Sinus Surgery, thinking about it?

[doctormike]

The devil is in the details. If your CT scan shows obstruction of the outflow path of the sinus (bony or due to chronic inflammation and polyp formation), then you are at risk for barotrauma. Sinus surgery opens up these pathways, so it can make diving easier, and make you less prone to barotrauma, especially if you have an upper respiratory tract infection. Not sure what your scan showed, or if both docs had looked at it.

I guess it comes down to how much you want to avoid ever having that problem with diving again. I can't really go into all of the risks and benefits over the Internet, without having any idea what is going on with your CT, but plenty of people have sinus surgery so that they can dive more easily.

 

[xabain2003]

Thanks all for your replies.
As soon as I am back home I will post my CT.
At this moment taking an iburoprofene 400 mg in the morning it is enough to dive.
Unfortunatelly I am hearing not such good comments about the surgery and many people advice me to wait until there is not other option.
I had my first incident 4 years ago, it went well last 3 and this season started again.
I have alergy to cats and I have one 2 years ago so it does not seems to be the reason as last year I had 0 issues.
Kind Regads
Xabain2003

 

[rob.mwpropane]

Thanks all for your replies.
As soon as I am back home I will post my CT.
At this moment taking an iburoprofene 400 mg in the morning it is enough to dive.
Unfortunatelly I am hearing not such good comments about the surgery and many people advice me to wait until there is not other option.
I had my first incident 4 years ago, it went well last 3 and this season started again.
I have alergy to cats and I have one 2 years ago so it does not seems to be the reason as last year I had 0 issues.
Kind Regads
Xabain2003

What does ibuprofen do to help?

 

[xabain2003]

Sorry for not posting in so long but this is my last scan.
May decide tomorrow to go for surgery; what is your view base on the scan.

 

[doctormike]

Doesn't look terrible, but you do have some disease in the relevant area. Of course, I can't really tell you whether or not to get surgery just from that over the Internet.

I guess an important thing to think about (and ask your surgeon) is what specific problem you hope to fix with the operation. If it's very localized pain when diving, then opening up that area might help. Just remember, you are rarely in a situation where if you don't do surgery, you will never be able to dive, but if you do, you will 100% never have problems. Most people with chronic nasal disease learn to work out what works best for them, and surgery is just one thing that you can do to maintain good ventilation of the sinuses. It's not like if you take out your appendix, it will never bother you again. People often have sinus symptoms despite surgery, and other things are often necessary (medical therapy, nasal irrigation, etc..)

Good luck!

 

[xabain2003]

Thanks a lot for the quick replay.
Nowdays the only way for me to dive is taking a Iburoprofen the night before and 1 hour prior to dive and it is destroying my stomach and my liver.
So I am considering to give up diving.
I am aware that should irrigate my nose ( I like the lota ) or even take a nasal corticoid during the diving periods but I can not continue in the actual situation.
I must balance between not diving or trying the surgery but I am not sure If the surgery risk is worth the effort.
The point is that in my regular live I do not face any issues but the doc said to me that I will ; that once the retained flu will get infected.
But it is just his point of view.
He things that my desviated septum plus the big turbines plus the small sinus drainage avoid the right ventilation and so I got the problems.
Thanks.

 

[doctormike]

I mean, I really can't tell you much over the Internet, but if you ONLY have problems with diving, it may be a blocked air cell that causes a squeeze. And it would make sense to me that if you want to dive more easily, try opening that up. In experienced hands, this should be a fairly safe procedure, although of course there are some risks that you need to be aware of.

I don't see how it follows that if you don't have surgery, you will have problems whether you dive or not.

Can you get a second opinion?

 

[xabain2003]

I was at the ENT today and told me that will open a passage though the etmoid cells that will improve ventilation. I wonder if having such passage could have a downsize while diving as been prone to get debrits from the water and so an infection.
I may search for a second opinion but it is a ver reputated doc.
Last time I asked another doc told me that getting though a surgery to allow me dive was an stupidity based on the risk. Just don’t dive.

 

[doctormike]

Hah! I don't agree with the second doc, but that's just me.

It's not really a second passage, it's just opening up the drainage pathways of the existing sinuses. Thing about a building with lots of little rooms. What you are doing is taking out the walls, so that every place gets more ventilation. More ventilation is better.

The sinuses are connected to the upper airway, so they aren't sterile or anything, and more opening generally means less chance of infection and inflammation. The process of chronic sinusitis comes from a poorly ventilated space that causes inflammation and infection in the lining of the bony walls, which then results in worse ventilation and it becomes a vicious cycle.

There are certainly risks of surgery, but getting more infections because the sinuses are more open isn't one of them. If water and debris is getting up into your paranasal sinus outflow tracts, then you are doing scuba wrong...

 

[xabain2003]

Are there any more risk of injury to eyes etc after that surgery while scuba?
I read a replay from you to a guy who ask about when return and your replay mention something about if not healead 100 there are some chance to injury the tissues close to eye.
I think I will go to the operation on January 17th.
Will keep the forum posted about the process and How it goes afterwards.