One Tuesday of this week, I had endoscopic sinus surgery (along with a side dish of septoplasty). Until Tuesday morning…i wasn’t sure what my plan was going to be. On the one hand, I’m getting over a bout of pneumonia that I originally got the week of Mothers Day. OTOH…the idea of postponing this even longer didn’t sound like shits and giggles.
So I had me some general anesthesia and some roto-rootering. Upon waking up from my morphine sleep (mmmm morphine) mrs beagledave says that my ENT told her that my sinus innards were in worse shape than the CT scan really indicated. All of my sinuses were infected with a “milky white goo”…and apparently one of my frontal sinuses had polyps in it as well. Oh yeah…since he had his tools all plugged in and stuff, he fixed a deviated septum,
So now I’m in that phase of “recovery” where you feel worse than the thing you’re trying to fix. Lots of drainage of “stuff”. Lot’s of sinus discomfort. Hydrocodone is my nighttime friend…trying to stick with extra strength Tylenol otherwise. Supposedly things will get better over the next few days…and then hopefully improve over my earlier lot in a few weeks.
You can’t get a Rx for Guinness. That’s a damn shame.
Sorry t’hear it, mate. Sounds like you’d have been in sorry shape in any case, though, so be miserable during recovery with the knowledge that this at least, will go away.
I’d say lay off the Guinness while you’re taking the acetominiphin/hydrocodone, but you already know that, yeah?
I’d be genuinely interested in hearing about your progress, Beagledave. I’ve had it suggested that this surgery would be useful for me (I certainly have a deviated septum and regular sinus headaches and my voice is different to what it was when I was younger). But I know a couple of people who’ve had it: one said it wasn’t worth the pain, the other reckoned that the surgery worked for a while, then their old symptoms came back.
So keep us posted.
Good luck, and do a full report after you’ve recovered.
One of my pals way back in junior high had sinus surgery of some sort. He took great delight in calling all of us a few days afterwards to tell us about the yards of bloodsoaked gauze pulled out of his nose like handkerchiefs from a clown’s pocket.
I remember that my famly was eating spaghetti at the time he called.
Well I’m still in the “not a whole lot of fun” stage. I don’t have cotton packing, but there is some sort of plastic stent in each nostril. That gets taken out on Wednesday. The day before surgery I had the beginnings of a nice ear infection …now both ears are pretty well socked in.
Just try to keep reminding myself that this is short term pain for long term gain. I don’t expect this will solve every sinus/nasal problem…but based on the kind of crud that was in there, I’m hoping for some significant improvement.
Oooh Owch. Poor thing. Sounds uncomfortable. I hope you are feeling better real soon. Please please post updates regularly.
I have been told that I could benefit from this procedure (Caldwell-Luc?) too. I have a deviated septum, multiple polyps and chronic sinusitis that sometimes triggers asthma exacerbations.
My sister had this surgery done, and is very happy that she did. However, from her report of it, you aren’t going to believe how long those splints are. :eek:
Mr Deep had this done when the first kid was 6 months old. We figured what with the deductible being all done & stuff, now’s the time! He’d had his nose broken twice, & then set by friends. He was snoring really loudly. Really. & he was doing than no breathing thing at night, apnea, if I’m spelling it right. Now, the pain was really horrible & he had to sleep sitting up for a week or so, but the rinsing with saline was really good for the healing & he found out he had like 3 sinus cavities plugged. His nose now looks very normal, as if it were never broken & he snores, but not nearly as badly. He hated the pain, but it was worth it. He’s also not getting the sinus headaches like he used to.
Best wishes to anyone thinking of doing this!
If you have a choice…you definately do not want to go the Caldwell-Luc way. That is the method used before endoscopic surgery. This picture should dissuade you from a desire to do a Caldwell-Luc. (Do NOT click this link if surgery pics freak you out!!)
The link I provided in the OP shows (via animation) what an endoscopic procedure would be like, in comparison.
I just had my followup appt with the ENT today. He removed the internal stiches and plastic splint (splints look like these nasal splints…total of 2). They seemed over an inch long…I have no idea how they fit up there. He also removed a couple of gel sponges that covered the sinus openings…at about the moment…he had to lean back the chair because I was about to pass out. :eek: It didn’t really hurt per se…but apparently a lot of people have these “vagal” responses to shoving pointy instruments way up your honker
2 pieces of good news: I can blow my nose now. Like my ENT said, you never know what that experience is like until have this kind of surgery…imagine having the worst cold/congestion of your life…but not being allowed to blow your nose.
I can also sleep flat now …woo hoo.
I can breath a bit through my nose…and hopefully things will improve over the next few days and weeks. Actual improvement in sinus symptoms (which led to several problesm including a current ear infection) could take weeks or more.
Wish me luck in the upcoming weeks…I hope this is start of a road to recovery from several different issues.
