Anyone have sinus surgey?

[heytootsy]

DH has to have surgery on his nasal sinus (I am telling everyone he is having a nose job...) and he is a nervous wreck. He hasn't been able to breath out of his nose for years, and has severe headaches from it.

So, has anyone had surgery like this? How bad was it, and did it help?

[etwahl]

i had it about 10 years ago. it was the BEST thing i ever did....seriously. it changed my life. i suffered from chronic sinusitus for an entire year, and prior to that, typically got a head cold about once a month. and they would last forever. so it seemed i was always sick. could never breath, headaches all the time, just horrible. oh, and i was seriously addicted to nose spray. i couldn't function without the stuff - ALL THE TIME.

then i had the surgery. yes, the recovery was a little icky. i stayed home for 3-4 days if i recall, maybe a week. taking out the gauze after a couple days was pretty bloody and felt really weird (sorry if tmi) but it was like one never-ending rope coming out of my nose. ick! i was stuffed up for a while and couldn't blow my nose for a while, but once the reoovery period was up, wow!!!

since then i've been like a new person. i don't often get colds anymore, and when i do, they go away fairly quickly. i don't use much in terms of medication (certainly nothing while pregnant or nursing).

i did start having more allergy symptoms about 6 years ago (post nasal drip) but taking allergy pills helped. i stopped taking meds when i got pregnant, am still nursing so don't take any, and the allergies aren't that bad. my doctor thinks the hormones are helping me?

anyway, it will change his life. NO KIDDING. i used to be afraid of anyone who was sick, becuase i knew i'd get it and that it would last forever. i'm a much healthier person in general now. it's kind of amazing really.

one of my big problems, i believe, is that i grew up in a house where there was a lot of smoking. and then when i went to college, i was always in restaurants or bars that had lots of smoking. so i was always around it. and i was sickly from when i was a little girl. over time, it just got progressively worse, and i firmly believe it was the smoke. that is why i refuse to let smoking around my dd who is already on zyrtec.

please keep us informed how it went and about his recovery (or just email me, because i'd love to know!) it will be fine, and will change his life for the better.

i know someday i may have to get it again (some who are prone will someday maybe have to get it) although since i am never around smoke, i may not. who knows.

Tammy,
Mom to Lauren Genevieve
03/12/2003
www.evantammy.com

[missym]

I had the surgery as a kid, and am considering having it again sometime in the next few years. I agree with Tammy... it's yucky but completely worth it.

Missy, mom to Gwen 03/03

[LisaMom2Allie]

I had a Rhino-Septoplasty(cosmetic and functional) and the recovery was absolutely awful. The packing is the probably the worst part they actually use nasal tampons and I had a cast as well(cosmetic part) He will survive though and it really does help most people. I say most because I used to work in an ENT office and some people may still have some problems later on. It is like everything else-everyone is different but I would do it again.

Just tell him to suck it up and take the pain pills-they are not BAD and they do help. So many people would try not to take them and then end up in really bad shape so just take the pills and sleep your way through your recovery. It will be better for both of you! Especially you.

I don't know exactly which procedure that he is having done-there are so many ranging from a Septoplasty to Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery and more but many times people tend to get nauseus from this type of surgery and it is TERRIBLE is you have to throw up while packed. Since there is so much blood that drains into an empty stomach from the surgery if he is the type that gets queasy at all you might want to have some Phenegren or Tigan on hand(suppository is probably best) I hope that this is not an issue for you guys but from my personal experience and from working around this sort of thing for many years it is possible and I just wanted you to be aware. I don't want to scare you off just give you some of the nitty gritty details.

If you have any other questions please feel free to ask.

Lisa
Mom to Allie Nicole
3-10-03

[kwc]

Hmm... don't know the details of what procedure it was (septostomy or something, also removed polyps and shaved down the turbinates?), but my uncle (age 50) just had sinus surgery and he also said it changed his life... he started emailing me a week after he had it and says he doesn't think he has ever slept this well in his life (had not really been able to breathe out of his nose in about 30 years). He also did not tell my anxious 90 year old grandparents that he was having the surgery but returned to their house on post-op day 5 from his "business trip" and they didn't notice a thing in his appearance.

Good luck to your DH!

[etwahl]

i don't know the specific name for mine, but mine was purely functional (nothing cosmetic) so the recoveries for the two i'm sure are very different. i did want to say that i did throw up after waking from surgery. i have a very sensitive stomach and was throwing up and kept saying i couldn't breath (because i could only breath from my mouth) but the woman said "breath from your mouth"...it was very confusing because i was still so groggy, didn't have my contacts or glasses in, and could barely see. i ended up throwing up in a bowl-thing all the way home. felt like motion sickness. i've heard you can ask them to give you some anti-nausea medicine when they put you under?

i don't remember having any pain medication, but i could be wrong.

Tammy,
Mom to Lauren Genevieve
03/12/2003
www.evantammy.com

[heytootsy]

Thanks so much for all the info. I am going to let DH read these so he knows what to expect. He was trying to talk himself out of the surgery for fear of it not working, so it is good to hear so many positive experiences. I will let you know how it goes. His surgery is on May 12.

[mama2g03]

>I had a Rhino-Septoplasty(cosmetic and functional) and the
>recovery was absolutely awful. The packing is the probably
>the worst part they actually use nasal tampons and I had a
>cast as well(cosmetic part)


I also had this same procedure done when I was 18 and ITA. I am 34 now and pulling that packing out was absolutely the worst pain I've experienced in my life - yes, it absolutely tops the drug free delivery of my ds. You may not want to mention that to your dh. However, after that awful part, the recovery was all downhill from there. I do remember a lot of blood drainage, but I didn't get nauseous from that. I also recommend taking the pain pills - that's what they're for and sleeping through it will make it much more bearable. I would say after the first two days you're past the worst of it. I didn't even bruise all that much considering what was done. Also, even with the pain, I am glad I did it and don't regret it. Good luck to you both.