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Deviated Septum surgery
Doc
Registered User, ClubPA regular
Registered User, ClubPA regular
Who has had it? I'm thinking about going in for it. I can breathe through my nose okay during the day, though due to the way my sinus is shaped, it's almost only through my right nostril. The problem is that when I sleep, it actually interferes with my breathing. I don't know why it's so much harder to breathe through my nose while asleep.
Those who have had it: how long does it take to recover enough to return to a desk job? Just a weekend? Was it worth it?
Those who have had it: how long does it take to recover enough to return to a desk job? Just a weekend? Was it worth it?
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He also had a desk job.
That's all I know on the matter.
Before the surgery, he couldn't smell or taste anything, as the Polyps built up over his lifetime to the point of stopping smell. Now he can smell and taste, and he doesn't snore as much from what my mother says.
In any case I'd absolutely recommend it. I had at least one sinus infection a year through most of my childhood, and was generally clogged up and had to breathe through my mouth much of the time (which is one reason the pejorative 'mouth-breather' annoys me, but that's another topic). After the surgery I was able to breathe better than I had in years, and even now when the topic occasionally crosses my mind I'll take a deep breath to appreciate how easy it is.
Your case sounds somewhat milder than mine, but I think you'll still find it well worth it to get the surgery done.
Does it feel like something closes? Because I have that and it sucks, but I have no idea what it is. I'll be falling asleep, breathing through my nose just fine, then something will seem to almost close and I'll have to start breathing out of my mouth, or fully come awake. I've been able to try and force it when in that almost asleep stage, and there is something definitely blocking my airway in my nasal region.
Difficulty breathing through your nose while asleep can be cause by enlarged turbinates. Basically, a turbinate is a structure of spongy tissue in the nose that, among other things, can fill up with blood when you sleep and block the nostril. (If you're more likely to feel blockage on the right nostril while laying on your right side, that's a sign of of an enlarged turbinate.)
In my case, when I had my deviated septum corrected, I had my turbinates reduced ("turbinoplasty") at the same time, because both conditions were contributing to restricted airflow. Regarding recovery time, I'm not a good case, because I also had two other surgeries done all during the same session, all for sleep apnea. That said, the turbinate and deviated septum parts of it were pretty much painless afterwards and the only inconvenience is that I had to have a cotton plug in my nose for a week while it healed.
Spoilered for gross:
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
I've talked to my doctor about it, but he wants me to drop some weight and see if the snoring gets better before he looks at surgery, which is annoying.
Though my deviated septum was deviated like whoa
Like, in 2nd grade, a kid smashed my face into a wooden floor, and so I had surgery then and they fixed it and there was some shit going on that I don't know, that basically amounted to come see us when you are done growing so we can fix it again
So since then my nose has been all crooked and inside it was like > that like pretty much like that. Which sucked.
So I got surgery 2 summers ago. I was kind of chilling in bed for a few days, but I went back to work the next week (with a nose cast of course). It was unpleasant having stuff all up in your nose for a while, but after the surgery I've definitely been able to breathe out of my nose easier.
Only real problem is that since the cartilage in my nose had been smooshed for 10 years, it kind of re-bent back into the crooked form, which has been inconvenient, but I still am net better than before.
You know, they did offer to do a little bit of cosmetics while they were at it and I declined but maybe I shoulda.
They told me to not do physical activity for a month, and then no contact sports for a few months after the surgery.
All in all... I dunno. Any questions...?
All that being said, having the surgery was probably one of the best decisions I've made and it dramatically improved my quality of life. But really, go to an ENT and have them evaluate your particular situation to see if surgery is the best option for you, or if a deviated septum is actually even the problem.
The problem is that my medical insurance can suck a cock so I can't really do anything about this yet. But I am interested in seeing how it works for you, if you do it Doc. I've heard nothing but good stories about people doing this so all in all I don't think you should worry about anything.
A co-worker had it and was out of work for about a week. This is definitely not a desk job though. I'm also not sure if it matters how much of a correction they are making (his was epic level deviated septum). He got some pretty sweet drugs.
It's never a good day when a doctor sticks something up your nose; make sure you have a good ENT. I've had two biopsies -- done without any numbing agents -- which hurt like hell, but they were done by one of the best ENTs in the country.
I can't remember ever being able to smell anything, and my taste is terrible. I seriously couldn't smell a garbage bin of vomit if my head was in it.
When I sleep I always breathe through my mouth, and can rarely, even when not sleeping, breathe through my nose.