LIFE-CHANGING RESULTS OF FIXING YOUR DEVIATED SEPTUM Better sleep, more comfortable breathing, and fewer problems like congestions, nosebleeds, and snoring all help patients lead better lives.
So, if you have difficulty breathing through your nose, your healthcare provider will need to determine why. If you have nasal polyps or nasal septum deviation, septoplasty could ease your symptoms and improve your quality of life.
A severely deviated septum causing nasal blockage can lead to: Dry mouth, due to chronic mouth breathing. A feeling of pressure or congestion in your nasal passages. Disturbed sleep, due to the unpleasantness of not being able to breathe comfortably through your nose at night.
Only you can decide what's best for yourself. If your deviated septum isn't causing breathing issues, sleep apnea or other worrisome symptoms, you probably don't need to do anything. But if your condition has a negative impact on your quality of life, surgery could be a good option.
You will probably be able to return to work or school in a few days and to your normal routine in about 3 weeks. But this varies with your job and how much surgery you had. Most people recover fully in 1 to 2 months. You will have to visit your doctor during the 3 to 4 months after your surgery.
Improved breathing – overall breathing function is greatly improved since the nasal passages are opened up. Better sleep quality – reshaping a crooked septum not only improves airflow while you're awake, but also reduces or eliminates snoring and/or sleep apnea and improves the overall quality of your sleep.
Many people with septal deviations find symptomatic relief via medications sufficient and don't require surgery. For that reason, treatment almost always begins with medical interventions. But for people who have major structural issues or those don't respond to medications, surgery likely is needed.
An untreated deviated septum can also lead to a serious condition called sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is when a person temporarily stops breathing at night during sleep. People with sleep apnea stop breathing temporarily multiple times during sleep.
Changing the septum too much with surgery can weaken it and cause a change in the way your nose looks or a hole through the septum from one side of the nose to the other. A hole in the septum can cause a whistling sound or blood noses.
If your chronic sinusitis is due to polyps, a deviated septum, or another structural abnormality, a surgical procedure can alleviate your symptoms, including brain fog and reduce your risk of infections. It may also improve your sense of smell and make it easier for you to breathe through your nose.
Due to these effects on overall QOL, it can be assumed that NSD is also associated with neuropsychological disorders such as anxiety, depression, and migraine.
Limited or restricted airways due to a serious deformity in the septum often cause mouth breathing. Smaller nostrils also increase the frequency and severity of sinus infections, colds, etc. Poor sleep and cognitive performance impact quality of life. A deviated septum makes sleep challenging.
One of the risks and complications from septoplasty is damage to the septum or cartilage in the nose. A perforated septum, septal hematoma or infection can be complications of septoplasty, causing a weakened nasal structure that can lead to a bridge collapse.
Primary septoplasty has a success rate ranging from 43-85% [5], implying that at most 15% of septoplasty patients do not experience relief from symptoms. Several studies that have examined the causes of septoplasty failure have emphasized the significance of undetected nasal valve abnormalities.
One of the most common nose deformities is a deviated septum. About 70% to 80% of people have a septal deviation noticeable to an examiner. In many cases, the deviation is minor and causes no symptoms. A deviated septum that is moderate to severe, however, can lead to nasal obstruction and require treatment.
Can a Deviated Septum Cause Fatigue? As with pain, the deviated septum itself doesn't cause fatigue, but the obstruction it creates can impact your energy levels. A deviated septum is typically linked with fatigue when it causes the patient to suffer from sleep apnea.
If you have a severely deviated septum and don't get treatment, it could lead to complications such as: Dry mouth from breathing through your mouth instead of your nose. Uncomfortable pressure in your nasal passages due to congestion. Poor sleep or sleep disorders like sleep apnea.
Unless the symptoms are very severe, septoplasty is usually not indicated in a child that is still growing, as the septum contains the “growth center” of the nose. Therefore, septoplasty is more commonly performed in adolescence or adulthood (at least 16 years of age in girls and 17 to 18 years of age in boys).
We advise you to rest for a few days following your operation, and to avoid heavy work for one week. It is important to avoid dusty or smoky atmospheres and crowded places e.g. pubs and parties for one week, this is to prevent unnecessary irritation to the nasal lining and to reduce the risk of infection.
Septoplasty, a surgical procedure aimed at correcting a deviated septum, is often associated with its potential to enhance sleep quality. However, ENT physician Marc Error, MD, says the surgery is not a reliable treatment for sleep-related concerns.
The turbinates normally function to warm and humidify inhaled air, and so it is important that the turbinate not be removed completely because this can result in a very dry, crusty nose. Occasionally, turbinate tissue will re-grow after turbinate surgery, and the procedure may need to be repeated.
Glasses cause indentations and deviations in your nasal bones, and when you wear them after nasal surgery, you may risk undergoing another surgery.
A deviated septum will not usually cause problems with pain or vision; however a sinus infection can. The symptoms of a sinus infection are facial or sinus pain, headache, nasal drip, post nasal drip, stuffiness, and fever. It can also cause infections of the orbital or eye socket and the ears.