I’m in trouble. All my life I’ve suffered from a deviated septum, which causes nasal breathing difficulty and excessive mouth breathing. I’m going in tomorrow at noon, and the procedure is scheduled for 1PM.
But it seems to me it’s basically like geting the delicate bones of my nose broken. What am I in for? How painful is it? Can any of my fellow Dopers reassure me? 'Cause I’m not even allowed to drink wine tonight to calm the nerves.
My sister had this done after too many elbows to the nose in basketball. She’s quite a tough girl, not one to complain especially if she’s set her mind to something. That said, it was obvious she was in a good bit of pain for a couple of days. Not bad enough to cry, but she wasn’t comfortable no matter her position, meds, etc. By the third day she had a lovely set of black eyes developing nicely, was fairly swollen, and a bit sick to her stomach from everything draining, but didn’t hurt nearly as much. Now she wishes she’d done it years sooner, since she can actually get a good night’s sleep, doesn’t have to breathe through her mouth exclusively, etc. Her advice for the first couple of weeks? Try not to sneeze.
I hope this doesn’t freak you out, but I remember she said it wasn’t horrible pain, especially when you keep up with your meds. Good luck and here’s to breathing freely!
First, let me say that I have not had the specific operation you’re talking about, BUT, I did have to have several largish chunks of the inside of my poor nose removed last year for basically the same reason. (All together now: “EWWW!”)
At first it truly didn’t hurt - my nose was packed with some sort of gel stuff for 24 hours, and that was miserable because you can’t swallow and breathe at the same time. The doctor removed the gel the next day, and though it felt “gooey” to me, when she pulled it out it was solid as a rock and needed rather a hefty pull to remove it. I had exactly three seconds of OHMYGAWDOUCH! pain, and then nothing. No pain at all, then or since. The worst part was the “not being able to swallow my own spit” part, though.
I wish you luck at least that good!
I know the worry you’re through javaman. I’m going in for a cardiac catheterization test tomorrow (less than 12 hours from now I’ll have a wire with a camera attached at the end running from my groin to my heart) and depending on what they find I could be getting angioplasty or a bypass (or nothing - hopefully). A previous P.E.T. scan of my heart showed results “indicitive of a previous myocardial infarction” (to quote the cardiologist). I’ve always worried about having “the big one” as they run in the family and it seems I may have had one without even knowing it.
The thing that I’m really happy about (said in a sarcastic tone) is that I just turned 31. I’m beginning to think I’ve made a fine mess out of my life in the short time I’ve had it. 
Thanks everyone for responding. I’m about to leave the house now.
I have a better idea now of what people go through when they are nervous about flying, but have to do it anyway.
I probably missed you, so I hope everything worked out.
I had septoplasty about a year and a half ago. Basically, they remove part of the bone that separates the two nasal passages (but leave the cartilege in place).
It hurt, but the medication helped that a lot. It was more of a dull throb for a few days. The worst part was the blood/mucuos that drained out of my nose for two days - had to keep a big gauze pad over my nostrils to catch it, which had to be replaced every few hours. And it was a week before I could blow my nose – gently.
The operation made a pretty big difference in my ability to breathe but wasn’t as successful as we hoped. Even though the crooked bone was removed, the cartilege is still warped, so I still have a little bit of blockage.
I hope all turned out well for you today javaman.
As for me my tests showed everything was fine so I was quite relieved, in spite of having to go through the procedure and lay in a bed on my back for 6 hours (very uncomfortable for me to do) to make sure the whole in my artery closed properly.
Glad to hear of the good news, Fredge.
When i had mine done it was the same as it was for skammer.
I hope your procedure has gone/is going well. I frequent sleep disorders lists and often people have this procedure done to correct nasal problems so they can better use CPAP (machine used to treat sleep apnea). Many talk about it being painful but the pain will be over and done with in a few days and hopefully it will be more than worth it.
Good luck
Thanks CrankyAsAnOldMan. I was glad to hear the doctor say it too.