Bill emailed me on February 21, 2005:
My surgery is fast approaching and I guess I'm getting a little worried about it. If you could spare just a moment of your time, I'd like to hear your thoughts on being able to recuperate at home. I live alone so that first night that you've described as agony has me somewhat concerned. Were you by yourself when you recovered? If so did you have any trouble taking care of yourself? If you did have assistance or at least someone with you, what would your thoughts be on having to do that alone?
It sounds like that first night is not going to be pleasant at all. I am once again grateful to you for sharing your experience with me. It's not the surgeon's place to tell me how agonizing the recovery can be. I feel that I am better prepared for what awaits me given the information you have so graciously provided.
We emailed a couple of times, and on March 22, he sent an update:
It's been 12 days since my surgery. I'm still on the mend. Actually my nose feels like it did before the surgery. The doctor says I'll start to see real results in about 3 weeks.
SYMPTOMS
I was diagnosed with a deviated septum after going through the summer of 2004 suffering from numerous nasal infections, one of those turned into Impetigo. After it was apparent that something more was afoot, my GP finally sent me to see an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist.
DIAGNOSIS
My first appointment with the specialist wasn't until December 2004 at which time he diagnosed the deviated septum informing me that my septum had grown into an 'S' shape.
CAUSE
As for the cause of it, I have no idea other than being hit in the bridge of my nose with a hockey stick about 20 years ago. It hurt and altered the appearance of the bridge of my nose but did not cause me any further trouble that I knew of.
TREATMENT
The first course of treatment prescribed by the specialist was a 6 week long Flonase treatment. Flonase is a steroidal nasal spray. The doctor said he wanted to do the Flonase treatment to see if my nose would be helped by the treatment and also to see how my tissues would respond should I need to use Flonase even after a Septoplasty. The Flonase did nothing to alleviate my difficulty in breathing as anticipated by the doctor since both nasal passages were pretty much blocked by the septum.
In January, after the Flonase treatment, the specialist scheduled me for a Septoplasty and Turb (turbinates). I was scheduled for surgery for March 10th, 2005. The first step before the surgery was to go for a complete physical examination. There was also a three page pre-admission form I had to fill out detailing my medical history. Some of the questions asked were quite interesting and I appreciated being asked certain of the questions such as, 'Do you have any concerns or anxieties about the treatment or recovery'. I responded to these questions and was pleased to be given a call by a nurse at Seven Oaks hospital who walked through my completed form with me and followed up on my responses.
One thing I indicated on that form was that I lived alone. The hospital was fully aware of that but it was not until the week before my surgery that I was told I absolutely had to have someone stay overnight with me. I called the hospital to ask if there were any other options, i.e. stay in the hospital overnight. The answer was short and to the point. They would cancel the surgery if I couldn't find anyone to stay with me. Luckily, my brother was able to overnight with me.
THE SURGERY
March 10th, 11am was my scheduled appointment for surgery. I had nothing to eat or drink after midnight the night before as per instructions. I was told to arrive at the hospital for 9am. Upon arrival I was admitted and given hospital garb to wear. I was immediately placed in the pre/post op ward. Shortly after being seated in what was for all intents and purposes an E-Z-Boy recliner, I was given an IV drip. 'My breakfast, lunch, and supper' the nurse informed me. She froze my wrist before inserting the IV into a place on the side of my arm, just below the wrist. If you've never had an IV, it doesn't hurt, it may feel a bit weird though and for me it was like a mild, dull ache having it there. The fun part of the IV was when she started the flow. She said it would feel like a cool rush up my arm and that's exactly what it was. You can feel the fluid coursing inside your arm. That was a most interesting sensation.
I sat in my recliner for the better part of 2 hours. Another nurse came by, asked me more questions about who was picking me up, what my brother's contact numbers were, etc. She also left written instructions for what I should do after the surgery.
Just before Noon the anaesthetist came to my chair, briefly explained the procedure they would follow to administer the general anaesthetic and then said it was time to walk to the operating room.
I entered the operating room where I was told to lie down on the table and place my head on the circular gel-pak cushion they had placed there. A warm blanket was placed over the lower portion of my body. A mask was placed over my mouth and nose and I was told to breathe deeply. Not ten seconds later, the room began to swim and I could barely focus on the operating lights above me. I could hear the OR staff but was focused on the sensation of becoming light-headed so quickly. I recall the anaesthetist saying it was time to go to sleep and no sooner had he said that and I was out. My next memory is waking up in ICU.
POST OP
I woke up rather abruptly in ICU, meaning that it wasn't a gradual regaining of consciousness or similar to waking up from a nap where sleep still wants to keep you a while longer. This was an instantaneous waking. I was fully alert. My first reaction was sensing that there was absolutely no air going in or out of my nose whatsoever. My second reaction was that there was fluid in my throat. This created a problem for me because I wasn't expecting the complete loss of any breathing ability from my nose. The nurse had a flashlight and suction ready and suctioned out any fluid that was in my throat. Because I wasn't prepared for this sensation, I had a mild panic attack and was given morphine to calm me. Once I got used to the sensation of breathing through my mouth exclusively, I calmed down. The nurse suggested something that makes total sense. Patients scheduled for Septoplasty should plug their noses prior to the surgery to get used to having only the one airway.
They had to keep me in ICU for an hour and a half though because my blood pressure shot up. They couldn't release me until it was back down to normal levels. I've never had high blood pressure so that was a new experience for me. They told me I should keep an eye on it, even after I've completed the recovery process.
I was thankful for not being nauseous after the procedure. I don't know how I would have reacted to that given my mild panic attack at having fluid in my throat.
I was released from ICU, spent another hour in the post op ward where I was finally allowed to have ice chips and Sprite. I was sent home with a bag of gauze pads and nasal slings. Blood was dripping constantly from the packing in my nose and I would say I changed the gauze pads every hour or so once I got home. I was also given a prescription for painkillers, which I took every 4 hours.
RECOVERY FIRST NIGHT
Recovering at home that first night with the packing in my nose was something I'd rather not have to do again. I made sure I had a stack of DVD's to watch. I rented 6 and watched them all. Because of my mild panic attack in ICU, I was afraid to go to sleep. I stayed up the entire night and did not go to sleep until the packing was taken out the next day. All tolled, I stayed awake for 32 hours. I ate 2 litres of Chicken broth and pretty much finished off the better portion of a 2 litre Sprite and a 2 litre Ginger Ale. Solid foods were not an option.
RECOVERY DAY TWO
The removal of the packing was scheduled for 4pm the next day. There was over a meter of packing inside my nose. No word of a lie, my nose was at least three times its normal size with the packing in it. I had my brother take a picture of it because no one would believe it unless they saw it.
The doctor started by removing the packing and I had to stop myself from laughing because it really is like the old magician's handkerchief trick. It just kept coming out of my nose for what seemed like an eternity.
He stopped before getting to the packing that was against the inside of my nasal walls. He warned me it would sting and then proceeded to pull the remainder of the packing out. He was right. It stung. He did both nostrils in a quick motion so the pain was quick and subsided shortly thereafter.
When the packing was out the doctor told me to inhale deeply through my nose. I was told to not blow my nose nor strain myself in any way. I was also given Otrivin, which I was to spray in my nose three times a day for three days, then once a day, gradually reducing the amount of days in the week I use it.
RECOVERY CONTINUED
I had informed my workplace that I would be unavailable to work for at least a week. That was an accurate assessment. My surgery was March 10th and I did not feel I could have gone back to work any sooner than I did, which was March 19th.
Throughout my week of recovery, I slept on and off. I would get frequent dizzy spells and just have to lie down. I didn't feel up to leaving the house until the third day of recovery.
As I write this, it's been 12 days since my surgery. My nose is still plugged off and on. There is scabbing inside that is causing blockage. I saw the surgeon again just last Friday, (8 days after the surgery) and he used tweezers to pull some of the scabbing from the nasal walls. Not the greatest feeling in the world but necessary for the surgeon the track my recovery progress no doubt.
He told me I would start to feel the full benefit of the surgery within 2 to 3 weeks.
Right now my nose feels much the same as it did before the surgery except that when I am able to get more air in, I can feel that there is a difference.
I'm looking forward to the next couple of weeks as I monitor my recovery. There is definite improvement every day. Mid April is when I am supposed to feel the full benefit of the procedure. Just in time for spring.
Bill Nazer
Manitoba, Canada