Dear Compiler; It sounds like you certainly need some help. If you have continued sinus infections on the left side plus left facial pain and left ear blockage, that highly suggests you may have a deviated septum responsible for all those problems.This appeared to be confirmed on your CT scan. A nasal septoplasty is an excellent procedure.Typically, I like to add in trimming of the turbinates if they are enlarged, because turbinates also contribute to nasal blockage in a fair percentage of people, particularly those with allergies.Trimming the turbinates acts as somewhat of an "insurance policy" to literally guarantee the success of the procedure.You see, sometimes it's hard to get the septum perfectly straight. If it's still crooked towards the original side, you might not have the same benefit. But if the turbinates are trimmed on that side, you will have the benefit of a larger airway, even though the septal straightening may be imperfect. Check with the surgeon you see about that. Regarding the chance of complications or side-effects following nasal septoplasty, they are fortunately very rare. In a small percentage of patients -- and I emphasize the word small, thinking miniscule is a better word -- a chance of imperfect healing exists which would leave a small hole or "perforation" in the septum. The perforation is harmless unless it causes whistling, crusting and bleeding. Generally, you will know if a perforation exists a month or two after surgery on one of the routine exams. For many people, it is inconsequential, and even if you have the symptoms mentioned above, it is not hard to close off using a small collarbone-type device. Apart from that, not much can really go wrong. How quickly one heals depends on the technique and what else is done in surgery. I don't know if you are considering rhinoplasty at the same time. But in any event, nasal septoplasty is one of the most efficient, successful, and low-complication operations in the entire world of surgery. Hundreds of thousands are done every year in the United States alone. One final thing, a message from our sponsor: any surgery including nasal septoplasty has some possibility of causing some congestion and some degree of blockage in the first several days after surgery. Generally, this is not very popular with patients. Therefore, I recommend you ask your surgeon to install the Kotler Nasal Airway™ (KNA) after surgery. I am not trying to toot my own horn, but all my nasal surgery patients have a KNA and are ecstatic about their excellent breathing from the minute they awaken in the recovery room. I invented the KNA to avoid the unpleasantness of a stuffy nose, mouth-breathing, dry mouth and, for some people, a claustrophobic sense that accompanies the swelling, blood or mucus that can accumulate in the nose after surgery. When you visit the website, you will see what patients have to say about it, and that's the most important endorsement there is. End of commercial. Do some homework. Check out my website. It's rich in information about that procedure. Check out other doctors' websites. Read books. Learn as much as you can. Be prepared. At the consultation, take notes. Bring a friend or relative with you to get the best possible retention of information. Best wishes, Robert Kotler, MD, FACS Over 4,500 nasal procedures performed Author, SECRETS OF A BEVERLY HILLS COSMETIC SURGEON Author, THE ESSENTIAL COSMETIC SURGERY COMPANION