Tag Archives: Balloon Sinuplasty

Week ONE Surgery Update

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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!

More Sinus Surgery

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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.