rustygardener172, what was the exact price he gave you? If I’m not happy with how the surgery turns out, my next move would be either Tony Stark or Glück—though I’d probably lean toward Tony Stark first just because he’s right here in the city.
rustygardener172, what was the exact price he quoted you? If I'm not happy with how the surgery turns out, my backup plan is either going to be Tony Stark or Glück—though I'd probably lean toward Tony first since he's right here in the city.
nimbleharbor14 said:Thanks! By the way, which doctor did your surgery? How long was your wait time before they operated?
I saw Dr. Miller. He’s a true expert in his field, and I have zero doubts that he fixed my septum perfectly. That said, as a person, he doesn't seem particularly approachable. He hardly speaks to patients and always seems to be in a massive rush. Even the nurse in the room knows exactly when she’s supposed to change the swabs or head home, but I’m just left guessing!
nimbleharbor14 said:It’s not even that I have to pay for it myself; it’s just that an incredibly honest nurse told me straight up, "Why do you specifically want to have this surgery at our hospital?" She explained that they're completely overwhelmed right now because the Department of Health isn't releasing enough funding to cover elective procedures. They've basically said they can only handle emergency cases. Since my condition isn't considered an immediate life-threatening emergency—because, apparently, I've been living with it this long, so I can just keep doing that (wtf)—I'm stuck. I can't breathe properly at night, especially during the winter, and now that I actually want to fix this, I can't because the government is in such a mess and there's no budget for anything that isn't critical. I did a little digging on some forums and I'm thinking about heading over to Mount Sinai (maybe Dr. Smith, Dr. Jones, or Dr. Miller). Hopefully, they'll be able to take me in 🙂.. does anyone know if the wait times there are long, or which doctor would be the best choice to see?
As for the staff at Mount Sinai, I honestly have nothing but praise for them, though I wouldn't recommend Dr. Miller. I’d suggest seeing Dr. Smith or Dr. Jones instead. Dr. Jones actually operated on a colleague of mine from my office, and he’s incredibly approachable; he actually takes the time to come into the room and check on her properly. Dr. Miller, on the other hand, just breezes into the room and barely asks a single question.
The bleeding is a little more manageable today. To be honest, I was genuinely bracing myself for a total nightmare after reading all the horror stories online—you know, the stuff about having gauze stuffed down your throat, constant nausea, and the struggle of swallowing blood... but none of that actually happened to me. Aside from struggling to get some sleep and dealing with a bit of discomfort, it hasn't been nearly as bad as I feared. My surgeon did mention that he couldn't quite achieve the specific aesthetic look I was aiming for, since that would have required a much more invasive procedure involving breaking the bone, but he assured me he did the absolute best he could within the scope of the surgery. Now, I’m just playing the waiting game to see 😉
So, I’m currently sitting here in the hospital; I had surgery yesterday. From what the doctors have told me, everything went smoothly. However, I’m feeling pretty anxious because there’s this constant bleeding that seems to be getting worse. My nurse has had to apply heavily folded gauze several times, and within just half an hour, it’s already soaked through. Has anyone else dealt with something like this before?
Could someone walk me through how things usually work when you arrive at the hospital? I'm looking for some clarity on the process, from checking in at the front desk to what happens next. I have an appointment scheduled for 9:00 AM tomorrow, and honestly, I'm feeling a little lost—I'm not even sure if I need to bring my ID or insurance card with me. They mentioned that if my lab results come back looking good, they might be able to move forward with the surgery on the same day.
Anthony Kern43 said:It was my own fault, really. I ended up losing part of my nasal cartilage because I spent my younger years doing kickboxing; I broke my nose four times, and the irritation finally pushed me to get it fixed. Unfortunately, I can't say exactly where I went since I didn't actually pay out of pocket for the procedure :P 🙂 I've had surgery on my nose three times in total, and I've been packed with gauze every single time. The first was for a deviated septum, the second involved removing polyps from my sinuses, and the last one was just a rhinoplasty to reshape it. To be fair, I never actually had any issues with breathing... The only truly awkward thing happened during that second surgery. While I was drifting off to sleep, some of the nasal packing slipped down into my throat... ugh. It was such a nasty scene. I woke up not knowing if I was about to burp or if I was actually choking, and I couldn't breathe at all. I was literally sticking my fingers down my throat trying to pull the gauze out, but it felt like there was a foot of it inside when only about 6 inches were poking out of my mouth. They eventually had to snip it with scissors... ugh, seriously, never again. Three surgeries was plenty for me...
Okay, you definitely didn't need to mention that bit about the gauze! 😲 Now I'm actually starting to feel a little uneasy thinking about that...
It’s actually quite interesting to realize that I’m not particularly afraid of the pain itself, or even how my nose might look afterward. It's those weird, random things that get to me. But honestly, what choice do I have when breathing through my mouth is becoming such a struggle? 😢
Anthony Kern43 said:- Try lying down a few times and pinching your nose just to get a feel for it. It helps you realize how it’ll actually be when they pack you with tampons so you don't get caught off guard and start panicking by breathing through your mouth (one woman next to me totally lost it like that),
I actually try this every day, and I can only manage about two minutes before my ears start making this weird buzzing sound. 🤷 Is it really that much of a shock to handle, specifically the mouth-breathing part? And does having those tampons in your nose feel completely blocked, like if you were pinching it shut, or is there still a tiny bit of airflow? Oh man... I'm actually getting pretty nervous here!
Why would you bother going to a private clinic when you could just go through Medicare? I’ve been sitting here thinking about why I haven't made a decision yet, and honestly, I'm just stuck. I can't decide if I should head into the hospital now or just wait a year or two until I've saved up enough to go to a private clinic. To be honest, the private route seems like a much better option for me—mostly because they can handle the swab testing the very next day. In the hospital setting, you might be waiting five days, and frankly, breathing through my mouth is already difficult enough as it is.
I’m planning a trip to Washington, D.C., to visit Vinogradski. To be honest, I'm still on the fence about whether I should actually go through with it. An idea just crossed my mind: maybe I should just hold off for a year or two, save up enough money, and then head to a private clinic to get everything sorted. My main thought is that a private facility might make the removal of the tampon much faster. Honestly, the only thing that truly scares me about this whole procedure is having to breathe through my mouth—I think that'll be the most daunting part of the entire experience!
Could anyone give me some advice on what to pack for a hospital stay? I've actually never been hospitalized before, so I'm feeling a bit lost regarding what essentials I should bring along.🙂
Zachary Jackson5 said:It’s me again. 🙂 Before my surgery, I already struggled quite a bit with breathing, so having to breathe through my mouth didn't feel like a massive shock—I guess I was just used to it. It did make eating pretty awkward, though; you end up looking a bit rude because you have to basically gasp and keep your mouth open slightly just to catch enough air. As for swallowing blood, I didn't really notice it myself. The only thing was right after the anesthesia wore off when I woke up; I kept asking for water. They gave me a few sips, then I threw up blood, then a few more sips, then blood again. This happened a few times until they finally got fed up and stopped giving me water. 😉 They mostly told me that it's actually a good sign if you can throw it up, since not everyone does, and that it's just standard vomiting. My mom was the one who was truly horrified when she saw me—she thought my collar was covered in blood, like the nurses had been rough with me while getting me dressed. 😁
Oh, and by the way, regarding any changes to the shape of my nose—he didn't actually change anything cosmetically. So, I still have that tiny, tiny bump. It’s almost invisible now, so it doesn't really bother me much anymore.
Oh boy... now I'm even more nervous! To be totally honest, I'm going in for this procedure more for the aesthetics than for health reasons, so I'm feeling really indecisive about it. My breathing issues aren't overwhelming; it's just that my left nostril doesn't function properly. I only really struggle when I'm playing sports or dancing, otherwise, I'm fine. I wonder if there's a connection to sinus headaches? I get them frequently, and the pain radiates around my eyebrows, but my doctor hasn't really given me a clear answer on that. As for him not fixing the aesthetics, did you just not ask, or did he say he would and then forget? He strikes me as such a highly skilled specialist and a great doctor, so maybe he feels slightly insulted if I suggest treating him like a plastic surgeon by asking for cosmetic tweaks. 😍
How long does the mouth-breathing phase last? Is it until they remove the packing? How many days is that usually? And how soon after were you discharged from the hospital?
George Bailey2 said:I don’t care what anyone says, this isn't just some tendonitis issue. If the pain is radiating through my entire leg like this, which tendon could possibly be responsible?
I went to see a physiatrist to ask if there was any chance I was doing my scoliosis exercises incorrectly by default, but he told me no. Back when I was hitting the gym, I stuck strictly to cardio—treadmill, elliptical, and stationary bike—so I figured there wasn't much room for error... hopefully.
As for the tendon issues, I can't quite recall exactly what he said. I think he mentioned something regarding the groin area, specifically some muscle starting with an "i," but I'm not entirely sure.
He referred me for an MRI, explaining that the scan would pinpoint exactly what's going on, but the wait times are brutal. Who knows when we'll actually get a definitive diagnosis? In the meantime, I'm just trying to find ways to help myself. Six months feels like an eternity to be in this kind of pain, especially since I'm not even 30 yet... I honestly don't understand why he's sending me to a rheumatologist either.
I’ve been dealing with persistent leg pain for about six months now. It all started roughly three months after I began a regular gym routine. At first, the discomfort was centered in my groin area; just sitting down for fifteen minutes would trigger it. After lifting weights, there were moments where I couldn't even move my leg initially—it took a few steps before it felt like it finally "woke up."
My primary care physician originally advised me to rest and referred me to a physiatrist, though it took two months of waiting just to get an appointment. In the meantime, the nature of the pain shifted. It spread to both legs along their entire length and moved into my knees; for a while, I actually struggled just to walk up a flight of stairs. The specialist prescribed physical therapy involving ultrasound, magnetic therapy, suspension exercises, and some lower back work. The diagnosis at the time was tendonitis.
When I went back for a follow-up, I was still hurting, but this time it was localized to my left leg (where everything originally started), and it only happened at night. It was this sharp, tearing sensation—I honestly don't even know how to describe it. At that point, he just gave me some lower back therapy and told me to keep resting.
I had another check-up yesterday and explained that the pain is still there at night, but I noticed a pattern: it only flares up if I've been active, like going for a walk. If I stay home and don't do much all day, it doesn't bother me.
Now, even he seems unsure about the initial diagnosis, so he's sent me for an EMG of my lower extremities and a referral to a rheumatologist.
I'm a bit confused—why a rheumatologist?
Has anyone else dealt with something similar? And typically, how long does it take for something like this to actually resolve?
To be honest, the pain is starting to wear me down mentally because it's ruining my sleep, and I feel like I have nothing to help manage it. I tried taking Advil as my GP suggested, and even used Deep Relief, but neither made a dent.
Zachary Jackson5, thanks for getting back to me! I finally managed to have a chat with Dr. Kalodera today. He mentioned that having braces shouldn't be an issue, provided the surgery isn't some massive, overly complicated procedure on the nose. I did point out that my referral specifically says septoplasty, and I tried to gently remind him that he had "promised" to touch up my nose's appearance a bit, too—but honestly, I got the impression he wasn't exactly thrilled about doing any cosmetic work. Anyway, what’s really weighing on me right now is the thought of breathing through my mouth. How did you all manage that? How were you able to eat? And that whole thing about swallowing or dealing with blood and nausea... that part genuinely terrifies me!
Sophia Martinez58 said:Don't mess around with your hormones. Birth control pills are meant to be taken consistently every month, not just used as a way to delay your period because you're heading to the beach for vacation. At the end of the day, we're talking about hormones here; you shouldn't be popping them like they're candy. 😉
Tampons.
Using tampons while swimming at the beach isn't really a great idea either, since you run the risk of picking up all sorts of infections. I actually dealt with some issues this past summer because I used them while vacationing, and my gynecologist told me never to do that again—she'd much rather I just delay my cycle instead.
Anyway, I gave my doctor a call on Wednesday, and she mentioned that I could technically delay my period twice in a row, but after that, I shouldn't use that "method" for at least a year. And regarding the tampons? Her answer was a hard no—absolutely do not go swimming with them!
Has anyone here had a deviated septum surgery performed by Dr. Angelin at Vinogradski? I'm curious to hear if anyone has any firsthand experience with him. Also, I’m a little confused—how is it possible that my retainer is considered a contraindication for the surgery? I'm wearing it right now, and when the doctor saw me, he didn't mention anything about it being an issue whatsoever.