Deviated Septum Surgery (Jim)

I had this scheduled for months and today (10/21), I had surgery to correct a deviated septum. The septum basically separates the 2 sides of your nose. Mine was crooked inside my nose and severely pinching off the left side. This affected my breathing, was a large cause of my snoring and for some, can contribute to frequent sinus infections.
Well, surgery went fine (I guess). I was knocked out. The cracked me inside the nose, set it, sutured splints inside the nose in both nostrils to keep the septum straight and sent me home with a roll of gauze taped under my nose.
Some anti-inflammatory drug and narcotic (hydrocodone) was picked up on the way home. Then the healing began. Sort of. Let me just say – I am no wimp, but this was miserable. Dripping for 2 days, and congested for over a week later. When you cannot breath through your nose, you can’t taste. When you can’t taste, you have little appetite. So it was good for a couple pounds of weight loss at least 🙂
I had to sleep nearly sitting up and then breath through my mouth only. For the first couple of nights, this meant getting 5 to 15 minute sleep periods followed by getting up to rehydrate the leather pouch that was once my mouth and tongue and to wash face.
I have included images of a couple of items that were somewhat helpful. The small personal steamer/inhaler was nice. Not super- effective but it made me feel better that I was at least trying to melt the mass of goo in my head. The larger warm air humidifier was helpful. But, it was not local enough. I used it in the bedroom on the 3rd night. By night 4, I had modified it by adding a shop vac extension hose to the warm air output. I placed the hose near my head. It came loose from the humidifier in the middle of the night. Oops. The next night, more duct tape! It held. But this night, the vapor that clings to the inner walls of the hose pooled in a low spot of the hose and stopped working. The 3rd night of using the humidifier was the charm. I had tye-wrapped the hose to a chair and a piece of luggage so it was all up-hill slopped to my head. This worked great for many more nights.
The little baby bulb sucker things were used to try to irrigate my nose. This was totally ineffective. I also tried some sort of saline nasal mist and was able to mist it in enough to taste it (ew) but it too was not effective in melting anything away or providing any relief.
On day 9, I was back at my doctor’s office to get my splints removed. Oh what a relief that was. After they remove them, they mist a load of novocane up each nostril. Guess what the first thing I tasted in 9 days was? Yep – novocane. And let me tell you – it was awful. But, I could breath and taste – yaaaaaaaa!
First thing I had was chocolate doughnuts. I had been craving the taste of chocolate so that was it – my first meal. Later that night, the swelling increased in my nose. This is normal. I can breath but my smell and taste are only about 30% effective.
I am told over the next 2 to 3 weeks (post splint removal), that the swelling should be gone and I should be normal – CURED! Hopefully.
Should you get it done? If you need it – I’d say get it. Was it miserable? Yes. Was it worth it? If it works in the end – Yes?
Jim