Tag Archives: recuperation

FESS Healing Continues

Posted on by November 23, 2016  

I went to my ENT again today, and this time he says the healing is not progressing as rapidly as he would have liked. He didn’t seem overly concerned, but I have more hard scabbing than he would have liked to see. Cleaning all that out was even more unpleasant than last week. I hadn’t expected that, although I had taken a Lortab ahead of time, just in case.

I told him about the compounded Steroid powder not dissolving well. He wasn’t concerned about that, as there was no sign of any solids accumulating in the sinuses. And he didn’t seem surprised that the small sinus cavity between my eye and nose is still sore. I’m going to use the neti pot in between the washes morning and night that have the steroid added to the saline powder. Hopefully that will help the scabbing dissolve better and not have my sinuses all dried out.

On a positive note – I can definitely breathe better. It’s been so long since I could take a deep breath without my nostrils sucking shut – I guess I’d just gotten used to it. Quite the rush of air now when I take a deep breath.

Sinus Surgery Recuperation

Posted on by November 11, 2016  

Week ONE Post-op Recuperation

The first week of Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery recuperation was far from pleasant. I was in a considerable amount of pain for several days. I took Hydrocodone every six hours, but it was not enough to completely control the pain. I had a very yucky bloody discharge mostly down the back of my throat. And I also had a couple of nosebleeds. I was told to use Afrin spray to stop the nosebleed, and that worked both times.

The yucky mess down the back of my throat, as well as the mouth breathing, plus the irritation caused by being intubated, kept my throat really sore and my voice very raspy. And it killed my appetite. I didn’t feel like chewing, so I drank chocolate protein drinks and stuck with soft foods for several days.

Using the NeilMed nasal irrigation was extremely unpleasant and messy the first few days, but toward the end of the first week the bloody mucous and dissolvable packing had mostly been flushed out. The yellow mucus post nasal drip I’ve had for months continues to be present.

My biggest problem was the way my allergies went crazy three days after surgery! I started SNEEZING BIG TIME! Of course I had been warned to not sneeze through my nose, so I was “coughing” the sneeze out my mouth. Along with the sneezing, I had that horrible “I’m about to sneeze” feeling most of the time. I called my ENT office and was told to take Zyrtec twice a day as long as I needed it. I stayed on that double dose for a week, and that’s much better now.

Week TWO Post-op Recuperation

I had my first FESS post-op appointment yesterday on Day 10. They numbed my nose and then used a suction tool to debride the surgical sites inside the nostrils. I had read plenty on the internet beforehand, so I knew to take a Hydocodone before the appointment. Even with that in my system, it was not easy. It was an odd sort of pressure sensation that made me feel like he was pushing directly on my brain – not exactly pain, but I was clenching my fingers into my leg. I have to have it done again in ten days and probably several more times past that.

My voice is beginning to sound more normal now. I’m still sneezing some, so I’m on the Zyrtec directions dosing now, taking it just once a day.

Recuperation On Target

My ENT is very pleased with how the sinuses look. He said the healing was right on target. I’ve been SO very careful to follow all the post-op directions, it pleased me that he was happy with the way it all looked inside. And I can tell already that breathing through my nose is SO much easier!