Anyone have a Deviated Septum fixed?
Discussion
Just been told I have a kink in the Septum and an infection.
Suggestion from the ENT guy I seen today was surgery and cleaning out the sinuses. However I most likely will be going NHS (seen an ENT privately for advice) so might have to wait a while to see an NHS ENT and then get the ball rolling.
So anyone have this done? Thoughts and experiences welcome as i'm super nervous about these things.
Had mine done (NHS) about 10 years ago - into hospital on day 1, op on day 2, home by lunchtime day 3 - that also included some trimming of my uvula (well, actually they cut the bloody thing off but that's another story).
While it wasn't the most pleasant experience in the world (having the finger of a latex glove stuffed with cotton wool up your nose overnight is not wonderful!!) I have had worse experiences. The first week or so post-op was pretty unpleasant - "leakage" when lying down so a towel over your pillow is a must! But, once the swelling went down it was fine - I was just terrified of knocking it (I am a clumsy sod).
Did it work? No not really, I still snore (apparently). Would I have it done again? Probably not.
Hope that helps.
While it wasn't the most pleasant experience in the world (having the finger of a latex glove stuffed with cotton wool up your nose overnight is not wonderful!!) I have had worse experiences. The first week or so post-op was pretty unpleasant - "leakage" when lying down so a towel over your pillow is a must! But, once the swelling went down it was fine - I was just terrified of knocking it (I am a clumsy sod).
Did it work? No not really, I still snore (apparently). Would I have it done again? Probably not.
Hope that helps.
I have one of these - my septum is curved so that it blocks the nose at the top on the left side, and at the bottom on the right side.
Combined with hayfever and allergic rhinitis - it means I've been an annoying, sniffing nose-botherer for years now
I can breathe through my nose after a fashion when it's clear, but I'm well used to breathing through my mouth now after 40 years. There is some evidence that it does cause snoring, which I do, and one ex-girlfriend complained about it enough that I went to an ENT specialist at the NHS like you, and was all set for the op.
Interestingly, he said it is often caused by a blow to the nose whilst you're young - and I distinctly remember when I was 7, falling one day and literally breaking my fall on the pavement with my nose only! Owww! The ENT chap said that this might well have been the cause...
Anyway, pre-op he explained the procedure - basically involved lots of cutting and 'shaving' of the tissue in the nasal cavity. He also solemnly told me that post-op would be misery, with surgical packs in my nostrils for a while to soak up the blood, which required fairly regular changing in out-patients, which would be 'uncomfortable...'
I then split up with the G/F and moved away, so didn't end up doing the op.
Then after meeting my new G/F, it turned out her sister's hubby had had the op as well.
When I asked him about it, he rolled his eyes and said, and I quote 'it was the worst, most hideously painful thing I've ever done, and on balance, not worth it.'
Apparrently, the post-op removal of the bloody surgical packs is the terrifying part - they've congealed and stuck themselves to the inside of the nasal cavity, and are then forcibly removed by a nurse with forceps
I can imagine the misery...
Combined with hayfever and allergic rhinitis - it means I've been an annoying, sniffing nose-botherer for years now
I can breathe through my nose after a fashion when it's clear, but I'm well used to breathing through my mouth now after 40 years. There is some evidence that it does cause snoring, which I do, and one ex-girlfriend complained about it enough that I went to an ENT specialist at the NHS like you, and was all set for the op.
Interestingly, he said it is often caused by a blow to the nose whilst you're young - and I distinctly remember when I was 7, falling one day and literally breaking my fall on the pavement with my nose only! Owww! The ENT chap said that this might well have been the cause...
Anyway, pre-op he explained the procedure - basically involved lots of cutting and 'shaving' of the tissue in the nasal cavity. He also solemnly told me that post-op would be misery, with surgical packs in my nostrils for a while to soak up the blood, which required fairly regular changing in out-patients, which would be 'uncomfortable...'
I then split up with the G/F and moved away, so didn't end up doing the op.
Then after meeting my new G/F, it turned out her sister's hubby had had the op as well.
When I asked him about it, he rolled his eyes and said, and I quote 'it was the worst, most hideously painful thing I've ever done, and on balance, not worth it.'
Apparrently, the post-op removal of the bloody surgical packs is the terrifying part - they've congealed and stuck themselves to the inside of the nasal cavity, and are then forcibly removed by a nurse with forceps
I can imagine the misery...
tin myself now.Hi.
The deviated septum part of the surgery is fairly minor, and a very standard procedure.
I would however think very carefully before having any sinus surgery. I have been training surgeons in using the minimally invasive balloon sinuplasty technology for 5 years in the UK, it is slowly replacing the traditional surgery that requires post op nasal packing.
Balloon Sinuplasty is infinitely safer* and less traumatic, recovery is much quicker and results are better. For further reading,
www.balloonsinuplasty.com (the uk based www.balloonsinuplasty.co.uk is having a makeover)
http://www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/live/11899/42156/...
Steve
The deviated septum part of the surgery is fairly minor, and a very standard procedure.
I would however think very carefully before having any sinus surgery. I have been training surgeons in using the minimally invasive balloon sinuplasty technology for 5 years in the UK, it is slowly replacing the traditional surgery that requires post op nasal packing.
Balloon Sinuplasty is infinitely safer* and less traumatic, recovery is much quicker and results are better. For further reading,
www.balloonsinuplasty.com (the uk based www.balloonsinuplasty.co.uk is having a makeover)
http://www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/live/11899/42156/...
- no adverse events directly caused by the technology in over 250,000 patients treated worldwide
Steve
Ray Luxury-Yacht said:
Apparrently, the post-op removal of the bloody surgical packs is the terrifying part - they've congealed and stuck themselves to the inside of the nasal cavity, and are then forcibly removed by a nurse with forceps
I can imagine the misery...
This! I had the op done in my early teens, as said, no issues with the op but when the nurse proceeded to pull a mile or so of bandage out of each nostril, most of which seemed to be connected to my brain with snot and blood my opinion changed. I don't want to think about having such treatment now with my manly nose hair in full bloom!! I can imagine the misery...
That balloon options sounds good.
I had it done privately in December. I had been suffering from a severely blocked nose for a while, was referred to an ENT specialist, had an endoscopy & a CT scan and was diagnosed with nasal polyps and a deviated and perforated septum. He also told me that it can be caused by a blow - I have horses and have collided heads with them on more than one occasion in the past so that was perfectly feasible.
This was my first general anaesthetic & first surgery so I was terrified to put it midly. The op apparently took just over an hour and I came round feeling absolutely fine, just a little uncomfortable and with a sore throat. I ate that evening and managed to sleep fairly well, there was a little bleeding but I had what looked very much like a tampon taped under my nose to catch this.
Still felt ok the next day, had breakfast and a lovely lunch and was allowed home that afternoon.
Then it hit me ...............
For the next 5 days I felt as rough as I had ever felt - I broke my neck 2 years ago in a car accident and it felt worse than that! I would wake up at night feeling like someone had stabbed me in the side of the face. Once this had passed it got much better. I was fortunate not to have had the packing, my surgeon said he would always try to avoid it where at all possible, he apparently used dissolvable sponges and cocaine to help stem the bleeding!
It was a great relief after 8 or so days to finally be able to blow my nose - I did do it ultra carefully though - not sure what I thought might happen!
2 months down the line, it was totally worth it, I can now breathe through my nose, I don't sound like I've got a permanent cold and I can smell and taste properly again. However, if I ever did have to go through it again I would most definitely have it done in the summer, my nose is still objecting to the cold although not too badly now.
This was my first general anaesthetic & first surgery so I was terrified to put it midly. The op apparently took just over an hour and I came round feeling absolutely fine, just a little uncomfortable and with a sore throat. I ate that evening and managed to sleep fairly well, there was a little bleeding but I had what looked very much like a tampon taped under my nose to catch this.
Still felt ok the next day, had breakfast and a lovely lunch and was allowed home that afternoon.
Then it hit me ...............
For the next 5 days I felt as rough as I had ever felt - I broke my neck 2 years ago in a car accident and it felt worse than that! I would wake up at night feeling like someone had stabbed me in the side of the face. Once this had passed it got much better. I was fortunate not to have had the packing, my surgeon said he would always try to avoid it where at all possible, he apparently used dissolvable sponges and cocaine to help stem the bleeding!
It was a great relief after 8 or so days to finally be able to blow my nose - I did do it ultra carefully though - not sure what I thought might happen!
2 months down the line, it was totally worth it, I can now breathe through my nose, I don't sound like I've got a permanent cold and I can smell and taste properly again. However, if I ever did have to go through it again I would most definitely have it done in the summer, my nose is still objecting to the cold although not too badly now.
.steveT350C said:
Hi.
The deviated septum part of the surgery is fairly minor, and a very standard procedure.
I would however think very carefully before having any sinus surgery. I have been training surgeons in using the minimally invasive balloon sinuplasty technology for 5 years in the UK, it is slowly replacing the traditional surgery that requires post op nasal packing.
Balloon Sinuplasty is infinitely safer* and less traumatic, recovery is much quicker and results are better. For further reading,
www.balloonsinuplasty.com (the uk based www.balloonsinuplasty.co.uk is having a makeover)
http://www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/live/11899/42156/...
Steve
Not sure this forum is the best place to be promoting your product, particularly with unsubstantiable claims that Balloon Sinusplasty is 'infinitely safer'. I'm fairly certain the ABHI like product claims to be fair, accurate and balanced. Play fair with the public, biased claims give the whole industry a bad name.The deviated septum part of the surgery is fairly minor, and a very standard procedure.
I would however think very carefully before having any sinus surgery. I have been training surgeons in using the minimally invasive balloon sinuplasty technology for 5 years in the UK, it is slowly replacing the traditional surgery that requires post op nasal packing.
Balloon Sinuplasty is infinitely safer* and less traumatic, recovery is much quicker and results are better. For further reading,
www.balloonsinuplasty.com (the uk based www.balloonsinuplasty.co.uk is having a makeover)
http://www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/live/11899/42156/...
- no adverse events directly caused by the technology in over 250,000 patients treated worldwide
Steve
To SiH,
You are absolutely right.
I was referring to the procedure 'balloon sinuplasty' and not a particular product. There are 3 companies that I am aware of that produce medical devices that are licensed for the balloon sinuplasty procedure.
The procedure is approved by The National Institute of Clinical Excellence here
http://publications.nice.org.uk/balloon-catheter-d...
Traditional FESS has no NICE approval.
The use of the word 'infinitely' is wrong, and I would like to apologise for using it.
I will be posting 'exactly how much safer' as soon as I have read through 'MAUDE' data and compared with traditional FESS.
You are absolutely right.
I was referring to the procedure 'balloon sinuplasty' and not a particular product. There are 3 companies that I am aware of that produce medical devices that are licensed for the balloon sinuplasty procedure.
The procedure is approved by The National Institute of Clinical Excellence here
http://publications.nice.org.uk/balloon-catheter-d...
Traditional FESS has no NICE approval.
The use of the word 'infinitely' is wrong, and I would like to apologise for using it.
I will be posting 'exactly how much safer' as soon as I have read through 'MAUDE' data and compared with traditional FESS.
steveT350C said:
To SiH,
You are absolutely right.
I was referring to the procedure 'balloon sinuplasty' and not a particular product. There are 3 companies that I am aware of that produce medical devices that are licensed for the balloon sinuplasty procedure.
The procedure is approved by The National Institute of Clinical Excellence here
http://publications.nice.org.uk/balloon-catheter-d...
Traditional FESS has no NICE approval.
The use of the word 'infinitely' is wrong, and I would like to apologise for using it.
I will be posting 'exactly how much safer' as soon as I have read through 'MAUDE' data and compared with traditional FESS.
Hi Steve, sorry if I came across in a somewhat boorish, overly officious manner. I'm certainly not about to pull your pants down in front of the ABHI, I work over in the proper side of healthcare products (pharma, none of this devices nonsense! You are absolutely right.
I was referring to the procedure 'balloon sinuplasty' and not a particular product. There are 3 companies that I am aware of that produce medical devices that are licensed for the balloon sinuplasty procedure.
The procedure is approved by The National Institute of Clinical Excellence here
http://publications.nice.org.uk/balloon-catheter-d...
Traditional FESS has no NICE approval.
The use of the word 'infinitely' is wrong, and I would like to apologise for using it.
I will be posting 'exactly how much safer' as soon as I have read through 'MAUDE' data and compared with traditional FESS.
) and am dealing with several complaints at the moment which are a massive ball-ache. While I'm benign there are certainly a few arses out there that would be a little more aggressive when it comes to raising issues so I wouldn't want you to get stung by them, hence the suggestion about using more balanced language. Additionally as it happens my wife is an ENT surgeon and has come across your system. She tells me it's pretty operator dependent (I guess there's always a learning curve with new techniques) but she also tells me that in the hands of someone who's used to it it works very well. She's an otologist so doesn't use it herself but if she gives it the thumbs up it must be good! (She works under her maiden name by the way
)Perhaps I need to get into devices, I miss my TVR!
Hi SiH
No need to apologise.
You do made a very valid point and certainly made me stop and think about what I am posting here, which is definitely a good thing!
I have been selling surgical equipment all my working life, including working for Karl Storz for about 10 years (your wife will certainly have heard of them too). I am 4th generation of my family doing this, so take it seriously, a lot to live up to!
I joined my current company 4 1/2 years ago and the training I revceived is vastly superior to anything I had received previously. All our sales people are taught to perform both the traditional procedure and the new balloon technology on fresh frozen cadavers before we start interacting with surgeons.
In addition to training surgeons to use the technology, also on cadavers, we will be present with them during at least their first 10 cases.
The safety profile of the technology is very impressive, but referring back to my original post, using the word 'infinitely' was rather silly!
The ABHI is something I have only recently been made aware of, and, funnily enough will be attending training for shortly. It's odd how my job has been relatively unregulated where as pharma sales has had the ABPI for years.
On a lighter note, we have a very exciting new technology for otologists that should be launched in the UK this time next year, so I may well be speaking with your other half. I will be after her name in due course!
Steve
what TVR did you have?
No need to apologise.
You do made a very valid point and certainly made me stop and think about what I am posting here, which is definitely a good thing!
I have been selling surgical equipment all my working life, including working for Karl Storz for about 10 years (your wife will certainly have heard of them too). I am 4th generation of my family doing this, so take it seriously, a lot to live up to!
I joined my current company 4 1/2 years ago and the training I revceived is vastly superior to anything I had received previously. All our sales people are taught to perform both the traditional procedure and the new balloon technology on fresh frozen cadavers before we start interacting with surgeons.
In addition to training surgeons to use the technology, also on cadavers, we will be present with them during at least their first 10 cases.
The safety profile of the technology is very impressive, but referring back to my original post, using the word 'infinitely' was rather silly!
The ABHI is something I have only recently been made aware of, and, funnily enough will be attending training for shortly. It's odd how my job has been relatively unregulated where as pharma sales has had the ABPI for years.
On a lighter note, we have a very exciting new technology for otologists that should be launched in the UK this time next year, so I may well be speaking with your other half. I will be after her name in due course!
Steve
what TVR did you have?
Edited by steveT350C on Tuesday 19th February 22:05
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