Deviated Septum Surgery

[RichieRich]

I thought I would take this to you guys since you know everything

I am 44 and I have been sleeping horribly and get frequent sinus infections. My doc told me that I have a severe deviated septum and will need to get surgery to correct it.

The surgeon told me yesterday that I will need a Septoplasty with turbinoplasty to correct my issue.

My question to you guys is, has anyone here had these procedures done and is it worth it. The surgeon told me that there are some risks with it and the pain is pretty solid for a few days afterwards.

Thanks in advance.

RichieRich

 

[gmnhra]

Yes to all above

Finally gave in after years of breathing issues.

Had it done three weeks ago.
The Anesthesia kicked my ass for three days...headaches, (compounded by the surgery), nausea, cramps in legs..just miserable so have a conversation with Anesthesiologist

Post op first week is pretty miserable. pain subsides after 3-4 days. Flushing the sinuses 4 times a day results in some very disgusting stuff coming out. They did not "pack" my sinuses.

After week one...improvement every day

I can actually breathe from both sides...A week of BS but do it

 

[Meaney77]

I am 46 and had a severely deviated septum along with nasal polyps and had them removed. Like you was super susceptible to sinus infections, constant runny nose and heavy snoring. I had the surgery done to remove them about 2 years ago and it made a huge difference. I could breath, smell and taste better and cant tell you the last time I had a sinus infection. I see my doctor regularly to check to see if they come back. Also nasal sprays are part of my daily regime.

For me it was worth it. Surgery isnt to bad as far as pain goes however there was lots of blood for a few days after the surgery.

 

[rickym20]

Wife had it done years ago, she was so happy to have it done and wish she had done it sooner. She was always getting sinus infections too.
One thing I remember was her nose was real sensitive for awhile after surgery. If she would accidentally get hit in nose or bumped she would be in pain. All good once fully heeled.

 

[sonicss31]

Had it done many years ago. Best decision of my life as far as surgeries go. Talked to my surgeon not that long ago and he told me newer technologies made the procedure even better. If you are on the fence, don’t hesitate get it done. Good luck.

 

[shreve"T"]

Do yourself the favor and have it done, I had it done a year ago and was worth every minute of the pain.. They did however have to put balloons in both sinus's about 3 weeks after surgery to correct a couple of issues..

 

[Tank]

Mine was deviated from a couple nose breaks over the years. Last time was about 7 years ago and the DR. was like, yeah, we need to repair this. Went in, broke it, straightened it. Crazy how nice it is to breath without blockage you really don't even know about until its fixed. Of course I've re-broken it AGAIN But it's still better than it was.

I say do it. Any surgery sucks. It doesn't suck any worse than anything else. Matter of fact its not totally horrible. You are still mobile. Removing the packing SUUUUUUUUUCKS. That's about it. You'll be happy you did it once its over with. Like I said, not horrible, just inconvenient.

 

[Jay Dub]

Had mine done about 5 years ago. Best decision. Amazing to be able to breathe thru my nose. Please be forewarned the pain and discomfort are significant. I took a week off of work. An the removal of packing...holy hell!

 

[RaceTec]

I have been considering it also, thanks for all of the info everyone...

 

[LazyLavey]

I like the sound of that "turbo" plasty

oh wait. It's turbinoplasty.

 

[Waterjunky]

Did sinus surgery twice in the last year. The first time the doc was lazy and only made a mess. The second was the full package with the correction for the septum like what was supposed to happen the first time. Fair warning, they are just going to flat out break your nose. Worth it in the end though. The first week can be a little rough, after that its all easy as long as nothing touches your nose for about a month.

The stupid Covid masks are a pain (literally) for a month or so. Even better is every time they want to check on anything you need a covid test. This means they are rooting around in your nose directly on the broken bones with a q tip right after surgery.

 

[LHC Kirby]

If your doctor is going to “pack the nostrils after surgery“ get a different doctor. If you are close enough to Orange County ... I’ll get the name of my wife’s doctor who did hers... he wrote a published research article on “To pack or not to pack” overwhelming evidence NOT to pack.

 

[sirbob]

I had it done 10 years ago - other than the mistake the doc made when he went in too far and poked a hole in the back of my sinus, it was ok.
The bad news is it got bad again and rather than do surgery again my ENT (I’ve been to 4) suggested just using medication.

I do steroids and antihistamine daily and keep it manageable.

When I asked will I wake up with black eyes - he laughed and said no. Then when it came time for the procedure - he wakes me up and says oops - sorry!

 

[HubbaHubbaLife]

Mine was deviated from a couple nose breaks over the years. Last time was about 7 years ago and the DR. was like, yeah, we need to repair this. Went in, broke it, straightened it. Crazy how nice it is to breath without blockage you really don't even know about until its fixed. Of course I've re-broken it AGAIN But it's still better than it was.

I say do it. Any surgery sucks. It doesn't suck any worse than anything else. Matter of fact its not totally horrible. You are still mobile. Removing the packing SUUUUUUUUUCKS. That's about it. You'll be happy you did it once its over with. Like I said, not horrible, just inconvenient.

Tankster... we gotta teach you to DUCK baby... thats way too many broken noses lol.

 

[gmnhra]

If your doctor is going to “pack the nostrils after surgery“ get a different doctor. If you are close enough to Orange County ... I’ll get the name of my wife’s doctor who did hers... he wrote a published research article on “To pack or not to pack” overwhelming evidence NOT to pack.

My recent surgery was "no pack" at Kaiser Irvine....

 

[Backlash]

Do it you'll be happy you did. I did it two years ago and havent had any problems. First week is annoying but not really painful. Make sure you follow the post-OP instructions (Obviously). When they remove the plastic strips that hold your nose in place a few days after surgery, its mind blowing how large they are. Lost some sense of smell but that was it.

 

[RiverDave]

I have been contemplating having it done because I can only sleep on one side, and never on my back. Most of it is because of a deviated septum

 

[Sandlord]

Had mine done about 5 years ago. Best decision. Amazing to be able to breathe thru my nose. Please be forewarned the pain and discomfort are significant. I took a week off of work. An the removal of packing...holy hell!

Truth, I almost punched the doc.

 

[Ace in the Hole]

If your doctor is going to “pack the nostrils after surgery“ get a different doctor. If you are close enough to Orange County ... I’ll get the name of my wife’s doctor who did hers... he wrote a published research article on “To pack or not to pack” overwhelming evidence NOT to pack.

This... Do not let them pack you out.

I had mine done in 2018...life changing...seriously.

Mine was bad...sinus infections, allergies galore, wall shaking snoring (every woman ive ever dated including my wife wore ear plugs to sleep...).

They did mine where i had these tubes sewn in for a few days. i could breathe just fine, just had to constantly do the saline spray to keep it all moist.

One night my wife elbowed me in the face by accident..that was the most pain ive ever felt in my life...worse than breaking bones etc.

Since it was just tubes and splints removal wasn't horrible..maybe a couple mins of pain. It was interesting to see the in surgery pics..they do a lot of cutting/cartridge removal. Zero regrets....just be forewarned your sense of smell will improve significantly..and dont sneeze...it hurts like hell.

 

[Blackmagic94]

A lot of drug tests need to be administered after reading this thread

 

[EmpirE231]

worth the read maybe before surgery? book goes into a lot of modern day breathing issues (mouth breathing) and talks about how a lot of it can be reversed with breathing exercises. Good read so far...

Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art: Nestor, James: 9780735213616: Amazon.com: Books

Buy Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art on Amazon.com ✓ FREE SHIPPING on qualified orders

www.amazon.com

 

[JB in so cal]

Coke off a hooker 's ass....

 

[Meaney77]

Coke off a hooker 's ass....

The real roto rooter!!

 

[DILLIGAF]

Mine was deviated from a couple nose breaks over the years. Last time was about 7 years ago and the DR. was like, yeah, we need to repair this. Went in, broke it, straightened it. Crazy how nice it is to breath without blockage you really don't even know about until its fixed. Of course I've re-broken it AGAIN But it's still better than it was.

I say do it. Any surgery sucks. It doesn't suck any worse than anything else. Matter of fact its not totally horrible. You are still mobile. Removing the packing SUUUUUUUUUCKS. That's about it. You'll be happy you did it once its over with. Like I said, not horrible, just inconvenient.

i remember them taking that packing out. Hurt at first while they removed it but as soon as it was out I could friggin breath and it was amazing. I felt light headed as I had not had a free flow of air thru my nose for years. The two black eyes were funny

 

[Tank]

i remember them taking that packing out. Hurt at first while they removed it but as soon as it was out I could friggin breath and it was amazing. I felt light headed as I had not had a free flow of air thru my nose for years. The two black eyes were funny

I remember waking up from the surgery and could breath INSTANTLY. It was crazy. Just like after eye surgery, I sat up and could see crystal clear. I said after the nose surgery, while still in a drugged stupor, "It worked, I can breath great!" LOL

The removal of the packing really isn't that big of a deal. To me, it felt just weird more than hurt. They just kept pulling and pulling and pulling the packing out and you could feel it pulling in the back of your septum and a gaging feeling. Doesn't feel good but isn't painful per say.

 

[RichL]

I remember waking up from the surgery and could breath INSTANTLY. It was crazy. Just like after eye surgery, I sat up and could see crystal clear. I said after the nose surgery, while still in a drugged stupor, "It worked, I can breath great!" LOL

The removal of the packing really isn't that big of a deal. To me, it felt just weird more than hurt. They just kept pulling and pulling and pulling the packing out and you could feel it pulling in the back of your septum and a gaging feeling. Doesn't feel good but isn't painful per say.

Guess you were lucky. I'm pretty sure I felt every inch of the 3'+ packing that was removed after my surgery.

 

[Tank]

Guess you were lucky. I'm pretty sure I felt every inch of the 3'+ packing that was removed after my surgery.

Yeah, but it didn't hurt did it? To me it just felt uncomfortable like something stuck WAAAAAAAY Up in your nose being pulled out. No pain, just really uncomfortable.

 

[Englewood]

The packing is the worst part...When I was sitting on the chair waiting I almost passed out. Sucked for 3 days! It felt like he pulled 14' of shit out of my nose. When I walked out of that office, I could even smell what the rock was cooking.

 

[RichL]

Yeah, but it didn't hurt did it? To me it just felt uncomfortable like something stuck WAAAAAAAY Up in your nose being pulled out. No pain, just really uncomfortable.

Hurt like hell. Of course we're talking 40+ years ago. I think things were done a little different then. Dunno.

 

[PlumLoco]

I've had it done twice. Nothing can prepare you for what it feels like to have 10 feet of gauze pulled out of your sinuses. I was told that if the deviation is not due to injury, it will likely grow back crooked over time.
I haven't seen the benefits outweigh the trouble even without packing. And I would NEVER do that route again.

 

[RichieRich]

I've had it done twice. Nothing can prepare you for what it feels like to have 10 feet of gauze pulled out of your sinuses. I was told that if the deviation is not due to injury, it will likely grow back crooked over time.
I haven't seen the benefits outweigh the trouble even without packing. And I would NEVER do that route again.

damn man...almost everyone says do it and you say don't.
I am pretty nervous about this type of shit because I don't have any control over the situation

 

[AZmike]

I have been considering it also, thanks for all of the info everyone...

X2 here. This is on my to do list for 2021. I planned on seeking medical help this year but with this covid B.S. I decided to wait. I'm not looking forward to the recovery portion.

 

[RaceTec]

I've had it done twice. Nothing can prepare you for what it feels like to have 10 feet of gauze pulled out of your sinuses. I was told that if the deviation is not due to injury, it will likely grow back crooked over time.
I haven't seen the benefits outweigh the trouble even without packing. And I would NEVER do that route again.

So if the deviation is due to injury the odds are better? That is good, my nose was rearranged a couple times, so it should work! LOL!

 

[PlumLoco]

I had both done long enough ago that doing it without the packing was not an option. But mine did grow back crooked within about 5-6 years. I live with one side nearly closed and the other is 50% oversized. Allergy season sucks but it really isnt a big deal, since I live with asthma and sleep apnea both. They are much more intrusive to everyday life.

 

[RichieRich]

I scheduled the surgery for November 16th...wish me luck!
thank you guys for the insight.
RDP is awesome for stuff like this