turbinate reduction surgery feedback wanted

I have used CPAP therapy for almost 2 years and have always struggled with breathing through nostrils especially since air is drying up nasal passages and further obstructs breathing. I was told my ENT I have swollen/enlarged turbinates. Afrin has helped tremendously on occasion when I use it; however, I don't want to get hooked on the chemical and therefore I am considering turbinate reduction surgery. Anyone experience this procedure and has it helped with breathing? I am not undergoing septoplasty (surgery to fix deviated septum) at this time and I AM ONLY CONSIDERING turbinate reduction . Nasal breathing got so bad that I had to switch from Full face mask. RESMED F20 memory foam to Resmed F40 under the nose hybrid mask; however leaks have been higher as the mask doesn't seem to seal as well especially around the nose as the F20- but with stuffed nose the F 20 was getting to be a problem as it constantly woke me up every night. Any suggestions would be so appreciated.

Google "empty nose syndrome".
The procedure can be beneficial, but the surgeon needs to be a very good one.
Do your best research/vet the best surgeon.
If your doc sounds even the tiniest bit sketchy, RUN for your life!

Some more or less humidity, and warmer or cooler air can make a major difference in the obstruction.
Try playing around with those.

Can I ask how high you put humidity level up to ? I have mine on 8/12. My temp is average

I got a submucosal turbinate reduction along with a septoplasty two weeks ago. I was really anxious about the surgery because of the horror stories of ENS, but I could immediately feel a difference in my breathing after the surgery and even though it hasn't made an obvious difference in my sleep so far, I'm glad I did it. During my research I found that there is still a small risk of ENS with turbinate reduction surgeries like submucosal resection (they reduce the tissue underneath the mucosa), but my surgeon who works at a well-regarded hospital told me that he has never had a patient develop ENS and he has done hundreds of those surgeries. If your surgeon is trying to push you to do it without exploring other options first though, I would consider that a red flag.

I agree with others that it would help to play around with the humidity settings first and allergy management to see if that helps your nasal obstruction, I saw that you are using Afrin but it could also be worth it to try other allergy medications like Flonase, Astepro if that is the root of your issue first. I've also heard that immunotherapy treatment may help. Personally, I tried daily Zyrtec and Flonase along with saline rinses pre-surgery, but still felt that my nose got partially obstructed during the night. If those things don't help you, it could be worth it to pursue the turbinate reduction with a very conservative and skilled surgeon if your nasal obstruction is preventing from you from using the nasal mask.

sleepingbetter0209 wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 22, 2024 5:12 pm

I am considering turbinate reduction surgery

Gramps had this about 25 years ago. He said it has been one of the best things he ever did for himself and wishes he had it done years earlier. The recovery was easy and short.

They corrected his deviated septum at the same time. That's what you want to do. It would be rediculous not to have that done while the surgeon is "in your nose".

chunkyfrog wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 22, 2024 5:44 pm

Google "empty nose syndrome".
The procedure can be beneficial, but the surgeon needs to be a very good one.
Do your best research/vet the best surgeon.
If your doc sounds even the tiniest bit sketchy, RUN for your life!

Bullshit and fearmongering. Your information is out of date. There was a time when ENTs would remove the entire turbinates. They've all learned better or retired.

My ENT said that empty nose surgeon doesn't happen because he only shrinks the turbinate and does not remove them. Would I take what he says at face value?

sleepingbetter0209 wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 31, 2024 1:56 pm

he only shrinks the turbinate and does not remove them.

At least three types of procedures. Which would he use?

Description
There are several types of turbinate surgery:

Turbinectomy:
All or part of the lower turbinate is taken out. This can be done in several different ways, but sometimes a tiny, high-speed device (microdebrider) is used to shave off the extra tissue.
The surgery may be done through a lighted camera (endoscope) that is placed into the nose.
You may have general anesthesia or local anesthesia with sedation, so you are asleep and pain-free during surgery.



Turbinoplasty:
A tool is placed in the nose to change the position of the turbinate. This is called the outfracture technique.
Some of the tissue may also be shaved off.
You may have general anesthesia or local anesthesia with sedation, so you are asleep and pain-free during surgery.


Radiofrequency or laser ablation:
A thin probe is placed into the nose. Laser light or radiofrequency energy goes through this tube and shrinks the turbinate tissue.
The procedure can be done in the health care provider's office using local anesthesia.

sleepingbetter0209 wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 31, 2024 1:56 pm

Would I take what he says at face value?

Yes. Empty nose syndrome is a thing of the past. ENTs learned.