Anyone here ever have surgery to undeviate a deviated septum?

[Rain Man]

I broke my nose a few decades ago, and apparently it distorted a perfectly healthy septum. It's getting worse as I get older, and the doctor said I should consider surgery to fix it. She said the surgery is "uncomfortable" but should heal up well after a week or so of recovery.

Has anyone done this? How is it on a pain scale of 1 (Mahomes winning the Super Bowl but not being named MVP) to 10 (playoff loss to the Colts)? Any tips for me?

Edit: illustration of the impact of a deviated septum if you don't know.

[jettio]

Is the surgeon a ears noise throat specialist or a plastic surgeon?

If the latter, they might try to sell you some new tits.

[Kiimo]

Everyone will make jokes about rhinoplasty like they're the first person to realize rhino = big nose horn

[BWillie]

Excuse me? Are you saying there is something wrong with my septum? I've deviated plenty but I've never done anything with a septum.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by jettio

Is the surgeon a ears noise throat specialist or a plastic surgeon?

If the latter, they might try to sell you some new tits.

He was pushing me on genital reduction surgery, but I like myself the way I am.

[Rain Man]

Holy Bernoulli air flow!

I got the splints removed from my nose today. I can breathe! For the first time since the Clinton presidency, I can breathe! I can run marathons now. I can sing like Pavarotti. Colors are brighter. When birds sing, I can hear the lyrics. Why didn't I do this decades ago?

[Fish]

Originally Posted by Kiimo

Here's the story of Afrin

Step 1: snort it and your nose clears up

Step 2: oh it wore off and now I can't breathe even worse than before

Step 3: oh wait I'll just snort more Afrin there we go I can breathe again

Step 4: oh shit now my nose is blocked 100% of the time I don't snort Afrin

Step 5: Welp, looks like it's going to be this way for 2-3 WEEKS while I detox from an over the counter nightmare drug

If you actually use it as directed, it doesn't cause any issues. It's not habit forming. The only issue you have to worry about is overusing it. Which can cause what's called rebound congestion. But the only way to reach that point is to drastically overuse it. Try following the actual directions.

[bdj23]

Originally Posted by seclark

Afrin can be a problem for many people. I cut it with mild salt water to help wean myself off of it all together.
sec

"Detox" with it by using it on one nostril while the other one heals. That's what i did. I have a bottle of it that I use very sparingly now. I bought it to deal with the cig smoke in Vegas last January and i still have 3/5 the bottle.

If you use it as recommended, it's probably fine. But lots of people who have nose problems abuse it not knowing what is in-store for them 3 or 4 months down the road. Not being able to breathe from your nose when you sleep leads to many restless nights.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by bdj23

"Detox" with it by using it on one nostril while the other one heals. That's what i did. I have a bottle of it that I use very sparingly now. I bought it to deal with the cig smoke in Vegas last January and i still have 3/5 the bottle.

If you use it as recommended, it's probably fine. But lots of people who have nose problems abuse it not knowing what is in-store for them 3 or 4 months down the road. Not being able to breathe from your nose when you sleep leads to many restless nights.

Sleeping was the hardest part of this process for me. When you have to sleep as a mouth breather, everything in your mouth gets dried out.

I stopped using the Afrin once I read these posts, because I don't want to end up on the streets as a congested Afrin addict. I just used regular saline spray and bled on my shirts.

[UteChief]

I had a perforated septum and deviated septum fixed at the same time. Pain really wasn’t bad. The worst thing I did was take a big bite of a peanut butter sandwich and almost suffocate. My nose was packed for several weeks because of the perforation.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by UteChief

I had a perforated septum and deviated septum fixed at the same time. Pain really wasn’t bad. The worst thing I did was take a big bite of a peanut butter sandwich and almost suffocate. My nose was packed for several weeks because of the perforation.

I had almost no pain, only discomfort.

And yeah, eating was weird. Most of the time I was fine, but every once in a while I'd mess up the choreography between eating and breathing and would think I was going to die.

Several weeks would be tough. I did it for seven days and was really looking forward to today. It lived up to my expectations.

[bdj23]

When you have to sleep as a mouth breather, everything in your mouth gets dried out.

I was getting to the point where i woke up 2-3 times a night to brush my teeth and slug down some cold water. Plus mouth breathing while sleeping is awful on your dental health and leads to cavities.

[seclark]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Sleeping was the hardest part of this process for me. When you have to sleep as a mouth breather, everything in your mouth gets dried out.

I stopped using the Afrin once I read these posts, because I don't want to end up on the streets as a congested Afrin addict. I just used regular saline spray and bled on my shirts.

Wife noticed immediately I was breathing through my nose while sleeping right after surgery, and got better in the months after. Been 25 years and after growing up a mouth breather, I’m a happy man. I do use a cpap now, but I adapted to it fine. Hardly ever have a clogged nose.
sec

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by bdj23

I was getting to the point where i woke up 2-3 times a night to brush my teeth and slug down some cold water. Plus mouth breathing while sleeping is awful on your dental health and leads to cavities.

Same here, and not intentionally. I'd be asleep and then all of a sudden I'd wake up like this:

Originally Posted by seclark

Wife noticed immediately I was breathing through my nose while sleeping right after surgery, and got better in the months after. Been 25 years and after growing up a mouth breather, I’m a happy man. I do use a cpap now, but I adapted to it fine. Hardly ever have a clogged nose.
sec

I think my left nostril was solid enough that I wasn't normally a mouth breather. The right one was the one with the damage, so I could cripple by with the left. But now? It's full bore nose breathing, baby!

[OnTheWarpath15]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Holy Bernoulli air flow!

I got the splints removed from my nose today. I can breathe! For the first time since the Clinton presidency, I can breathe! I can run marathons now. I can sing like Pavarotti. Colors are brighter. When birds sing, I can hear the lyrics. Why didn't I do this decades ago?

That's what I remember most about my surgery. When they removed the packing and splints, there was just a rush of air.

Amazing feeling.

[louie aguiar]

Originally Posted by Kiimo

Here's the story of Afrin

Step 1: snort it and your nose clears up

Step 2: oh it wore off and now I can't breathe even worse than before

Step 3: oh wait I'll just snort more Afrin there we go I can breathe again

Step 4: oh shit now my nose is blocked 100% of the time I don't snort Afrin

Step 5: Welp, looks like it's going to be this way for 2-3 WEEKS while I detox from an over the counter nightmare drug

Nate Bargatze did a good bit on Afrin.

https://youtu.be/JRx8jwbGv78?si=JLLq4WP9ZgzGGMMl