septoplasty and turbinate surgery

[Gerryk]

OH god now my family is wondering about me sitting here all alone laughing out loud. My sides are busting from you.

Now I am going to copy that and send it off in an email.

Gerry

[cas67]

I had balloon assit. FESS,septoplasty &-bilateral inferior turbinate reduction on the 9th of December and today 10 days later I have had the worst sinus headache(pressure) ever. It has been lingering for 3 days now. I had my splints removed the day after surgery, went to get cleaned out a week after sugery and my doc has me going in again in 2 days for another clean out. He said I will have another appointment in a couple more weeks also. Besides my nose still hurting the headache has been horrible, I knew to expect this because my almost monthly sinus infections keep me in bed for a few days w/ a fever and headache. I can't wait for this part to be done and over w/ and to be healed completely.

[pooky]

Hello everyone I am new to this board! I have been reading this board since October so I am very familliar with it. Here is my story, since mid October i have been suffering from a blocked nose. At first I really thought it was just a cold but after a while I knew it was more. Here is what I've been through so far:
10/29/09- after about a 12 days of being sick I visited a Dr. who said it was a sinus infection and prescribed me augmentin
11/1/09 I went to the emergency room after feeling no effect from the augmentin and felt I was getting worse the said i had allergic rhinitis, and prescribed me prednisone and referred me to a E.N.T.
11/5/09- I went to the E.N.T. who just prescribed me nasal sprays and didnt seem to interested in assisting me
11/11/09- I went back to the E.N.T. and I only saw the nurse who gave me a steroid shot
11/20/09- I was back at the E.N.T I told her the nasal spray was giving me severe headaches, and I asked her when she checked me out the first time did she find anything wrong her reply, " I don't know we have to run test on you I'll be right back" she never came back in but her nurse did with the price sheet this lady wanted nearly 3,000 to tell me whats wrong. I told her after spending hundreds to here you talk I'll never be coming back again!
12/12/09- I went to the county hospital they ran a cat scan, I was told my septum didn't really need to be corrected but my nasal passages are inflammed. One Dr. checked my history and said she did't think it was allergies, the Dr. that put the scope down my nose say you have an allergy nose, I asked what is that he said as if I was annoying him inflammation. I got upset and asked does having inflammation in the nose mean I have allergies he said no, so I asked why call it an allergy nose. After he walked out the other Dr. who was really nice set me up to see an Allergist.
I know my story is long, but this is what I have been going through to this day it is very frustrating not to be able to sleep at night and be tired during the day. I know it's possible for me to have allergies, but I never experienced this never felt in changes in my body until I did work at my late grandmothers house back on October 10. Her house is over 100 years old. I am really nearing my breaking point! Well thats my story and I am glad to be a part of this foeum and will make suremy future post are shorter!

[pooky]

Anyone out there can offer any good advice to my previous post on 12/23/09?

[pooky]

Also whats the difference between an Allergist?

[roster]

Also whats the difference between an Allergist?

An allergist is someone who tests you and treats you for allergies and does not do surgery.

An ENT typically does surgery but many of them have also become allergists and do allergy testing in-house.

When will you see the allergist?

This forum is great for helping people who have diagnoses and treatment plans from doctors, but the forum cannot make the diagnosis.

I think it is important at this point that you get the professional evaluation of allergies (yes/no/severity/allergens/treatment plan) and then come back to us.

Good luck for a speedy resolution.

[pooky]

Thanks Rooster
I am so glad you answered my question! It is just so uncomfortable to not breathe through the nose. I saw a new Ent and they said I would not require surgery and referred me to an allergist. I'm just hoping to find some relief and be able to breathe through my nose again. I hope I'm not like this too long and getting tired of Docs telling me to breathe through my mouth. Thanks for your help Rooster!

[Chizzle]

Hi all, I discovered this forum whilst searching for information on the septoplasty procedure. I had this done on Saturday, 23rd Jan this year under GA with an overnight stay. I had septoplasty with submucosal diathermy, which is apparently a posh way to say turbinate reduction these days. When I came around from the op the first sensation I had was an intense burning feeling behind my nose, which they had to give me 3 shots of morphine to relieve. Apparently the first thing I said as I came round was "I was having the most wonderful dream..." although I don't remember it!

I stayed in the recovery suite for half an hour as my blood pressure and heart rate returned to more normal levels, then was wheeled down to the ward. The operation took just over 2 hours from being knocked out to coming round. Once back on the ward, I was supplied with a big jug of water and told to keep sipping on it as much as possible to help with dehydration and to let the cold relieve the pain. For the next 6 hours or so I drifted in and out of consciousness, occasionally being awoken by hallucinations, plus the ward nurse coming to check my blood pressure every half hour. I was supplied with lots of codeine, which was good for the pain, but it really did give me epic cottonmouth. Plus, after a couple of hours of drinking water constantly, when I went to wee it was a struggle...I heard this could happen with morphine and codeine!

I didn't really sleep much through the night, I kind of just drifted in a half-awake half-sleep state. The sinus packing was removed the next morning, and that was by far the worst part of the whole procedure. As they pulled the first one out, my head felt like it was being burnt and the pain was immeasurable. I nearly passed out, and luckily I had no food in my stomach, because I retched. I had to make them wait for half an hour to take the next one out as I was dizzy and needed painkillers. The second one was painful but nowhere near as bad as the first one. I was allowed to go home an hour after they had both been taken out.

It's 4 days since I had the operation now, and I've only just started gaining tiny amounts of airflow through the nostrils, usually on a cyclic basis. I can feel the stitches that were put in place on the septum (soluble ones, so I will not need to go back to have them removed), and there is a lot of draining mucus still flowing. I'm using saline spray to try and keep it all clean, and am having difficulty sleeping because of the draining mucus (sore throat and very dry mouth, along with mucous stains all over my face and pillow). I'm going to see a nurse this afternoon, just to check everything is still healing okay and that there's no problems, fingers crossed. But there is a foul taste in the back of my throat and the mucus is becoming discoloured, so I fear it may have become infected.

I'll keep you updated on the news, and let you know how my breathing gets on as I keep recovering.

[yallo]

Be brave I know you will be just fine, please keep us updated I will be having my turbinates reduced pretty soon! I am the user Pooky by the way just at school no time to sign in!

[roster]

Hi all, I discovered this forum whilst searching for information on the septoplasty procedure.

For others considering the surgery, please note there are many stories in this thread by people who did not have as much trouble with the surgery as Chizzle.

[Chizzle]

Rooster is correct, a lot of the problems I experienced were due to my own low pain tolerance levels, and long recovery from the anaesthetic. There was nothing unbearable, but I'm not very good when it comes to pain at all!

As a side note, I should mention that my operation was performed in England on the NHS health service, which means a lot of my experiences will differ from those having the surgery Stateside.

It's been 5 days since the surgery now, some very slight improvement in breathing at times through the nostrils on a circular basis, but not lasting more than a few minutes at a time. Still lots of mucus dripping through, so I have stopped the saline spray for the time being to let things dry up a bit first. Pain has completely gone, apart from the odd twinge when I move my nose or if I scratch the outside of it too hard.

[roster]

It's been 5 days since the surgery now, some very slight improvement in breathing at times through the nostrils on a circular basis, but not lasting more than a few minutes at a time. Still lots of mucus dripping through, so I have stopped the saline spray for the time being to let things dry up a bit first. Pain has completely gone, apart from the odd twinge when I move my nose or if I scratch the outside of it too hard.

Now that sounds much better. Glad to hear that the pain is gone in. Don't worry about the breathing through the nostrils at this point. It has only been five days and it can take more time for the swelling to subside.

And wait awhile before getting back into football.

[turb_boston]

Hi, everyone. I am gonna have my surgery on Tuesday. The doctor told me the name of the surgery is ' submucous resection of turbinate using microdebrider'. I am nervous now and worrying about the outcome of the surgery and the conflicts. Compared to most of the posts I read here, I have a shorter period of suffering from nasal congestion. I started having this symptom back to February after two weeks of intense runny nose(might caused by virus), then the feeling of stuffy nose never disappear(tried several medicines and nasal sprays not effective). The doctor said he can guarantee 95% effective of the surgery. Can anyone tell me to what extent,can I expect the relief of nose congestion? and how long do I need to wait for the relief after the surgery? Is it possible to develop atrophic rhinitis using this surgical method? I will post my experience after the surgery btw, thanks in advance.

[per-turbed in san jose]

Hi Rob...so sorry I didn't see this post until after your surgery. I hope all went well for you today. I had this same procedure done back in September 2009. I specifically sought out a surgeon who did this procedure with the microdebrider. I was almost completely blocked on both sides prior to the surgery. I was very worried about atrophic rhinitis and too much tissue being removed. After months of research, I had the surgery and have been very happy I did it. I am now able to breathe much better out of both sides of my nose and actually have a normal nasal cycle. Recovery for me was pretty quick and I was actually able to breathe better out of my nose right away after surgery. I did have a little bleeding down the back of my throat for a few days which I wasn't expecting. My surgeon told me that atrophic rhinitis with this procedure isn't really an issue because they aren't actually removing mucosa, but rather submucosa. The mucosa, or outer layer, is what helps keep the inside of your nose moist. Definitely start using your nasal rinses as soon as the doctor tells you that you can and be diligent about it. I still use it 2 times a day, just because it helps with my allergies and generally makes my nose feel better. I hope your recovery is as quick as mine and that you are really happy with your results. Post back when you are feeling up to it and let us know how you are doing.

[per-turbed in san jose]

Sorry...my above post is for "Turb-Boston", not Rob.