Recovering from septoplasty surgery

Guest wrote: i just had it done three days ago and now im breathing through my nose i had the packing took out today it was the worst part but i heard it was going to be so i doubled my pain meds and it was nt as horrible as it would have been i slept and layed in the recliner afterwards and i think it helped a ton. i can already tell the difference some people will try to scare you but trust me youll do great and be glad you did good luck

 

Hi everyone, I just had turbinectomy almost a month already, now a lot of yellow smelly snots coming out, and residue of blood in it,  I just want to ask for your opinion to see if I should use the neti pot at this point?  

Just had septoplasty surgery on December 12th, 2011, along with a choncha bullossa removed from the middle turbinate, middle turbinate then shaved down, and a cyst removed from the left maxillary sinus, and the maxillary and ethmoid sinuses enlarged. all I can say is the doctors never really tell you how recovery is REALLY going to be. My surgery was 2 hours, so it took a long time to get the anesthesia out of my system and wake up, and got home 6pm having had my surgery done at 8am in the morning. You feel extremely lethargic and very weak for about a week. My nose was stuffed/snotted up, and I could only breathe through my mouth. I couldn't sleep for 2 days being the fact my mouth would dry out and wake me up every 10 minutes at night. The breathing was probably the worst part. It is very hard to breath and have to eat through your mouth only, at the same time...... SERIOUSLY! the other part was how bad your equiliberium is off. I'm on day 6, and i'm still throwing up, and the pain meds are also making me very sick, so I just can't win. I have splints in my nose, which come out on Tuesday, 8 days post -op.I have also lost my sense of taste and the roof of my mouth has been numb. I had my tonsils out in 2004 and it was really bad. The pain was excruciating. Septoplasty was not very painful, but you will be very uncomfortable for at least a week. I wish I had know about the breathing,equilibrium, and all the other unknown issues from the surgery, so I could have been more prepared, but for anyone contemplating the surgery, it is well worth it. I hope I am able to shed some light to those of you having surgery. I also read above about a man, I believe, getting hot and fainting, I too have had hot-like flashes, and almost have passed out. It seems to have subsided now though. Good luck to all of you. Hope I could be of some help, to some of you. Brigid

It is almost 24 hours since i had a septoplasty  The surgery took one hour from 9:30 – 10:30AM. I was allowed to leave the hospital at 1PM.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

 

The worst part of the surgery was the few minutes while i was waking up from the anaesthesia.

 

Now I  have a bit swelling and moderate headache. The one thing i don’t seem to tolerate is the breathing and the constand dripping from my right nostril where they put the breating tube. Hope it will be much better once they remove the stuffing tomorrow.

 

Hey it is not a walk in a park, tough it out, it is worth every effort.

 

Good luck.    

                                                                        

hi - i have my surgery in 2 days - am geting cold feet from all the horror stories on this board. can i contact you on an individual basis to get some specific details, thanks

I'm 61 years old, and on January 4th of this year I tripped and fell on the sidewalk in front of my apartment complex and crushed the cartilage in my nose. The cartilage is poking through my nasal passages and I have a deviated septum whereas I didn't have it before. I am to have a septoplasty on Monday, March 3rd. The doctor told me I should be able to return to work in about a week. His nurse said it should be at least a week, so it was hard to say to my employers how long I would be out of work for the recovery. The only surgery I've ever had in my life was a tonsillectomy as a small child, so I've not had much experience with recovery times after surgeries. I don't really know what to expect wirh this surgery, so I am a little nervous. Also nervous about what my employers might be thinking, like, "she wants to lay out of work for 2 weeks instead of 1, so she's asking for 2 weeks off." Maybe I'm exaggerating everything in my mind, but when you reach my age and am still working full time, you worry about being a "liability" to your employers, you know? Especially since I have had other physical problems in the past several years, which often goes along with getting older. Also, I'm the oldest employee at my job. If anyone can offer any reassurances that this septoplasty won't require a lengthy recovery time, I would appreciate them.

I think you should go with at LEAST 2 weeks. My doc told me 10 days, then I explained to him I have quite a physical job and we decided on 2 weeks. Everyone will go through recovery differently based on their condition prior to surgery. I would expect being older it may take you a bit longer to recover. I was quite surprised by the amount of pain I had after this surgery. It worked out that I went back to work 16 days post op. I was pretty tired even after that length of time. There is NO way I would have been able to go back in 7 days. But then again everyone is different. I am only in my 30's and I am a nurse so quite a busy job. I had mine a month ago,my nose is still presently tender to touch and my upper teeth still occasionally hurt. Overall though this surgery has improved my breathing. Good luck

Thank you for your post here. It makes me feel a little better for chosing the 2 weeks. I'm also going through some issues with my 2 front teeth, both of which I chipped. There is a possibility that I may need a root canal for that, although crowns have been made for them both. However, I'm really the most concerned about the septoplasty. But my mind is a little more at ease now, and I appreciate it. Again, thanks.

Stampschick, I 'm Brigid from above. I'm 42 and my health is so, so. It honestly took me 3 to 4 weeks of recovery, and that's just to be out of being uncomfortable.. I have a very high tolerance for pain, but it still was uncomfortable for at least a month. I feel fine now 2 1/2 months post surgery. My septum is still swollen though. My ent told me it may take up to 6-1 full year for nose swelling to go down, but I would say take at least 3 weeks off from work. Everyone's recovery time is different, but trust me, you will be thankful you gave yourself enough time.

Hi i had septopasty surgery two weeks ago and I'm having a lot of tooth pain too, is that normal? how are you doing now?
Teresa

I'm sure that a lot of people on here are just describing their experience. If they turn out like you....great, but you better be prepared for the worse because you'll just be flaming mad if your experiences is not wonderful like yours.

Just read your blog. I had setoplasty last tuesday now 5 days after. Headaches very very painful, pressure in nose and cheeks unbelievable.

Pain medication not touching it at all. Didn;t expect to feel this bad.

Very congested using saline sprays. Looking for any advice to relieve pressure and pain. Felt a bit better yesterday felt awful today.

Cannot cope with the headaches and pressure.

Wish I had never had it done at all.



Horrendous

Aud

I had my surgery 3 days ago and I have been in a lot of discomfort. I had septoplasty to fix my deviated septum and also my sinuses and turbinates were operated on. I was prescribed vicodin and an antibiotic and the vicodin just kept me awake and did not really help much. The day after surgery I was vomiting up blood that had ran down my throat during surgery or right after and caused my nose to gush out blood. It was the most awful thing I could not get my nose to stop bleeding. My husband rushed me to the hospital while I held pressure on my nose and they put some packing in my nose and inserted an IV I was then sent to the ENT's office who performed the surgery. He took the packing out and inserted new ones that were smaller(Hurt so bad) then pulled those back out after 10-15 minutes and suctioned my nostrils and then inserted a gelatin/collagan into my nose to clot up the blood so it would stop bleeding. I am doing better today, but have been experiencing a lot of hard crusting in my nostril as well as some dripping of blood on the gauze. I did a nellimed sinus rinse and numerous blood clots came out into the sink. I have been taking generic percocet every 4 hours as well as a nausea medication and that has helped. I still have the splints in and they are slightly uncomfortable as each day goes by and im hoping it gets better soon because i am not suppose to get the splints out until the 9th or 10th which is still nine days away. I do not have a recliner so I have stacked my pillows to keep my head elevated and slightly tilted upward and that has helped release some of the pressure. Icing has not really helped much with the swelling, but it numbed a little of the discomfort while it was on my nose. The worst part has been the soreness of my teeth. My teeth are so sensitive and they ache. surprisingly i can breathe out of my right nostril which I have not been able to do in years and today I could smell the banana bread my mom was making which was a good sign that my sense of smell was returning. Resting while you can and keeping up with your pain meds before you are due has helped ease the pain and discomfort.

Had my septoplasty turbinate reduction april 5th 2012. I Never thought it would be this PAINFUL. I am 30yrs old and this was my first surgery. Throat is so raw from tube and mouth breathing. I was prescribed Percocet(didnt help) had to have doc write me more, which caused additional problems in GI area. I am severely congested. Nose is still bleeding out one nostril. Today is the 4th day and i tried to do some slight household chores and felt dizzy and faint. I was planning on returning to work on day 5. NOT GONNA HAPPEN. I know in the end this procedure will benefit, but it is an awful recovery. . If you are having this type of surgery Do Not plan on doing ANYTHING but laying around.

I had this done on Mar 02, 2012. I did have any of the issues you are talking about. I stayed on top of the meds and pulled a little from several of those that went before you and I. I will share some that made a huge difference for me. Fruit pops (huge difference with the soreness in breathing through the mouth), sleep in a recliner if you have one, take hot showers (helps with congestion and also helps you feel better), take it easy for several days (don't rush to do anything), don't expect the congestion to go away any time soon (I still have some), do the nose rinse three times a day or as directed by your Dr (uncomfortable to start with but you will get used to it). You will be glad that you had this done. Hang in there. You will turn a corner soon and will not look back.