Wish Me Luck...

[JonKerr]

Thanks everyone. I just got home about half an hour ago. Everything went very well. Not really bruised up like I was expecting, but just as miserable and uncomfortable. Imagine the worst sore throat you've ever had and multiply it by 100. I don't know exactly why, but tonsils and uvula removal is much more painful in adults than children. The sinuses aren't as bad but still feel worse than the worst sinus infection I've ever had. But it'll all be worth it in the end. Just gonna sit here on the couch with my small pharmacy next to me, the TV in front of me and my laptop for a while. And the care I got was excellent.

Jon where do u work?

I work in the Head & Neck Surgery (AKA Ear Nose and Throat - We do a LOT more than ENT though so we're head and neck.) at Kaiser Permanente.

 

[auniquesoul]

wishing you a speedy recovery!

 

[CrazyCawi]

Thanks everyone. I just got home about half an hour ago. Everything went very well. Not really bruised up like I was expecting, but just as miserable and uncomfortable. Imagine the worst sore throat you've ever had and multiply it by 100. I don't know exactly why, but tonsils and uvula removal is much more painful in adults than children. The sinuses aren't as bad but still feel worse than the worst sinus infection I've ever had. But it'll all be worth it in the end. Just gonna sit here on the couch with my small pharmacy next to me, the TV in front of me and my laptop for a while. And the care I got was excellent.



I work in the Head & Neck Surgery (AKA Ear Nose and Throat - We do a LOT more than ENT though so we're head and neck.) at Kaiser Permanente.

Woooop woop!!!! Glad to hear it jon!!!!

:wav:

What do you do for the company?

 

[JonKerr]

I just started there about 6 months ago as a service rep. Basically front line on the phones, booking appointments, managing the Dr.'s wait lists, etc... Kind of an entry level position to get my foot in the door into medical administration.

 

[DragonBlu]

Hang in there Jon,my youngest daughter(32) had the same operation done a year and a half ago and she can not believe the difference. She has had problems since she was a child. Once you get through the post-op you'll have it made.

 

[JonKerr]

Thanks for encouragement. Because I'll tell you right now, I feel like I was shot in the face with a shot gun. I've had 12 percocet in the last 24 hours and I still feel like hell.

 

[e.blackadder]

Good luck, Jon.

My wife had septoplasty last June and she was very pleased with the results right away. She could breathe freely and stopped snoring the first night.

Looks a bit freaky for the first two weeks and you have to be gentle with your nose (no sneezing) for the first several months.

 

[FZ1inNH]

Oh my.... Jon!!!

I had all that done in 2005 except the tonsils (still have those). It was not a good time for two weeks. I hope you fair a lot better than I did. In the middle of week two, they had to put me on Prednisone because the swelling was so bad I couldn't swallow the pain pills. The nurse numbed my throat and I was ready with a half gallon of Gatorade and downed it as soon as I could swallow without crying. After the silicone splints and packing was out, it healed up fast. Did the Doc use just gauze to pack it? My Doc used sponges inside of cut off fingers of rubber gloves then stuffed those in. They came out so easily and without pain too! I was ever thankful!

Since then, I've never been able to get a stuffy nose and I no longer have seasonal allergies due to pollen. Now it is hard to convince the boss I am really sick without a stuffed nose!

 

[JonKerr]

They did splint me, but it's an internal splint. Some special splint I guess they use that allows me to still breath through my nose a little yet still support the fractured turbinates and septum while they heal. I'm already on prednisone for the swelling. 2 percocet every 5 hrs is helping too. It is kind of funny because you think about kids having their tonsils out, and I talk to parents of kids who have them out, who are back to school a couple of days later. It's not that big of a deal. But for an adult, it's major surgery. The sinuses suck, but I think the throat is the worst part of the whole thing.

 

[OffTheClock]

Wish you a speedy recovery. Since I live in San Diego too, would like to go out riding with you once you are recovered. All the best

 

[FZ1inNH]

They did splint me, but it's an internal splint. Some special splint I guess they use that allows me to still breath through my nose a little yet still support the fractured turbinates and septum while they heal. I'm already on prednisone for the swelling. 2 percocet every 5 hrs is helping too. It is kind of funny because you think about kids having their tonsils out, and I talk to parents of kids who have them out, who are back to school a couple of days later. It's not that big of a deal. But for an adult, it's major surgery. The sinuses suck, but I think the throat is the worst part of the whole thing.

You're lucky then! I had the packing in there for three days. I agree, the sinus part was craptastic, but the uvula removal was the single worse thing I've ever experienced. It was not a good time but I'm very glad I had it all done... no regrets. Hope you heal fast. What I found that helped the most was the Simply Saline spray. I went through about 20 cans of this stuff constantly rinsing out the nose! [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Simply-Saline-Adult-Original-4-25-Ounce/dp/B0013UU9WK]Amazon.com: Simply Saline Adult Nasal Mist, Original Giant Size, 4.25-Ounce: Health & Personal Care[/ame]

 

[DakinechicK]

They did splint me, but it's an internal splint. Some special splint I guess they use that allows me to still breath through my nose a little yet still support the fractured turbinates and septum while they heal. I'm already on prednisone for the swelling. 2 percocet every 5 hrs is helping too. It is kind of funny because you think about kids having their tonsils out, and I talk to parents of kids who have them out, who are back to school a couple of days later. It's not that big of a deal. But for an adult, it's major surgery. The sinuses suck, but I think the throat is the worst part of the whole thing.

I work in surgery, but have also had surgery on my fractured face by two doctors I work for. I can tell you that those splints in your nose, when they take those out in post op, you probably will not enjoy. But, I won't give you details as I don't want to make it seem worse than it really is. I get it though! If you have any questions or need anything I will be more than happy to help, if I can and over the internet of course. I'm a surgical tech in head, neck, and craniofacial surgery as well as an ER surg tech... ANWAY, Good luck in your recovery!!!!

 

[JonKerr]

I work in surgery, but have also had surgery on my fractured face by two doctors I work for. I can tell you that those splints in your nose, when they take those out in post op, you probably will not enjoy. But, I won't give you details as I don't want to make it seem worse than it really is. I get it though! If you have any questions or need anything I will be more than happy to help, if I can and over the internet of course. I'm a surgical tech in head, neck, and craniofacial surgery as well as an ER surg tech... ANWAY, Good luck in your recovery!!!!

Thanks. Sounds like you work in pretty much the same department I'm in. Head and neck, audiology, oral maxillofacial and neck mass as well as skin cancer from the shoulder up are all specialties we handle. It is nice working there. Having the direct line to our special care nurses has come in handy. :thumbup:

Funny thing though, I've had a lot of health issues in the past. And I think it's helped me A LOT in my work. I can relate to the patients well because I've been on that side of the phone so I can really empathize with those patients. I think now that I'm having this done, it will really allow me to provide better service to our patients.

 

[DragonBlu]

Hang in there Jon,if my little girl could handle it ,a big tough guy like you can do it. I see you commenting on your nice weather on another thread. I had snow this morning. Haven't been able to ride in weeks because of rain and now snow. Be well soon!

 

[pgillen]

Happy to hear that you made it through surgery Jon.
I reported for surgery on Monday as ordered - but, after some tests were carried out they decided to delay surgery until Wednesday.
I was discharged from hospital yesterday (Thursday) and am now at home with orders to restrict movement for a few days. I am not in pain and the incision site has almost healed - the only blight on the landscape is the twice daily injections that I have to self administer. I had a stent implanted in one of my main arteries and had a balloon angioplasty performed on two other blood vessels. I feel good, and am looking forward to my vacation in Ireland at the end of the month.
Jon, I hope that you continue to make a speedy recovery and that you can soon stop taking those percocet.
To everyone else - thank you for your kind thoughts and words to both Jon and I.

Regards
Peter

 

[JonKerr]

Glad to hear everything went well. I'm assuming this is something that's going to need to be monitored for quite a while for you now.

I'm actually liking the percs right about now, just took 2 about 20 minutes ago. I'm feeling much better than I was about an hour ago. :drool: I think the part that's killing me the most is I keep seeing people on TV and commercials and such eating real food. :drool: Mmmmmm. Pizza, Mexican food, ugh. I can't wait until I can eat something other than pudding and jello.

 

[herbie]

got the same apnea stuff (so wife says ) but im 50 so she elbows me when i snore and elbows me when i quit snoreing (breathing).so far that seems to work but still restless sleep lol /heal fast:thumbup:

 

[JonKerr]

got the same apnea stuff (so wife says ) but im 50 so she elbows me when i snore and elbows me when i quit snoreing (breathing).so far that seems to work but still restless sleep lol /heal fast:thumbup:

You should really have that looked at. Restless sleep is the understatement of the year in comparison to the problems sleep apnea can cause. Trust me, it's serious. The days after nights when I've either forgotten to put on the mask and fallen asleep, or for whatever reason didn't wear it since I got it, were some of the worst days I've ever had to deal with. Not just exhaustion, but headaches, raised pulse, sweating, etc... And even though I went through surgery to fix it, if I had to continue to use a CPAP after this, I would. The alternatives are just too risky. Short term and long term. You'd be amazed how much better you feel during the day when you can actually get into REM sleep. When I was tested, I stopped breathing 15 times and hour all night. And that's actually a light case. So I never was able to enter REM. Do some Google searching around and you'll realize it's worth looking into.

 

[roundhouse]

I feel for you, I had my tonsils and adenoids removed. it was horrible.

 

[Dunkirk]

got the same apnea stuff (so wife says ) but im 50 so she elbows me when i snore and elbows me when i quit snoreing (breathing).so far that seems to work but still restless sleep lol /heal fast:thumbup:

As Jon says, at least get it evaluated. In all provinces, if your daytime drowsiness with sleep apnea is past a certain epworth score, your driving license will be restricted as a reportable illness. Think uncontrolled diabetes as an example.

Please be careful.