Preparing for Nasal Sidewall Defect Surgery

Nasal defects are a common health complication among adults who suffer from chronic sinusitis or other allergy complications. In most cases, we are born with the nasal sidewall defect but do not learn until later in life that the complication is the underlying cause of our chronic sinus infections or allergic rhinitis. If you have been diagnosed with nasal sidewall defect, you will most likely face the need for surgery and, as a result, should be prepared for the process of recovery.

Surgery to correct a nasal sidewall defect is one that is performed on an outpatient basis and often requires no additional hospitalization. In some cases, depending on your co-morbid health complications, a day of hospitalization may be necessary to ensure you have the best possible surgical outcome. While the surgery to repair the nasal cavity is relatively simple, the recovery after surgery can pose some challenges.

When preparing for this type of outpatient nose surgery, it is important to discuss the risks for infection and post-surgical bleeding with your doctor. Using oral antibiotic therapy, most complications involving infection can be easily overcome. But, in addition, you may require topical antibiotic medications for use in your recovery process. Bleeding, of course, is not a health issue that should be managed at home so understanding how much bleeding to expect is important and, when excessive bleeding occurs, be prepared to make a trip to the emergency room.

Pain, among all health complications after nasal sidewall defect repair surgery, is the most profound issue to address and patients should be addressing the risk before surgery even takes place. Be sure that your doctor has provided you with the prescription pain medication you need while you are recovering but also be certain that you have the necessary ice packs and heat packs to use on the surgical site, as an additional method for alleviating pain. For many patients, ice packs are all that is necessary to alleviate additional pain that is not killed with the pain medications.

Nasal sidewall defect repair surgery is a procedure that will improve the health of your respiratory system in the long term. If you have chronic sinus infections, or complications involving recurring allergic rhinitis, it is important to consider how nasal sidewall defects may be to blame. With correction, and by overcoming the post surgical risks, you will find that your breathing and risks for rhinitis and sinus infection are significantly reduced - leading to a better quality of life.

Sources: Functional Reconstructive Nasal Surgery, by Bert Huizing