I've been blogging for the last three months about my
experiences of having a septoplasty, a procedure to correct a deviated septum,
because I couldn’t find much information online. I thought recording my own
journey from start to finish might be useful for other people having a similar
procedure through the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde board…at least until I had
a different procedure on the day. Still, I think it’s worthwhile finishing the
blogs.
This might be my last post on the nose, as I had my post-operative follow up assessment on Friday, 15th
January, roughly five weeks after my procedure, with Mr. T, the surgeon who operated
on me. He used the word ‘operation’, so I feel less bashful about using
it here, although what I had done was still relatively minor. He asked me if
things had changed for the better, got worse, or stayed the same. I answered
quite truthfully, that all things considered, my nose is much the same as it
was before the surgery. He had a look, both with his naked eye, and an
endoscope, and he seemed to share my opinion, but observed that there was still
some crusting in my nose as a result of the diathermy he carried out.
He explained that while I was under general anaesthetic, he’d
had a closer inspection of the interior of my nose, and decided that the issue
was less with my septum, which lies in the middle of the nose, but my
turbinates, which are…kinda…behind the cheeks. Look, I'm not an ear, nose, and
throat specialist. He then made a couple of incisions into the mucous lining
that covers the turbinate using a tool which an electrical current is run
through, cauterising the underlying tissue. In theory, as the cauterised tissue
scars, it should shrink and reduce the blockage in my nose. He noted that
turbinate reduction does have a fair chance of not working, and unfortunately
it hasn't worked for me. He offered the option of trying the same procedure
again, and straightening out my septum while he was at it, but I opted not to
go down that route.
As Mr. T is not convinced the above would be any more successful a second time around, there doesn't appear to be any further surgical option for
me; I just have a crap nose. Mr T. has prescribed me with a nasal decongestant,
which he thinks I can use long-term (which I imply to mean forever and ever.) I
guess I’d convinced myself that having a septoplasty would dramatically improve my quality
of life, so to be back to square one, with the implication that this is a
chronic condition, is a little dispiriting. However, my nose hasn't quite
finished healing yet, so there might potentially be a little improvement yet to
come.
As for the subject of my worsening sense of smell, Mr. T
told me that smell wasn't normally linked with nasal congestion, and that mine
shouldn't be so depleted at a relatively young age. As such, he’s referred me
for a scan of my head and/or nasal cavity, to confirm, in his words, that there
isn't anything ‘weird and wonderful going on up there’. Which is slightly
alarming. So, I guess I'm due at least one more trip to the hospital with my
hooter. I do have the go-ahead to start exercising again though…
I was going to write a conclusion, pondering the question 'would I do it all again?' but I didn't have the operation I was supposed to, and the replacement procedure didn't work, and I'm not taking up the option of having either of the two procedures, so I guess the answer is no? Even though it's yes? Although the NHS haven't as yet got to the root of what 's wrong with my nose, they have been thoroughly professional and lovely, in my experience, so I wouldn't be worried should I ever require anything else done.
