Hi All,
Since I and some of us on this board have had or are considering deviated septum surgery (in my case, I´m considering it), I wanted to start a fresh thread to see what the experiences have been.  Although I understand correcting a deviated septum doesn´t necessarily cure most sleep apnea, I am wondering if the surgery was worth it or not worth it and how improved your breathing has become as a result.  Some insight to the procedure and recovery would be interesting to hear about as well.  Thanks very much.

I had it done last October, and it was definitely worth it for me.  My septum was so deviated I coudn't breath through my nose (the severe allergies didn't help either).  After the surgery (which is short) my AHI was cut in half (without cpap) I could breath better and my sense of smell was much better.  It also made cpap therapy much more comfortable.

I second all of the above. I had it done in 06' also and now breath better than I ever have before. It obviously didn't cure my OSA, since that's not what it was supposed to do. However, it has made a world of difference in my compliance with  my CPAP. The surgery was not bad and neither was the recovery. I was actually very surprised at how quickly I recovered. I hardly needed anything for pain after the surgery, and bleeding was very minimal. It was a great decision for me. Best of Luck!


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messy house, messy car, undone chores, missed appointments, broken promises, brain fog all day long, waking up all night long, dragging it out of bed in the morning. Who knew I'm not just lazy after all.

I have been diagnosed with severe OSA. Should I have surgery? I tried the CPAP device and can't stand it. My brother in law had laser surgery to remove his soft palate and he swears by it! Has anyone out there had surgery?

Hey, it´s good to see you guys/gals had such success with the DS surgery.  I´m definitely wanting to do it.  It´s just a matter of when my time comes up at the clinic to take me.  I have the option of bowing out but I don´t expect I´ll do that.  I think it would be fantastic if I could breathe easier and gain a better sense of smell, if that´s one of the benefits.   Keep the stories coming.  I´m interested in hearing more.

I'm planning to have my deviated septum straightened next month.  While I know that this is not a cure, I think it will go a long way towards helping the apnea.

I had it done in February.  Breathing MUCH better now.  Didn't get it to get away from CPAP, did it to improve CPAP breathing.  It worked.  

I had complications after the surgery.  I felt so good I over did it and ended up with two bad nose bleeds that had to be treated at the ER.  If you get the surgery, take it easy for at least two to three weeks!

JeffH

haveing  surgery on may14 scared already cancelled surgery onces because of the stores i heared i hope its worth it

ChillintheMost,
I say Go For It!   My understanding is that in the overwhelming number of cases, the surgery is quite successful.  The posts on this thread seem to support this notion.    I would love for you to write a diary of your experiences on here before (talk about your thoughts about having it done, why, etc.) and after the procedure ( the results).  Best of luck to you.

Hello all, I just had this surgery last Tuesday.  To tell the truth, I never felt any pain...just minior headaches and sore.  I took moltrin 3 times a day to reduce swelling and ease the "pain".  So far so good but too soon to tell since I have a lot of gunk in there still.  I will post more later when I have a chance.  I can breath better though...was it worth it?  I would do it again if I had to.  Good luck :)

Frodo


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Successful Septoplasty and Turbinate Reduction surgery?saline irrigation...continuing cpap trial for pressure settings...

Frodo,
Do keep us posted on your progress, preferably on this thread.  I´m very interested to know how it goes for you.  Thanks for sharing your experiences so far.  Favorable indeed.

Oops, I forgot to post an update here.  Sorry about that

Its been what two weeks *checks calendar* nope three weeks since my surgery (okay two since they took the splints out).  Oh speaking of which, there was no pain involved when removing the splints (curved plastic that is flat on one side and has a tube for "breathing"-one on each side) from my nose.  Felt a little weird but what a relief .  
So to summarize;
- Septoplasty and Turbinate Reduction Surgery, the hospital was great (military) and the ENT cut only one side (inside the
  nostril where you can't see it)
  -- No real pain...used prescribed moltrin to reduce swelling and take the edge off
  -- Didn't have any major swelling of the face and no black and blue anywhere
- 1 week later had the splints removed
  -- No pain but was relieved to get them out
  -- I was prescribed some kind of gel that you put in the nostrils 3 times a day to help keep the sinuses flowing/open
  -- I have also been irrigating my sinuses with saline (using distilled water, sea salt (non iodized), and baking
     soda...found the recipe here on the boards, thank you for that).  Irrigating really helps get that crud out.  I can take a
     while but take it slow and don't do too much at once.  As your sinuses heal and the swelling goes down inside, that
     gunk and scabs will come out too.  
- 3 weeks after the surgery, I still have the stichs inside my nose, which bugs the heck out of me only because I know
  they are there.
- I should continue with my cpap trial now that I have healed and I know my pressure will go down and I can breath
  easier.  I only have a AHI of 16 and my pressure is about 7-8 which is nothing compared to most of the folks here (my
  heart goes out to you all).  Looking forward to moving forward

Keep irrigating the sinuses from time to time, btw there are several threads here that talk about the subject.  I believe (as others do) it is a good thing to do from time to time.  It helps clean it out and if you suffer from allergies too, it can relieve some of the symptoms (i.e. by removing pollen).  Some use a neti pot for irrigation fyi.  

The only pain I had was a migraine about a week and a half after the surgery, which had nothing to do with the surgery as I get them a couple times a month.  Thats all I have for now, let me know if you have any questions.  Best of luck with your surgery

Frodo


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Successful Septoplasty and Turbinate Reduction surgery?saline irrigation...continuing cpap trial for pressure settings...

Frodo,
Sounds like things are going well for you.   Have you experienced a noticeable difference in breathing ability since the surgery? Has the swelling gone down enough to notice those effects?  Do you sleep any better or feel a difference during the daytime?  Does it feel like there´s a big ¨void¨in your nostril now? Does your nostril ¨feel¨ different in some way?  Just curious.  

Good questions! I will try to answer best I can

Have you experienced a noticeable difference in breathing ability since the surgery?
A.  Some, as long as my sinuses are clear.  I probably don't notice as much but I do breath though my nose more. I am going to start running this week and that will be the real test.  The irrigating helped a lot too.

Has the swelling gone down enough to notice those effects?
A.  I think there is still a little swelling, although today I feel like I can breath better than any other day so far.

Do you sleep any better or feel a difference during the daytime?  
A.  Ithink I sleep better since I breath with my nose more but I have not used the cpap again yet.  I should start soon. Still tired but then again not on the cpap.

Does it feel like there´s a big ¨void¨in your nostril now?
A. Nope but there is a big echo...echo...just kidding, no different.

Does your nostril ¨feel¨ different in some way?
A.  A little, it took a while to move it around (as you make a facial expression) and as it heals.  The stiches are still there so I am sure that is part of it.  Should be back to normal after they dissolve.

Hope that helps, I'm off to lunch now (I am stationed overseas).  

Ciao for now,
Frodo
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Successful Septoplasty and Turbinate Reduction surgery?saline irrigation...continuing cpap trial for pressure settings...

Forgot some stuff...

Pre surgery prep.  You will most likely have to fast from 12 PM (midnight) the day of the surgery.  No water, meds, food, or even gum as you want you stomach to be empty.  This is normal for surgery.  I kept drinking a lot of water up to midnight as I waited to be as hydrated as possible:)

Day of, they will probably ask you a lot of questions and take you BP several times. Normal stuff.  Make sure they know that you have apnea as it may make a difference on how they put you under and they will monitor you more closely.  They will put a tube in you airway (which sounds serious but relax, normal) to prevent any complications with bleeding from the surgery.  Try not to think too much about this (ya right), for me I don't remember anything after they gave me a shot other than moving me from the gurney to the OR table.  Then lights out again...and waking up to pure O2 in a mask.  I had to wait about 4 hours after the surgery to go home.  After a few hours I got to drink some juice...yum.  I may take you less time but 4 hours is normal to wait.  I felt fine and my friend drove me home to be monitored by my girfriend (you have to be monitored for 24 hours).  Once I got home I had a bottle of "sports drink" and then it was off to bed.  Drink lots of fluids and start eating light as you feel better.

I forgot to tell you about the drainage/bleeding.  It may bleed for a few days but it seems like it is bleeding more than it is.  Most of the "blood" is mixed with you normal nose discharge so it seems more than it is.  Then after a few days the discharge will be darker red which means it is old blood.  The only bad part (now that I remember) is you can't blow your nose.  You have to let it drain.  I had a gauze pad under my nose that was held using a paper sling w/rubber band.  I would change it a few times a day.  I used all the gauze the hospital gave me and I had some at home that seemed to work a lot better, it absorbed the discharge much better and keep it away from my nose.  If you want I can let you know which one works the best.  Lessons learned; the day after surgery, I felt good enough to move around the house and tried to do "normal" things...which I don't recommend.  Do yourself a favor, stay off your feet and limit moving around the house for a couple of days.  When you keep getting up and moving around, you raise you BP and pulse and you will have more discharge.  Sleep and sit at a 45* angle for the first few nights as this will keep the bleeding/discharge to a minimum.  Stock up on DVDs as they will be your friend for a while...and your computer:)  Drink a lot of fluids! Take what ever they give you even if you don't feel pain.  Even though I didn't need anything for pain the motrin kept the swelling and fever down (very slight fever for a day or two, no big deal) and took the edge off.  

I am not trying to scare you, I just want you to be prepared.  Believe me it reads worse than it is.  After the surgery it is more of a pain in the butt than the nose.  

Hope this helps,
Frodo


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Successful Septoplasty and Turbinate Reduction surgery?saline irrigation...continuing cpap trial for pressure settings...