I'm also scared. It had started to look as if sinus surgery wasn't going to happen; none of the parties involved wanted to talk about how much it was going to cost and the hospital was pushing me to get registered. I don't like being chivvied along and I certainly wasn't going to write a blank check.
The HR person at work finally got me in touch with the right department of our health insurance carrier and they ran through the worst-case numbers. It would hurt if it goes that high, but it's within what I could manage and my deductible has already been passed this year (and will be higher in 2018). So now-- next week, actually -- is the time. They tell me I should be well-recovered by Christmas and back at work a day or two later.
Now the trepidation. The ENT will be straightening out my septum and clearing out the ethmoid (between the eyes), sphenoid (behind the eyes) and left maxillary sinuses. The very last is the one kind of behind the cheekbone, where I have had so much trouble. It seems pretty invasive and there's a lot of hardware that I depend on in that area.
The flip side is that I wake myself up, snorking, when I fall asleep. My nose is usually stopped up, or only running on one cylinder. It squeaks in a strange way after I blow my nose and changes in air pressure are quite unpleasant. My chronic headaches aren't getting any better. This needs to be fixed. I've been using the neti pot daily and it helps a little -- and suggests that repairs would be a definite improvement.
Family Christmas first (this weekend!), and we're up to a full softball team of nieces and nephews. I've got a stack of Dr. Seuss books to match up with the largest group, gift cards for the two oldest, and I need to check the supply of plush critters against the very youngest to see if they're all paired up.
I know I made untoward comments about it but it's a great surgery and my sinus infection rate dropped from once every 6 weeks to once a year's long as I do my part and use a neti pot.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes for the best of outcomes.
ReplyDeleteCrossed fingers and toes for the best of outcomes for you .
ReplyDeleteHere's hoping for the best possible outcome!
ReplyDeleteMerle
Like the rest, I'm wishing you a successful surgery and a quick recovery.
ReplyDeleteYer gonna sound different.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on making that plunge. I have similar 'issues' and was offered the balloon treatment, but the success rate was too iffy (fity percent)for my tastes and for the five thousand dollar price risk.
ReplyDeleteThe twenty thousand for what you're getting was (and is) currently un-affordable to me so I neti it and smile. *honk* ;)
Question for your RF engineering skills - Will be setting up a multi-band simple 'fan' dipole and was looking at feedlines. I've always used RG-9 mini with success,but I noted 450 ohm window-slash-ladder line has considerably lower transmission losses. Assuming everything is matched properly and resonant, will open-wire feedline flood the area with RF and annoy nearby people? IE, will the feedline radiate more than 8 mini?
(And you mentioned Ursula Le Guin a few days back. The PBS movie in 1980 'The Lathe of Heaven' made me an instant fan of hers. Antwerp!)
Hi Roberta,
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your surgery. We'll be thinking of you.
Jerry
As a fellow chronic sinus sufferer, I also wish you luck, ma'am. I've had a few friends over the years do this, and none of them regret it in the long run. You are going to want real pain meds, I'm afraid, if the folks I've known are any indication, but it apparently doesn't last that long, and the benefits, of course, are good for a lifetime.
ReplyDeleteBTW, when we start tarring, feathering, and running politicians out on rails, I want the morons that made it impossible for me to buy pseudoephedrine in bulk containers first in line. Monsters, they are.
Matthew, be sure to include extra tar, feathers and splintery rails for the goobers who took asthma epi rescue inhalers off the market. I managed to get several before the cutoff date but now they are losing propellant and becoming useless.
ReplyDeleteIt is an extreme annoyance to have to break out the syringes and epinephrine injectables whenever I get an attack. Used to be that could take a few whiffs and be right as rain.
Bobbi, best wishes for success on your surgery. It won't be fun but the end result is worthwhile.
Raz
Been there and done that! And, you are absolutely doing the right thing for chronic sinus issues. The worst part for me was the first, I believe, five days after surgery when the packing was in my nose. Had to learn to swallow with my mouth open to keep from blowing my ear drums out. Some good pain meds will help smooth out the ride and when you are healed I am confident you will say, "Wow! Should have done this years ago"
ReplyDeleteBest wishes for the success of your surgery. Prayers are with you.
Fred G
Thanks yo everyone for the good wishes! Surgery will be the 20th.
ReplyDeleteAnon 11:59, the best answer I have for you is "it depends." You need a balanced tuner the get best results from balanced line, and the Z if your multiband dipole will be 50-75 Ohms if it is up high and in the clear -- and probably less if it is lower. An impedance mismatch will result in greater radiation from the feedline.
The transmission loss is insignificant unless you are doing QRPp and trying to work the world; all modern receivers -- and most old comms-type superhets -- are limited by atmospheric noise rather than RF input level and have plenty of gain. Even 10 dB loss in the feedline is nothing for the receiver.
RG-9 is similar to RG-8U; RG-8X is half the diameter, handles 350W at 30 MHz, and has 2dB loss in 100' at 30 MHz, less lower. RG-8U handles 1800W and has about a 1dB loss under the same conditions. In either case, a good 1:1 balun at the antenna feed will help with feedline radiation. Anything from multiple turns of coax held together with tape (or threaded through holes in plastic bucket as a big air-core toroid!) to a commercial ferrite unit will do -- they make "choke baluns" that are nothing but ferrites threaded onto coax and heat-shrunk in place, and more conventional types sealed up in a short section of PVC pipe, and most of them work well and aren't very expensive. Don't forget that a multiband fan dipole will radiate harmonics very well, so don't do like I did with a 1935-stye transmitter and show up on a neighboring ham's television! (He walked down the alley and tapped on my basement window: "Might want to stay off 80 meters with that thing."
Mojo and best wishes for a smooth surgery and easy recovery. (My brother had to have his septum straightened...)
ReplyDeleteHad mine done earlier this year, it DOES make a difference, and yes, you WILL need good painkillers.
ReplyDeleteRight before the operation you will be asked, "Do you have any questions?"
ReplyDeleteAsk the surgeon if you can get the eyesight upgrade zoom module with night vision installed while doing the operation.
Wishing you the best of luck.
John, I am already worried this might affect my vision.
ReplyDeleteI've had both a similar surgery done (I had a damaged septum and cheek bone from my amateur boxing days), and radically different different surgery done that involves the sinuses (Maxillary Lefort Stage 1). In both cases, everything went well, and I ended up with improved function. Hopefully the same will apply to you.
ReplyDeleteThe worst part about sinus surgery is the packing. That can be quite uncomfortable. When I had my septum and cheek surgery, the very next day I was changing out the packing as advised. I had about 3 feet of gauze hanging out of my nose when my step daughter stuck her head in the bathroom and informed me that our miniature dachshund had escaped out the front door, and was loose in the subdivision.
At that point, I had to flip the bloody gauze over my shoulder and proceed to run down the miscreant pup before he could make it to the busy feeder road.
Hopefully that doesn't happen to you
This surgeon doesn't pack!
ReplyDeleteOh, that's good news! (I had a broken nose set 35 years ago and frankly the packing - and removal of same - was the very worst part)
ReplyDeleteLate to the party, but good luck. Hoping for the best possible results.
ReplyDeletePrayers for a successful outcome.
ReplyDelete73