Deviated septum/sinus polyp?

[horseshowmom]

DH just found out that he is going to have surgery for a polyp that has his sinus cavity blocked (under his right eye) and for a deviated septum (on the same side).

I know that this will be an out-patient surgery. Does anybody have any experience with it? He's wondering what to expect (mainly in time of recuperation).

Thanks!

 

[mickman1962]

DH just found out that he is going to have surgery for a polyp that has his sinus cavity blocked (under his right eye) and for a deviated septum (on the same side).

I know that this will be an out-patient surgery. Does anybody have any experience with it? He's wondering what to expect (mainly in time of recuperation).

Thanks!

I had it done about 20 years ago. What they did was cut my nose bone into 16 triangles and then re-arranged them to make the nose straight. The actual surgery was nothing as they knock you out, but then my eyes were swollen shut for 2 days (not fun) they pack you nose with what seemed like 1000 feet of gauze so after breathing thru my mouth for 5-6 days my throat was very sore. The worst part is when they remove the gauze, they just kept pulling it out like a string and it made me so nauseous that I threw up twice. My nose still is slightly bent and they said I would need another operation. I did not get it done. Probably not what he wants to hear, maybe they've made advances in the last 20 years.

 

[Christine]

My co-worker had this done a few years ago and I believe he was out of the office for about a week. He did have a bleeding complication the day after. He just started hemorraging and had to go to the hospital and get repacked. It's really important to be very quiet when you get home and not move around much.

 

[CEDmom]

My DH has this done last spring. He was home for about a week but was generally fine. He worked from home while recovering. The only issue we had was his needing to sleep in a semi-reclining position for a few days. We managed to rig up something on our bed with lots of pillows and I slept in the guest room. He never needed any pain medication other than Tylenol. Good luck.

 

[Mermaid02]

I had this done 2 years ago. If I had a desk job I could have gone to work a week later, but since I escort patients and push wheel chairs, I had to take 2 weeks off. The pain was minimal, and I had no complications.

 

[hemispheredancer]

A friend of mine had this done and was in pain for a few days. Had to change the "packing" in her nose several times a day and I remember that was very uncomfortable for her. To this day, she regrets having it done because she is having the same issues she had BEFORE the surgery. Her polyps are back and she has frequent sinus problems.

 

[4greatboys]

I recommend meds for nausea. I have had a few surgeries and this one by far made me the most nauseated.
I had the surgery on a Wed and plan to go back to work on Monday--which I did but I should have taken off another day or two. I would recommend a week recovery time.
He will go back the day after surgery to have the gauze pack removed from his sinus cavity. No stitches in there they just pack the area to stop the bleeding.

 

[Mermaid02]

My surgeon didn't "pack" my nose he made a "moustache bandage" under my nostrils that I changed frequently during the day. I would ask about it- I hear people say the packing is horrid.

 

[CEDmom]

My surgeon didn't "pack" my nose he made a "moustache bandage" under my nostrils that I changed frequently during the day. I would ask about it- I hear people say the packing is horrid.

My DH didn't have his nose packed either (I've also heard this is bad). He had some kind of plastic things in each nostril and wore gauze under his nostrils. He said the plastic things were butterfly shaped.

 

[4greatboys]

Packing was not fun. It really hurt when they pulled it all out the next day. Im not sure if its the same plastic thing you are talking about in the nose but I had a hard plastic piece on each side of my septum. It reminded me of a plastic divider tab.

 

[christineann]

I had a tumor (benign) removed that had spread to 4 sinuses on one side. For 5 days I had what looked like a tampon inside my nose and a maxi pad (rolled up gauze that I had to change every couple of hours) attached to tape on my cheek bones. I had the surgery on Monday, had the packing removed on Friday morning and attended my son's football game that night. I don't remember a lot about the game but I went (my folks took me)

Didn't feel very good, but the pain meds helped. I went back to work the following Monday, adding a couple of hours each day.

On one of my return visits, my surgeon was out on an emergency, and I saw a guy who made Dougie Howser look ancient. He scoped my sinuses and asked me if I wanted to watch on the TV screen. You have GOT to be kidding.

 

[horseshowmom]

Thanks everybody! That's what he needed to know. He said that the doctor did say that his nose won't be packed, so that's a real plus. Thanks for the help!

 

[DisneyJen0504]

DH had the sinus surgery as well and it just sucked to put it simply. He was out of work for a week. For him it was very painful and uncomfortable but it had to be done.