Septoplasty and Turbinate Reduction today

I'm headed to the hospital in an hour for my septoplasty and turbinate reduction, concha bullosa resection, and a maxillary antrostomy.
I have been struggling with bad sleep for about 10 years, and get about 4 hours of sleep on CPAP each night. I always wake up with a terrible dry mouth because I can't breathe through my nose. And I can't take naps, no matter how exhausted I am, probably because my body aches so badly from sleep dept. So, I'm a hurting unit.

After going to doctors off and on for years, I finally had one order a CT scan of the sinus area to find out why I can't breathe through the nose. It showed a deviated septum. I went to an ENT and he put a scope up the nose and could not get it past the septum on the right side. He reviewed the CT scan with me in detail and showed me the problems. Some of them are obvious even to a layman.

In the CT scans you can see the deviated septum (which collapses when I try to breathe though that side) and the cocha bullosa (a hollow turbinate).

Lots of luck riveter and please update us on your progress when you feel up to it. Wishing you a very speedy recovery.

49er

riveter wrote:I'm headed to the hospital in an hour for my septoplasty and turbinate reduction, concha bullosa resection, and a maxillary antrostomy.
I have been struggling with bad sleep for about 10 years, and get about 4 hours of sleep on CPAP each night. I always wake up with a terrible dry mouth because I can't breathe through my nose. And I can't take naps, no matter how exhausted I am, probably because my body aches so badly from sleep dept. So, I'm a hurting unit.

After going to doctors off and on for years, I finally had one order a CT scan of the sinus area to find out why I can't breathe through the nose. It showed a deviated septum. I went to an ENT and he put a scope up the nose and could not get it past the septum on the right side. He reviewed the CT scan with me in detail and showed me the problems. Some of them are obvious even to a layman.

In the CT scans you can see the deviated septum (which collapses when I try to breathe though that side) and the cocha bullosa (a hollow turbinate).

Pretty dramatic CT. Pretty ugly too. No wonder you can't breathe through your nose.
Wishing you an easy and speedy recovery...when you feel like it keep us posted..

Wishing you a speedy recovery! As someone who already had the surgery, I offer you this encouragement.......you will breath!!

How long of a recovery will you have before going back to CPAP?

I am meeting with Dr. Park in a month primarily to discuss surgery for my septum. Mine is not deviated, it is collapsed....

Wishing you a speedy recovery--and there is no need to share your post-op selfie.

Day_Dreamer wrote:How long of a recovery will you have before going back to CPAP?

I am meeting with Dr. Park in a month primarily to discuss surgery for my septum. Mine is not deviated, it is collapsed....

I was sent home from surgery with packing in my nose. I was off cpap for only one night. Didn't sleep the whole night but was sitting up to sleep per orders from the doctor. The next day the packing was removed. That night I used a full face mask that did not have nasal pillows.. It looks like a hazmat face! It allowed me to breathe through my mouth.

there's always the DIY kit:

I had my deviated septum done about 15 years ago, pre-CPAP. I never regretted it. I have been able to breath through my nose ever since. I hope you have the same results I had.

Good luck Riveter! You're next several days will be very uncomfortable, but keep thinking ahead and keep your eye on the long term. The surgery is most definitely worth it.

I had mine done a couple of years ago. The CT looked like a topographic map of a large asteroid -- very overwhelming. Surgeon figured the procedure would take four hours but it ended up taking seven. Felt horrible first few days, then just ultra-crappy for about a week. Fast forward to today -- no regrets whatsoever. Should have done it twenty years ago.

Well wishes on a speedy recovery.

My surgery was about 17 hours ago. Doctor says I should be able to use CPAP in two to three weeks. I bought a used total full face mask and showed it to him. He said I should be able to use it in one week.

I took one pain pill about midnight and lay in bed with my head elevated. I got a couple naps between listening to the overnight radio programs that I have become too familiar with. It's been about six hours since I took my pain pill and the pain is only about a 1 out to 10. The worst thing is not being able to blow my nose, but I have been flushing it with saline per the post-op directions, so that helps.

Monday I have to go for my follow up doctor visit.

I'll post more later.

riveter wrote:My surgery was about 17 hours ago. Doctor says I should be able to use CPAP in two to three weeks. I bought a used total full face mask and showed it to him. He said I should be able to use it in one week.

I took one pain pill about midnight and lay in bed with my head elevated. I got a couple naps between listening to the overnight radio programs that I have become too familiar with. It's been about six hours since I took my pain pill and the pain is only about a 1 out to 10. The worst thing is not being able to blow my nose, but I have been flushing it with saline per the post-op directions, so that helps.

Monday I have to go for my follow up doctor visit.

I'll post more later.

Great to hear from you riveter and happy to hear that your pain is being managed well. I am amazed at how different doctors are regarding the issue of being off of cpap. When I considered having the procedure earlier this year, I saw 3 different ENTs.

Number 1 said a minimum of 1 week and possibly 2. Number 2 said 7 but was willing to let people get back on after 4 if they were desperate. Number 3 said 7. And I sensed it didn't matter what mask was used although I admittedly didn't ask and perhaps should have.

I am definitely going to revisit having this done and if the qualifications of the surgeons are pretty equal, it is going to come down to who lets me back on the quickest, preferably right away. For various reasons, I feel I have some strikes against me regarding anesthesia and the thought of being off of cpap for a week with what I suspect is severe apnea (sleep study in process of being scheduled) scares the bleep out of me in trying to recover from surgery.

49er

palerider wrote:there's always the DIY kit:

Well now PR, since nasal rinsing doesn't work for me, might be worth a shot.

49er

I got my splints removed yesterday. They came out quick and easy. I could breathe through my nose right away. I was of course horrified about 'empty nose syndrome', but I am not at all uncomfortable with the openness of the nose. It does get junk in it after a few hours, and has to be flushed out, but that is not unpleasant because of the solution which optimized for the nose so it does not sting. And I can't blow my nose for a couple more days, so the flushing is comforting as it unstuffs the nose.
Last night was night four of recovery and I slept three hours straight and maybe another hour later. No CPAP yet.
This weekend I may try the total full face mask. I would like to go back to work Monday.

riveter wrote:I got my splints removed yesterday. They came out quick and easy. I could breathe through my nose right away. I was of course horrified about 'empty nose syndrome', but I am not at all uncomfortable with the openness of the nose. It does get junk in it after a few hours, and has to be flushed out, but that is not unpleasant because of the solution which optimized for the nose so it does not sting. And I can't blow my nose for a couple more days, so the flushing is comforting as it unstuffs the nose.
Last night was night four of recovery and I slept three hours straight and maybe another hour later. No CPAP yet.
This weekend I may try the total full face mask. I would like to go back to work Monday.

Thanks for the update Riveter. Sounds like you are making good progress.

49er