Deviated Septum/ Turbinate Reduction

[Patricia]

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Dr Bermant-

I was wondering if you could give me your advice...I am a bit freaked out to say the least/scared and anxious .  I have Septoplasty/turbinate reduction done on Dec. 16, and I still have a lot of pain... SOmeone had told me they wer HEALED is 2 days after wards and here I am almost a month later.. Facial pain in nose, forhead around teeth and ears. Maybe radiated nerve pain from possible swelling, I am not sure. I can not take NSAIDS because I am allergic to them as well as the medrol dos pak. I spoke to my doctor and her told me that I should be feeling better by now, however give it another month as some people heal slower and people pain threshholds are different. Today when speaking to the pharmacist she told me that this nerve/facial pain could be PERMENANT along with the headaches, at which then I started shaking and crying.  My fear is that this will NEVER go away, so I am now stuck on that thought. my two top teeth are sensitive, they throb like a heartbeat, my whole face does, and my doctor said there is NO infection, so I am really concerened even more now! I never experienced headaches until now either. My whole face is like one bi NERVE pain.....so uncomfortable and freaked out! THen another friend said having this pain is ABNORMAL after almost 4 weeks, is this true or should I find other friends... Please help with advice. Oh and I quit smoking for 1 week after surgery, but now smoking again, whick I know isn't helping....PLEASE E-MAIL me back! Thank you in advance...

[DrBermant]

Dr Bermant-

I was wondering if you could give me your advice...I am a bit freaked out to say the least/scared and anxious .  I have Septoplasty/turbinate reduction done on Dec. 16, and I still have a lot of pain... SOmeone had told me they wer HEALED is 2 days after wards and here I am almost a month later.. Facial pain in nose, forhead around teeth and ears. Maybe radiated nerve pain from possible swelling, I am not sure. I can not take NSAIDS because I am allergic to them as well as the medrol dos pak. I spoke to my doctor and her told me that I should be feeling better by now, however give it another month as some people heal slower and people pain threshholds are different. Today when speaking to the pharmacist she told me that this nerve/facial pain could be PERMENANT along with the headaches, at which then I started shaking and crying.  My fear is that this will NEVER go away, so I am now stuck on that thought. my two top teeth are sensitive, they throb like a heartbeat, my whole face does, and my doctor said there is NO infection, so I am really concerened even more now! I never experienced headaches until now either. My whole face is like one bi NERVE pain.....so uncomfortable and freaked out! THen another friend said having this pain is ABNORMAL after almost 4 weeks, is this true or should I find other friends... Please help with advice. Oh and I quit smoking for 1 week after surgery, but now smoking again, whick I know isn't helping....PLEASE E-MAIL me back! Thank you in advance...

This should not be construed as medical advice. I am a retired Board Certified Plastic Surgeon.

Cigarette Smoking is a disaster for healing tissues and I asked my patients for much more time that that after surgery to help with compromised tissues. It can also irritate injured tissues causing more swelling and pain. It is kind of like asking why does it hurt if I bang my head against the wall. Alone, it is probably not the answer, but why do anything that can irritate tissues further?

Although pain was discussed as a potential Rhinoplasty Risk and Complication, we were able to minimize it for my patients. Each case is different with different problems to sculpt, different operations, and different tissues to work on. Pan is not completely preventable with this surgery. The trick is to minimize it as much as possible. I do not remember any patient having that much discomfort nor it lasting that long.

There can be various components to pain after rhinoplasty. Each has its own causes, mechanisms, and potential treatments. I preferred prevention and used Swiss Therapy and techniques to minimize swelling and bruising. Once there, such swelling can be difficult to resolve and is best evaluated in person by the operating surgeon who can asses what they see and feel with what they know they did during the surgery.

Here is another post about how long irritating painful breathing can last after rhinoplasty?.

Welcome to our forum. Sorry it took so long to reply. Hope you are feeling better.

Hope this helps,

Michael Bermant, MD
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