In 2014 I went to a complete quack in New York for sinus surgery. When I came to, in horrible pain, the first thing Dr. Dahl said to me was, "You're going to have to use the neti pot twice a day for the rest of your life." Then she left. Her nurses bestowed me with the news that they had shaved down one side of my septum, without my knowledge nor consent, and tried to add it to the other side. They also almost completely removed my turbinates. I immediately got infected. Nothing improved. In 2016, I got a multi-drug resistant sinus infection--you know, the thing I was ostensibly butchered in order to prevent. It gave me pneumonia and I stayed sick for five months. I had just moved to Los Angeles, and an ENT at UCLA took a look in my nose and gasped, "Oh my god!! Who did this?! This is barbaric! We don't even do this anymore in the medical field!" He proceeded to tell me he couldn't help me. I had to go on a very extreme diet for seven months for it to go away: NO sugar (not even fruit), NO carbs, no soy, no mushrooms, no joy. I was hopeless. I accepted my terrible fate instead of suing Dr. Theresa Dahl for malpractice. I was young. A few months ago, a dear friend of mine got a septoplasty and rhinoplasty. I was so nervous for her--but her results were amazing and she's so happy! So I got the info for her team and contacted her ENT, Dr. Mani Zadeh, just to see my options. Dr. Zadeh is a dream. He's patient, kind, and a great listener. I never felt gaslit once, and the same goes for the plastic surgeon he works in tandem with, Dr. Carlo Honrado. Dr. Zadeh saw me first and confirmed that my septum was "very, very deviated." He surmised my breathing from my right nostril was at around 20%, contributing to my newly diagnosed heart condition (tachycardia). I winced every time my poor, mangled septum was inspected--apparently it was full of gouges from Dr. Dahl's brutality. The CT scan was both shocking and completely validating. "But it's not the worst you've ever seen though, right?" "Well," he paused, and after a beat said, "it's pretty bad." I went down the hall to Dr. Honrado's office. He felt the outside of my nose, which was disturbingly hypermobile and clicking with movement. We were both a bit perturbed. He validated that my nose had changed shape from the botch-job I was subjected to back in New York, and informed me that the revision would have to be performed like an open rhinoplasty, confirming Dr. Zadeh's prognosis. He said he could restore my nose to its original cuteness, no longer drooping when I smile nor wiggling and clicking like some double-jointed inflatable tube man at a car sales lot. I asked him to make it just a little cuter still, since we were already here, though to stay a bit conservative. He also noticed my chin implant from 2015 was placed somewhat incorrectly, so I asked him to fix that, and give me more of a snatched jawline too. We were officially on the same page. I went in for surgery last Thursday, just a few weeks after the consultation. I was nervous, of course, but also confident I was in the right hands. It was a long procedure but I'm happy to report it went smoothly. Coming to was pretty rough. I vomited and was in a lot of pain. By day 3, though, everything was much more manageable and I barely even needed Tylenol. Today, I got my stents, stitches, and cast removed. While it was uncomfortable, I feel SO much better. I look pretty rough and am not sure how I feel about the aesthetic outcome, still being so swollen, but I'm breathing through both nostrils, and that's a miracle. Will keep you posted on my progress.
Septoplasty and endoscopic sinus surgery are performed intra-nasally, usually there are no external nasal incisions or sutures. It is always wise to check with your surgeon since there are rare exceptions to this. Recovery after routine septoplasty and endoscopic sinus surgery is around 5-10 days depending on the extent of surgery. If sutures are used inside the nose, they are usually self absorbing and dissolve automatically. If nasal splints are used, a permanent suture is usually placed to secure the splint in place and this is removed by the surgeon at the post op visit.
In general, so long as there is no change in the external shape of the nose and the nasal passages remain patent, you should hopefully be fine. Nasal trauma following a septoplasty can sometimes cause deviation of the nasal septum, but patients usually have nasal congestion following the injury in these cases. It is always wise to see your surgeon as soon as possible, as you have scheduled. It is unlikely to cause sinus related injury with that level of trauma, although once again it is important to see your surgeon for evaluation. Wish you the best.
Turbinate reduction is often performed with a septoplasty, however this is determined on an patient by patient basis. It is best to ask your surgeon if your turbinates are enlarged and require surgical treatment. If a turbinate reduction is recommended, it is important to inquire about the technique being used. So long as the mucosal lining of the turbinate is preserved and not traumatized, empty nose syndrome can be avoided. Wish you the best.
