# Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery



## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

Have a look at some medical forums - just google your procedure term to start with. Closest thing I had done was an open reconstruction of my nose and some turbinates after a bad fall on a horse as a young person (helmet slipped forward, edge of helmet caused injury, so much cartilage invaded the injured area that I could barely breathe). The operation was quite uneventful and what surprised me most was the total absence of pain, even though I looked like I'd been hit in the face with a cricket bat after the surgery!  Very good results - my nose was straight again and I could breathe through it. Bonus. Good luck with your procedure.


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

Thanks SueC for responding. I have looked on several medical forums and blogs and as with most you see the horror stories or what I suspect is exaggeration in some cases. Dr promises no one will know I had surgery as their techniques have improved dramatically but is telling me to expect pain. I hope it is not the case or at the least bearable. They are removing bone fragments, placing stents to hold everything open until the surgery heals and doing some reconstructive surgery as well. I have never had breathing issues so when the after effect of the injury started getting worse not better I was surprised to find out it was all deep sinus related. The fractures they found initially were in the cheekbone. They never explored beyond that as there was no obvious break to the nose. One of the mares swung her head around and caught me full on in the side of the face. I landed flat on my back, knocked out cold, 8 foot away from where I started. Glad to hear yours went so well. I have one other positive story from someone that had a break that happened in childhood cause extensive problems in adulthood and had to reconstruct so my fingers are crossed.


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

Oh I just noticed your siggie. I love, love, love strawbale. I always tell my kids the piggies had it wrong and the straw house had the most potential to be the strongest. I can't get a loan to build here and this property is so dank and humid we are mushroom farming. Even with dense bales and thick covering I don't know how well it would do. There is one further north in this state that has held up to humidity well. I fell in love while working in a sustainable ag program in PA. Bill Welch came out and taught some permaculture classes. Kept up with it when I moved to TX for what I thought was going to be a permanent move and joined on of the strawbale building groups.


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

QtrBel said:


> I fell in love while working in a sustainable ag program in PA. Bill Welch came out and taught some permaculture classes. Kept up with it when I moved to TX for what I thought was going to be a permanent move and joined on of the strawbale building groups.


Meant to say Mollison not Welch. Welch was my prof at A&M and noted for rose work....another passion.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

QtrBel said:


> along with septoplasty and turbinate reduction...is there anyone that has a BTDT or advice on what to do going in and coming out after? Pros, cons? This is in relation to an injury that has caused other issues (chronic infection) and I am looking for info.


I had bilateral Caldwell-Luc procedures done back in the 80's due to chronic sinus infections that just would not clear up. I'd had a broken nose too, and it just got to be too much. I will say that the procedure was not nearly as painful as the gawd awful sinus headaches and migraines I would get before the surgery. I understand the the FESS is less painful and requires less recuperation time than the CL that I had done, so since I can rate the pain from mine as less than a 3 on a 1-10 scale, I'd hope yours to be less than that! 

Advice? Do you currently get awful headaches when a storm is coming in? If so, then schedule the surgery for when it's supposed to be clear for a week or so after as you'll have some swelling and that won't help if the pressure drops. I found out the hard way, storm rolled in a couple days post op and I thought my head was going to pop. The face did ok, the head not so much!


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

QtrBel said:


> One of the mares swung her head around and caught me full on in the side of the face. I landed flat on my back, knocked out cold, 8 foot away from where I started.


What is it with these mares wanting to use their heads as clubs? I had a similar experience with one of mine, missed my nose, broke the cheek bone and 7 upper & lower teeth on the same side and because I must have had my jaw clenched, broke 3 more on the other side and broke my jaw up near the joint. Knocked me cold and flat and left hoof prints (literally) up my back. I got 10 crowns and a bunch of chiropractor visits out of that little escapade. The money I sold her for almost paid for 1 of the crowns. :evil:


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

I wish I knew. That sounds awful Dreamcather. I am fortunate that even though it was initially missed I didn't have that extensive damage. The breaks in those small bones will be repaired if possible, removed or reconstructed if not and removal of the fragments will clear the sinuses. I have never had infection there and the blockages meant a chronic condition. I have always had migraines but these started differently than any I have ever had. I'll have to watch the weather to see if there is a correlation. i am betting there is but with the start of school looming I can't put it off. It's good to hear your pain wasn't intense or lasting. When I read about the new balloon procedure I asked about that figuring in this case it wasn't an option but I had to try. Sure enough it is not for someone with this type of damage. My husband was hit in the face with a small tree when cleaning up after doing some clearing. He ended up with about the same number of broken teeth and a fractured skull. i consider myself lucky. It makes me wonder since this actually improved my vision because the eye has reshaped if that is due to pressure and the pressure is relieved what will happen after. Thanks again both of you for responding.


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

Just to update. Surgery was Friday the 8th. It took over 6 hours to remove the bone fragments, clean everything out, straighten the septum and reduce the size of the thickened tissues and put stints in to keep everything open. Irrigating is ugly but necessary. Pain levels are manageable. 5 days bed rest and home health and 6 - 8 weeks recovery. I'm looking forward to relief from the seizures (none since surgery) as well as the dizziness, headaches and constant pressure which the Dr said will fade as the surgery heals. Next step is the dentist as I hadn't realized until I checked records I saw him before the accident for a yearly not after. Surprisingly my teeth are hurting more now after surgery than they did after the accident.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

QtrBel said:


> Just to update. Surgery was Friday the 8th. It took over 6 hours to remove the bone fragments, clean everything out, straighten the septum and reduce the size of the thickened tissues and put stints in to keep everything open. Irrigating is ugly but necessary. Pain levels are manageable. 5 days bed rest and home health and 6 - 8 weeks recovery. I'm looking forward to relief from the seizures (none since surgery) as well as the dizziness, headaches and constant pressure which the Dr said will fade as the surgery heals. Next step is the dentist as I hadn't realized until I checked records I saw him before the accident for a yearly not after. Surprisingly my teeth are hurting more now after surgery than they did after the accident.


OOF! That's a VERY extensive procedure you had done! I'm sorry you're having a lot of discomfort but it sounds like you'll be a lot better off in the long run. I'd wait on the teeth for a little while, more toward the end of your recuperation, if you don't actually have a tooth ache.


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

QtrBel said:


> Oh I just noticed your siggie. I love, love, love strawbale. I always tell my kids the piggies had it wrong and the straw house had the most potential to be the strongest. I can't get a loan to build here and this property is so dank and humid we are mushroom farming. Even with dense bales and thick covering I don't know how well it would do. There is one further north in this state that has held up to humidity well. I fell in love while working in a sustainable ag program in PA. Bill Welch came out and taught some permaculture classes. Kept up with it when I moved to TX for what I thought was going to be a permanent move and joined on of the strawbale building groups.


You know, the best help we had building this house was from some of your countrymen, the Morrissons at strawbale.com - both via email and instructional DVDs. Plus, friends of ours building strawbale houses here actually went to their workshops. Wonderful people. Currently they are part of the Tiny House movement. ...we love our evolving house and are 85% done, but literally crawling across the finish line. Very burnt out!


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

QtrBel. I agree with Dream. So many nerves have been stressed they may be what's causing what seems like tooth pain. When a friend had a quadruple bypass, about a week into recover his nipples would get shooting pains. It did fade toward then end of the 6 weeks.


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

Thanks y'all. I spoke to the dentist and he agrees. He won't see me until 12 weeks post op. I am still having pain in one tooth that is not abating. He thinks it is possible there is a problem with that one and gave me something topical for pain that is natural and won't interfere with anything. He will be surprised if there was no damage to the teeth considering the joint damage and breaks. I went back to work way too soon but it couldn't be helped. The end of last week was the worst so far but I feel somewhat better today. I am sure the three day holiday will put me back on track. If the healing goes along as it should I look forward to total recovery. I never even noticed the reduction in airflow until after the surgery but did note the change in voice. That now makes so much sense. Referred pain is funny and can seem to be so random. I hope all is well with your friend Saddlebags. 

SueC, I'll have to explore their site and vids more. I got away from my involvement with Pliny Fisk's group after I moved here. I lost track of the many friends and acquaintances sadly. While there is actually a mansion in Huntsville that is strawbale, down here on the coast I don't think it is the wisest choice for building materials. Even at an adequate number of feet above sea level the humidity would likely present problems in the long run. I do follow some of the tiny house stuff and we will build small with expansion in mind. Does that make sense? The house will be modular to fit our needs now but expandable so my son can add on and we can be separate but together. Each part will hopefully be a model of efficiency and maximize the space allotted. I've watched some of the mobile home trends and noticed the designers that consistently put out floorplans that are highly workable. I may borrow some ideas from them as well. Still deciding on materials. I have looked into IFC construction and if we buy the property next to ours there is a house that is multilevel with the bottom built into the ground on three sides that is begging to be torn down and rebuilt with this as the foundation. It is 32 feet higher than here and perhaps if we cleared the lot completely we could cure the humidity issue enough to try a small strawbale building. I'd love to see pics. It will be so worth it when you are done.


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

Meant to add I think I could handle referred pain. I am not liking losing taste and smell. Friday was the first day I could determine sweet, salty and sour since the surgery but still no taste or smell. Odd feeling. Dr promises it will come back in time.


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

QtrBel said:


> SueC, I'll have to explore their site and vids more. I got away from my involvement with Pliny Fisk's group after I moved here. I lost track of the many friends and acquaintances sadly. While there is actually a mansion in Huntsville that is strawbale, down here on the coast I don't think it is the wisest choice for building materials. Even at an adequate number of feet above sea level the humidity would likely present problems in the long run. I do follow some of the tiny house stuff and we will build small with expansion in mind. Does that make sense? The house will be modular to fit our needs now but expandable so my son can add on and we can be separate but together. Each part will hopefully be a model of efficiency and maximize the space allotted. I've watched some of the mobile home trends and noticed the designers that consistently put out floorplans that are highly workable. I may borrow some ideas from them as well. Still deciding on materials. I have looked into IFC construction and if we buy the property next to ours there is a house that is multilevel with the bottom built into the ground on three sides that is begging to be torn down and rebuilt with this as the foundation. It is 32 feet higher than here and perhaps if we cleared the lot completely we could cure the humidity issue enough to try a small strawbale building. I'd love to see pics. It will be so worth it when you are done.


For pics of our build just click on my signature link, which takes you to our website, on which there is a link to our building blog on Flickr. Or you can go directly there:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/redmoonsanctuary/

We wanted to make an educational blog on the house-building process (and various things to do with farm life), so we've got lots of detail on there from the time the slab was poured to today (getting reasonably close to finishing).

I'm not sure that humidity is necessarily a problem if you use lime plaster, unless it's combined with much precipitation over long periods of time and your walls are getting wet, and unable to dry out. You'd maybe want to protect all your straw walls from direct rain with appropriate eaves, verandahs etc - but most of all walls that never get direct sun. Also it's important to ventilate your house regularly (windows open for a while in good weather) and to use extraction fans in your kitchen and bathrooms. We here get quite a bit of direct precipitation onto our sun-facing side in winter, but we're in a windy place, and it dries out quickly after a shower. The lime has a greater affinity for water than the straw does, and dry lime plaster will always wick away moisture from underlying straw. But ask Andrew and Gabriella on their site, they live in the US and would totally be able to advise.

...and I hope you get your pain sorted...


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

I'll have to look into it. We can have up to 70 inches a year of rainfall concentrated at two points in the year though we have a long rainy season as well where storms and afternoon showers are common. Humidity is high and little wind. We are known for the variety of mushrooms, other fungi, ferns and mosses as well as lichens n our little microclimate. We do keep the house open in drier parts of the year or when there is actually a breeze coming through if humidity isn't too high. I'll have to check insurance as the company we are with makes restrictions on materials depending on location. Thanks for the link and I may just contact them.


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