Benefits of Surgery for Deviated Septum??

Having been told by 2 doctors that I have a severely deviated septum, I finally decided to ask my ENT about performing surgery to correct it. He said I have an 85% deviation, so I would certainly notice a big improvement in my nasal breathing.

I'm not expecting that the surgery will cure my sleep apnea, nor did my doctor say or imply that it would. However, I do hope the surgery will enable me to stop mouth-breathing and use nasal pillows (sans chin strap) instead of a FFM. That alone would be a big benefit.

If anyone has had this surgery, I would be interested in hearing about the impact (or lack thereof) it had on your apnea and/or CPAP treatment.

I have not had it, but I think it would make xPAP treatment in general easier if it's that deviated!

Also note that nose-breathing instead of mouth-breathing is just one reason people use FFMs. You can also leak out of the mouth, which might still require a chin strap or FFM. (still might be worth it regardless just because breathing through your nose is better for you)

Five weeks today post-op from Septoplasty, Turbinate reduction and sinus surgery. Operation was a breeze. I had no packing and no splints and stayed in overnight - i think because they wanted to keep an eye on me due to my OSA. Only minor bleeding for the first night. I took about a week off work and it feels like you have a head cold or sinus congestion for the first few weeks. I've still got a bit of stuffiness 5 weeks in and a bit of muscus at the back of my throat but nothing to worry about. I noticed this week that i'm now breathing automatically through my nose most of the time for the first time in memory. I also think that i'm doing the same when sleeping. I use a hybrid mask so it allows me to either breathe through my nose or mouth. I'd recommend doing the surgery - not only for CPAP but quality of life in general. As my sleep doctor told me, even though the surgery won't cure my sleep apnea, i still have (roughly) another 40 years or so to live so i should get it done and enjoy the benefits.

I had the surgery about 4 years ago and it made a major difference. It does take a long time to fully heal. Probably a year or so to really feel normal. I also had tonsils out and a surgery to keep from choking on my tounge. I went camping and my battery on my cpap ran out. I had a horrible night and that convinced me to get surgery. I asked my ent to do what ever would give me the best result. All these little things add up to increase your lifespan and quality of life.

I had mine done before my Apnea diagnosis. I feel that it was worth it and am now breathing well through my nose. I would have the surgery again if I needed it. I use nasal pillow for a mask and do have a full face for the times I have a bad cold (but rarely have used it.) I had splints and it was somewhat uncomfortable until they came out but when they did the feeling of breathing freely through my nose was "GRRREAATTT."

Get the very best, most qualified surgeon you can afford (or that your insurance will work with).
Do some research; ask questions.
Example: ask a nurse who they would send a family member to.
(they can't recommend anyone, but they can share personal preferences)

American Academy of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery wrote:Estimates are that 80 percent of all nasal septums are off-center, a condition that is generally not noticed. A "deviated septum" occurs when the septum is severely shifted away from the midline. . . . Patients with chronic sinusitis often have nasal congestion, and many have nasal septal deviations. However, . . . there may be additional reasons . . . reactive edema (swelling) . . . allergic problems, mucosal hypertrophy (increase in size), other anatomic abnormalities, or combinations thereof. . . . Surgery may be the recommended treatment if the deviated septum is causing troublesome nosebleeds or recurrent sinus infections. . . . If a deviated nasal septum is the sole cause for your chronic sinusitis, relief from this severe disorder will be achieved. -- http://www.entnet.org/HealthInformation ... Septum.cfm

Color added by me.

Post septoplasty/turbinate reduction (and tonsillectomy), I can use nasal pillows and I breathe better through my nose during the day.

I had my surgery between sleep study and titration, so I cannot say how it changed my treatment. However, my doc said he believed that my pressure was lower because I had the surgery.

I would recommend the surgery to anyone! I had no problems, and have only had one sinus infection since. Prior to the surgery, I had a minimum of two sinus infections a year. He did do several other things besides the septoplasty - don't remember them all - some reduction and some scraping, etc. But - it was GREAT!

My ENT wants to fix my septum and reduce my turbinates. I had to beg him to send me for a sleep study. When I went back to get my study results all he wanted to talk about was surgery. I'm not convinced yet to do it. My allergist isn't in favor of it. I'm keeping an open mind.

I had septioplasty and turbinate reduction surgery in March after years on cpap. It has been a game-changer for me. Zero sinus infections. Equal flow on both sides. Almost no congestion. No colds. CPAP is a dream compared to before. I wish I had done it years ago. I think this is the only truly effective cpap therapy I have had. Ever. It's amazing.

Wow, it's rare that everyone agrees about anything, so you all have me convinced this is the right thing to do. I do wish, however, that someone suggested that I don't watch a video of the surgery on YouTube. Yuk.

Thanks to all of you for your comments and suggestions. I really appreciate it....makes me feel more confident about making this decision. Now I just have to wait for my insurance to agree to cover it, though the ENT didn't think this would be a problem.

YogaKitty wrote:My ENT wants to fix my septum and reduce my turbinates. I had to beg him to send me for a sleep study. When I went back to get my study results all he wanted to talk about was surgery. I'm not convinced yet to do it. My allergist isn't in favor of it. I'm keeping an open mind.

Did your allergist explain why s/he isn't in favor of the surgery?

SleepGuy wrote:I had septioplasty and turbinate reduction surgery in March after years on cpap. It has been a game-changer for me. Zero sinus infections. Equal flow on both sides. Almost no congestion. No colds. CPAP is a dream compared to before. I wish I had done it years ago. I think this is the only truly effective cpap therapy I have had. Ever. It's amazing.

Thanks, Sleepguy....can you elaborate about how your CPAP improved?

My allergist said too often it didn't cure the problem and the ent sent patients right back to him. The problem in my case being congestion and snoring. I have severe allergies to lots of plants and dust mites and take shots weekly and have done so for years. My ent even admitted to me that a turbinate coblation might last only 3 years if you have allergies. They will possible just swell up again due to allergens.