One Surgery Down… Two to Go!

Posted on by July 15, 2017  

One Surgery Down

My ENT dismissed me yesterday, so all is doing well from the deviated septum and polyp removal surgery. He was not, at that time, able to perform the planned Balloon Sinuplasty on my frontal sinuses. The CT scan clearly shows that the sinuses above my eyes are filled with “something”, but we have no idea what. It could be mucous, or maybe infection, or maybe even fungus. During surgery he could not find the opening from those sinuses to my nose. The opening apparently has grown over with bone, likely from the chronic sinus infections I’ve had over the years.

Two to Go

He facilitated an appointment for me with a UAB specialist, as drilling into these upper sinuses takes specialized equipment and a specially trained surgeon. This doctor is the head of the Ophthalmology Department at UAB. UAB is a world renowned teaching hospital, so I’m lined up with the best of the best in our state.

Because the doctor’s office made the appointment, and he asked that it be expedited – I’m seeing this Ophthalmology specialist on August 10. My blocked tear duct surgery is scheduled for August 15.

I’m feeling less stressed now that I have the appointment to deal with the upper sinuses. I feel lousy, with lots of pressure and some pain above my eyes. I sound all stopped up, and that’s exactly the way I feel. I’m keeping the blocked tear duct swelling down with daily antibiotic/steroid drops I’ve been on now for about six months. The drops control the swelling, but that area of my face stays sensitive. My eyeglass nose pieces aggravate it, too.

I have faith that this is all going to turn out with me feeling much better. But I’ll have to admit I wish it could all be over right now. Patience…Rosemary…Patience.

 

Healing Progress

Posted on by June 30, 2017  

Healing Continues

I saw my ENT yesterday, two weeks after surgery. I’ve not felt good this last week, but he is pleased with my healing progress. I had more noticeable face pain and pressure, but I did quit the pain meds. I’ve been sneezing a lot this week, too. And my throat stays sore from all the post nasal discharge. There’s still some minor bleeding. And I have had a sensation of something being in my right nostril way up high. He numbed my nostrils and used a suction tool to pull out some “crusting”. Crusting is evidently the medical term for scab. Now that the numbing has worn off, I still have a sensation of something in there up high on the right.

Frontal Sinuses Occluded

Even though he is very pleased with the healing progress, he is still very concerned about the totally blocked upper frontal sinuses. He says it’s not unusual to have mucous filled sinuses. But it is unusual for there to be absolutely no air at all in them. And with the drain opening closed up with bone tissue, there’s no way for those sinuses to drain at all.

So I’ve asked him to refer me to a UAB doctor who can do the more involved surgery required to drill through the bone into the frontal sinuses. Hopefully he can find someone who would coordinate surgery with the UAB Oculoplastic surgeon I’ve already scheduled surgery with. I’m hoping each of them can operate while I’m under one round of anesthesia. That way I can have one recuperation to deal with. I’d be more than willing to postpone the tear duct surgery if it means getting both these surgeries done on the table in one session.

I know the inflammation aggravates my Mitochondrial Disease issues. So I’m trying to stay as optimistic as I can that God will work out all this facial mess and allow me to heal properly.

 

 

 

Week ONE Surgery Update

Posted on by June 23, 2017  

One Week Post-Op Surgery Update

I had my one week out from surgery update appointment yesterday. My ENT is pleased with my progress. And he took the septum splint out. I can breathe a lot better now. He was surprised that I was still seeing bright red blood in the mucous, So he told me to stop taking the Vitamin E again. That’s the only blood thinner supplement I take.

We asked him about the frontal sinuses that he had planned to clear out, but did not do anything with. All I could remember in the post-op haze was that he didn’t get into the sinuses over the eyebrows because of bone. I thought he was saying the cavities were filled with bone, but that’s not what he meant. He did not do the Balloon Sinuplasty up there because the opening to those sinuses is completely blocked with bone.

He explained what was involved in operating to open that area up, and it sounds very involved and scary. THAT would NOT be Same Day Surgery, if I end up needing it. We’re praying that he won’t have to do that.

Of course that depends on whether enough has been done to stop all the post nasal discharge that has kept my throat irritated and sore for the last couple of years.

Comparing Surgeries

I had the FESS endoscopic surgery on the Maxillary and Ethmoid sinuses last October. The post-op mess with bloody discharge and dissolvable packing was very yucky. Having that done would not be a good idea for a person who was the least squeamish! And it took a lot longer than my original ENT had expected for the mucous lining of the Maxillary sinuses to grow back properly.

This surgery was also endoscopic, but he did not remove the mucous membrane. He cut off a large bone spur and straightened my septum. And he removed some polyps. I did not have the huge amount of bloody mess coming out of my nose every time I used the saline irrigation. And I was able to stop using constant pain meds in less than a week. The pain was much worse the first time and lasted a lot longer, with all the mucous membrane that had to heal.

So MY plan of my Summer of Surgeries didn’t go quite as I had expected. I’m already scheduled for external surgery in August to make a new opening between the right eye and my nose, so the tears won’t be blocked any longer.

I’ll be praying every day that I will not need the external frontal sinus surgery!

Surgeries Are All Planned Now

Posted on by June 9, 2017  

My Summer of Surgeries

I have all my surgeries planned now. It’s taken months of going to this doctor and that one to get everything lined up. But it looks like I will finally get the front side and the back side of my head feeling good at the same time! Yeah, yeah, I know – there’s nothing in between. HaHa!

ENT Surgery

I get the Balloon Sinuplasty done on the sinuses above my eyes next week, that’s in mid June. He’s not sure whether the complete blockage there is trapped fluid or nasal polyps. But he expects to be able to clear that area out.

He’s also going to clean out some polyps in the sinus cavities below my eyes (where I had surgery last year).

AND the biggie – he’s going to remove a very large bone spur on my septum and probably put a temporary splint on either side of the septum to help it heal straight. He may also have to actually straighten the septum. I’m not 100% clear on whether the septum is deviated or not. Maybe it just looks that way to me on the CAT scan, because of the big lump of bone growing where it shouldn’t be.

Oculoplastic Surgery

That gives me two months to recuperate before I have the dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) surgery done on my blocked tear duct in mid August.

C7 Cervical Vertebra Pain

Hopefully by the time I heal from the DCR surgery, my neck pain that’s been radiating down to my shoulder blades will have finally calmed all the way down. If not, I will make an appointment with my Orthopedist for an epidural.

Well, that’s my plan for all the surgeries, anyway. God may have other plans for me, but I can trust Him to work out for good whatever comes.

 

Dacryocystorhinostomy Tear Duct Surgery

Posted on by June 3, 2017  

Well, I saw the Oculoplastic Surgeon at the Callahan Eye Center in Birmingham this week, and he scheduled me for dacryocystorhinostomy surgery (DCR) in August. He will do the external type of surgery, which means it will be Same Day Surgery. This method has a higher success rate than the endoscopic way. But it means he will make an incision between the tear duct and my nose and cut a hole in the nasal bone. I don’t wear makeup, so there will be a small scar. But I can handle that – maybe one of my wrinkles will hide it LOL.

It’s a relief to finally have at least this surgery scheduled. And I have an appointment next week with my ENT to schedule the balloon sinuplasty and deviated septum surgery. I hope I can get that done soon, so I have time to heal before the DCR surgery.

I’m looking forward to this long drawn out process being over and done with. I’ve been having constant sinus drainage for about a year and a half now. And the tear duct has been painful and swollen since last Summer.

C7 Cervical Vertebra Pain

Posted on by May 16, 2017  

C7 Cervical Vertebra Pain

I’ve been dealing with terrible neck and upper back pain ever since having the allergy test about five weeks ago. I had to remain still on my stomach for 20 minutes on a very narrow treatment table of some kind. I had no comfortable way to place my head and arms. It was excruciating!

I’ve been trying to calm down my jangled nerves and strained muscles by using muscle relaxers. On days when the pain was particularly overwhelming I’ve taken a Lortab – but never more than once a day. I’ve been sleeping on a hot pad and using it behind my upper back while seated all day long. I use an ergonomically designed back support and neck cushion, and they help a lot when I’m sitting.

X-rays

My pain level has decreased very little in all this time, so I went to see my Orthopedist yesterday. The X-rays show that all the hardware and area around it from my cervical fusion surgery looks good and stable. That was a HUGE relief! But it does show more deterioration in the vertebrae lower in my neck and in my upper back. That’s my Osteopenia doing it’s thing. No telling what that would look like if I had not taken Forteo for two years. I’m on Prolia now, plus I’ve taken calcium supplements for years.

Also, the spurs on my thoracic vertebrae are more prominent. That’s old age arthritis doing it’s dirty work and certainly explains some of the pain.

When I saw the x-rays I assumed he would say that my pain is coming from across my shoulder blades and the neck pain was referred pain. Quite the contrary, he said it was typical C7 cervical vertebra pain being referred to right below the shoulder blades.

Now What?

He suggested physical therapy – I said I didn’t need to go as I knew all the exercises – Now that I know the hardware and neck bones around it are OK – I’ll exercise at home.

He suggested an epidural – but I want to try exercise first. And I’m still planning to have sinus surgery in a few weeks. He agreed it would be best to have that taken care of before scheduling an epidural.

I asked for something between aspirin and Lortab for the pain. He suggested several meds that I can’t take – mostly because of gastric issues and one that I’ve had a severe reaction to. So then he suggested Gabapentin. THAT I CAN TAKE, so I have that prescription now.

And he said it was OK to take the Lortab if I had to. But I still don’t want to use it if I can possibly avoid it.

I have a long relationship with this Orthopedist, and he’s leaving it up to me when to come back for another appointment. I appreciate doctors who listen to their patients and treat them like human beings.

Ophthalmologist Referring Me to Oculoplastic Surgeon

Posted on by April 26, 2017  

Ophthalmologist Appointment

I saw my new Ophthalmologist for the first time yesterday. Of course I had to go through all that’s been happening to my sinuses and tear duct for all of last year. I told him about my general health issues and that I had had lachrymal implants a couple of times several years ago to treat dry eye. The implants fell out, but stayed put long enough to give the eye a chance to heal. Or so I thought.

This doctor pressed hard for what seemed like forever right on the spot in the corner of my eye where the swelling has been, and where it is very tender. It was all I could do to make myself lean into the head device, despite the pain.

He thinks I have one or more of the lachrymal implants logged in my tear duct. Once again my body is the exception to most rules. I never know when MITO is going to rear its ugly head and cause problems with my healing process.

I explained to him about my upcoming sinus and septum surgery. And I asked his opinion about what should be done first. Hubby is having a vein procedure done next week, so I don’t want to have any procedure done until after he is well.

He said there is no time push for this to be done. He made an appointment for me with the Oculoplastic Surgeon for a month from now. And he also re-filled the eye drop prescription my Optometrist had me on while he tried to clear up the infection in the duct. After all that hard pressing he did, I’m sure I’ll need the drops to calm down the tissue again.

Oculoplastic Surgeon

So what does this kind of eye doctor do? They operate on the lids, among other things. He will likely make a slit along the top edge of my bottom eyelid and attempt to remove the blockage. He may find implants or maybe just scar tissue. Whatever it is, it needs to come out.

Then he will put a stent in the tear duct to keep it open. My Ophthalmologist says this is a relatively simple procedure. He said that sometimes they do it right in the doctor’s office. I sure hope it’s as simple as he tried to make it sound. It makes me squeamish and apprehensive just thinking about it.

ENT

I’m calling my ENT today to try to determine when I will have the sinus and septum surgery. Looks like we’re going to have a very busy calendar for the next month or so!

Pain after Allergy Testing

Posted on by April 19, 2017  

Pain after Allergy Testing

You wouldn’t expect to be in pain after having allergy testing, but this last week has been terrible for me. I didn’t have one bit of trouble with my skin from the testing. I didn’t even itch afterwards.

The pain is coming from my neck. It’s as bad as it was before I had the cervical fusion surgery. My muscles are all jangled and spasming all the way down to my waist. Anything that requires lifting my head above eye level even the slightest is extremely painful. And I have a constant burning and throbbing at the back of my head. Turning left or right is not fun, either.

So how did this happen from allergy testing? I had to lie very still on my stomach on a hard and narrow procedure table with no good way to get my head comfortable. She lowered the head section as much as she could, and I had my forehead on it. There was no place for me to rest my arms, so I kind of held onto the sides of the table. By the time the testing was over after maybe 20 minutes like that my neck and shoulders were terribly fatigued and painful.

Pain Meds

I’m off Goody Powders or even plain aspirin in preparation for having more sinus and septum surgery, so I’ve had to use my Methacarbamol to try to relax my muscles. I was in so much pain Sunday after sitting in the pew Sunday morning that I took a Lortab I had left over from my last surgery. Obviously I can’t do that on a regular basis. So I’ve been supporting my neck with the gel U shaped pillow I use in the car and also sleeping on a hot pad.

Yucky

I’ve not been very clear thinking at all thanks to my pain level. And the yucky sinus discharge and blocked tear duct aren’t making me feel any better, either. It seems like everything my body needs to do ends up being harder than it should be. I blame it on my age and the MITO that makes my cells not work as efficiently as they should. It’s very depressing. I thank God that I have Him to help me through all this.

More Sinus Surgery

Posted on by April 15, 2017  

Sinus Surgery

I had the CT scan this week, and it looks like I’m having more sinus surgery. My old ENT did the endoscopic FESS surgery to open up the sinus cavities on both sides between the eye and nose, plus the big ones under the eyes. He did not do anything with the sinus cavities above the eyes. But I’ve continued to have thick mucous post nasal drip since the surgery. That’s keeping my throat irritated, and I sound hoarse all the time. I feel yucky.

My new ENT showed me the CT images, and the frontal sinuses above my eyes are packed solid. He wants to do Balloon Sinuplasty this time, rather than endoscopic surgery.

Allergies

They did the allergy testing this week, too. I was relieved to find out that I do not have any raging allergies. I’m NOT allergic to cats! That’s a relief, since we have three and both daughters have cats. He said to go back on OTC antihistamines.

My neck is still recuperating from having to lie very still on my stomach on a firm procedure table for about twenty minutes. I can’t turn my head sideways that well, thanks to my fused vertebrae. I could not get in a comfortable position, so I just had to tough it out with considerable pain. I’ve been on muscle relaxers since then, trying to calm down my jangled nerves and muscles.

Deviated Septum

The CT scan also showed very clearly just how bad my deviated septum has gotten. He suggests I get that fixed at the same time I have the Balloon Sinuplasty. It’s still same day surgery, but he does it all in the hospital, rather than an out patient clinic. I much prefer that.

My first thought was to not have the septum repaired. My thinking was that I’ve lived with it for 74 years, so I should just leave it alone. But when I did the research online I discovered that a deviate septum can get worse with age. It does make sense, too. Our nose and ears continue to grow as we get older (ever noticed old men with huge noses and ears?). And the facial muscles eventually droop, too. That combination can lead to the deviation getting worse over time. Also, year before last my leg buckled out from under me and I fell flat on my face. I thought at the time I was very lucky that I did not break anything – now not so sure that I didn’t squish my nose then and make the deviation worse.

Blocked Tear Duct

My new ENT does not deal with the tear ducts, so I’ll have to find an Opthalmologist to get my blocked tear duct opened up. I’ve decided to get that done first and then have the Sinuplasty and Septoplasty.

I can’t say I’m looking forward to all this poking, prodding, and cutting. But I’ve been dealing with yucky mess in the back of my throat, hoarsness, facial pain, and a dripping eye for close to two years now. It’s time it was all fixed.

CT Scan and Allergy Testing

Posted on by April 1, 2017  

CT Scan

I saw my new ENT Thursday. He has read through the reports from my old ENT. And he wants me to have another head CT scan to see what my sinuses look like now. Last one was in October, before I had the FESS sinus surgery. As soon as insurance approves, I will have the CT scan and allergy testing.

Allergy Testing

He thinks I’m still dealing with infection, as well as allergies. So he scheduled me to have allergy testing in two weeks. He took me off of all antibiotics, steroids, and antihistamines until after the allergy testing. It took just one day for my tear duct to puff back up when I stopped the antibiotic eye drops. It’s not painfully hard the way it was, but it’s noticeably swollen. And that means a lot of my tears are coming out of the eye, instead down into my nose.

Praying No More Surgery

He also mentioned the possibility of having Balloon Sinuplasty done. Hopefully the CT scan will not indicate a need for that. I didn’t tell him just how much I’m hoping I don’t have anything else like surgery done. The thought really scares me, considering how gross the recovery was for the FESS surgery. No need to say anything until the CT scan results are back. But of course I’ve been researching the Balloon Sinuplasty surgery.

I’m praying that dealing with my allergies will be sufficient to stop this long term sinus problem. I’ve been plagued with thick post nasal drip for well over a year now. I’ve been hoarse from all the drainage for months. And really, I’ve had sinus infections that were hard to get rid of for many years. That’s part of the reason why I’ve been sleeping in a recliner for many, many years. Between my lower back, my neck, and my sinuses – lying flat is just not an option for me.

Sneezing

I sneezed so hard and so many times a few days ago that I’ve aggravated my neck. The fused vertebrae really are complaining about the whiplash effect of those hard sneezes. So I’ve been taking Goody Powders until lunch time and Methacarbamol muscle relaxer later in the day. I’m also sleeping on a hot pad again. And when I have enough warning, I’m holding the back of my neck when I sneeze.

MITO?

It’s always hard to know what, if any, of my medical issues are MITO related. I do know for sure that it took my mucous membranes longer to heal properly from the FESS surgery. And I know that when I don’t feel well I REALLY don’t feel well. Everything seems to hit me harder than most people. I’m what people used to call “puny”.

So I’ll put up with the worsened allergy symptoms while I flush all the meds out of my system. If I’m not clear of antihistamines, antibiotics, and steroids when I have the allergy testing done – the results won’t be accurate. I’ll do what I can to keep my sinuses clear with the neti pot, and I’ll continue to pray for healing.

God is the true Healer – doctors only work for Him!