Nasal septum surgery: sinus issues

[PB]

Surgery for deviated nasal septum causing sinus fungal ball issues tomorrow. Any words of wisdom, experiences?
Surgeon makes it sound pretty benign: 1-1.5 hours under general, walk around for a week with a string hanging out of my nose (Hellooooooo Ladies!) attached to a sponge. Any input appreciated, hysterical or otherwise.

[old goat]

Broke my nose playing hockey. The doc straightened it, packed my nose with stuff to keep the septum straight and stop the bleeding, then put me on a 4 hour bus ride home from college. I've rarely been so miserable. I wound up pulling out the packing which felt a whole lot better although I bled some. As far as I know the septum stayed straight. Sorry if you thought you were going to get helpful advice.

Actually, I do have advice. Get some pain medicine. I didn't even have an aspirin.

[Skistack]

My wife had it done and was miserable. IIRC, her nose was packed w/ gauze. Drugs help, duh.


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[Vt-Freeheel]

[PB]

Well hell; I feel short changed. No packing - just a mini-sponge to keep the new septum hole from scaring over and some gauze taped below my nostrils to catch the blood. Fungal balls scoured out, faster than usual bounce back from the anesthesia, no pain whatsoever ..... and then the path report shows possible nasty, bone/brain eating fungus, so more tests.

[BCMtnHound]

Broke my nose one evening. That origin story for another thread. About a year later, while in the big city in school, went to see the nose specialist as the break, which healed crooked, was exacerbating my already overactive sinuses and making breathing through the nose very difficult. Said he could fix the interior passages and make my breathing easier, but the exterior was cosmetic and not covered by socialist medicare. Alright, set it up and under the knife I went. General anesthesia. Woke up with a pounding headache and a nose filled with packing, was offered demerol, which was gratefully accepted. Wake up even later, nurse came in and said it was time to remove the packing. She started pulling out the gauze, what seemed like yards of it. Felt like each mm of gauze was attached to my brain as she yarded it out. Both nostrils - a very unpleasant feeling to put it mildly. Gauze followed by what looked like the finger end of a glove, followed by very large bloodsnot. Was told to take it easy for a few days, no heavy activity, stay indoors (winter in Edmonton so around -30C during the day).
Rested one day, got on the team bus and up north a few hours to Lac La Biche for a xc race with the college xc race team. Placed 5th in the 10k freestyle. A few bloodsnot rockets along the course, but otherwise no issues. Best surgery for my nasal breathing ever. Still got a crooked beak though. Sinuses still a pain too, but that's the cards we are dealt.

[old goat]

Well hell; I feel short changed. No packing - just a mini-sponge to keep the new septum hole from scaring over and some gauze taped below my nostrils to catch the blood. Fungal balls scoured out, faster than usual bounce back from the anesthesia, no pain whatsoever ..... and then the path report shows possible nasty, bone/brain eating fungus, so more tests.

glad you had an easy time of it. glad they've made progress in ENT surgery since 1969. sorry to hear about the fungus situation, but it sounds like they dealt with that in time. Are they talking about possible anti-fungal drugs? More surgery? Not a situation I know anything about. Certainly doesn't sound like the fungus has eaten your brain.

[PB]

Still waiting for a definitive diagnosis on the fungal ID. All circumstantial evidence says it shouldn't be there: Been bothering me for long enough for any serious fungal erosion to be obvious during the surgery, unless it's just getting started secondary to the fungal ball issue. Sincerely hope fungal drugs are not in my future - nasty shit.

Turns out I didn't get through the surgery Scott free - the intubation was done ..... sloppily. High and wide right - gouged my throat good, may be infected.

[old goat]

Still waiting for a definitive diagnosis on the fungal ID. All circumstantial evidence says it shouldn't be there: Been bothering me for long enough for any serious fungal erosion to be obvious during the surgery, unless it's just getting started secondary to the fungal ball issue. Sincerely hope fungal drugs are not in my future - nasty shit.

Turns out I didn't get through the surgery Scott free - the intubation was done ..... sloppily. High and wide right - gouged my throat good, may be infected.

Nasty shit indeed. As one of my professors used to say "Amphotericin B is mud". I don't know if they still use that one but I'm sure the newer ones aren't much better. After all, fungi are good at killing bacteria--that's where most antibiotics come from--so think what it must take to kill fungi.

High and wide right? Different anesthesiologists have different strike zones. Best of luck getting over that.

[Dantheman]

Bone-eating fungus, holy shit. Good thing you had the surgery when you did. If you get past that part OK I'd imagine you'll see some significant QOL improvements. Chronic sinus issues are way more serious than we give them credit for.

[Gepeto]

gargling with novicane jelly... ahh, the good times

[PB]

Sponge pulled, 100 mls of bloody goo suctioned out (very eye watering, most painful part of the entire procedure. So far), and surgeon says initial path reading was bogus so no bone/brain munching fungus. Still blowing/flushing out bloody boogers, and expect to continue for another week+.

[old goat]

Sponge pulled, 100 mls of bloody goo suctioned out (very eye watering, most painful part of the entire procedure. So far), and surgeon says initial path reading was bogus so no bone/brain munching fungus. Still blowing/flushing out bloody boogers, and expect to continue for another week+.

Save the bloody booger blowing for when you're in public. Glad to hear about the path.

[powbmps]

My sinus surgery story:

Several years ago I drove my face into a stump falling off my bike. At the time the focus was on my neck, so the crooked nose was not a concern. A few years of worsening allergies and eventual sinus disease diagnosis, as well as super-sucky trigeminal nerve issues (after numerous tests, cat scan, mri, blah, blah) led to realization that the broken nose jammed my septum through the wall of my sinus cavity. Air was not taking the correct path through my face, which led to all sorts of problems.

The packing in both nostrils sucked, but it was flexible plastic tubes, not gauze. Sure was a relief when they were pulled out a week later. Good thing you don't see them going in, because they don't look like they would ever fit. Subsequent follow up nose rapings with a camera on a stick paved the way for pain-free covid tests.

No point to my story, but I feel your pain. Glad to hear your brain is not being eaten!

[PB]

Thanks fo all the support, guys, and tolerance of my silly hysteria.

[NW_SKIER]

Wishing I would've never checked in this thread. I will eventually need to get my nose fixed after multiple breaks in a 6 month span and these details make me cringe at the thought of the impending misery.

[Dantheman]

Wishing I would've never checked in this thread. I will eventually need to get my nose fixed after multiple breaks in a 6 month span and these details make me cringe at the thought of the impending misery.

Trust me, it will be worth it. The importance of healthy sinuses and nasal breathing cannot be overstated. I've plugged this book multiple times in other threads, but if you read it you'll understand why: https://www.amazon.com/Breath-New-Sc...dp/0735213615/

[detrusor]

Dude, as an anesthesiologist I’m sorry for the fucked up the be placement. Shouldn’t really happen unless you are a really big guy or anatomically weird.

It’s worth reaching out to the provider and giving the feedback


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[NW_SKIER]

Trust me, it will be worth it. The importance of healthy sinuses and nasal breathing cannot be overstated. I've plugged this book multiple times in other threads, but if you read it you'll understand why: https://www.amazon.com/Breath-New-Sc...dp/0735213615/

I'll check that out. Thanks.

[PB]

Oh, feedback was indeed provided ..... firmly but tactfully.

NW: most of my whining hysteria was psychological. Never even thought about using my pain meds.

[old goat]

Wishing I would've never checked in this thread. I will eventually need to get my nose fixed after multiple breaks in a 6 month span and these details make me cringe at the thought of the impending misery.

Maybe wait until you're done breaking your nose? Like a dinged windshield ya know.

[NW_SKIER]

Maybe wait until you're done breaking your nose? Like a dinged windshield ya know.

I don't get punched in the face anymore for exercise, so I think I'm on the right track. Been years since the last break.

I breathe out of one nostril only and I have near constant irritation and/or scabs on my septum wall in that side. It's pretty annoying on a bad day when congested.

My wife says my breathing sounds labored at all times. She's not wrong. I'm just used to the suck it seems.

[Dantheman]

I breathe out of one nostril only and I have near constant irritation and/or scabs on my septum wall in that side. It's pretty annoying on a bad day when congested.

My wife says my breathing sounds labored at all times. She's not wrong. I'm just used to the suck it seems.

That's rough. Definitely get this dealt with ASAP.

[PB]

Really; you're already experiencing stuff that's almost as bad as the surgery. Do it.

[old goat]

I don't get punched in the face anymore for exercise, so I think I'm on the right track. Been years since the last break.

I breathe out of one nostril only and I have near constant irritation and/or scabs on my septum wall in that side. It's pretty annoying on a bad day when congested.

My wife says my breathing sounds labored at all times. She's not wrong. I'm just used to the suck it seems.

Yeah, get it done before your wife breaks your nose.