After it was all over with I was bleeding as I left the office. I was more stopped up than ever before. I am just now getting the effects of the procedure. I wa blowing out big gobs of gunk and when I went back to the dr. he had to pull out blobs of gunk. Now that I am pretty much healed, I am glad I did the procedure.

I have empty nose syndrome because of coblation. Symptoms appeared after 8 months. It´s terrible

jabato wrote:I have empty nose syndrome because of coblation. Symptoms appeared after 8 months. It´s terrible

I am really shocked to hear this. I did not think that empty nose syndrome was possible with this "in office, five minute procedure." Could you give us more details as to what happened. I am really sorry for what happened to you!