Septoplasty and Turbinoplasty

I was in the hospital ward when I started writing this entry. Going for a minor surgery on my nose - the twin procedure of septoplasty and turbinoplasty. Time to take my stuffed nose problem by the bull after all these years. 

After more than 15 years exactly. That is how long I suffer from this problem. 

I didn't have any problems with my nose up until I was 18. All was good and clear up there. It all started with the uncomfortable feeling of the insides of the nose not seem to be balance right after SPM. Started when I'm in the varsity, the allergic reaction to dust begin to set in. The inching in the private area was unbearable at times. 

When I started working 10 years ago, it becoming worse.Every time there was job stress or under the hot weather, the migraine start to attack. Its kinda unavoidable working as an engineer in a hot climate country.

A check to the specialist found that I have deviated septum and my turbinates slightly swollen due to the allergic reaction. I do had a slight nose injury back in 1998, even though I didn't realize that it will cause this much problem.

Back in SDAR in 1998, we had this small tennis court that we would used as a futsal court instead. But since there was no one controlled the games, everyone wants to play in that small court. Chaos ensued. Most of the time we just kick each others feet instead of the ball. And when anyone got a view of the goal, they will kick the ball as hard as they could. We called it the Boom!

Anyone care to sacrifice their body from the goal for team? Not many had the guts to do so.

So this one time after a Boom! moment I was walking back to the goal line. Suddenly out of nowhere the ball hit my face! Apparently one of the doofus do the goal kick and didn't realize I was just right in front of him. 

After some swearing, I picked up my spectacles and straightened back my nose I was back in the game. We were in an all boys school after all. Tears is for pussies.

Doesn't realized that this small incident would haunt me afterwards.

The procedure to improve my condition is septoplasty and turbinoplasty.

During a septoplasty, your ENT surgeon straightens your septum so that air can flow through both sides of your nose normally. In a turbinoplasty, the goal is to reduce the turbinates enough to improve your breathing and sinus drainage, while preserving enough tissue for normal turbinate function.

When I first got the advice from the specialist, I consulted my manager at work first. I will have to rest approximately two weeks after the surgery. It may affect the job at the office.

He was not very supportive of my idea of getting the nose job. It was not because of job related but instead because that his wife also had the same procedures and the problem of the stuffy nose came back after two years. It is not helping he said.

That was four years ago, when I only joined the company for three years. After continue to suffer up until now, I think screw this. I have to do something about the problem and sitting still will not help anything.

Plus I'll have two weeks of leave, free from the toxic stress at the office. Woohooo, bring it on!

Pasir Gudang view at night from my window.

This will be the first operation for me, albeit a minor one. So I was quite surprised that I need to fast at least six hours before the procedure. This is to prevent any complication of the foods to enter the lung under the anesthesia during the operation.

They asked me to start fasting from 2am. The operation? Will only proceed at the evening at 2pm. 

Mind you. I'm not only have to fast from eating, but also from drinking and smoking. Even though the last one didn't really concern with me, but I can't drink for 12 hours straight. That's kinda hurts.

After asking around and negotiating with the doctors, I managed to get a clearer picture. I managed to push the time to 5am. And my procedure will be at 2pm. That's more like it.

So I asked Rosman to send the food to the hospital. He had been sent to teach in Pasir Gudang for a cause......

Being nervous being around the hospital ward is an understatement. I had been warded for 3 consecutive years from 2009 until 2011. It was because of virus in 2009. The 2010 was the worse when I was infected with dengue fever. The 2011 was an ironic food poisoning case. I was at the lobby after sending my wife for food poisoning. Next thing I knew, I was also infected.

I can't took a sleep in the first night due to the nervousness.

It was raining that morning before my op.

The next morning, I was fully prepped with the operation coat after I took the morning bath. As it turns out, my operation was pushed forward to 12pm from 2pm as the earlier operations had finished.

As the anesthician put the O2 mask unto me, the operation will due in a few minutes later. The operation will be about two hours. The anesthecian did ask whether I'm afraid. I told him the truth. Even though I'm quite nervous, I'll be sleeping the whole time so I think I'll be OK. 

As the mask filled my mouth, my vision became blurrier and blurrier until it was all dark....

It was at 3pm that I woke up. I was still under the anesthesia effect. My head was throbbing. Just forget about sitting down. I can't even even lift my head and just lying on the bed. I didn't realize that the side effect of anesthetic will be this bad. 

It was only late in the evening that I could barely lift my head. Fortunately Dahlia came to visit me in the evening. She helped me to eat the dinner.

I only managed to get up from the bed without the head throbbing and stumbling the next morning for Suboh. I admit that this is the first time I have an operation and this is the first time I have a full body anesthesia applied to me, but I never imagined that the effect will be this much. Especially when I have a perfectly normal and healthy body.

It will be three days that I will be warded before discharged. That is a lot time especially if you're in a ward with nothing to do.

So I prepared a book to read. Plan to finish up some blog entries. But the truth is, after an operation your body will be weakened terribly. It'll affect you mood and also your body. For most of the time, I was alternating sleeping and reading one of the book that I had bring over. I managed to finish one book, but forget to do any writing. It was just impossible.

During the operation, my nose had been stuffed with cotton rolls in both of my nostrils to absorb the blood from the operation. Several times though, blood keeps trickling down especially when I was bending down. The nose also felt weird. I avoid touching it because sometimes it does hurt.

Two days after the operation, I was due to be taken out the cotton rolls from my nose. Actually I've been looking forward for this because since then I could be discharged. But first, I had been warned earlier by the doctor - it'll be traumatic. Cool.... First the anesthetic, now this.

First the doctor sprayed some solution to help to lubricate and eased the process. Even spraying the liquid hurts. He pulled the right side cotton first. From 1 to 10, I would rate the pain as 9.5. The pain hurts a lot most probably because nose is one of the most delicate parts of your body. And it is a small part of you. And there I was screaming and enduring the pain. It was just like someone had been punching me in the face and nothing that I could do.

That lasted several minutes, but I felt it was like hours.

Then it was the left side turn.

I took a minutes rest and after crying my tribe's shout I told the doctor to continue. The faster this ends the better.

(Thunder... Thunder..... Thundercat....)

Hoooooooo!!!!

I did found some photos of other patient during the cotton removal procedure. It was unsettling. Even right now I still can feel how the pain was when I watched the vids.

The great thing that after the cotton had been removed, it was actually the end of my time in the hospital. I felt more comfortable without the cotton in my nose and after some cleaning, most of the dried blood in the nostrils had been removed.

My 'tools' to keep the blood from staining my shirt.

It was after five days that I had admitted myself to the hospital that finally I had been discharged. This is one giant step for me after contemplating for several years. Looking forward how much I can achieve without the troubling stuffy nose and headache. 

Alhamdullilah.