Tomorrow I go under the knife for only the second time in my life. The first was my fundoplication surgery in 2003 to fix my hiatal hernia. Tomorrow’s surgery fixes my deviated septum, or in other words, sinus surgery.
As my ENT doctor, Dr. John Garside, explained, I’m one of those people who were born with an extra sinus, this one on my right side. This sinus eventually grew to the point where it shifted the septum (the divider between my sinus cavities) almost all the way over to the left side, restricting my left nostril’s breathing passage. The steps of the surgery are to remove part of the right sinus, carefully detach the tissue lining the left nostril, remove some of the left nostril’s cartilage, then put everything back together. The procedure takes about 45 minutes under general anaesthesia (likely propofol).
I first explored getting this surgery in 2007, even getting a CT scan of my skull. I never went through with it, though. When I discovered my current employer’s fantastic health plan was expiring this month and doing this surgery would soon cost me a lot more, I opted to squeeze it in this month. A glowing testimonial from a friend who recently had this surgery helped seal the deal. As for Dr. Garside, I was extremely impressed with him when I met him in 2007, telling Kelly I wish all of the doctors I see were as competent as he is. My impressions were reconfirmed when I met him again this year and I can say I have full confidence in Dr. Garside.
The recovery time is no cakewalk, from what I’ve read. The first couple of days are most likely going to suck. I’m hopeful, though, that the pain and discomfort will be worth it. Fortunately we have a spare bedroom where I can wheeze and snore without waking anyone else.
I will provide further updates as I go through the process. For now, I will get some of the sleep that might be in short supply tomorrow and the next nights.