My ENT recommended it. If you've been following my posts, I've been pretty sick now for almost a month with sinusitis. It seems to have stagnated with responding to antibiotics. I'm not getting better, but I'm not getting worse. We changed antibiotics yesterday, so that may change in a few days. We'll see. I've missed a ton of work and bike riding. I'm miserable. By noon most days, I want to crawl into bed and sleep for a few hours. A few days I've had to leave work to do that. That makes me feel guilty for leaving my coworkers to pick up my work, puts me behind, and makes it hard for me to get into my routine.
The ENT said that we should just go in and remove the infection since it doesn't seem to be responding well to the antibiotics. Think of it like a "spring cleaning" of your sinuses. It doesn't correct the root of the problem but gives everything a good scrub and removes any bacteria present. It's meant to help get rid of this particular sinus infection, not prevent a future one. At some point, I'm probably facing corrective sinus surgery. He said we will discuss that after I feel better. In other words, we are trying to get me well, so that I can resume living my life.
I will be sedated. He said the procedure only takes about 30 minutes. From my online research, that's pretty accurate. He said that he prefers to sedate people b/c it's much more comfortable for them, but it could be done in the office. Downtime is only 24 hours; I'll be back on the bike the next day.
Unfortunately, they can't do it for almost a week and a half. ![]()
Re: *s_angel* (Sinus Surgery for those interested)
I'm very sorry you are suffering. I have had more sinus infections than I care to admit, and from December to February of this winter I was on a non-stop course of antibiotics for the infection that would not go away. It took 45 days of antibiotics but a visit to an ENT and the third prescription (Bactrim) finally did the trick.
People who have never had a serious sinus infection have no idea how debilitating it is. Like you, I needed to sleep every single day, and I simply stopped functioning like a normal human being. It's awful.
Good luck to you and keep us posted. I will be interested to hear how things go!
Thanks! I've been trying to keep up with life, but it's been hard. I am so tired all the time. I have had a headache every day, and I really just want to be well.
Southeastern Cycling
My Nest Bio and Cycling Advice
Geez, that nasty thing is *still* lingering around? I hope you feel better soon.
GP buddy to blenderdance
Thanks, Manda and AGswife! It makes me feel better about the surgery. It sounds like your recoveries were not too bad. I have one friend that had sinus surgery and a rhinoplasty at the same time; she has the most beautiful nose....(her nose was "deformed" both inside and out, so her insurance covered everything), and all of her problems have been cleared up. I'll admit I've been thinking of both.
Insurance won't pay for the later, so....there goes that idea. I've heard from so many people how much of a relief it is. After the flushing, the ENT plans to talk to me about fixing my deviated septum. If I can put it off til the summer I will, so that it will be after mountain bike race season but before cyclocross season. As ya'll know, the world revolves around cyclocross.
For now I'll be glad to simply get rid of this infection.
Southeastern Cycling
My Nest Bio and Cycling Advice