need advice after surgery

[ohfisherman]

i took all of my classes and went to my open water dives. everything went good until the second dive. i could not equalize. i have always had bad sinuses. i tried the next day and same thing. now a year later and 4 weeks post op to correct a devited septum and a "roto-rooter" job inside my sinuses i want to try again. my dr. says he sees no problem. any advice from anybody who has gone through this? p.s.--i cannot believe the difference in my ability to breathe and how much better my sinuses feel! thanks for any info.--tom

 

[Scottri]

I had the same surgery and returned to diving in a few weeks. It went just fine. I can't believe what a difference it made in my over all comfort in breathing. See if you can equilize in a pool before you try it again in open water. Good luck.


Scott

 

[ScubaSarus]

I had trouble this weekend. Felt like some one stabbing me in the middle of the head. I have good days and bad days. HOpe all is well with you.

 

[Orlando Eric]

Hey more info on this procedure! I have this condition and wondered what it included beyond the handout brochure.

Did you snore before and did this help with that?

I can clear fine now but often dive on one nostril which is scary giving no redunancey in nostrils, a reverse squeeze would be bad.

Do you have bandages? And for how long?

I know you came here for answers and I only gave questions but your insights would be appreciated.

Eric

 

[cummings66]

I can clear fine now but often dive on one nostril which is scary giving no redunancey in nostrils, a reverse squeeze would be bad.

I wonder what you mean by dive on one nostril? Everybody to my knowledge has 2, did your surgery do something to change that? Just curious since this is the first time I've heard of it.

The only advice I could give is to be sure you equalize early and often.

 

[ohfisherman]

i had broken my nose 6-7 times and my septum was shifted to the point that i had no airflow through my left nostril for 15 years(i am 33) your septum seperates your nose down the middle. mine looked like a lightning bolt that closed my left nostril.i could not equalize after 1 dive. we think it was because i took a lot of decongestants earlier in the day that i was able to get the first one done. my surgeon said he had one of the worst he had ever seen. i have always had bad sinus's and get bad headaches on a regular basis (esp. when a front was moving in) the dr said that this should take care of 99% of my headaches and sinusitis. surgery lasted about 2 1/2 hours. no incision, everything through the nose! i was bad for about a week mainly because i had no sense of smell. not to sound like a baby but it really f-s with your head! i had splints in my nose that were not visible until he took them out. it really was not that bad and i stand behind this procedure 100%. it makes a HUGE difference. any more questions you can email me. i also have some nasty pics of splints!

 

[lostinspace]

tom - go to your local pool.
try and sink down to the deep end (about 3m).
just a test. you 'll need to equalise at that depth.
hold your nose/nostrils closed and pop your ears.
if it hurts anywhere, ascend slowly and wait a few more weeks before trying again.

you should be fine - my husband had something done very similar recently (except they used radiofrequency rather than surgery to trim his sinuses). he sleeps like a baby now (and so do I! ).
he had no problems going diving after 6 weeks.

 

[toodive4]

I had sinus surgery 3 years ago... same thing... deviated septum and a good roto-rooter job. I was advised I could start diving again after 2 months of recovery (8 weeks.) While I was apprehensive (especially since I had had complications - heavy bleeding,) I went for it and have enjoyed my diving ever since.

With that said... there is something else to consider... as it is a problem which I still have. Equalizing deals more with the eustation tubes then the sinuses. While having clear sinuses will be a major improvement, start back with some caution. Suddenly clear sinuses will cause new +/- pressure on the eustation tubes and how they function will change after sinus surgery. I learned after my surgery that after living 30 years with a deviated septum and polyps, that one of my eustation tubes functions at a different pace then the other. This unequal function means the pressures (at depth) are different in my ears on each side. When I first started back to diving this caused me to twice have devastating (very scary) episodes of vertigo on ascent. This occurs when the eustation tube on one side opens up before the one on the other side. It took about 30 - 40 dives for both tubes to start to function in harmony... and knock on wood... I haven't had any episodes of vertigo since then.

I didn't want to scare you, but you should be aware this can occur. Vertigo itself is not deadly... but divers who experience vertigo (sever spinning) at depth have drowned due to either panic or loss of the regulator from their mouth and then not being able to recover it. My suggestion to you is to get back to the water slowly and with a buddy close by.

If you do not experience vertigo within the first 10 - 20 dives back in the water, it is likely you never will... I hope this helps and Happy Returns to Diving...

SSI Instructor
Ken Barrick

 

[ohfisherman]

thanks for all info. i am going to try to get in the water this weekend.--tom