anyone had the deviated septum operation?

[chdurie2]

hey guys--

has anyone had the operation to fix your deviated septum? i didn't care until i started getting serious about cpap. but i'm de-stuffing every nite, only to find out that i wake up in the middle of the nite stuffed up again.
it's getting a little ridiculous. so now as the semester is coming to an end in a few weeks, i'm thinking of talking to my doc about having the operation to get rid of my deviated septum. anyone had it? succcess? how long was recovery? painful? etc. ?

thanks.

caroline

[yardbird]

I had it many years ago. I don't recall it being very pleasant, but not terrible either. The day of surgery was pretty painful, but after that not too bad until they took the splints out (this surgeon didn't use packing... just splints) but that only hurt for a minute. Tender nose for a while...


all in all not a bad procedure or recovery. But now... maybe 15 years later... my spetum is deviated again. Not as bad as originally, but... *shrug* ... so I guess it would depend on what you hope to gain.

Sorry this wasn't more concrete, but I think this is one of those things that different people will have different results from. I can't see how it would be bad to have this though. If you are really blocked up you should do it to get more open airways.

[idahogal]

Caroline,

My husband just had the septoplasty done in Dec. It took about 4 weeks to completely recover. They took the splints out after 6 days of not being able to breathe through his nose at all. The doctor told him he would not be able to sleep much during these 6 days. The pain was pretty intense for the first few days and he had to take pain meds every 4 hours and aleve in between to keep it bearable. Once the splints were out it took about 2 days of catching up on sleep and he felt much better. He says now he would go through it again if he had to because he can breathe so much better.

[tater pie]

I had a severely deviated nasal septum fixed about a year and a half ago. It helped a lot but I still have a little nasal congestion. I also had the somnoplasty procedure (turbinate reduction surgery) and it did help some. Mine was not very painful at all. The only thing that really bothered about the septoplasty was that when I regained conciousness after surgery, I awoke to find that the sides of my nose were packed and I had to breathe out of my mouth only for one night. The doctor took the packings out the next morning and after that, it was pretty smooth sailing. Some doctors use packings after surgery and some don't. The reason my doc used the packings is because he said that the blood and drainage that occurred immediately after surgery had a tendency to make people very nauseated. Anyway, it came out the next morning. You'll have a lot of drainage for about 3 weeks or so depending on how fast you heal. The septoplasty was definitely worth it. The somnoplasty helped a little but you're supposed to have it at least twice and I lost my insurance before I could have it done the second time. It's virtually painless and the drainage dries up in about 3 or 4 days. If nothing else, it will probably lower the pressure a little that you have on your cpap now. The septoplasty is day surgery and the somnoplasty is done in the doctor's office if you're in reasonably good health. I hope you have success and everything goes well.

[hecate]

During my surgery for a deviated septum the surgeon found a lump and while taking a biopsy cut through an artery. I started to hemorrhage on the op table and had to have everything packed tightly, not before swallowing a ton of blood. The blood unfortunately does not get digested though I remember bringing it all up the next day.

The lump is still there and I aint going back to have it removed and i still get congested.

I'm sure my experiance is pretty rare though.

[Guest]

I say go for it! the surgery is well worth it, you will be able to breathe like never before.

As for pain it really doesn't hurt even afterward. This is some discomfort from the rolled qauze packing they place in your nasal passages to control bleeding afterward but that is about it. It will be tender for a few weeks after that.

If you have any bumps on your nose or it is too wide they usually fix that while they are there. Mine was done over 20yrs ago and it is still good.

[NoSlak]

WOrese thing ever, I remember puking with like 3 seconds notice a few time( blood from nose going down to stomach). THen sleeping sucked.
You will NOT breath through your nose for a month!
Had to sleep with a small sponge in my mouth or try to sleep cuz I kept wakin gup with cotton mouth every 20 mins.

[ozij]

Caroline,
Look for posts on the subject by snork1 and swordz.
O.

[sleepyred]

After months and months of uncured sinus infections, I finally went to an ENT in 1991. He showed me on an x-ray where I had broken my nose twice. One side of my nose was 95% blocked. I had breathed that way since a child - I can remember my tom boy days when it must have been broken (I was a pretty tough kid back then and never told my mom!).

I had the surgery done. I was told I would be packed for 1 week. The surgeon could not pack it for a reason I cannot remember, but I do remember waking up breathing through my nose! He used plastic stints and I could actually breathe during recovery. I did have the blood problem, but to me it was much easier than morning sickness!

When he took the stints out, I almost fainted when I took my 1st deep breath - I did not realize one could or was supposed to breathe through BOTH sides of their nose! I had just been that way since I was 8 or 9. The pain was bearable - but you have to take pain pills (like mentioned) as directed. Don't wait until after it hurts, keep ahead of your pain as your doctor will order.

I would do it again in a heartbeat if I needed to! My 7-8 times per year sinus infections went to 1 per every 3-4 years!

[CarolinaBlueMax]

Do it! I had mine done about 7 months ago and it was a real turning point for my treatment.

My hose interface(nose) was almost totally blocked, I had the septoplasty and turburnate job done. The pain was totaly barrable with the pain meds just take them on schedule and take a few days off.

When i went in a few days post op and the doctor took the plastic splints out most of the pain went away. When i got in the car with the A/C on I experienced something new for the first time in my life. LOTS OF COOL AIR FLOWING UP MY NOSE...I have to tell you I almost cried... i was full of joy... sounds crazy I know. I told my wife to just sit there for a few minutes and let me savor the moment. I knowI sound like a crack head, but sometimes I will take a minute sit quite close my eyes and enjoy the air flow thru my newly plumbed hose interface mmmmmm I'm doing it right now ... sweeet!

[Doovid]

I would have to agree that the surgery is worth going through if your doctor is fairly certain the septum can be repaired. There is quite a bit of discomfort following the surgery, but after recovery the benefits are terrific! do it ASAP!

[Jere]

I had my septum fixed twice (it was a mess) and it was well worth the few days of discomfort. OK, it was more than just uncomfortable, but fortunately the brain has a way of blocking the painful memories. In any event, a few days of unpleasantness is worth a lifetime of relief. Good luck!

[chdurie2]

it sounds good. carolinabluemax, i sort of know how you feel. sometimes when i de-stuff, my nose is clear for as long as eight hours. it's a very unusual feeling for me.

so thanks for all your help, guys. i don't want to make you go through everything all over again, but how long were you out of commission, work, etc. recuperating?

thanks.

caroline

[snork1]

Septoplasty, turbinate reduction etc etc.

All done, all worthwhile.

missed 3 days of work, but should have missed a couple more.

Used CPAP the same night as surgery. Cross country skiing within 2 weeks.

Pain was bearable, but bled and bled and bled.

Saline flush should be done religiously post surgery, even as gross as it is.

I STILL do the saline flush twice a day, figuring its worth protecting my investment. The Saline Flush keeps my allergies down and my health up.

[Guest]

I haven't had the septoplasty, yet, and probably won't, as other treatment seems to have worked. My ENT tells me I have a slightly deviated septum; but, my sleep doctor seems dubious, telling me ENTs always tell patients that.

What seems to have worked for me is 2 turbinate reduction treatments (coblation, which is the same as somnoplasty--RF radiation), and lots of saline nasal rinses. The nasal rinses really help, when it comes to keeping sinus infections away.