POSTED UNDER Septoplasty Reviews
WARNING: Dismissive Postoperative Care That Left Me Terrified and Alone
ORIGINAL POST
WARNING: Dismissive Postoperative Care That Left Me Terrified and Alone
I am writing this review to warn other patients, especially those with any history of anxiety, that my experience with this doctor and clinic was deeply distressing and mishandled. Prior to selecting a doctor, I want everyone to consider how this doctor should handle post-operative issues. DEBORAH WATSON WAS HORRIFIC.
After undergoing septoplasty and turbinate surgery, I experienced severe postoperative symptoms that included intense anxiety, panic attacks occurring out of nowhere, profound insomnia, and a sense of overwhelming dread. This lasted for weeks and was the most destabilizing experience of my life.
I was prescribed ciprofloxacin after surgery and was never informed of its known neuropsychiatric side effects, including anxiety, panic, and insomnia. When I became highly symptomatic, this possibility was never meaningfully discussed or taken seriously.
When my nasal stents were removed, I experienced extreme discomfort from unfiltered, cold airflow—sensations that felt raw, invasive, and neurologically overwhelming. I later learned that this can happen after turbinate procedures and can provoke panic responses, but none of this was explained to me beforehand. I was left frightened and confused, with no understanding of what was happening to my body.
Instead of being supported, I was dismissed. My symptoms were attributed to the fact that I have a diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder, and I was essentially told that this was “just anxiety” and unrelated to surgery or medication. This was profoundly invalidating and ignored the clear temporal relationship between the procedure, the medication, and my symptoms.
When I reached out repeatedly through the patient portal seeking help and reassurance, I was told to stop contacting the clinic. I cannot adequately describe how isolating and frightening it was to be cut off from care while in acute distress.
This experience made me feel blamed, dismissed, and abandoned at my most vulnerable. Regardless of surgical outcomes, postoperative care includes listening to patients, providing informed consent, and taking severe symptoms seriously. That did not happen here.
I strongly urge prospective patients to ask very direct questions about:
• Medication side effects (especially fluoroquinolones)
• Postoperative sensory changes after turbinate surgery
• How postoperative distress will be handled if complications arise
I wish someone had warned me.
After undergoing septoplasty and turbinate surgery, I experienced severe postoperative symptoms that included intense anxiety, panic attacks occurring out of nowhere, profound insomnia, and a sense of overwhelming dread. This lasted for weeks and was the most destabilizing experience of my life.
I was prescribed ciprofloxacin after surgery and was never informed of its known neuropsychiatric side effects, including anxiety, panic, and insomnia. When I became highly symptomatic, this possibility was never meaningfully discussed or taken seriously.
When my nasal stents were removed, I experienced extreme discomfort from unfiltered, cold airflow—sensations that felt raw, invasive, and neurologically overwhelming. I later learned that this can happen after turbinate procedures and can provoke panic responses, but none of this was explained to me beforehand. I was left frightened and confused, with no understanding of what was happening to my body.
Instead of being supported, I was dismissed. My symptoms were attributed to the fact that I have a diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder, and I was essentially told that this was “just anxiety” and unrelated to surgery or medication. This was profoundly invalidating and ignored the clear temporal relationship between the procedure, the medication, and my symptoms.
When I reached out repeatedly through the patient portal seeking help and reassurance, I was told to stop contacting the clinic. I cannot adequately describe how isolating and frightening it was to be cut off from care while in acute distress.
This experience made me feel blamed, dismissed, and abandoned at my most vulnerable. Regardless of surgical outcomes, postoperative care includes listening to patients, providing informed consent, and taking severe symptoms seriously. That did not happen here.
I strongly urge prospective patients to ask very direct questions about:
• Medication side effects (especially fluoroquinolones)
• Postoperative sensory changes after turbinate surgery
• How postoperative distress will be handled if complications arise
I wish someone had warned me.
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