I have chronic sinusitis which gives me problems with my sinus drainage. I have had this for at least 25 years, but after starting on xPAP these problems worsened a lot.

For a month ago I started to irrigate my sinuses with a Hydropulse machine, and it has been fantastic. My sinus problems are gone. (I have wrote a Topic about this)

In fact I had an appointment for a coblation on my turbinate’s with my ENT yesterday. I had cancelled the coblation, but I still had a consultation.

And what is my problem?

I’m travelling a lot, and I can’t take both my APAP and my Hydropulse with me. I have just been in Sweden for 2 days, and my sinus problems went back very badly.

I talked with my ENT about this, and she recommended me both a coblation on my turbinate’s AND a FESS (partial).

She is very experienced (maybe one of the best in the country) and she knows a lot about SA.

I have read a lot about the coblation, and I’m not nervous about this, but I don’t know much about this FESS.

She told me, that the recovery time only was a few days, and I only had to sleep without my APAP for one night (The night at the hospital). The risk should be near to nothing.

Anyone here had this surgery done?

Henning

There is a very simple way around the CPAP verses irrigator issue.  Take the CPAP and one of those blue bulbs you use on baby noses and a baggie of salt.  Not quite as good as pulsed irrigation, but pretty good.  You can squeeze a bulb hard.  I even will mix it up and snort it straight out of a glass (i.e. the ones they have for water in hotels or wherever) if my other options are not available.

Vicki


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That which does not kill you makes you stronger-Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich must of had apnea.

Hi Vicki,

Thank you for your post.

I have used the Rhino Horn nasal cleaner (I think it’s similar to the Neti Pot) for over a year, only with a little success.

The secrete (I don’t know if this is the right word) from my sinuses is so thick, I think, that only the Hydropulse with some forcing of saltwater to my sinuses can dilute my secrete so much, that my sinuses is clearing up. So in the last 3 weeks (except for the 2 days travelling) my sinuses have been fine, and my nose blocking has disappeared. In other post I have mentioned my problem with expiratory apneas (nose blocking on exhaling) – which the APAP can’t manage very well, this also disappeared.

So my APAP compliance has been so much better.

But I think that my situation is a little more complex. When I talked with my ENT (she was looking at my CT) she told me that it is my Maxillary sinuses and my Ethmoid sinuses and my Turbinate’s who gives me the problems.

In fact she mentioned some problems I never had thought of could have something to do with my sinuses.

My Maxillary sinuses are so big, that they are near my upper teeth. In fact I often have toothache here, and my dentist can’t find any reason for this.

I also sometimes have vision problems, which can be associated with the Ethmoid sinuses. I didn’t know that.

So she convinced me that this was the way to go.

But she also told me, that this “little” surgery – if I am lucky – only will improve my symptoms with up to 90 – 95%.

So afterwards I properly still have to irrigate my sinuses. But If I then also can use the bulbs, then I will consider it as a great success.

Henning

I am confused why you are having this surgery.  I have had my sinuses completely roto routed and expanded twice and I wish I had seen an allergist first.  What your ENT is not telling you is that the mucosal tissue in the nose is cilliated, when you scrap it all out (if you have polyps like I did that is what they did), then the scar tissue formed is not ciliated and your nose does not function as well.

Do you have allegies and/or nasal polyps?  What are they planing to do if your problem is that your sinuses are already large?  If you have allegies, have you spoken to an allergist first to get your symptoms under control?  Do you take mucinex?  Mucinex thins mucous and would allow your sinsues to drain better.  Do you drink lots of water?  That would also help to thin your mucous.

Vicki


_________________
That which does not kill you makes you stronger-Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich must of had apnea.

Hi Vicki,

Maybe I wasn’t so clear in my description of this FESS.

I don’t think we are talking about the same kind of surgery.

But first, yes I have seen an allergist, and have no allergies, and I don’t have nasal polyps. I’m fully aware of the importance of my cillia.

There are two things my ENT will do:

A Coblation on my turbinate’s. In my opinion this is not really a surgery, but only some special needles she will put into my turbinate’s, and then give them some radio frequencies. This will damage some tissue inside my turbinate’s and they will shrink within a week or two, without doing any harm to my cillia. The disadvantage with this treatment is that I properly have to repeat it every 3 – 4 years. This treatment is normally done in local anesthesia, and takes only 10 min. or so.

There are a lot of scientific articles who demonstrate better breathing without any harm to the cillia. So I’m not nervous about this Coblation on my turbinate’s.

The other thing is this FESS. In my case we are talking about a partial FESS. She will only enlarge my drainage to the sinuses (mentioned in my last post). She will do nothing inside the sinuses. But I think this will damage some cillia around my drainages, but I haven’t found any articles who mention this as a problem. (I’m thinking of my drainages as 4 holes to the sinuses behind my turbinate’s – but I’m not sure).

This surgery is done in full anesthesia.

Although my ENT told me that this surgery also is a small one (about a half an hour) I’m a little nervous about this, also because I can’t use my APAP the first night, and I’m certainly not a mouth breather.

The outcome of this should be better breathing, better drainage from my sinuses and it should be much easier for me to irrigate my sinuses (properly I still have to do that). And best of all – this should give me much better CPAP compliance.

So I was curious if anyone here had this FESS done.

BTW. This Mucinex is another product we can’t buy here. It is also on the confiscation list in the customs. I do drink a lot of water (although I prefer a beer).

Henning