If you have had a deviated septum surgically corrected, what was the outcome?

I had it done with endoscopic sinus surgery. My ENT did it. But I did it for breathing issues.

@Rarebear: Were you pleased with the outcome?

@gailcalled I didn’t do it for cosmetic at all. My nose looks as ugly as it always did. The deviated septum surgery didn’t work as well as I would have liked—I ended up having two more sinus surgeries (total of 4). But I’m good now.

When I was very little I was so topple-prone I broke my nose on some occasion, and it seemed to be par for the course.
At some point years later it was realized that the reason I couldn’t breathe through my nose was because of this. They wouldn’t operate on me until I was close to full-grown because of the possibility that the nose would stop growing ( ! ). So when I was 14 it was plenty big enough and the nose surgeon scored it from the inside and re-broke it, straightened it out so I could breath through both nostrils. The general anaesthetic was a little on the light side, I didn’t feel any pain and was barely conscious but I recall the scoring and the crunch.
No cosmetic surgery was done at that time. My mom says I insisted to keep the appearance, but I know I didn’t care about such things at 14, I think she did because My profile looks like her side of the family.

But I unwittingly reconfigured my nose in a bike accident over a decade later. That was pretty well taken care of by a cosmetic surgeon in the ER, but had some scarring. Many years after that I accidentally fixed that in a brush with the bottom of a pool. I barely scraped it but the pool was so rough it took a bit off. Just the right amount that it improved things.

I did it about 15 years ago. I had my sinus’ cleaned out also as they were totally clogged. If I had to do the surgery every year, I would do it. It was the best decision I ever made. I was sick or just had sinus issues all the time. I didn’t have any cosmetic issues that needed addressed. Maybe I should have had a nose job though. But I’ve never had to go back for any reason.

About 20 years ago I went to a new ENT. He told me that my septum looked like an S-curve on a high mountain road.
I also have a sleep apnea and the deviated septum, although not the cause of the apnea, didn’t help.
So I had the surgery. Not sure how long it took, I told them to put me under. About 24–36 hours of discomfort.
Allowed me to breath more easily, less wheezing. It did not cure the apnea, I still use the C-PAP but overall it was worth the effort.
SRM

I had the full roto-rooter, ream and clean for breathing purposes. It was painful but the results were well worth it. Life changing. I can taste food, sleep, kiss,... no more dry mouth. Do it!

I wasn’t thrilled. A sinus problem was relieved, and that was necessary; it was bothering me greatly. The deviated septum was an extra finding that the doctor tossed into the package, and I said go ahead without giving it much thought.

Outcomes:

• The aftermath for me was exceedingly painful for a week—a lot of pressure, and very bloody.

• I have never been able to blow my nose properly since. It’s like trying to suck through a straw with a hole in it. I can’t even sniff back a little bit of a runny nose—I have to be right there with a tissue very, very fast. There’s no margin, no leeway. It’s as if a little antechamber had been removed.

• And—afterward my voice was different: a little higher, thinner, more shrill. I didn’t like that at all. I worked for months to learn to pitch it lower habitually because I didn’t want to have a screechy voice.

I had it done when I was around 18. I smacked it with a volleyball soon after returning from the hospital, so I think I popped it back to crooked. It’s not too far off so I’m leaving it alone.

Each septum deviates in its own way, it seems.

As a teenaged softball pitcher (hard to believe, I know), I got hit in the nose with the ball and have had minor sinus and stuffy nose issues ever since.

After reading your answers, I also vote for using steam or a saline spray and otherwise living with it.

Thanks, everyone. After I broke the stapes bone in my left ear, I had three unsuccessful surgeries to have a teeny titanium prosthesis welded in place to replace the stapes. The surgeon was a good ENT guy with a stellar reputation who finally agreed to give it up.

@gailcalled I will say, though, that if you have an obstruction from a deviated septum, you can do all the irrigation you want, but you still may have problems.

The surgery itself is quite routine, and relatively painless.

@Rarebear: They are minor and easy to live with, say I as I contemplate my increasingly achy knees. And the tiny dog leg is cosmetically acceptable, I find.

The three ear surgeries left me less-than-sanguine, even though I am sure that the surgeries are different.

I also find a few squirts of chromolyn sodium (Nasalcrom) fixes most of the issues, particularly now that it no longer requires an rx.

Thanks for the free advice; I always appreciate it.

(Did you see the sliver moon, Jupiter and Venus on Sat. night? A sight to gladden the heart.)

@gailcalled Well, nonsurgical therapies are always better than surgical therapies when that’s an option. If Nasalchrom works, then great! It’s a totally benign medication; the only problem with it is that you have to use it 4 times a day.

We were clouded out for the conjunction, unfortunately.

@Rarebear : I keep several bottles of Nasaslcrom with my several containers of hand lotion, dental floss and chapstick; in my purse, in my car, next to computer and TV, in the medicine cabinet. It’s amazing what you can do while sitting at a red light or not watching a commercial

Too bad about the conjunction.

I had my deviated septum fixed a few years ago due to sleep apnea. The outcome? My nose still looks the same. I didn’t have it for cosmetic reasons so no plastic surgeon was involved. In the long run I do sleep more soundly.

Not sure if this was the kind of answer you were looking for since it isn’t cosmetic related, but I wouldn’t get it again, because I don’t want an unnecessary surgery.

@college My question was about the medical issues primarily. I wondered simply whether the surgery itself would change the appearance of one’s nose.

Didn’t for me. However I think it depends on the severity. I know my cousin had a messed up nose (on the inside) and I think they also changed the shape to help. Keep in mind she is in Toronto and we don’t see each other that often so I’m not positive. But I’m sure most of the time it doesn’t change. Mine is still cute as a button lol