As a result of having an antibiotic-resistant case of chronic sinusitis, I’m having to get an endoscopic sinus surgery along with septoplasty, turbinate reduction, and a few other related procedures on the 15th….
and my anxiety is going nuts!
As of now, I’ve got severe pressure in my ears causing tinnitus, pressure behind my eyes, headaches, and all-over body aches. All of my sinus cavities are infected or so the CT scan shows- so I know I absolutely need to have this procedure, but I’m so worried!
At 51 years old, I’ve never had surgery before in my life.Never been touched by a scalpel. Essentially… I’ve lived in my safe little bubble all this time without having ever had to deal with anything even remotely close to this- and it’s driving me batty!
I’ve tried going over this with my ENT and even explaining to him that I’m on the spectrum, and but he’s incredibly dismissive.
Is there anyone here that’s got some positive energy they can send my way? Maybe some stories of similar procedures? Some advice? Or at least some reasons why I shouldn’t be so worried? I really could use some reassurance here.
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I had almost exactly what you had. The surgery is easy. You’re anxious but as soon as the sedative anaesthesia hits you’re out and wake up having no memory of it all. It feels instant and you then wonder what all the anxiety was for. Seriously, don’t sweat it. You’ll shut your eyes then open them and it will be done.
The hard part is after the surgery, you’ll have some pain, but the meds they give you will blunt most of that. And you’ll feel so relieved it’s over and optimistic about the future that you’ll work through the miscomfort of healing.
Best wishes and please update us when you’re done.
Thank you so much! I’m hoping it’s as easy as you say. I know results may vary person to person, but I’m really hoping I get to be one of the easy ones.
I’ve heard some horror stories.
I don’t know if it’s the same in every hospital, but my experience is that when you get to the hospital, a nurse will talk with you about the surgery plan and your medical background/medication etc. This is the person you can tell about your ASD and ask for some extra guidance if needed. Also be prepared that for a while you might be prepped for surgery without anything to distract you (no phone, headphones or your glasses on) and just waiting, as this is usually the most difficult part for me. One thing that helps me distract myself in those times is to think of a nice story prompt before the day and than try to write that story in my head.
Thank you for the advice. Thats good to know before going it. Oftentimes it’s easier when I’m not surprised by things like this. I greatly appreciate it.
I had sinus surgery with septoplasty in 2022. It’s a pretty easy recovery. The worst pain of the experience is honestly when you wake up from sedation with a sore throat. Otherwise the most troublesome part for me was trying to sleep upright for a few nights and resisting the temptation to blow my nose. About a week after the surgery I sneezed in the shower and a big blood clot flew out, and it was like all of the pressure I’ve felt in my head for a decade disappeared in that moment. 10/10 would do again.
I recommend prepping a TV show to watch while you recover, or another easy hobby you can do in bed while sitting upright.
Before surgery stock up on tissues, throat lozenges (bring some to the hospital with you!!), minty caffeine free tea, laxatives (for the side effects of pain killers), and OTC pain medication. If you have someone taking care of you, let them know that simple soups and fruit smoothies are going to be your best bet for a few days.
Awesome advice! Going to use this as a reference for sure. Thank you SO much!!!
Already have a TV show prepped. Going to revisit the super fan episodes of The Office alongside the Office Ladies podcast.
Regarding g that shower sneeze, as I’ve been told, I should try and not sneeze for a while after. I’m assuming a week is okay by then to do it?
It’s been a few years so my memory is hazy on the specifics. Just listen to your doctor and you’ll be fine.
I’ve done it twice. It’s a miserable surgery but it’s not overly painful.
Ask for something for the anxiety. Everyone is different but it’s common to feel panicky after the surgery. The old school way was to pay your nose with gauss for several days. Now they use sponges that dissolve. Either way breathing will feel abnormal till they are out. You’ll be a mouth breather for awhile.
You won’t regret the surgery. It’s worth it. Most likely it’s not antibiotic resistant. Most likely you cannot drain which keeps the infection from going away.
Talk to you doctor but a Navage can help after surgery. Normally they have you do something like a Neti pot. Make sure you used distilled water. You don’t want to take any risk after surgery.
Take all your meds on schedule. People often say I don’t need x. It was prescribed, so take it.
You’ll also have splints in for a few weeks. Once those come out, you’ll have a lot more pep in your step.
If the surgery is opposed to an anti-anxiety drug, speak to your primary care.
Thank you. I will definitely return to this during recovery for a brush-up on advice.
Take all your meds on schedule. People often say I don’t need x. It was prescribed, so take it.
This is shitty advice. If you’re prescribed pain pills, don’t take them if you’re in 0 pain or the side effects aren’t worth it if your pain is otherwise manageable.
You’re usually told to use pain medication as needed, but it can have side effects like reducing swelling, fever, blood clotting and so on, so I’d probably still ask if I can leave it out if I know I have a high pain tolerance.
First surgery I had was for a severely deviated septum and fungal sinusitis.
The lead up to the surgery I almost bailed, but trust me when I say after it’s said and done you will feel so much better.
Thank you for this. I don’t think I’m going to bail, although I postponed and put this off for much longer than I should have. He wanted to have me scheduled back in July.
Good luck!
Fifty year old here (51 in a couple of months). I had thyroid and lymph node cancer surgery last year. Afterwards, I had to sleep sitting up for two weeks since I had two drainage bags. A few years before that I had two heart surgeries two weeks apart. Neither was really a big deal to me. I just went to sleep and woke up high as a kite. Then for two days after each surgery I slept the best sleep of my life thanks to the after effects of the anesthesia. I know it is fucked up to say given the stress my wife had to endure, but overall it was a kind of nice experience in a weird way. I got to really, truly rest and relax. The worst was over and it was not bad at all. Now my only job was to recuperate.
A Note On Pain: As a Gen-X guy who has surfed, skated, BMX’d and now snowboard for over forty years, the after surgery pain was basically nothing compared to some of the spills we’ve had over the years. If it get too uncomfortable, take two Aleve.
Seriously, it’s not a big deal. Good luck, and enjoy your chill time!
Ypu got this!!!
I’ve had a similar surgery last August. My mind was going wild about the procedure, but my psychologist suggested I look into it, and I found it was much simpler than I expected, which eased a bit the anxiety. The recovery was a bit slow, but I did some things on my throat as well, which come with eating restrictions. The recovery for the nose part was uneventful.
Mine was successful, the next few weeks were unpleasant but it was 100% worth it.
The surgeons handle this regularly, it’s routine for them. You get to relax and let them manage everything.
I went through lung surgery a few years ago and coped by deciding that I could trust the surgeons (and other medical professionals) completely. They know what they are doing, and they have procedures in place to make sure everything goes well.
Learning to consciously relax and trust everyone around you is a something that takes constant effort, but in my opinion, it’s worth it.
My surgery went well, no complications, and my recovery was exactly on schedule.
That’s quite minimally invasive, with the biggest danger really being the anesthesia(and that’s likely an extremely small danger in your case). Most of what they’ll be doing is working on what your body already considers the “outside.”
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Never had this surgery but from 2 C-sections and a hysterectomy I suggest you have a bottle of acetaminophen tablets at home. Because there’s a decent chance you don’t need the stronger prescription opiate-type pain killers after the first day, and can avoid their side effects like constipation (Metamucil helps that one). It’s not a good time for aspirin or NSAIDS like ibuprofen because they’re blood thinners. Just be careful with dosing. Overdosing acetaminophen is dangerous. If the Tylenol isn’t cutting it, go back to the prescription.
Off topic but can you tell me more about your hysterectomy? My doctor has been recommending it for years but I’m scared.
In my case I’d had 2 C-sections earlier so they went in through the old scar. There’s other ways depending on the situation. I think the recovery was a little harder but maybe because you don’t get a baby as a door prize to distract you. And of course being older. I was perimenopausal, but kept my ovaries because they were healthy and would help postpone osteoporosis. You’re completely out, of course, so there’s some recovery from the anesthesia as well. I had learned from before that it’s really important to follow the rules about NO STAIRS and NO LIFTING until you’ve healed. Because you think it’s fine and then ZOINGO! it hurts! It’s also really helpful to figure out beforehand what you’ll need to get out of bed without using your abs at all. Something you can grab to roll over and get your foot on the floor, and stand using your back and arms, is good. There’s no point in creating scar tissue in there. Plenty of time for exercise later. Meanwhile you can start shopping for white pants, and pretty sheets!
Knocked out for surgery once. Told to count down from 10, remember getting to 7 then waking up somewhere else. Scariest part was trying to figure out which direction was up afterwards, then asking what time it is
