Turbinate/sinus Surgery

I had this done when I was 17. It DID work; I haven't had a sinus infection since then (and had had sinus infections almost constantly before that). I promise I'm not trying to scare you, but it was the most painful recovery I have ever been through in my life (and by comparison, when I had all 4 wisdom teeth out, I was up and around with no issues the following day, never taking anything stronger than Tylenol). Maybe they didn't give me any good pain meds because of my age, I don't know, but I can remember being in a horrifying amount of pain. Make sure they give you the biggest, baddest pain meds available, and don't hesitate to take them. In my case, my face was pretty swollen and I had a big black eye (due to the swelling), which lasted about 2 weeks.

However, I know others who had a much better experience and their recovery was not so bad. In any case, painful recovery or not, it was 100% worth it, and I would do it over again. Like I said, I haven't had a sinus infection in over 20 years... priceless! :)

I had my turbinates trimmed and my septum straightened.
I had some very narrow nasal passages and had a nose spray habit which was often the only way I could breathe through my nose.
First they put me on steroids and got me off the nose spray but breathing was so difficult.
I told my doctor first bit of dust that comes along and I'll be a mouth breather for months.
So they recommended my turbinates be trimmed - they just did the septum since they were in there anyway.
Septum is easy - it's a bit of cartilage down the middle of your nose and straightening it is not difficult.
Turbinates are a series of membrane covered boney baffles in your nose which direct air flow and allow air to be moistened and heated and cleaned (mucus traps particles) before the air hits your lungs.
They are bones - and yeah - they ache when cut or trimmed.
My surgery lasted about 6 hours.
They worst part of recovery was the first 24 hours - they leave the packing in your nose and I admit I panicked a bit because my throat was slightly swollen (from the tube they put down during surgery) and I thought my throat was closing and it was the only way to get air in.
(I would have done better had I known what to expect.)
You can sip water and I propped myself up on the couch overnight (didn't sleep much).
24 hrs after surgery you visit the doctors office and they remove the packing (which is bloody and snotty and gross) and it's an immense relief to have it out.
I did have a slight rush of blood to my head and I threw up slightly and was a little light headed but it passed after a 20 min lie down.
I had my surgery very early on Thurs (this was in April of 1990), packing was removed Friday afternoon - I stayed home and slept the weekend and went to work on Monday (although I pushed myself a bit and ended up going home early that day).
Tuesday I was much better.
My breathing was SO much improved!
The swelling of the tissues goes down over several weeks and it just gets better and better.
It''s still possible to get sinus infections but on the rare occasion I do - I can ALWAYS breathe through my nose.
The surgery was totally worth it and I'm very happy I had it done.

I did in 2010. it's a same day surgery.

You cannot have ANY carbonated drinks for 72 hours after the surgery - so if you drink sparkling water or soda - start weaning yourself now.

You must sleep sitting up for 48 hours after wards as well. Get a GREAT travel neck pillow. Your nose will be packed (I had the septum done as well) and on the 3rd day - they will remove the packing - you will get dizzy from the fresh oxygen - but it will last for about 15-30 seconds.

You will need to rinse (medi-sense works great!!) your sinuses every day - maybe 2x per day until your ENT says no more - once per day - you will see blood clots, scabs, etc. come out with the rinse. I personally do NOT like the netti-pot - I think it's messy and a pain in the rear.

Overall - I've had ONE sinus infection since my surgery - maybe two - when I would have one once a month and if I cried. Would do it again if I had to.

I had it done right after graduation (1990). Recovery time was fine. The one thing I would suggest (and I did do myself) was I did not lay flat in my bed for a few days. They suggested I be "propped up" so I actually brought a lounge chair in so I could sit in an inclined position and also recline some for bedtime. This helps keep the blood from running back which can cause discomfort and bruising (I had no problem with this). Outside of not over exerting myself, I had no real limitations.

Please no that turbinates can grow back. If you have allergies, chances are you could still have problems (at least down the road).

**I think the difference in people's experiences could be because each procedure is different as is each person's pain tolerance. Some had just their turbinites cut, others also have their deviated septum corrected. Two people could have the exact same symptoms and surgeries and experience different levels of pain./ one may be in discomfort and push through where someone else could be down in bed...I have seen it first hand.

Are you sure you need it? There are non-invasive ways to reduce the swelling, and there are things that can be done to flush out the sinuses. I know quite a few people who've had this done, and it's not pleasant. It can be painful, and the sinuses are packed and that's uncomfortable especially when it's removed. Don't know if you will have that. Find out also about things like low moisture, no showers, avoiding sneezing, and things like that. I've known some people who had to sleep elsewhere and avoid showers but they may have had a more serious situation than you. I thought I was going to have to have this procedure but I got rid of the nasal swelling, the allergies, and the sinus infections through non-invasive means. I'm thrilled about that.

Every case is different though and I think it's hard to predict your recovery. Good luck!

It's a real bloody surgery and yes, it's painful. I sat up to sleep for 3 nights. You'll need to really take your pain meds too. I will recommend to you from personal experience to tell your surgeon that you do NOT want him to open your maxillary sinuses. Doing so can cause your resonance to change - specifically to make you sound like you have a small cold. All The Time. I wish I had known that prior to my surgery. I know I needed to have the surgery, but I wonder if my surgeon could have cleaned out my maxillaries without making them larger...

Anyway, I really feel you should bring this up to your surgeon. Btw, the ENT who told me this after my 2nd opinion post-surgery as to how I could get my regular voice back is at Rush - he did a 3-D CT scan and this was his explanation. If I were you, I'd take that to the bank. I wish I had known about him BEFORE my surgery.

By the way, one thing I did not know that I wish my surgeon would have told me - don't drink alcohol for several months after sinus surgery. I cannot remember the reason why - it WAS explained to me from the mom of a friend whose son had the surgery. I don't think I drank anything for a while, but I couldn't remember, and wish that I had known before. The explanation of why to abstain was actually important.

Good luck,
Dawn

My hubby had his sinuses reamed out, sort of like Roto-Rooter. Hubby had deviated septum and tons of polyps. He had the surgery done out patient by the ENT/ORL department head at OU Health Science Center. It was really funny because he was a hoot.

When he got out of the surgery he had stuffing in his sinuses. The doc called it "packed". The next day he was still bleeding a lot. He even went and shaved off his mustache because blood was caking in it. We went back the next day after like the release papers said. The doc had him tilt his head back and he started pulling the stuffing out. I was sooooo long! It was like a long piece of rope that was gauze. I asked him what it was called and he said a nasal tampon...like I said, he was funny.

Then he got some super long tweezers and put the tips up hubby's nose. He pulled a chunk of something out and I couldn't recognize it. I thought it was part of his sinus. The doc looked at me and said "It's a booger". Just as straight faced as anything.

Hubby said it wasn't bad if you could get over the feeling of having your sinuses stuffed and not being able to nose breathe. He felt like he was suffocating a couple of times so it might be a good idea to find out if you can have something for anxiety.