Ruud's off to hospital. Again.

[Ruud Van Driver]

Some of you may recall that I sought advice and personal experiences a couple of months back following some annoying re-occurrences of tonsillitis last year. I went to see my GP and she referred me to an ENT surgeon here to see what was going on.

When I saw him I asked if he could whip my tonsils out and, after a snort of laughter, he (unsurprisingly) said that procedure was a little way down the line and that we should perhaps start at the beginning. No surprises there then.

To say this chap is thorough would be a bit of an understatement. He went through everything, and I mean everything, from what type of issues I've had, how long I’ve had them (45 years!), my diet, sleep patterns, work routine, travel, brand of my Alan’s, to my training regime. I was quite disappointed that he didn’t get on to the subject of watches but hey-ho.

He then sprayed some stuff up my nose and sat me in what was like a dentist’s chair. Then he rammed a lubricated camera up my nose to see what was going on up there. There was a mirror in front of me so I could see the camera monitor behind me and it was absolutely fascinating! I’ve never seen inside my head before. Upshot was that he said further investigation was needed, which would involve a cat scan and he also advised me to have someone come round one evening and hook me up to a gadget to monitor my sleep during the night. I declined the sleep monitor on the basis that my insurance might raise an eyebrow.

Fast forward a couple of weeks and I go for my cat scan. Turns out that every single one of my sinuses (above my eyebrows, sides of my nose and under my eye sockets) is at least 70% blocked. Once he explained what I was seeing on the cat scan images, I couldn’t believe it was my head that I was looking at. The cavities that are supposed to show up as black on ’normal’ people were fuller than a big, full thing. My septum is also not straight and over to one side. I guess that would explain why I have respiratory issues, trouble breathing at times and a constant post-nasal drip.

Later this afternoon, I’m off to hospital for surgery under general anaesthetic, which involves a turbinectomy/turbinoplasty/submucous resection; fronto-nasal ethmoidectomy; and, septoplasty/submucous resection. In layman’s terms, they’re going to drain my sinuses, straighten my septum and remove the ‘tissue’ and stuff that’s causing the blockages and then expand my airways. The surgeon said he was going to shove a balloon up each nostril and inflate it to expand my airways; I’d buy a ticket to see that!

Once he's done in there, he'll be filling the gaps with "tampons" (his words, not mine) to stem the bleeding and then I think he said something like I'll be washing my sinuses out a couple of times a day. Whatever packing doesn't come out on its own will be removed when I see him for a follow-up next Friday.

Anyway, here’s hoping it resolves my issues. I have no idea what it feels like to be able to breath normally so I’m hoping I’ll have a good idea by about this time next week when all the packing should be out

[cop414]

Geeze Paul, sounds like some extensive work there, good luck and here’s to a speedy recovery!

[BBL]

Ruud!
Goodness... I have read and reread... just wanted to tell you Best Recovery, you're a brave chap.
Sounds like a very involved procedure. Are you in the UK for it?
With Mrs. Ruud with you, you'll be in great hands post-op.
Blessings,
Sending my prayers,
DM

[datejustrms]

Hope all goes well with your procedure.

[antbkny]

Good luck, wishing you a speedy recovery!

[Lol-x]

OK Paul all the best, should be a great outcome for you.
These things happen

[Kevin.S]

Hope you feel better soon !

[SemperFi]

It sounds complicated Paul (with all of those big words) but here’s hoping it does the trick and brings you some relief.
I expect to hear the good news sometime next week.

[Art 1]

Good luck with it.

[Chewbacca]

I had a similar procedure Ruud.

You'll be fine.

When they take out the tampons you'll notice it was worth it.

Good luck.

[RW16610]

Although tough I think it's great they discovered what the issue was for you. I'm confident you'll be much better after the procedure, so it's worth it. You'll be in my thoughts and my fingers are crossed for a speedy recovery from this! Please keep us posted and get well soon

[soundserious]

Rather extensive surgery, best of luck.

[Thatguy]

Wow. Glad it looks like they got to the cause of your issues! Hope the healing goes smoothly.


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[Abdullah71601]

You're not going to miss any gym time with this are you?

All the best for a quick recovery Paul. I hope this cleans up those nagging issues once and for all.

[brandrea]

Paul, I’m happy this specialist was so thorough and you’re having the issues dealt with! Here’s to a quick recovery, and healthy breathing

Since we are on TRF, what watch will you be wearing (kind of would like to know)

[teqp]

I hope all goes well for you!

[1st amg]

Good luck my friend, take your time with the recovery...don't do anything crazy like order a watch from DavidSW online. Looking forward to hearing from you with lots of new found relief.

[uscmatt99]

Best of luck to you. My buddy is an ENT, this is a bread and butter procedure. I’m sure you’ll feel better after the recovery.

[77T]

Good luck - my daughter had that done over 20 years ago and it solved all her respiratory issues. The visit for final packing removal is - well - interesting but painless.

The long term relief you get will be worth the effort now.


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[JasoninDenver]

The amount of stuff they cram up your nose will blow your mind. My ex father in law said it was like watching a magician pull the scarves iut of his sleeve - it just kept coming and coming. The end result was worth it as his wife could finally sleep in the same room as him.

[Cru Jones]

Cheers to it passing quickly, Ruud! In a little while, you'll feel like a new man. Happy for you to have had such a tenacious doctor.

[jw0n]

Goodness me, tampons in your head. Get well soon, Paul. I'm very curious to see your comments on how much improvement you get with your regular breathing.

[GB-man]

Hope you are well soon my friend. Speedy recovery.

[Rock]

About 10 years ago I had had a 'post-nasal drip' type thing happening for 6 months and I was fed up with it and decided to see a Specialist ENT.
Like you, I had had sore throats all my life (In my case, before and after removal of Tonsils at 18 yrs).
The local ENT did the same exploration and said almost exactly the same as yours - "Your nose has been broken" (NO it had not) I can fix it and I will straighten your nose as well so you will look better (tempting).
(in essence he said the sinus tissue was torn/abnormal causing mucous to pool and support infection)
I thought about the expensive surgery proposed (none of which I have medical insurance for) and eventually dismissed the idea. The infection eventually went away and I still occasionally have a minor recurrence, which I put up with.
I think the surgery would probably have been beneficial. I look forward to hearing how it went. Good Luck.

[TheVTCGuy]

Wow, my head hurt just reading this. I am sure though, that when this is all done and you’ve recovered you’ll be better then ever

[Andad]

You can't fool me Paul.

You are not happy with the shape..right?

Good luck withe surgery - looking forward to the pix.

[Rogdogg]

Best of luck with the procedure Paul. I hope it is a hug success.

If you have had these problems for 45 years it might be hugely liberating to finally get it fixed and be able to breath like never before.

You could be a new man!

[rootbeer7]

Wishing you all the best china

[swatty]

Hope all goes well

[Sarosh]

Paul wishing you a speedy recovery! Hope it will the last time you need to worry about this!