To all members who had turbinate reductions, I need help . .

Chris007 · Post by **Chris007** » Fri Jun 01, 2007 10:49 am

Hello members,

First time poster in need of some first hand advise,

I had a tonsillectomy and a submucous turbinate reduction (microdebrider used) on Feb 20th, I was pretty sure about the tonsil surgery as one was huge and always swollen. Now the turbinates I was honestly sort of horrified after reading some of the empty nose syndrome stories.

So I went to see 2 other ENTs, researched the procedure, even went back to the original ENTs prior to the surgery and brought up these issues - he assured me the technique was minimally invasive and had never had a patient come back with those symptoms.

I decided ok and went under the knife . . . tonsil recovery was brutal for the first 8-10 days but then I felt fine and the nose became my focus . . . My breathing had surely changed it was more open than before.

Here is where I need some advise, did it take a long time to become adjusted to the NEW breathing ?

Did it bother you when you has wind or a fan hitting you directly (sort of chokes me) , also I'm noticing I know have what seems to be post nasal drip (or viscous mucus would be the more accurate term), dry mouth and dry throat are also a problem at times . . .

I'm hoping he did not resect too much and my body will not adjust to this, also I never expected for me to be dealing with some of these issues 3 months after . . they said 2 week recovery

Any input and/or recovery experiences is greatly appreciated as I need to know what falls under a normal recovery and what something else could be wrong here . . .

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Fri Jun 01, 2007 11:03 am

Hi Chris,

I hope some people who had that procedure will chime in to offer their take on the experiences you're having.

In the meantime, you might find some info in the discussion links a little less than halfway down the page here:

Clickable LINKS to surgery, turbinates, Pillar, TAP experiences
viewtopic.php?t=2836

Chris007 · Post by **Chris007** » Fri Jun 01, 2007 11:08 am

Hi,

Thanks for the links,

I had read though most of them and it seems they all turned out well . . . I'm just puzzled if my recovery is normal or could there be some issue ??

Thanks again,
-Chris

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jun 01, 2007 9:14 pm

Hi there, woozle here
I had major turbinate reduction in november of 2006 and I was not feeling 'normal' for awhile - and the research I did notes that it can take up to 3-4 months to 'heal' completely - it is considered major surgery from what I have read - however, I too have a success story, I can say that now, but 3-4 months out I was worried too. I had read the 'empty nose' things too and was freaking out - and getting used to being able to breathe is weird, but you get used to it, like you get used to cpap - it really helps me and I hope that you have a success story too. I am not a doctor, and hopefully you have a good one, but I do know that it took about 4 full months for me to feel 'normal' and not think about breathign or feel the difference. I had it done over the winter and that was weird as my nose was painful with any coldness.
But if you feel like something is wrong, definetly follow up with a doctor.
by the way, my doctor told me I would be fine in 2 weeks as well - I think their defintion of 'recovery' could be different, ie, going to work versus feeling better. Good luck and I hope it works out for you

oh, also, I found out later I have serious allergies to our cats which may have prolonged my recovery, possibly. I also had a sinus infection 2 m onths out which did not help either.

Chris007 · Post by **Chris007** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 10:21 am

Thanks for the encouraging words woozle,

Can you tell me what type of procedure you had done ??

Jere · Post by **Jere** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 8:41 pm

I have undergone the turbinate reduction procedure and it was one of the best things I ever did. After suffering with clogged plumbing for years and years it is great to be able to breathe freely. I does take time (months) for the full benefit to kick in, so be patient. One more positive is the frequency of sinus infections I had been getting was dramatically reduced after the procedure. Good luck!
.

DeltaSeeker · Post by **DeltaSeeker** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 9:13 pm

I had a turbinectomy and deviated septum repair in January. I'm still feeling clogged up all the time. I didn't do any research on the surgery (shame on me - heck I check on the internet prior to calling the doc saying I thought I had appendicitis, which I did). I knew there were polyps that need removal and I had been having back to back to back severe sinus infections for over 6 months. Every time I got off the antibiotics, the infection came back

So far the only good thing is no more sinus infections (knock on wood). I was feeling really sorry for myself and wondering why I put myself through all that for what seemed like nothing. But the absense of sinus infections is a good thing.

Yeah - my doc said 2 weeks recovery too. Baloney! Big time! Hurt to wear my glasses for over a month. Cold air bothered me too. Then he told me the "scabbing" stage (whatever that means) lasts about 6 months. So, anyday now I'm expecting a miraculous recovery

I'll let you know when/if that ever happens...

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Jun 14, 2007 9:31 am

Thanks again folks for the positive words . . .

Since there are so many different procedures, can you guys tell me which one was performed on you ??

I had a sub mucus reduction of tissue that spares the the turbinate mucus lining, I know there is also radio frequency (they apply heat to the tissue to shrink it), and also the actual removal of tissue.

Right now my breathing has sort of stabilized to where it almost feels normal again, it is just the thicker mucus that is an everyday nuisance - not enough to impair life, but it is just aggravating at times.