So Happy I Can Breathe Better! (Septoplatsy and Functional Rhinoplasty)

For many years, prior to my surgery (October 2015), I suffered from chronic sinus infections and had been encouraged by various doctors to have my ‘deviated septum’ corrected. I am not sure if I was born with a deviated septum or if it was a result of playing rough sports, but I am pretty sure that getting hit in the face with soccer balls, boxing gloves, etc. didn’t help my situation much. I never opted for surgery until it became nearly impossible to breathe through my left nostril, which had collapsed sometime in 2014.
Though only visible to others when I tilted my head back, my left nostril became a slit when I tried to breathe in, so no air could pass through. It was incredibly frustrating to breathe – especially while running. I even tried running while holding my nostril open, but quickly tired of that and just gave up. I felt like I was suffocating, but I was so nervous about having surgery done, that I kept putting it off for months. Admittedly, I was worried whether I would look different after, if I would be in a lot of pain, or whether my singing voice would be affected. Thankfully, I called Dr. Lin’s office (as recommended by my ENT), and I knew right away that I could trust him to perform the surgery necessary to help me breathe better and repair my collapsed nostril. (More specifically, Dr. Lin performed a septoplasty, turbinate reduction, spreader graft placement, & external valve reconstruction.)
Now, here I am – 1 year & 5 months later – smiling and happy that I can breathe again, my nose looks fantastic (nearly identical to how it looked before it collapsed), and my singing range has actually improved since my surgery. It was definitely worth it.