Last year I had nasal reconstructive surgery. Before the surgery,
I was shown a video of the surgical techniques and given a list of
possible side effects. I viewed and read this information carefully
and saw nothing in the materials that I believed would be more
difficult to deal with than the lack of air volume I had experienced
for the past 30 years. A few weeks after the surgery, a vein deep
in my sinus cavity burst and an inflatable catheter was inserted
deep into my right nostril to stop the bleeding. Within a few hours
I returned to the emergency room because I felt tremendous pressure
building up in my right ear. My surgeon discounted the pressure and
pain and the catheter was left in place. By the next morning, my
ear was loudly ringing and was nearly deaf. The catheter was slightly
deflated at that point and the pressure relaxed over the next few
days. A week later it was removed and I complained of the tinnitus
and loss of hearing. I was tested and discovered to have experienced
severe hearing loss in the right ear.
I am a musician. Under no circumstances, would I have submitted to
an operation that could destroy my hearing. Audiologists would do
people like me an extreme service if you published information
regarding the risks this kind of surgery subjects patients. I will
never again be in a quiet place. I will spend the rest of my life
tilting my head to the left toward speakers and music sources to
try and glean a fraction of the clairity I once had. On top of it
all, the surgery was unsuccessful. I am still unable to breathe
through my nose under any level of exercise. From here out, my
policy is "anyone who submits themselves to 'voluntary surgery'
is an idiot."
--
T.W. Day twday at netcom.com
