Here's the long story of my sinus surgery. I've told it before but can't find the thread.
The type of surgery I had was an Extended Endoscopic Frontal Sinus Surgery. I had general anesthesia (unique cocktail that the anesthesiologist created because of certain meds I take, and because I have woken up during sedation and General anesthesia before). The surgery took several hours, and this is what I had done:
1. Ethmoidectomy - Surgery to remove diseased tissue and bony partitions from the ethmoid sinuses (between the eyes)
2. Removal of middle turbinates and...
3. Removal of inferior turbinates. Turbinates are shelf-life structures that make up the chambers of the nose. Opening one or both to create larger chambers on either side of the nose allows for drainage of mucous.
4. Septoplasty - repair deviated septum
5. Polypectomy - removal of polyps.
I had a level of diseased tissue and infection that my ENT said was in the top 5% worst he had ever seen. By the time I was fit in for surgery, I had spent the 6 weeks prior in severe discomfort. Despite the amount of work done, the minute I woke up from general anesthesia, I could breathe at the top of my nose (the place where you would pinch your nose to stop a nosebleed). I had NEVER been able to breathe through there and it felt odd to feel air move.
I had minimal packing - it was mostly the type that disintegrated.
Days 1-3: The first three days, I had to sit up with my head straight ahead - as if I was sitting against a wall. If I didn't the blood would come out of my nose. I had a gauze pad taped to the bottom of my nostrils to catch the blood. I had to change it several times a day because it got blood soaked. I didn't have a lot of surgical pain (from cutting); it was more of a very bad headache - about a 8 out of 10 on the pain scale (similar to if you had your teeth pulled). It was equivalent to the pain of a migraine. I was also very sensitive to light and noise. I also had a lot of dried blood in my nose. The doctor instructed not to pull them out, but if they protruded, I could gently wipe with a warm wet cloth. Sometimes when I wiped the bottom of my nostrils, larger chunks of dried blood pulled out. It was very gross, but manageable (I have a low gross-out tolerance). I slept on the couch with those airline pillows. Doctor sent the stuff he removed for culture and it showed PA.
Days 4-7: Around day 4, I didn't need the gauze pad, as my bleeding had stopped "flowing". I continued to keep my head straight, but could move it about 15 degrees forward or backward (any more and I had blood "leaks" and pulling pain where the cuts were made). I was able to use a wet q-tip to gently get some of the dried blood out of the lower part of the nostrils - no higher though, because it was raw and tender and I didn't want to introduce infection. The headaches and light intolerance continued to be around a 6-7/10.
Days 7-10: The headaches and noise/light intolerance plateaued to around a 5/10. It was an aching in my head, and a throbbing in my sinuses. I was able to bend my head to about 45 degrees without excessive pain or discomfort. Bleeding was almost nil. I saw the doctor on day 10. He pulled out the packing that remained, as well as huge "crusts". I learned that mucous and dried blood in the nose are called "crusts". The doctor had to use a suction to pull them out. It felt like he was pulling out parts of my nose - it was painful and uncomfortable enough to cause tears. When I say "huge", I mean the size of a quarter with a circumference bigger than a pencil. (He sent these off for culture, which showed P.A.).
Days 10-21: Once the packing came out, I used saline spray and/or saline rinses to keep my sinuses moist and healing. The mucous membranes take a while to heal, and were raw for a very long time. As time went on, I continued to heal. I was able to move my head/bend more. The intolerance to light and noise, and the pain from headache, remained about a 5/10. My teeth had started to ache. which I found out was normal. Throbbing in my sinuses continued but was less and less. I had two more visits during this time to remove more "crusts". I could not believe the size of them (I didn't look, but my husband did, and they continued to be large).
Days 21-42: For the next three weeks, some things seemed the same. I wondered if I had made a mistake. The pain became a constant aching, of a 3-4/10 - like a toothache. Noises and light were still aggravating to me. I continued to feel stuffy, as if I had a sinus infection. I was continually cleaning out my nose with saline irrigation. I kept getting big crusts in my sinuses. I could feel them on the side of my nose into my cheek. This sounds gross, but they were too big to blow out through my nose, so I'd use the saline rinse, "sniffing", and massaging the cheek area next to my nose to loosen them. They would come out the back of my nose into the back of my throat, and I could cough it out into a tissue. They were green and bloody, and the size of nickels. During this time I also noticed that I could blow my nose, and things came out! Instead of post nasal drip or smaller chunks being stuck in there and inflaming my sinuses, I could blow them out. By week six, I could bend over completely without discomfort. During this time, I had another edoscopic ultrasound to check on my recovery.
Days 42 (six weeks) to 3 months - several visits to the doctor for clean-outs and to check the level of healing. Everything is looking better each time. Clean-outs still uncomfortable, but bearable. And the relief after one of those chunks come out - an amazing feeling. Continue sinus rinses and irrigation. Aching, light and noise intolerance was gone. Still feeling "stuffy".
3-6 months: Occasional doctor visits. "stuffiness" was about gone. At month 4, I had IVs for my lungs. Usually, my sinuses are very involved. However, I was able to keep blowing my nose and clearing secretions. I still would get the monster chunks, but the saline/sniff/massage combo would release them into the back of my nose and throat so I could spit them out. At my last visit in April, my doctor declared the surgery a success. During this time, I had another endoscopic ultrasound to check on my recovery.
Around the 6th or 7th month, I noticed something. Whenever I ate, I started to really enjoy the taste of food. Like, OMG this lasagna is good! This corn is amazing! These pickles are so tasty!! I realized that was able to SMELL my foods, something I really wasn't able to do - ever. Of course, I also began to smell other things, like my cat box (lol), or the leftovers in the fridge, etc.
It is now two and a half years post-op.
I am convinced that this surgery was the best decision I had make in a long time. I had put it off for more than a year after my CF doctor suggested it. I hear so many people say they have had "several" or "many" sinus surgeries, but learn later that all they are having are scrapings. My surgery was a big ordeal, but it FIXED so many problems. I continue to get CF sick, but being able to keep my sinuses clearer helps slow down the number of infections that go from Sinus to Lungs.
I continue to use saline several times daily, which might seem like a pain, but is worth it. I still get chunks way up on top and into the cheek, but I can "work them out" over the course of several hours to 2 days. Lots of saline and sniffing helps move them around.
Keeping sinuses clear is just as important as your lungs. In my case, the surgery was a huge success.
I hope that my story has helped you. If you have questions, feel free to ask. Good luck in your decision making.
