Undeviated Septum
June 30th, 2006
Last month I mentioned how I was diagnosed with a deviated septum. Well, on Wednesday I underwent surgery to correct this.
Nothing exciting about before the surgery–it is an out-patient procedure that takes less than an hour. No eating or drinking after midnight prior to surgery. A little general anesthesia, and then you wake up thinking you were just in a bar fight. You are groggy from the drugs, your nose burns, and a hammock of gauze is strung up between your ears to catch the drips of blood that seem to never stop. Whose idea was this again?
I was sent home with antibiotics to ward off any infection and Tylenol with codeine to deal with the pain from what was described as “chiseling”. No one used this word prior to surgery. I did not opt for any cosmetic enhancement of my schnoz, so there was not much external change except a bit of swelling. No black eyes or bandages — just a bloody gob of gauze strung up under my dripping nostrils.
I was anxious to try out my new nose–breathing wise, but alas some “packing” is kept in for a day to control the bleeding. It was hard to sleep propped up, in pain, and only able to suck air in through my mouth.
The next day, the dripping blood had nearly stopped. Time to go back to the doctor so he could remove the packing and restart the dripping of blood. At this point the pain was diminishing, but my ears were hurting from having the gauze harness strung between them.
The second night brought no better sleep, but much less pain. I ditched the gauze and now just walk around with a tissue stuck up my nose. And evidently there are still splints stuck up in my nose to be taken out six days after surgery. I can already feel that my breathing will be better, but there is still some healing to do before I think about trying too hard.
(Nasal Splints)
Other restrictions I need to worry about:
- No blowing my nose for two weeks
- No swimming for a month
- No vigorous activity for two weeks
All-in-all, it is a painful and bloody procedure. However, if my breathing is improved it will be well worth it… and I would recommend it for a friend.
Entry Filed under: Health
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11 Comments Add your own
1. DL Belcher | December 20th, 2007 at 9:32 pm
Hey, found this article looking for an image of the nasal splints they put in after septoplasty. I just had mine removed today and I couldn’t believe how large they were. Sorry yours ended up being painful. This whole week I haven’t really had any pain from my procedure (and mine was severely deviated). IF you don’t count my doctor being in a bit of a rush to take out the gonzo splints, eek.,
2. Tyler | April 12th, 2008 at 6:03 pm
Hey,
I just had this procedure done two days ago, low pain and blood loss has stopped. I agree the hardest part is trying to sleep at night and talking for long periods of time. I do have a question for you. When they removed the spilnts, did they have to numb you or did they just pull them out?
3. Greg Renza | April 12th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
Removal of the splints is very simple. No anesthetic at all. Just a quick snip of stitch that holds them in place and they come out. Don’t be surprised if you start bleeding a little again. And be sure to keep your nasal passage irrigated well for some time.
4. leslie | November 5th, 2008 at 1:13 am
Hey there just reading about your story. Goodness i just had surgery a week and a day ago and had my splints removed today, it was very painful. I think the removal of the splints is the worst part of everything besides getting used to breathing through your mouth. I gotta say ppl who undergo this surgery are brave!! having a paper dry tongue isn’t exactly my thing. Good Luck to all !!
5. Rod | December 9th, 2008 at 12:15 am
I’m having my splints out tomorrow and I cant say it is a moment too soon. This whole surgery has been painful and very disruptive of normal life. If it stops my chronic sinus infections and makes breathing easier perhaps it will be worth it in the end. As of now, I can tell you all that I will never have another procedure like this again. I have been unfortunate enough to have passed a kidney stone and I would rank the pain of the sinus procedure right up there with the kidney stone. Be sure a septoplasty and sinus procedure will be worth while before agreeing to undergo the surgery.
6. Sonia andreacchi | February 18th, 2009 at 5:54 pm
I have a mild deviated septum it doesn’t really cause me any breathing problems but i feel my nose looks crooked will the septoplasty make my nose look symmetrical and will it change the shape of my nose??? if so how, it will make the side that is smaller wider an the side that is wider small and the ball will fall right in the middle instead of to the side???
7. Cody | February 19th, 2010 at 3:32 pm
Howdie. I had mine done yesterday. First off, the procedure doesn’t change the shape of your nose, at all. It didn’t mine anyways. You aren’t getting a nose job, just the septum in the middle straightened. I am having no trouble at all out of it. I had my septum undeviated, all of that stuff cleaned out in there, and tubes in my ears put in. Right after the surgery I went to the olive garden with my wife and mother to eat. I was feeling pretty good then. I walked around Target afterwards to get my hydro’s filled (they gave me 59 pills, which I think is a bit substantial, but they are only 5mg. they don’t do much at all.) I washed the piss out of my nose with the nasal spray, if I had a clot come out, which I had quite a few big yucky ones, I made sure to get it all out.
The nurses said that I would be hurting quite a bit afterwards and a week following. I am not at all. My nose just feels like I had salt water up it, just stings a little. Honestly, I am starting to wonder if they even did anything. I guess I am just used to it. I have suffered from chronic sinusitis my entire life. My EX, and I say EX, family doctor had been looking up my nose for 18 years of my life. I am 20 years old. He had NEVER noticed my septum being deviated. He looked up my nose every visit and was like. “yep, it’s swollen.” Then he would prescribe me some nasal spray, antibiotics, and allergy med. I switched doctors due to my new insurance. On my first visit to my new doctor because of another sinus infection, he began listing off medications I could take for it, and i said i had already taken and didn’t help to all of them. I told him that if i was ever kidnapped, my mouth taped, I would seriously die. I told him that the nasal sprays do not work at all because they don’t go up there. He then asked me, “Have you ever been to an allergist?” I said no, puzzled. My previous doctor of 18 years had never thought of this? He was too proud to refer me to another doctor. I went to the allergist, after a glance up my nose he was like, “yeap, it’s significantly deviated.” they did a allergy test on me and guess what it came back as? I WASN’T ALLERGIC TO NOTHING they commonly test for. the deviated septum was hindering my drainage, and causing sinus infections. I went to an ENT afterwards and they set up my surgery. The ENT did hearing tests on me too. My hearing in my left ear is significantly lower than my right. He said my hearing loss was substantial for a 20 year old. I had to have tubes put in my ears because of excess fluid in my ears. I can hear better already.
I have been plagued with chronic sinusitis and headaches my entire life. I am fixed now. My surgeon did awesome for me not to be hurting, have any swelling, or bleeding after the first day. His name is Dr. Leonard Brown, he practices out of Knoxville, Tennessee. He has done over 5k of these surgeries. He said none of the doctors in this area had even came close to half of the amount he has done. I had a really good experience with Baptist West. Great hospital.
8. karen | November 19th, 2010 at 12:33 pm
I found this site by searching for “nose splint images”–I had the surgery last Wednesday and the splints came out today. I had no idea they would be so HUGE!
9. Nell | November 24th, 2010 at 12:05 pm
My first surgery was done 1/5/2005, UPPP, for a Deviated Septum and to stop snoring. OMG major surgery took out tonsils, broke my nose, probed my tongue to make smaller took out the dangly thing in the back of throat along with exess tissue on top of mouth pallet, stitch it up…. 3 weeks to recover, on liquid vicodine. Told me I would never need another surgery. Doctor said, come see me in 5 years.
On 11/3/2010, I had my second surgery. He called this one a “Tune Up”… this surgery went exactly like the main writer’s story, except my front teeth hurt when I woke up. Doctor took out the splints two days after surgery I was bleeding for two weeks with muscus clots coming out. Did the “Neil-Med” salt & water, bottled nose rinse everyday. My taste is not back… and no longer like meat. I only crave fruits and veggies. I am not skinny (big meat lover) so I am starting to get scared that the nose surgery changed my pallet for life. I use to love hot salsa… now, it scares me. I tried my old fav yesterday Salt & Vinager chips… ummm… NO, what the heck was I thinking. One chip and it threw the .99 cent bag away. I am sad that all my favs are no longer good tasting… including ketchup and black pepper almost killed me, it got stuck in a place water couldnt get to. It’s been 3 weeks and I am still sleeping up, not completely down (2 pillows or more per Dr). I am dying to take a jog… but every time I try, my upper pallet or teeth hurt. Sometimes my cheekbone hurts too. This 2nd surgery took a lot out of me, and I only got 5 days out of work (age 33). I have no strength and I can’t lift a thing. I have a doc appt 12/3/10… i hope the surgery healed correctly, and will help in the long run.
10. Joe | January 12th, 2011 at 7:51 pm
Surgery on 1/6/11 for severe deviated septum from a bad nose fracture. They put me under and put in two nose splints like the ones pictured. The recovery was painful for the first two days, felt like a really bad sinus headache and that feeling when water goes up your nose. I took way more than the prescribed vicodin amount for those two days, the next three days I only needed it to sleep. On the last night before he took out my splints one of them came undone and slipped back deep into my nose and it hurt. However he was able to find it everntually and now i feel great. Feels like I have another mouth to breath from
11. Donna | January 11th, 2012 at 9:39 pm
I had my surgery one week ago today and also had no idea the splints were as big as they were. The recovery was absolutely nothing that I would have expected. I think just the cleaning out after the splints came out was the most painful. I had mild headaches and face aches like I do with a sinus infection. If the painful sinuses clear up after all this it was all well worth it.
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