Sinus procedures- your outcome?

I recently went through a balloon sinuplasty and nasal turbinance reduction as I have been feeling like I have been breathing through a cocktail straw for a couple of years, worse with laying down in bed at night.

Procedures went well and I can definitely tell I am breathing much easier. The only thing I am noticing is my nose feels so much drier. I am two weeks post. I still get some slight nose bleeding, but I am trying to figure out if that is from the procedures, which they state could and would occur, or if my nose is just that much drier. Home humidity is still in the normal range, so it's not the environment.

It's a bit distracting as I do notice it all day. I will do saline sprays and sinus rinses several times a day, as I was instructed to do that up to a month following. I was wondering if anyone else had that sensation after similar work and if it goes away, or if I'll have this indefinitely and just need to get used to it.

 

My dad had that done 4 years ago and it changed his life.

He’s goin to have to go through the procedure again next year just because they are so bad. But he struggled with the after affect for a couple months.

 

I had sinus surgery around 10 years ago. I struggled for years prior feeling stuffed up all the time. My surgeon did it all laparoscopically. I had polyps, scar tissue, deviated septum and narrowing in the sinuses. The surgery was a huge improvement for me once I got a week or so post op. They did tell me to flush my sinuses and use saline spray. I never had any issue with dryness that I can remember. I did get some occasional blood when I blew my nose. You're still pretty early in the recovery so hopefully that get better for you. Getting nice full breaths through your nose for the first time in a while feels good doesn't it?

 

Ive had impacted sinuses and deviated septum surgery and after two weeks I was as good as new, but those two weeks were an uncomfortable and slightly bloody mess. Being able to breathe fully was such a relief.

 

no surgery here but my nose has been dry AF here in atlanta recently...

 

It is all I would hoped it would be. I used to lay in bed at night and literally feel like I was going to suffocate. Now, I can feel cubic feet of more air going in through the nose.

 

Did any of y'all try sleeping with BreatheRight strips on before going under the knife?

I've been wearing them every night for years. They do the trick for me.

 

Cant help you with your surgery but this time of year a Neti Pot is a game changer

 

Always wanted to try them. What is in them

 

interesting this discussion. I saw an EN&T about snoring/Apnea and he did not recommend the procedure since what is removed is soft tissue, and soft tissues regrows and the procedure needs to be constantly repeated.
Curious to hear if that is the case.

 

When I had it done they actually took a hammer and chisel to clear away some bone spurs that had occurred due to a faceplant on concrete from years earlier. I was awake for the procedure.... it was interesting.

 

They have little semi-rigid strips of plastic, sandwiched into a band-aid, basically. I use the tan breatheright 'extra' because they have three strips instead of the two in the base model. Kinda sucks that they made the adhesive to stick once and only once. They stick pretty good as long as your skin isn't super greasy. Just wash your face or at least wipe the skin of your nose off on a kleenex.

All the cool kids are wearing them.

 

Interesting. I'm getting sick and tired of my stuffy nose.

I do find some relief with saline rinses, I use this kind https://shop.neilmed.com/products/sinus-rinse-starter-kit-with-5-packets

I've also used the Breathe Right strips and they worked pretty good. They are a peel and stick flat piece of spring steel that you stick to your nose which helps open up your nostrils. They are readily available at any drug store and helped me get more air through my nose while dirt bike riding, trackday riding, mountain biking, and sleeping. I did find they would come unstuck while working hard and sweating. I could get em to stick better by cleaning the skin with alcohol wipes before putting them on, but then it's hard to peel em off and the delicate skin on the bridge of my nose would get pissed off. Also to pull your nostrils open it has to press down on the bridge of your nose which gets hammered.

Then I switched to Intake Breathing System, I'd been curious about them after reading about them in a dirt bike magazine a few years back, and after seeing riders like JD Beach, Dallas Daniels, and Jake Lewis wearing them lately I decided to give it a try. It consists of little sticky metal discs that you stick onto each side of your nose just above each nostril at the "pinch points" plus a rigid plastic bridge with magnets that stick to the metal discs. I find it works much much much better and is much easier on my skin. When you get the pads in the right place and select the right size bridge the Intake clears the bridge of your nose and just pulls your nostrils open. It takes a little more care to get everything dialed in, tricky at first to get the discs in the right place on each side, but once applied it stays put, doesn't hurt the skin, works much more effectively. The only trick now is to pay attention when putting a street helmet on and off, sometimes I'll knock the bridge off, I lost a few of the bridges til I got in the habit of checking it before taking off. I started with the starter kit, and once I was convinced I started a subscription where they send you a months supply of tabs every month https://www.intakebreathing.com/products/starter-kit-10

 

My experience was overall positive. ENT did the surgery and cleaned my sinuses and reshaped my septum where it had deformed. I had been using Breathe Rite before but it made a huge difference afterwards in how easy it was to nose breathe.

But since the surgery I feel chronically hoarse. As if my vocal cords are too... something. My voice used to be deeper and more resonant. The change was right after the surgery and I kept thinking my voice would return to normal after a while, but it's been years now and it never did.

 

ENT Dr. got in there the year before covid with a sort of probe that looked and sounded like he was a welding shit in my nose. Prior to the procedure, he neglected to tell me that the cauterization would only be good for about 18 months. I realized during the time when I didn't want to go catch something in a hospital that it was no longer working, which was confirmed during an e-mail exchange. I haven't been back since.

 

Both me and the wife (at the time) had the same procedure the OP did from a Dr in Florida that said he invented it Don't know about that part, but 8 years later and it seems maybe 10-20% better than pre-op? It takes quite a bit to get me to go under the knife, so I'll live with it.

 

I just had my sinuses roto rooted at the end of Nov. 3 full weeks post op and I'm definitely feeling better. Felt like I was punched in the nose for a few weeks. Nasal breathing is better, sinus infection gone, ears returning to normal at work. It wasn't something I wanted to do, but a chronic sinus infection since Barber in July and 3 rounds of failed antibiotic treatments necessitated the surgery

 

Cocaine is a hell of a drug

 

Follow up- A month post-procedure and for the last two days, been expelling more scabbed tissue with blowing and sinus rinses than any point since the procedure. And what a difference. It is a significant difference in breathing. I am glad I had it done. The nose feels a little dry yet, which other said is normal at this point, but saline mist spray helps that. I have a feeling at my next follow up, they will say nothing is left in the sinus to come out.

 

Keep rinsing. I mistakenly stopped and developed another infection post surgery. I'm back on antibiotics and afrin. Hopefully this will clear it up for good.