Doc says I need some work on my sinuses

[quietmorning]

And I'm inclined to agree - don't expect it to get me off of CPAP - and won't be disappointed at all if I remain.

I have a deviated septum (never knew!). I originally went to see an ENT to see if the polyp I know I have can be removed. He couldn't see the polyp because my right sinus is so blocked from the deviated septum. I am to go for a CT scan next week so that he can see the polyp. I have sinus infections A LOT - so there is a high probability (If I can get my nerve up - this surgery is scary for me) that I will have the septum repaired (I broke my nose when I was 7 years old) and have the polyp removed.

So, my question is this: Have you had this surgery? If you have had it, it at least improve your pressure to a lower pressure need with the CPAP? Did it work for you? If you had it done, would you do it again? Did it help you to breathe through your nose better? (Was it worth it?)

Thanks!

PS: I guess it should be added that I am a nose breather - not a mouth breather - I absolutely cannot stand to breath through my mouth - even if I am wide awake. My cpap mask is a nasal pillow mask.

[aj43]

I had this done a few years ago. Before I had frequent sinus infections and problems. I cannot believe the improvement afterward. The results for me were well worth the couple of days of discomfort for recovery. Still on the CPAP but I can breathe during the day.

[teleute]

I had a septoplasty a few years ago. Sadly, it didn't entirely take (some of it got misaligned again after, which I'm growing more and more suspicious was due to the constant pressure of my heavy, heavy glasses while I was still healing). There was some improvement, though, and my sinus infections and nosebleeds have been reduced. Now that I've had my eyes fixed I'm getting a second septoplasty to finish the job...

I'm envious of the person before me who talked about the couple of days of discomfort. My recovery was two weeks of some of the worst discomfort I've ever experienced. A *lot* of that was due to dryness, though (I couldn't breath through my nose while I was sleeping, so I'd wake up every 20 minutes with my mouth so dried out I'd have to painfully pry my tongue off the inner surface of my mouth). The fact that I had this done in Calgary in February made this worse...that's almost as dry as it gets! So if you have a full face CPAP with humidifier, that should be better. Or....I wonder if one of the oral masks would be better for recovery - not sure how the full face ones touch the nose and whether that would be problematic.

[hyperlexis]

And I'm inclined to agree - don't expect it to get me off of CPAP - and won't be disappointed at all if I remain.

I have a deviated septum (never knew!). I originally went to see an ENT to see if the polyp I know I have can be removed. He couldn't see the polyp because my right sinus is so blocked from the deviated septum. I am to go for a CT scan next week so that he can see the polyp. I have sinus infections A LOT - so there is a high probability (If I can get my nerve up - this surgery is scary for me) that I will have the septum repaired (I broke my nose when I was 7 years old) and have the polyp removed.

So, my question is this: Have you had this surgery? If you have had it, it at least improve your pressure to a lower pressure need with the CPAP? Did it work for you? If you had it done, would you do it again? Did it help you to breathe through your nose better? (Was it worth it?)

Thanks!

Yes, I have had the surgery. No polyps but septum problem, infections, thickened diseased sinus tissue, etc. Chronic sinus disease. They have to go in and essentially remove all the inflamed tissue in the sinus, which then later heals over, and cut larger sinus openings to allow better drainage. They used something called 'image guided surgery' with a special ct scan and magnetic surgical tools to make it more precise and safe during the operation. Ask if your ent does that.

It was all before I did cpap so I don't know if it made it better. But I felt my breathing improved a lot afterwards -- eventually got congested again (months/years later), but not as many infections now as before.

I recommend one thing: do NOT let them send you home afterwards, if at all possible. Ask for a minimum overnight stay, or a 23-hour admission which is counted as an outpatient stay. And get your insurance to pre-certify you before doing anything. Get the doctor to justify it with them if needed. You will be miserable and in pain afterwards and having the nurses do all the work giving you pain injections and food and ice, bandage changes, bathroom help, etc. will make things infinitely easier. I stayed and I got over it much easier than had I been sent straight home.

Good luck!

[teleute]

Hmmm....interesting. Yeah, I was sent home after a couple of hours, myself. Something to keep in mind next time. Thanks!

[quietmorning]

I had this done a few years ago. Before I had frequent sinus infections and problems. I cannot believe the improvement afterward. The results for me were well worth the couple of days of discomfort for recovery. Still on the CPAP but I can breathe during the day.

Did you have to take any time off work? If so, how long? Do you wear glasses or contacts?

[quietmorning]

I had a septoplasty a few years ago. Sadly, it didn't entirely take (some of it got misaligned again after, which I'm growing more and more suspicious was due to the constant pressure of my heavy, heavy glasses while I was still healing). There was some improvement, though, and my sinus infections and nosebleeds have been reduced. Now that I've had my eyes fixed I'm getting a second septoplasty to finish the job...

I'm envious of the person before me who talked about the couple of days of discomfort. My recovery was two weeks of some of the worst discomfort I've ever experienced. A *lot* of that was due to dryness, though (I couldn't breath through my nose while I was sleeping, so I'd wake up every 20 minutes with my mouth so dried out I'd have to painfully pry my tongue off the inner surface of my mouth). The fact that I had this done in Calgary in February made this worse...that's almost as dry as it gets! So if you have a full face CPAP with humidifier, that should be better. Or....I wonder if one of the oral masks would be better for recovery - not sure how the full face ones touch the nose and whether that would be problematic.

Yes, I've read that you absolutely should not wear glasses after you have the surgery. Interestingly enough - I wore glasses when I broke my nose and the doc my parent's took me too to see if the break had anything to do with my repeated constant infections said that the glasses acted as a brace and that my nose would have been a lot worse had I not wore them. . .now I find that the exact opposite is true. But back then (43 years ago) they couldn't tell a whole lot, and the exam just consisted of feeling my nose to see if the break was repaired or not.

I plan to get an oral mask if I go through the sugery. . .though I don't know how that's going to work. . . heh. . . ask the doc to sew in pockets in my cheeks so that I can push a few tart mints in there before I go to bed??

When I broke my nose, the pain was unbelievable. . .I STILL remember it. I don't know if wearing a mask at all is going to be at all comfortable or painless. I only know that if I don't breathe, I won't heal.

[quietmorning]

And I'm inclined to agree - don't expect it to get me off of CPAP - and won't be disappointed at all if I remain.

I have a deviated septum (never knew!). I originally went to see an ENT to see if the polyp I know I have can be removed. He couldn't see the polyp because my right sinus is so blocked from the deviated septum. I am to go for a CT scan next week so that he can see the polyp. I have sinus infections A LOT - so there is a high probability (If I can get my nerve up - this surgery is scary for me) that I will have the septum repaired (I broke my nose when I was 7 years old) and have the polyp removed.

So, my question is this: Have you had this surgery? If you have had it, it at least improve your pressure to a lower pressure need with the CPAP? Did it work for you? If you had it done, would you do it again? Did it help you to breathe through your nose better? (Was it worth it?)

Thanks!

Yes, I have had the surgery. No polyps but septum problem, infections, thickened diseased sinus tissue, etc. Chronic sinus disease. They have to go in and essentially remove all the inflamed tissue in the sinus, which then later heals over, and cut larger sinus openings to allow better drainage. They used something called 'image guided surgery' with a special ct scan and magnetic surgical tools to make it more precise and safe during the operation. Ask if your ent does that.

It was all before I did cpap so I don't know if it made it better. But I felt my breathing improved a lot afterwards -- eventually got congested again (months/years later), but not as many infections now as before.

I recommend one thing: do NOT let them send you home afterwards, if at all possible. Ask for a minimum overnight stay, or a 23-hour admission which is counted as an outpatient stay. And get your insurance to pre-certify you before doing anything. Get the doctor to justify it with them if needed. You will be miserable and in pain afterwards and having the nurses do all the work giving you pain injections and food and ice, bandage changes, bathroom help, etc. will make things infinitely easier. I stayed and I got over it much easier than had I been sent straight home.

Good luck!

My biggest fear is bleeding to death as the head has sooooo many blood vessels that bleed like crazy . . . so an over night stay is something that I had already wanted to talk to my doc about - just to make sure I don't end up hemorrhaging. As far as care, though, my husband will be here, and he's wonderful with care when it's needed. He was wonderful with the last surgery I went through. So, going home as far as comfort is concerned, is actually my better choice. The other thing that I think about is all those super bugs that are in hospitals. Now the hospital I'll have this accomplished at is a brand new hospital, but I absolutely dread taking my cpap machine into any hospital. (Probably just being paranoid, but I don't want my stay to be in the hospital any longer than absolutely necessary for possible complication management.)

I'm glad you could breathe better after the surgery, that's very encouraging.

[teleute]

Yes, I've read that you absolutely should not wear glasses after you have the surgery.

I barely wore them for the first few days - I was too tender! But I was so very blind without them, and in the dry I have such a hard time wearing contacts (and my face was swollen, which just made it worse). But it was fine in my follow up appointments over the next month. It was slowly over the next year it seemed to regress. My glasses were somewhat on the epic side, though.

[quietmorning]

Yes, I've read that you absolutely should not wear glasses after you have the surgery.

I barely wore them for the first few days - I was too tender! But I was so very blind without them, and in the dry I have such a hard time wearing contacts (and my face was swollen, which just made it worse). But it was fine in my follow up appointments over the next month. It was slowly over the next year it seemed to regress. My glasses were somewhat on the epic side, though.

Yes, I can absolutely see that - the thought of having to take so much time off of work because I can't see and can't wear glasses (I am brand new to contacts - and am still trying to work things out with wearing them - seems I'm allergic to everything. ) really causes me to think that we can't 'afford' for me to have this surgery . . .and my employers can't afford it either, as I'm the only one that can do my job.

Sigh. . . choices are hard to make when they effect sight as well.

I hope I didn't sound like I was correcting you, I was just agreeing with you that the glasses can be a problem.

[teleute]

I hope I didn't sound like I was correcting you, I was just agreeing with you that the glasses can be a problem.

Oh, not at all! I hope I'm not discouraging you - I'd definitely do it again, even if I still wore glasses. But hope to save you some of the issues I had as well, if possible. Luckily my employers allowed me to take sick time, which helped, but hopefully you won't need as much time as I did. How much control would you have over the scheduling? If you can at least schedule for a lighter time, if such a thing, that might help.

[aj43]

I had this done a few years ago. Before I had frequent sinus infections and problems. I cannot believe the improvement afterward. The results for me were well worth the couple of days of discomfort for recovery. Still on the CPAP but I can breathe during the day.

Did you have to take any time off work? If so, how long? Do you wear glasses or contacts?

I did not wear glasses at the time. My Dr. told me to get a full face mask before surgery (my nasal pillows definitely would not work) and the warm humid air from the heated humidifier felt so good that I didn't take the mask off much for the 1st 24 hours and glasses would not work too good with the mask. I used my CPAP with the humidifier cranked way up a lot the first week even when awake because 1. The warm humid air felt good and 2. I felt more secure with the hard plastic mask covering my tender nose!

I had surgery on Thursday morning. I was sent home a few hours later after the Doc was convinced (and convinced me) that the bleeding was under control. I(really my wife) had a long list of things to watch for and the Doc's cell phone in case of questions or problems. I back went to work on Monday but I "hid" in my office all day so nobody could see my nose. Tuesday I had a follow up with the Doc and that killed almost the whole day from work.

My Doc told me to get and use a Neti pot a few time a day for the next week after the follow up visit. I did not like the idea of pouring water in my nose, but once I did it was not a bad experience--I still use it today when my sinuses are acting up.

Did it cure me? I am still on CPAP(pressure is the same). My sinuses still give me problems sometimes but not constantly like before. And I can breathe through my nose! (I only thought I could before.)

Did I say my biggest regret was not doing it sooner (I was afraid of the surgery).

[quietmorning]

I had this done a few years ago. Before I had frequent sinus infections and problems. I cannot believe the improvement afterward. The results for me were well worth the couple of days of discomfort for recovery. Still on the CPAP but I can breathe during the day.

Did you have to take any time off work? If so, how long? Do you wear glasses or contacts?

I did not wear glasses at the time. My Dr. told me to get a full face mask before surgery (my nasal pillows definitely would not work) and the warm humid air from the heated humidifier felt so good that I didn't take the mask off much for the 1st 24 hours and glasses would not work too good with the mask. I used my CPAP with the humidifier cranked way up a lot the first week even when awake because 1. The warm humid air felt good and 2. I felt more secure with the hard plastic mask covering my tender nose!

I had surgery on Thursday morning. I was sent home a few hours later after the Doc was convinced (and convinced me) that the bleeding was under control. I(really my wife) had a long list of things to watch for and the Doc's cell phone in case of questions or problems. I back went to work on Monday but I "hid" in my office all day so nobody could see my nose. Tuesday I had a follow up with the Doc and that killed almost the whole day from work.

My Doc told me to get and use a Neti pot a few time a day for the next week after the follow up visit. I did not like the idea of pouring water in my nose, but once I did it was not a bad experience--I still use it today when my sinuses are acting up.

Did it cure me? I am still on CPAP(pressure is the same). My sinuses still give me problems sometimes but not constantly like before. And I can breathe through my nose! (I only thought I could before.)

Did I say my biggest regret was not doing it sooner (I was afraid of the surgery).

Its good to hear that you went back to work so quickly! I work at home, so people gawking isn't an issue - but have been very concerned about taking too much time off. If I am careful, I can probably plan a very long weekend - Friday through Tuesday off - and be good to go by Wednesday. It's a desk job, so there's no lifting - nothing strenuous.

[msla]

I had my deviated septum done before CPAP started. Breathe really well afterwards. It was uncomfortable for 10 days with a packing splint in both nostrils and my mouth did dry out. There was no pain that sticks in my mind, well controlled with meds. I would do it again for the relief that I got from the surgery.

[quietmorning]

I had my deviated septum done before CPAP started. Breathe really well afterwards. It was uncomfortable for 10 days with a packing splint in both nostrils and my mouth did dry out. There was no pain that sticks in my mind, well controlled with meds. I would do it again for the relief that I got from the surgery.

It's so good that the pain isn't absolutely horrendous. I originally broke my nose by tripping on a baseball bleacher - I looked into the mirror once after I broke my nose - it was so swollen, my eyes were just slits, I had no bridge to my nose at all - It scared me so badly that I didn't look into the mirror again for well over a year. My mom had to help me take a look! But grief, I remember the pain. I've broken my back, my neck, my arm, my shoulder and the ball of my foot - but nothing was as painful as that!!