Deviated septum-anyone have surgery for it? Did it help or not?

[old mark]

I am getting close to scheduling the surgery, and I'm hoping it will be worthwhile. Did it help, were there problems, etc?

Thanks.

mark

[Warpy]

1. My dad did

and had no problems afterward. The frequent nosebleeds stopped, and that was a great help.

The first week postop sucks. After that, it gets better.

[zonkers]

2. Two friends had it. Solved breathing problems. One was asthmatic. Big improvement.

[Ozymanithrax]

3. Yes, I did.

I no longer snore and no longer have Sleep apnea.

[endless october]

4. i have this condition as well.

right side. but i'm afraid to have surgery due to the fact that i sing in a band and don't want to change my nose or my voice.

my solution is afrin before a gig and to just deal with the reduced airflow the rest of the time.

[Cronus Protagonist]

7. It won't change your voice

If anything, mine got better, but I won't attribute that to the operation, just practice!

[old mark]

10. YES!!! I used to be singer/musician for years, but I am hoping the surgery

will improve my singing, breath control....can I ask the surgeon for better tone? would that be elective surgery?

mark

[Cronus Protagonist]

5. It works great, but there are some costs

I had it done over a decade ago. I can breathe through the nostril that I had never breathed through before in my life! I sleep better too. And I don't panic if someone blocks my mouth and I have to breathe through my nose. (this happens more often than one might think - kids!) My migraines are gone and the lifelong infection has cleared up. After the swelling cleared up, I could feel every single molecule of something hitting the back of my sinuses. It felt like I was being peppered with all kinds of things. It felt like little needle pricks inside my sinuses, and I can now smell things that others cannot. Lots of things. I got a new lease of life in the odor department! lol

On the costs side, it was painful after the operation, lots of terrible swelling and blockage for a few months. And now I'm allergic to cat dander and musk. Never was before. Having said that, if I had to do it all over again, I would. Losing the migraines was the biggest thing, and is well worth the cost.

[Dora]

6. Yes. Do it.

I had no problems with my sinus surgery (endoscopic) which included repairing a deviated septum. Ask your doctor about using a NeilMed sinus rinse bottle in your recovery. It can help flush out any scabrous material and aid healing.

I used both a neti pot and a NeilMed bottle beginning two days after sinus surgery, and my recovery/healing was brief.

[Cronus Protagonist]

8. I used an attachment for a water pik - much better than the neti pot

More volume and it's easier to get it in when the water is pumped in.

[old mark]

11. I use the bottle now, and it does help, but I'm getting tired of waking up

at night not able to breathe, plus almost continuous infections and headaches.

mark

[fascisthunter]

9. my mother and a friend of mine had it done

ever since they both had it done, they never had the type of sinus issues they once had before, and both had it bad.

I had my sinuses checked out by an eye-ear specialist, because of cronic sinus issues and a deviated septim. I wasn't a good enough candidate for the operation but the doc did say that if my sinusitus persists after being treated for allergies, that he would reconsider.

[TNDemo]

12. I had it.

It helped for a couple of years but then everything moved back the way it was. The doctor told me after the surgery that there is a thing called cartilage memory, which I don't remember hearing pre-surgery. So, don't know how often that happens but it pretty much wiped out whatever initial benefit I got.

[ConcernedCanuk]

15. Me too. and the same thing happened to me

.
.
.

dunno if it's the "memory' thing or not,

but MY memory is of a coupla weeks of looking like sumone beat the crap outta me.

The lack of breathing isn't too severe, if I lay on my cheek the right way, it pulls the flesh around so I can breath both barrels

I ain't gonna go through it again

[TNDemo]

16. I had mine about 20 years ago.

I have to lay on the pillow and pull back one side to breathe or flop my arm over my face to pull it back. I have a bigger line by the side of my mouth on one side than the other. I know, TMI...

[ConcernedCanuk]

19. LOL - I hadda check

.
.
.

"I have a bigger line by the side of my mouth on one side than the other"

yeah, me too - never noticed before

and mine was done in '91

line isn't longer, but deeper and wider

hmmmm

:freak:

[DFW]

13. I had it many years ago, and follow up again in 2003:

It's unpleasant, but worth it. I fly a LOT, and it was blocking air flow in my sinuses: I used to have a stuffy nose
more often then I didn't. The first week afterward you basically have to write off from your life, but it improves
after that, and after two weeks, you're past it. One warning though, depending what kind of climate you live in:
watch VERY carefully what you do when you get any kind of sinus infection or cold afterward. There is a fast free
flow now down to your lungs, and your risk of bronchitis or even pneumonia (I got both) is increased. Make sure that
you get any kind of lung congestion looked at very quickly, as it could develop into something nasty if left unchecked.

But it's worth the trade off--no question about it!!

[proudohioan]

14. My dad did

About 30 years ago. Prior to the surgery, his snoring should have awakened the dead; afterwords, MINIMAL snoring, far fewer sinus problems and no more constant use of nasal spray. And this was back in the late seventies....I imagine the results and healing time are even better.

Good luck to you!

t.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

17. I had it done in 1976.

Helped a lot. My nostrils were widened and the doc also took the hump out of my nose which was cosmetic, but a nice touch. He also rounded the tip so it was symmetrical. Mine was done by an ENT doc instead of a plastic surgeon. This guy only operated on noses and ears. If you are not happy with your nose, go to an ENT guy who will shape it up on the outside too.

He made plaster casts of all his patients' faces, before and after. He had racks of the rubber masks on the wall. That was interesting.


Since the doc took the hump out of my nose, my glasses slide down my face. OH WELL!!!

You have stitches inside your nostrils. They stuff gauze in your nose, put a big bandage across the bottom of your nose, and you have two black eyes and look horrible.

The recovery is actually pretty painless. A few days after surgery, when the doc came in to take the gauze out, I got a shot of morphine. That was fun.

I still have a lot of sinus trouble but at least my airways are wider. It won't change your voice.

DO NOT ASK them about the details. I have seen TV shows where they show a nose job and I just cannot watch.

[old mark]

18. God, NO!!!! I had a quintuple bypass, and the surgeon wanted to tell me EXACTLY

what they were going to do!!!! I told him just do it, and I'll do my best to recover from it.

I had nightmares about all my internals kind of flopping around loose inside for 2 years.....may have some again tonight.

Not my idea of a good job.


Thanks.

mark

[Manifestor_of_Light]

21. Usually I want to know all about it. Not in that case.

If I'm not a natural beauty after a nose job and braces and a tummy tuck, that's just too bad. :D

[elleng]

20. In high school, that was called a "NOSE-JOB!!!"