Ok, so I saw my ENT today and my sinus passages are blocked pretty bad. The correct term is called bilateral chronic ethmoid/maxillary sinusitis. The surgery I'm having is called bilateral endoscopic ethmoidectomy/bilateral nasal antral windows. Sounds complicated, doesn't it? ANyhow, he said since he has tried the steroids 2x and antibiotics 2x and have no results that it is time to try the surgery. SO, I find out tomorrow morning exactly when the surgery is, but am technically scheduled for the 13th. He is trying to see if he can get me in on Thursday of this week, Monday or Wed. of next week. Hopefully I can get in this week cause I'm ready for relief!!! I'll keep you all posted!

Halls

Ok, so I saw my ENT today and my sinus passages are blocked pretty bad. The correct term is called bilateral chronic ethmoid/maxillary sinusitis. The surgery I'm having is called bilateral endoscopic ethmoidectomy/bilateral nasal antral windows. Sounds complicated, doesn't it? ANyhow, he said since he has tried the steroids 2x and antibiotics 2x and have no results that it is time to try the surgery. SO, I find out tomorrow morning exactly when the surgery is, but am technically scheduled for the 13th. He is trying to see if he can get me in on Thursday of this week, Monday or Wed. of next week. Hopefully I can get in this week cause I'm ready for relief!!! I'll keep you all posted!

Halls

I'm so happy for you that you are finding relief soon! And that you know what's wrong!!=) Let us know how it goes!!

all the best to you!!! :)

Well it's good to hear that it isn't anything more serious.

Did you doctors indicate what type of surgery this would be? Outpatient? Will you be under local or general anesthesia? Will they be going in through the nose, or through the roof of the mouth?

I'm curious, because I may end up having surgery as well, if my condition deteriorates. Fortunately, I've made a lot of progress in the last few days.

This is very important! Talk to your doctor about IV antibiotic therapy in addition to the surgery. This is a new technique that has been very effective in treating chronic bacterial sinusitis. This is from the www.sinucare.com website

"How long should one work with oral antibiotics before considering an IV antibiotic care program?

Because penetration of antibiotics inside the sinus is poor, an extended treatment program is often necessary. Also, oral antibiotics do not penetrate well into bone and bacteria can be located inside or near bone. Typically a minimum of three weeks or more of oral antibiotic treatment is necessary, sometimes 4-6 weeks of treatment may be appropriate. Some physicians may only treat patients with oral antibiotics for a week or ten days and as a result, offer patients a temporary cure. We recommend an extended course of oral antibiotics before a patient has been judged to fail oral treatment. Intravenous antibiotics are highly successful when orals have truly failed."

So I would certainly cover all the bases.

Thanks for that link, Chiggins. I hope I don't need surgery too (we're still trying oral antibiotics - I'm on week 2) but I need to read all I can about my options.

I think my ENT is going through the nose and not the mouth. I don't think I'm doing IV antibiotics, but i do plan to take antibiotics after the surgery. I am going under general anesthesia and will be knocked out the whole time. The surgery should be about 1 hour and 30 minutes according to my doc. Baically, he is going to open the blocked passages and make windows to widen the sinus passages. Apparantly the front sinus passage on the left has swollen and the opening is so small so no longer will that be. He said that w/this surgery chances are strong i won't have any sinus infections for a long time or never! I hope never!!

So, as of now my surgery is scheduled for Friday the 13th, but they are trying to get me in on Monday the 9th. I hope they can cause I'm ready for the relief!

Halls

I had my surgery 2 years ago. It is no party, I tell you that. Be ready for a few nasty days, but in the end it is worth it! I am not trying to scare you. Just relax and think about the wins! Good luck! :)