Long story short…after a year of suffering through sinus infections, snot rockets that were more like projectiles, and living as an open mouth breather, I am going under the knife in a week to have pollups removed from my nose that were blocking my sinuses from draining properly.
My question for you the slowtwitch community is after having the surgery what is the downtime? From what I understand there is a possibility of a bloody nose, and hemoraghing. I will listen to my doctor as much as possible as that is what I pay him for, but at the same time I am driven by madness without activity and don’t see myself being inactive for 2 weeks as he stated. One last question if it isn’t too much if I have the surgery on a Fri., have complete rest for Sat and Sun, should I or more importantly would I be able to resume work on Mon? The doc said 4-6 days no work, but I am the same guy that learned to bat left when I broke my right elbow just so I could continue playing.
Got my ex through that surgery. He had blood and all the lovely parts to it for years. Took me six (!!) years to convince him to get it checked. I was really quite over it. Anytime you have continual blood coming out from an orifice, not good.
Surgery was supposed to be one hour. At the 3 hr mark I was pacing (had a final I had to get to). The Doc came out and asked me if he should know something. Boy did my mind jump ship quickly. Apparently they found a FO (foreign object) shoved up his nose and wanted to know what it was, that is why the surgery took way longer than expected.
Being the mindful person I am, I asked to see the FO. Clearly it was a piece of rubber that we think was from surgery. I had no idea and was starting to think of our last 6 yrs and exactly where we had been…hmmmm. Turns out he had a previous surgery some 26 yrs earlier where the surgical tubing was used to hold a tube in his nose in place, well that was left over from the surgery. Polyps grew around it to prevent the invasion of a FO from damaging the nose. He grew up and got a busted nose several times that lodged the FO even deeper.
I met him and was way over the bloody noses and the lovely problems that go with deviated septum. Polyps came back benign.
I took his drowsy butt home after he threw up several times from the anasthesia. Watched him (since he wouldn’t let me help dress him) get dressed which was like watching a drunk man --let someone help you, thats why you bring someone. Headed to my final and prayed he was ok. He was alive when I came home. Took good care of him with serious loving TLC that he deserved (think he milked it a bit, don’t blame him).
Two weeks later is the real pain. You have to go back to get the packing out. I asked him to let me go, and he said he was fine. When I got home he told me he was able to smell for the first time in 26 yrs. He smelled roses for the first time (he said he broke down and cried because of the new sensation) and he actually was able to taste food. He described the packing coming out as feet and feet of gauge. He is a boy so who knows how much he exaggerated and how much was real.
Good luck on the surgery, and look forward to the packing coming out so you can smell in a new way and taste all things grand. I know he had some good drugs and I forced him to take his recovery serious (ie I was right there for him hand and foot for way too long).
Oh…and the returning to work, please don’t until the Doc says so. Just because you FEEL fine does not say the head can do it. You are dealing with sinus cavities that is only mms away from the brain, don’t screw with it. TAKE THE TIME OFF! (sorry for yelling, it is just a serious matter)
Thank you Eileen for the post, I too look forward to smelling and tasting food again. It’s weird going through daily activities and not having any clue of the surrounding smells you may encounter including yourself (and from what my gf says there are times I come back from wo’s pretty ripe).
As far as what the doctor says like I said I will listen as he is the expert, but I don’t have the luxery of taking off as many days as is probably needed.
Thank you again as that is the kind of insight I was looking for, that you can’t find on the medical sites.
I had the surgery. Honestly, the results are not what I had hoped for…
I was in serious pain for about 36 hours after the operation. I boxed years ago. I felt like I had gone 6 rounds blocking only with my nose.
Then the post-op began. The cleaning and packing can only be described as something similar to a root canal on your nose. It sucked! I got back to “normal” after about 1 1/2 weeks or so.
My sinus infections did decrease after the surgery but were not eliminated. The volume of air I can breath thru my nose has increased but other than that (and fewer sinus infections)…no real change(s) noted.
I would get several opinions (take your x-rays with you, you paid for them). Ask around about your doctor…make sure they come strongly recommended.
I had the surgery nine years ago. Had back to back sinus infection for about a year and they decided to drill out my sinuses. I think I took a week off work. Felt pretty good the day after surgery, but then came the unpacking!! I think it was 3 days after surgery. The doctor yanked what appeared to be about 10 tampons from my nose, like ripping off a bandaid. That’s when I started to feel crappy. Apparently when they remove half the mass in your head, it takes awhile for everything to even out again.
I’m not good at sitting still either and started to go for walks (6-8 miles) 5 or 6 days after surgery. Not the brightest thing, because I felt dizzy, but I was more pleasant to be around. I didn’t start lifting weights again for about a month. I think I was running after about 2 weeks.
You can’t go out right anyway, you’ll have unattractive bloody strings hanging from your nose.
I have never had a sinus infection since then, so I consider the surgery a success.
WB, thanks for the reply a little ominous but appreciated. I am of the mind set that the operation is required and would at the very least decrease the time between infections, and quite frankly the rounds of antibiotics are slowly beginning to not work so I see no other way around it.
Just curious but can you tell me how often the cleaning and repacking takes place as I will not talk to my doc until later this week? Also it looks at the very least I will be going to work 4 or 5 days later but I have heard that black eyes are a real possibility, dealing with the public that would be more of a pain explaining the shiners than the constant sniffling.
Rough, I appreciate the response it’s what I was looking for as far as getting back in the swing of things. I will have to play that day by day, it is the off season after all…I have to keep telling myself that.
I take the unpacking to be a real issue, feet of gauze, 10 tampons, root canal for the nose, all seem rather unpleasant. Bloody strings hanging from the nose…I have that usually every morning commute…I understand you can’t blow your nose either not a good situation.
Can anyone tell me their experiences with swimming after. Any information relating to long breaks or staying away from the 25m torture greatly appreciated.
I had the surgery about 18 months ago and am pleased with the results. I haven’t had any sinus infections yet! I seem to recall feeling pretty decent around a week later and didn’t have to deal with all of the “packing” others have described. I did have to have the splints removed from my septum a week after - no big deal.
Although I recovered well, I didn’t jump back into activity as quickly as it sounds you are planning. I really wasn’t up to it.
I would definately recommend having someone to help you out the first day or so if you can. I didn’t and the first couple days were the worst. I passed out on the floor the first day.
Had deviated septum fixed and reduction of turbinates (rebored nostrils). Next morning had packing removed, metres of gauze pulled out and then took first breath through nose for over 10 years, couldn’t believe how blocked my nose had been by scar tissue etc. Had no dramas after the op, doc had me doing saline washouts (snort it up nose to wash out dried blood etc) and recovery was good. Haven’t had a nosebleed and wife doesn’t elbow me in ribs anymore.
I had surgery to correct a deviated septum. After the meters of gauze were removed I was good to go in about a week. BTW - It was like a bizarre magician’s trick where he keeps pulling seemingly endless material out of a volunteer’s nose
does anybody know if this is considered elective surgery or is it covered by health insurance?? I have a deviated septum and thickening of the sinus membranes. breathing through my left nostril is minimal at best. I told the wife recently that I need to address this some time soon. I’m sick of dealing with all the problems that go with it.
I had to fight my ppo just to see a ent (ear nose throat) doctor. Although I believe most of that was put up by my primary doctors office, they believed nothing was wrong but allergies. I knew better, and finally had the MRI and had it looked at by 2 specialist, which both concluded that the pollyps were the root cause. I’m not sure as far as elective surgery, but my insurance is covering it. The ent gave me three options, surgery, continue anti biotics upon flare ups, or take series of allergy tests and upon completing that takes shots for a few years to increase a resistance to the allergen. So I took the one option that seemed within my best interest.
Experiences can be very different depending on if you are having “windows” or not. I did not so this was my experience.
I had the surgery on Weds and thought I would be back by Monday. If I had a desk job, this would have worked…but no earlier. However, I am a teacher, and I had a pretty bad headached from Fri to Tuesday post surgery. Headaches and middle school students do not go together.
I did not have the packing desribed. They simply put a small piece of tubing in each nostril which they took out rather painlessly the next day.
Doctors orders were no exercise for 2 weeks. I didnt feel like doing anything for a week anyway, so the only hard week was the 2nd week. After that, it was two weeks of easy stuff…i did some trainer rides all LOW HR. After the 3rd week, he cleared me to do whatever except swim. That is supposed to be 6 weeks off for that. I am waiting til Jan though.
I feel pretty good so far. running is good. Breathing is good. My deviated septum was pretty bad, so I see a HUGE difference so far. There is still some internal swelling…which as it goes down will make breathing even better.
Follow up apptmts were not too bad. He basically got some scabby boogers out of my nose that were kind of up there. Its uncomfortable, but only lasted for about 10 seconds. I have had alot of pretty impressive boogers since surgery though.
I didnt take any of the pain pills after the second day. THe headaches were bad, but I used alleve for them.
Walked into a cabinet door carrying a laundry from washer to dryer. Caught the edge of the door with my face and pretty much broke my nose off if its spot on the middle of my face.
