Tag Archives: sinuses

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.

 

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.

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!

 

Tear Duct Is Better?

Posted on by March 28, 2017  

Tear Duct

I wouldn’t say it’s completely open, but my tear duct appeared to be better this morning. I went to my eye doctor for the last time with this issue on Friday, I thought. The infection appeared to have finally calmed down. I definitely didn’t have the big painful knot in the corner of my eye then.

But I DO have a small knot there that has puffed up during the day today, so will be calling the eye doctor in the morning to see if I should go back on the antibiotic eye drops.

He used a syringe (no needle of course) of fluorescent liquid in the tear duct openings, top and bottom, and tried to find signs of the bright yellow color in my nostril. No such luck. Then he pushed a whole syringe of saline through. I could feel the pressure, although he had numbed my eye. Still no fluorescent signs in the nostril.

BUT, when I pressed on my eye to wipe off all the liquid around my eye – it squirted out my nostril! He thinks the pressure of pushing the saline opened the duct up at least part way.

Since it’s puffing back up some today, I’m wiping tears more than I was, too, draddit. Hopefully this is swelling from the poking he had to do Friday, and not more infection.

Antibiotics

I’ve now been off oral antibiotics for two weeks and antibiotic eye drops for three days. My digestive system appreciates that, for sure. Of course I’m still taking the probiotics. I am very thankful that all these antibiotics have not caused any tummy issue. I used Zofrin and the probiotics to protect my system. The Zofrin was causing constipation, so I went back on my MiraLax to combat that. So at least my gastric system is happy.

ENT

I’m ready to make an appointment with my new ENT. The eye doc has done all he can for this mess. I’m still having thick mucous discharge down the back of my throat. I’m clearing my throat constantly, just as I was all last year. And that’s keeping my throat irritated and my voice hoarse.

MITO

One thing’s for sure, when you have a mitochondrial disease, you never know how your body is going to react to any situation. I’m just thankful for doctors who understand that I’m not a typical patient!

 

Blocked Tear Duct

Posted on by February 24, 2017  

Blocked Tear Duct HURTS

I now know that the painful swollen area in the corner of my right eye is a blocked tear duct.

It was so terribly painful 10 days ago that I went to my GP doctor. He thought it might be cellulitis. So he put me on a strong antibiotic and an anti-nausea med so I can tolerate the antibiotic. And he told me to go to my eye doctor if it didn’t clear up in a couple of days.

I also already had a scheduled appointment with my new ENT last week. And he, too, said it appeared to be a blocked tear duct and wanted me to see my eye doc.

Eye Doctor

So my eye doctor used a tiny tool to probe the tear duct and then a larger tool to try to widen the tube. He numbed me first, of course. After using three different size probes, he used a syringe without a needle on it to inject fluorescent dye fluid in the bottom tear duct opening. It should have come out my nose, but it came out of the top tear duct under my eyelid instead. So it’s blocked big time!

He added double ophthalmic antibiotic eye drops to my medicines four times a day. I saw him again yesterday, and it’s still blocked, but not as inflamed. He told me to continue with the nasal wash and hot compresses I had already been doing several times a day. He did not refill the Doxycycline antibiotic, but wants me to rest my digestive system for a week. I see him again next Thursday.

So the saga of my sinus/eye problems continue. Thank Goodness I’m not in such pain anymore, but I look forward to the day I don’t have the nasal discharge, and I don’t feel and sound like I’m stopped up with a cold.

 

 

Sinuses Healed 85%

Posted on by February 2, 2017  

Old ENT

I went back to my ENT this week, and he says one side of my sinuses is completely healed and the other is 85% healed. I’m still adding the antibiotic powder to my twice daily nose wash for another week. And he has dismissed me, since this ENT does not accept my new insurance.

He did debride a little in the side with scabs, but I was prepared this time and took a Lortab ahead of time. That helped bear the discomfort a lot.

New ENT

I have made connections with another ENT who accepts my new insurance and has credentials in my hospital. I’ll see him in a couple of weeks. I’m glad I had the FESS surgery almost four months ago to have my sinus cavities opened up. But I’m still swallowing gunk constantly. And I’m still having on again, off again issues with my right eye hurting and discharging. Hopefully he will be more aggressive with clearing up this sinus drainage I’ve had for over a year.

I have diligently followed the neti pot routine every day. My MITO has turned this routine healing process into a challenge, because my cells do not create energy properly – and that translates into very slow healing.

I’m feeling very thankful to God that I’m gradually healing, as I have certainly prayed for it!

 

Sinuses Almost Healed

Posted on by December 2, 2016  

Almost Healed

I’m glad to say that this time my ENT is pleased that my sinuses are almost healed. He dibreded (scraped and used suction to remove) a little on the same side that was still heavily scabbed two weeks ago.

I will soon finish the steroid powder added to the neti pot saline solution that I’ve been doing twice a day for the last 3 weeks. I wasn’t seeing any blood any more when I washed my sinuses out. But I’m seeing a little now, thanks to the dibreding.

Mucous Discharge

I am still dealing with an almost constant discharge down the back of my throat. The mucous no longer looks infected, but it’s thick and unpleasant. And it’s keeping my throat irritated. So he wants me to use Flonase nasal spray until I see him again in six weeks. At that time he will make a decision on whether or not to pursue allergy testing.

This has been a much longer and drawn out process than I had expected, even though I had done considerable research prior to having this surgery. Do I regret having it? No, I can breathe now. But I’ll be glad when this recovery is completed!

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!