If one was to believe experts and patients who have undergone similar surgery before, the days after deviated septum surgery ought to be as smooth as the surgery itself and the recovery is also expected to be quick. Even then, there are several facts that you need to know so that nothing comes to you as a surprise after deviated septum surgery.

What to Expect Immediately After Deviated Septum Surgery

You know by now that the name of the surgical procedure to repair your deviated septum is called septoplasty. Immediately after deviated septum surgery, you should expect some minor inflammation around your nose and eyes. You also need to be prepared to face the fact that your nose will have soft splints as these are necessary for the septum to heal and retain its new repositioning.

For the same reason, your nose will also be filled with soft gauze or cotton. Make sure that your nose is not shifted or disturbed to allow the splints and packs left in the nostrils to help heal the wounds. You will need to live with these reinforcing materials for 3 to 5 days.

There could be a visible change in the appearance of your nose after deviated septum surgery. Skin discoloration on certain parts of the nose is another possibility. A kind of reconstructive surgery like rhinoplasty may be required to fix these problems.

Pain and Swelling after Deviated Septum Surgery

No one has ever heard of a surgical procedure that does not leave behind some amount of pain and swelling. Likewise, after septoplasty, you could experience some mild pain, swelling, as well as bruising immediately after deviated septum surgery.

The good news is that the pain can be taken care of by any usual pain reliever. Inform your surgeon well in advance if you have any specific allergy towards any pain medications. If the pain stays after a few weeks, you need to see your doctor immediately.

Complications and Risks Involved During and After Deviated Septum Surgery

Like any kind of surgery, septoplasty also involves some amount of risk and complications including:

• Adverse or allergic reaction to the kind of anesthetic used and scarring inside the nasal cavity may cause further breathing problems.

• Uncontrolled bleeding is a possibility.

• Post-operative infections.

• Fluid build-up inside the nasal cavity causing inflammation and discomfort.

• Altered sensation on the nose is another possibility.

How to Quickly Recover after Deviated Septum Surgery

Like any other surgical operation, rest and relaxation are important for a speedy recovery. And septoplasty is no exception to this rule.

You might have to be driven home from the clinic where the septoplasty is done. To speed up the recovery, it is a good idea not to strain too much immediately after deviated septum surgery. Therefore, you should consider taking 4 to 5 days off from work, stay at home and rest.

For about 2 weeks after deviated septum surgery, do not lift any heavy object or do any strenuous physical exercise. In fact, you should avoid air travel immediately after deviated septum surgery, since change in air pressure within the flight cabin could aggravate your newly-repaired deviated septum.

Let us examine what the options for deviated septum treatment are in the light of the above.

Medications Used for Deviated Septum Treatment

• Decongestants are usually the first line of therapy. These drugs reduce nasal congestion, clearing the nasal passages to ease breathing. Available in the form of pills or nasal spray, this form of deviated septum treatment has to be used with caution. This is because of increased dependency and adverse side effects, which result in the worsening of the condition (rebound effect) when the treatment is stopped.

• Reduction of cold and allergy symptoms is done with the help of antihistamines, another option referred by doctors for deviated septum treatment. Such medications are also prescribed for providing relief from runny nose. This is an important aspect of deviated septum treatment since the aim of this therapy is to prevent mucus from blocking the narrow nasal passage causing postnasal drip and ultimately a sinus infection.

• Inflammation within the nasal cavity, caused by deviated septum, can be reduced with nasal cortisone sprays. This effectively saves the patient from nasal blockage as well as sinus infection.

As mentioned earlier, medications used for deviated septum treatment can only provide temporary relief but not provide any permanent solution.

Surgery for Deviated Septum Treatment

If the situation warrants (considering the severity of your symptoms), you could consider surgery for your deviated septum treatment. However, such a step is only taken when the symptoms become quite bad, like significant nasal air way blockage, chronic sinusitis, frequent nosebleeds, etc.

One of the major surgical methods which can correct a deviated septum is called septoplasty. This form of surgical deviated septum treatment involves repositioning the septum in the center of the nose. The surgeon (an ENT physician) would normally cut and remove parts of the septum before the replacing is done.

Submucous resection (SMR) is one of the more traditional forms of deviated septum treatment, in use since 1902. The aim of this type of surgical intervention is to remove any displaced bone and cartilage from the same side of the nose without compromising the mucous lining on the other side of the nostril, since septal perforation is one of the most common complications of surgical treatment of deviated septum.

Is surgery an effective form of deviated septum treatment?

The effectiveness of surgery as an option to treat deviated septum largely depends on the severity of your condition. Symptoms like nosebleed and nasal obstruction often get completely resolved. However, accompanying conditions like sinus conditions or allergies cannot be resolved with the help of surgery.

You might feel reassured that septoplasty is one of the most common forms of deviated septum treatment in America, but you need to choose your surgeon carefully. Study his or her experience and qualifications before you go under the scalpel!

Rhinoplasty is another type of surgery that is done to correct deviated septum at the same time as septoplasty. This form of surgery involves readjusting the bone and cartilage of your nose in order to reshape and alter the size. Some people consider this type of deviated septum treatment a purely cosmetic surgery.

Turbinate reduction is also a kind of deviated septum treatment that is done simultaneously with septoplasty. This procedure is done when your doctor diagnoses enlarged turbinates as a contributing factor to your nasal obstruction.