I just had a septoplasty with a turbinate reduction surgery about 40 hours ago. I woke up from anesthesia really nauseous but that went away soon. The first day it only got better. I started breathing better than I ever have!
Can't say the same for day 2. My nose has been bleeding nonstop and I can't breathe through it at all. This is absolute torture. I sprayed some Afrin in it and some saline solution thats giving me some relief for now. Sleeping is a rare thing too.
However, I'm sure the results will be worth it!
Can't say the same for day 2. My nose has been bleeding nonstop and I can't breathe through it at all. This is absolute torture. I sprayed some Afrin in it and some saline solution thats giving me some relief for now. Sleeping is a rare thing too.
However, I'm sure the results will be worth it!
I just had the surgery done last Friday, March 19th and I'm amazed to say that I did not experience any pain. Even the week after the surgery. The hardest thing was going in 5 days later and getting the splints taken out. My surgeon even told me that it was the worst case they had ever worked on. My septum was not just crooked but twisted. I had this done at a military hospital so they do numerous surgeries like mine. I seriously didn't feel any pain until they took out the splints and then it was mostly pressure because the splints were so big. Recovery has been great. I took Bromelin (pineapple extract tablet) and the swelling has almost subsided. Amazing. Tomorrow will make it an official week and I almost look normal. Somehow I don't think I'm a normal case though. Well, definitely not with the septum but also with the recovery. I'm so glad I did it because I can actually breathe. And no, I didn't take lots of pain pills. I began taking a half a vicatin when I came home from the hospital and then I continued throughout the week taking a half a pill at a time. Today is Thursday and it's been 7 days and I didn't take any pain pills today. Amazing. That's probably one reason I'm up typing this---can't sleep :-) but all week I've slept so sound. good luck and feel free to email me if you want more info!
WOW! It's because you stayed positive. It is so refreshing to see a post like this. Everybody wants to complain about their experience. It is going to hurt a little bit for some people. But the one guy who had to go back because he bled out of his eye is just ridiculous. What a hack! People like that want to scare people. I am day 5 into recovery and it gets better everyday. Good luck with everything
I had the surgery in the UK 3 months ago. Yes recovery is horrible but bareable - just. It DOES pass. I had about 5 sleepless nights but I just watched dvds and chilled. It's ok in a way. I took 2 weeks off work and I needed them! Took me about 3-4 weeks before I felt I could really function again. Even now my nose can sometime feel tender.
Just had a follow up yesterday - my first since the surgery. I thought it hadn't really worked but I was hoping the doc would just say it's still healing. He didn't say that. He looked at my notes and told me I had had a very bad fracture years ago. As it healed it twisted my septum. Due that the surgery has marginally improved it (hardly at all!). The doctor says there is no more he can do for it as he has shaved off as much septum as possible already. Now, I just need to live with it and deal with my allergies (I'm being sent to get allergy tested) in order to avoid triggers that make it worse.
I can moan and whine that I still struggle to breath through my nose but at least now I know I tried to fix it instead of just putting up with it and wondering if it could be fixed. So I'd still reccomend it to others. It really isn't as bad as you fear.
Just had a follow up yesterday - my first since the surgery. I thought it hadn't really worked but I was hoping the doc would just say it's still healing. He didn't say that. He looked at my notes and told me I had had a very bad fracture years ago. As it healed it twisted my septum. Due that the surgery has marginally improved it (hardly at all!). The doctor says there is no more he can do for it as he has shaved off as much septum as possible already. Now, I just need to live with it and deal with my allergies (I'm being sent to get allergy tested) in order to avoid triggers that make it worse.
I can moan and whine that I still struggle to breath through my nose but at least now I know I tried to fix it instead of just putting up with it and wondering if it could be fixed. So I'd still reccomend it to others. It really isn't as bad as you fear.
Hi i had a deviated septum corrected with septoplasty 2 weeks ago. the recovery varies from person to person. i slept approx 2 hrs a night during the 10 days following surgery. i was constantly bunged up and stuffy nosed. nightime was particularly bad. i did not suffer pain at all.general discomfort was a nuisance. the procedure corrected a problem i had since i was 4yrs old, i am now 48yrs old. my throat was sore after the operation. on day 12 after the op. the inserts were removed painlessly and quickly, honestly this is nothing to worry about. the moment they were removed i knew it was worth it. even if all i got was 1 day of proper breathing it would have been worth it. the swelling will go away at different times for different people. i was told it will take 6 weeks for mine to go. right now i can breath clearly and am delighted with the results and if the reduced swelling improves breathing i would be amazed as it seems perfect as it is. the man in the ward with me had it done 1 hour ahead of me and did not suffer stuffiness or sore throat or lack of sleep. i now sleep like a log and long may it continue. the end result seems to be the same for everyone..... clear breathing so stick with it and good luck.
I wanted to share some of my experience. Had septoplasty, sub-mucosal resection, and a trimming of one middle turbinate (concha bullosa) on June 10. I guess that would make this day 16 for me. I went into this expecting a more speedy recovery. Everything I read said you would return to work in 7-10 days, so silly me I thought I'd be able to breathe at that point! Well, apparently, for me anyway, 7 days was the mark for external swelling and most of my bleeding to go down. Actually, just days after surgery I was having a lot of bleeding, to the point where drainage down my throat one night was so bad I woke up with a terrrible terrible stomach-ache from blood swallowed. I went back to the doctor and he cauterized a spot to help. It seems to have helped. Day 9 was the first time I was able to slightly taste a bit of food I was eating. Walking around at night on days 10/11 cleared my nose for the first time. Once I stopped to rest, it closed again. Day 13 was my first time with a few hours of nasal clarity. By that I mean one nostril or the other was clear, but not totally open. So here I am, day 16, typing. Had a tough night sleeping. One nostril was closed, the other open a little. Right now one is fully open, one is 40%. I hope it continues to get better.
It's a tough process. Overall, I have had very little pain and a good amount of bleeding for the first 7 days. Today, day 16, I have no pain, almost no bleeding, and just a lingering congestion. I am hoping another week or so and that subsides as well. I'd like to be able to go a day without thinking "can I breathe?". I just want it to be effortless and natural again.
It's a tough process. Overall, I have had very little pain and a good amount of bleeding for the first 7 days. Today, day 16, I have no pain, almost no bleeding, and just a lingering congestion. I am hoping another week or so and that subsides as well. I'd like to be able to go a day without thinking "can I breathe?". I just want it to be effortless and natural again.
Hi all,
I had septoplasty approximately three years ago at the age of 28 for an extremely deviated septum (broken at birth by an over-zealous doctor and not diagnosed until my nose had grown more as a child. By adulthood it was basically a right angle :-) ). As for the surgery, I did not experience any great pain afterward, and the recovery was quick. I was back at the gym doing classes within two weeks.
However, as a warning to those with extremely deviated septums, septoplasty does not always provide you with the results you're after, particularly in regards to nose function. While my nose looked pretty odd beforehand (I had got used to that over the years), increasingly I'd begun to feel pain due to, as my Dr. explained to me, the fact that your nose keeps developing as you get older. He said that my deviated septum was the worst he'd ever seen and that my septum was growing and pressing hard against my nasal bones, causing my pain and discomfort. I had septoplasty to correct the deviated septum, and to hopefully eliminate the pain I was experiencing with the septum growing against the bone. Initially the surgery was successful; it looked great and I was able to breathe out of both nostrils for the first time in my life. The pain was also gone. Unfortunately however this did not last. Cartilage has something called 'cartilage memory', which my Dr. had warned me about. What this means is that some times, especially in the case of a badly deviated septum, the cartilage may over time bend back to its pre-surgery shape (though not as bent). This is whats happened to me and I'm now in far more pain than I was before the surgery (however the nose still looks pretty good). The bending back of my cartilage has caused a gap on one side of my nose that causes considerable discomfort. The Dr. had warned me that occasionally in cases like mine, more than one procedure may be necessary. I guess I was hoping that only one procedure would be necessary but unfortunately looks like it wasn't. I am going back to the Dr. to see what can be done about it.
This is definitely not the case for most deviated septum corrections; I just wanted to put my story out there for those with very deviated septums; be aware that the first procedure you undertake may not always provide you with the results you desire, and that you may need to look at having further procedures to correct any remaining issues.
I had septoplasty approximately three years ago at the age of 28 for an extremely deviated septum (broken at birth by an over-zealous doctor and not diagnosed until my nose had grown more as a child. By adulthood it was basically a right angle :-) ). As for the surgery, I did not experience any great pain afterward, and the recovery was quick. I was back at the gym doing classes within two weeks.
However, as a warning to those with extremely deviated septums, septoplasty does not always provide you with the results you're after, particularly in regards to nose function. While my nose looked pretty odd beforehand (I had got used to that over the years), increasingly I'd begun to feel pain due to, as my Dr. explained to me, the fact that your nose keeps developing as you get older. He said that my deviated septum was the worst he'd ever seen and that my septum was growing and pressing hard against my nasal bones, causing my pain and discomfort. I had septoplasty to correct the deviated septum, and to hopefully eliminate the pain I was experiencing with the septum growing against the bone. Initially the surgery was successful; it looked great and I was able to breathe out of both nostrils for the first time in my life. The pain was also gone. Unfortunately however this did not last. Cartilage has something called 'cartilage memory', which my Dr. had warned me about. What this means is that some times, especially in the case of a badly deviated septum, the cartilage may over time bend back to its pre-surgery shape (though not as bent). This is whats happened to me and I'm now in far more pain than I was before the surgery (however the nose still looks pretty good). The bending back of my cartilage has caused a gap on one side of my nose that causes considerable discomfort. The Dr. had warned me that occasionally in cases like mine, more than one procedure may be necessary. I guess I was hoping that only one procedure would be necessary but unfortunately looks like it wasn't. I am going back to the Dr. to see what can be done about it.
This is definitely not the case for most deviated septum corrections; I just wanted to put my story out there for those with very deviated septums; be aware that the first procedure you undertake may not always provide you with the results you desire, and that you may need to look at having further procedures to correct any remaining issues.
I'm due for a septoplasty, turbinate reduction, tonsillectomy and shave down my pallet, Monday (tomorrow). I wonder how it'll go. All those surgeries at once. I'll probably be in some serious pain... But having my parents there with me will help a lot, I'm sure. I'm 26 and hear its no cakewalk for those who are older (not kids). I'll get through it. I'll bookmark this page to come back to it sometimes during the week and update ya on how I did and am doing.
I can't believe anyone could have this done without feeling pain and discomfort! It's been terrible for me! I am going nuts!
I think I need to add a little more info to the post above (which I wrote when feeling really miserable).
I am 38 and had a septoplasty and bilateral turbinectomy on Tuesday - today is Friday.
I had packing in my nose for the first night which made it impossible to breathe or sleep, even on 3 sleeping pills. It was more discomfort than pain - and I bled profusely all night - they had to change the thick plaster at the bottom of my nose about 5 times during the night as it was soaked with blood.
I s**t myself when they removed the packing - sponges (about 4 inches long) shoved up each nostril. Hurt like hell when they came out - and my eyes ran like drains - but the relief once they were out was remarkable. And I could breathe through my left nostril immediately, for the first time since I can remember.
I have plastic sheets in each nostril (they look like little blue splints pegging each nostril open up inside) until Monday and they are horribly uncomfortable and they seem to be making me sneeze a lot which then gets me more blocked up.
I woke up this morning with the roof of my mouth very sore, on the one side (where most of the work was done).
I am a bit miserable at the moment cos I feel like sh*t but I think having the surgery will be a good thing in the long run.
Those people that don't feel pain and discomfort from this are very lucky and anyone that says we are talking nonsense is just a fool. SOME people clearly go through a lot! I had a Hiatal Hernia repair and Nissen Fundoplication earlier this year and despite that being debilitating (hospital for a week), it wasn't anywhere near as uncomfortable as this procedure.
I can't wait until Monday when these things get removed - I am sure it will be better once that is done.
I am not warning people against septoplasty, as it's necessary, but don't believe it when people tell you it won't hurt! It's not unbearable, but there is definitely a fair bit of pain and discomfort.
One more point I'd like to add: how anyone would do this for cosmetic reasons is beyond me - I have had two surgeries in my life now (both this year!) and hope never to have to have a scalpel near me again - ever!
I hope this balances out the views expressed above.
Roll on Monday!
I am 38 and had a septoplasty and bilateral turbinectomy on Tuesday - today is Friday.
I had packing in my nose for the first night which made it impossible to breathe or sleep, even on 3 sleeping pills. It was more discomfort than pain - and I bled profusely all night - they had to change the thick plaster at the bottom of my nose about 5 times during the night as it was soaked with blood.
I s**t myself when they removed the packing - sponges (about 4 inches long) shoved up each nostril. Hurt like hell when they came out - and my eyes ran like drains - but the relief once they were out was remarkable. And I could breathe through my left nostril immediately, for the first time since I can remember.
I have plastic sheets in each nostril (they look like little blue splints pegging each nostril open up inside) until Monday and they are horribly uncomfortable and they seem to be making me sneeze a lot which then gets me more blocked up.
I woke up this morning with the roof of my mouth very sore, on the one side (where most of the work was done).
I am a bit miserable at the moment cos I feel like sh*t but I think having the surgery will be a good thing in the long run.
Those people that don't feel pain and discomfort from this are very lucky and anyone that says we are talking nonsense is just a fool. SOME people clearly go through a lot! I had a Hiatal Hernia repair and Nissen Fundoplication earlier this year and despite that being debilitating (hospital for a week), it wasn't anywhere near as uncomfortable as this procedure.
I can't wait until Monday when these things get removed - I am sure it will be better once that is done.
I am not warning people against septoplasty, as it's necessary, but don't believe it when people tell you it won't hurt! It's not unbearable, but there is definitely a fair bit of pain and discomfort.
One more point I'd like to add: how anyone would do this for cosmetic reasons is beyond me - I have had two surgeries in my life now (both this year!) and hope never to have to have a scalpel near me again - ever!
I hope this balances out the views expressed above.
Roll on Monday!
I just registered, so the above two posts are mine!
If you wanna see some nasty photos (especially of the sponges they pulled out of my nose on Wednesday) have a look at my album on Facebook:
Andrew Michael Linder
Johannesburg, South Africa
If you wanna see some nasty photos (especially of the sponges they pulled out of my nose on Wednesday) have a look at my album on Facebook:
Andrew Michael Linder
Johannesburg, South Africa
Someone wrote to me on Facebook asking the following and now after 9 days, here's the full story:
Question:
Hi Andrew! Just read some comments on some site about the deviated septum surgery and seen your name and wanted to learn more. After reading all of that drama I don't know if I want to have it done or not? I am scared to death! I don't know how much different it would be having yours done in Africa and I am in the US, but I am sure it would be real similar? Did you have all the packing in like people say it hurts so bad and feels like your brains are getting pulled out? Please advise. Thanks
My reply:
I think it's different for everyone - I've had a rough time, but I think it's the exception rather than the rule.
I had the op last Tuesday - for the first 24 hours you have large sponges up your nost which completely block it - you will get no sleep during this period and eating/drinking is difficult (as you can't breathe through your nose). The sponges came out at 6am the day after the op, and they were huge - your eyes water constantly as they come out, but each takes literally 20 seconds and they are done. Once that happens, the relief is immediate. You bleed, yes, but the bleeding itself is not that painful and the relief is incredible.
My septum had fused with the wall of my nose (which is not usual) - my doc (who is in his sixties) said it was the worst septum he had seen. Because of the fusing, he had to put plastic sheets in the nose to stop the fusing from happening again - they were uncomfortable, but nothing like the sponges. They are stitched in which is what causes the irritation. I actually sneezed one partially out on the day it was supposed to come out anyway - it didn't come right out but was sticking out the end of my nose a bit - so I went to the doc an hour early and he removed them both. Again, it's uncomfortable as they come out, but once out, the relief, again, is incredible, and you can breathe! They do not just rip them out - he cut the stitches very carefully and was fairly gentle - ask around for a kind doctor as some are just bitter assholes that don't care (and would rather be on the golf course!). He also told me exactly what he was doing every step of the way (and when it was going to be uncomfortable, painful etc.).
I have added you as a friend so you can see the album of my op - it's pretty gross, but will give you a fair idea of what you are in for.
I have been unlucky as I have picked up an infection (possibly in hospital) so have a nasty chest and throat now - I am on anti-biotics.
The final result is: I am definitely pleased I had the op. I can breathe through my left nostril for the first time in my adult life. I have never been able to sleep on my right side (cos I couldn't breathe) and now I can! As I said, it's been a rough week, but I don't regret it for a second. And I will be even more certain of this when I shake the infection.
If your nose is worrying you (sinus probs etc.) I would definitely get the surgery done. I didn't have the problems that most people get beforehand: sinusitus etc. but I just wanted to breathe better, which is why I had it done.
I doubt it's any different having the op done anywhere (SA or USA) - in fact, my surgeon was a Scotsman (who has lived most of his life here in South Africa)!
Don't take too much time to think about it as your mind plays tricks on you and you expect worse than it is. I saw the doc for the first time on 17 September and had the op on 5 October. I just wanted to get it over with!
So, yes, you will have an uncomfortable week, with some pain, some bleeding (and you will be unhappy for the first couple of days), but in the end (perhaps 10 days after the op) you will wonder why you never had it done years ago!
Good luck and let me know how it goes!
Question:
Hi Andrew! Just read some comments on some site about the deviated septum surgery and seen your name and wanted to learn more. After reading all of that drama I don't know if I want to have it done or not? I am scared to death! I don't know how much different it would be having yours done in Africa and I am in the US, but I am sure it would be real similar? Did you have all the packing in like people say it hurts so bad and feels like your brains are getting pulled out? Please advise. Thanks
My reply:
I think it's different for everyone - I've had a rough time, but I think it's the exception rather than the rule.
I had the op last Tuesday - for the first 24 hours you have large sponges up your nost which completely block it - you will get no sleep during this period and eating/drinking is difficult (as you can't breathe through your nose). The sponges came out at 6am the day after the op, and they were huge - your eyes water constantly as they come out, but each takes literally 20 seconds and they are done. Once that happens, the relief is immediate. You bleed, yes, but the bleeding itself is not that painful and the relief is incredible.
My septum had fused with the wall of my nose (which is not usual) - my doc (who is in his sixties) said it was the worst septum he had seen. Because of the fusing, he had to put plastic sheets in the nose to stop the fusing from happening again - they were uncomfortable, but nothing like the sponges. They are stitched in which is what causes the irritation. I actually sneezed one partially out on the day it was supposed to come out anyway - it didn't come right out but was sticking out the end of my nose a bit - so I went to the doc an hour early and he removed them both. Again, it's uncomfortable as they come out, but once out, the relief, again, is incredible, and you can breathe! They do not just rip them out - he cut the stitches very carefully and was fairly gentle - ask around for a kind doctor as some are just bitter assholes that don't care (and would rather be on the golf course!). He also told me exactly what he was doing every step of the way (and when it was going to be uncomfortable, painful etc.).
I have added you as a friend so you can see the album of my op - it's pretty gross, but will give you a fair idea of what you are in for.
I have been unlucky as I have picked up an infection (possibly in hospital) so have a nasty chest and throat now - I am on anti-biotics.
The final result is: I am definitely pleased I had the op. I can breathe through my left nostril for the first time in my adult life. I have never been able to sleep on my right side (cos I couldn't breathe) and now I can! As I said, it's been a rough week, but I don't regret it for a second. And I will be even more certain of this when I shake the infection.
If your nose is worrying you (sinus probs etc.) I would definitely get the surgery done. I didn't have the problems that most people get beforehand: sinusitus etc. but I just wanted to breathe better, which is why I had it done.
I doubt it's any different having the op done anywhere (SA or USA) - in fact, my surgeon was a Scotsman (who has lived most of his life here in South Africa)!
Don't take too much time to think about it as your mind plays tricks on you and you expect worse than it is. I saw the doc for the first time on 17 September and had the op on 5 October. I just wanted to get it over with!
So, yes, you will have an uncomfortable week, with some pain, some bleeding (and you will be unhappy for the first couple of days), but in the end (perhaps 10 days after the op) you will wonder why you never had it done years ago!
Good luck and let me know how it goes!
Kelly is absolutely correct. I had sinus surgery 10 years ago. I was exactly like she described! Here I am 10 years later and unfortunately I am facing it again. No choice, I have had sinusitis all summer. Several rounds of decongestants and antibiotics, and I've been miserable all summer! Headaches, nausea, fevers, can't taste smell etc. I sooooo don't want this surgery again, I remember all to well how HORRIBLE it was. So I can't let u call her a liar, or the others. Hopefully Ill have one of those not so bad experiences like some of you. I can only hope. But don't doubt that it can be every bit as terrible as she described.
everyone has a different body type.
so it might hurt for someone, while the other might feel to pain at all,
yea? !
so it might hurt for someone, while the other might feel to pain at all,
yea? !
i had my sinus surgery done last wed. for my deviated septum. i must say the first two days was the worst. i barely had any sleep and even if i do fall asleep, i would wake up every 10, 20 mins with my mouth dried up. so i wud wake up, drink water, go to the bathroom and try hard not to think about breathing. along with not being able to sleep, i caught fever on and off so i had to stay in bed and rest. I just had my splint removed this thursday, a week after. right after the doc removed to spint and spray these things in my nose, i cud breath through both nostril in the same time for the first time in my life. it was really refreshing. two days later, what i realize is i could breath much better standing up, but i still have trouble breathing through both nostirl lying down on the bed. i know its been only a week and hopefully i would be able to breath much better lying down in another week or two. hope this helps whoever considering getting this surgery done.