Cocaine Septum Damage

[Dirk Diggler]

I fell into a 4 month binge with cocaine and I just had an eye opener.  I basically lost control.  Yesterday I felt a little hole on the inside of my nostril against the septum.  It seemed like a layer of skin had deteriorated.  After that heart stopping find, I began to do some research into the connection of cocaine and my find and learned that cocaine can eventually cause serious damage to the septum and nasal cavity.  My question is...Is there a thin layer of skin that covers the cartlidge that is the septum?  I suppose I needed this discovery to open my eyes and I realize what I have done to myself.  Right now I am more scared that what I discovered is permanent and I may need surgery.  It must have appeared recently because I have never noticed it before.  I don't feel that it is a deep hole, but more like a skin had deteriorated and left the cartilidge bare.  This was enough of a scare for me to completely stop my use.  I had not known that this could occur until I did my research. Since I am stopping my use, is there a skin that will grow over the hole or is it bare cartlidge naturally there and I caused damage directly to my septum's cartlidge.  I feel that if a skin will grow back, I will have been lucky and need to use this as an opportunity to straighten my act.  I'm not looking for sympathy or lecture, just some help in understanding what is going to happen.  The thought of all of this is deeply concerning me and I need to know if I can let it heal itself. I know cartlidge does not grow back, but is there a skin that grow back over.  I don't believe that I caused damage to the cartlidge itself.  I keep repeating myself because this is a great concern of mine.  Does anybody know what I am talking about?  Please help.

[sweetscarlett]

I have a cocaine habit which I absolutely hate. Why do we continue to do things we hate. For a temporary feeling of euphoria. I realize I have been justifying my behavoir and trying to convince myself that it's not much, or that the damage is minimal and it won't affect me the same as everyone else. Reality check! I have been an occasional user in the past, however, after a very devasting loss of both my mom and dad within six months (at only 69!), I have become quite attached to the drug that makes me feel happy and on top of the world. Getting high has caused a whole new set of problems though, problems I do not want. I started using coke as a spice to pot - an extra kick. I suffer from anxiety disorder, so after prolonged smoking, I had to quit - I was having panic attacks every time I smoked the 'juicy'. Great - no more pot - I didn't like feeling straight. It let me think too much and I missed the brain haze when high. I decided to start snorting. A binge here and there at first, then gradually I would have a hit in the morning before work...then on the way to work...then at work. My health really started to suffer. Depression, anxiety, gastro-intestinal problems, heartburn and on and on. I was seeing my doctor constantly and having blood work, scans, etc., trying to determine the problem. As crazy as it sounds, I refused to acknowledge or believe cocaine was causing the problems. I thought I was just sick with a mysterious disease and cocaine would help me forget the sickness it was causing - for a while that is. I tell myself every morning how much I hate it and never again. I succeeded stopping use for work. It always made me feel better to get going in the morning, but the more I did, the more I needed. I couldn't reach the same effect any more, which only caused more usage. I couldn't stand suffering all day at work, so was able to end that cycle. I honestly believed I could master stopping for almost half a day. It's easy to promise quitting when you feel like crap. Then, the closer it came to the end of my work day, I couldn't wait to get home to snort more!!! Anyway, to try to make a long story short, I want to say how glad I am that I found this forum. Reading each persons' experience made me realize that I am not alone (like I feel I am) and that being ashamed isn't enough to make me stop. It came to me this morning that the way to shock my system is to read about what the damage of snorting coke was doing to my nose and my body. I MUST STOP NOW, before the damage is irreversable. Not only is my nose at risk, but my heart and other organs are also at risk. I have two beautiful grown children who have yet to have grandbabies. I don't want to miss out because of a stupid drug that makes you feel great for a minute and then all comes crashing down - over and over.

Thank you all so much for sharing your hearts and giving people like me encouragement. I really feel like I had my last binge last night. Never to return!

Prayer and due dilligence.

I would love feedback!

[Kaleb34]

PLEASE READ THIS IF YOU ARE USING COCAINE ON A DAILY BASIS.  PLEASE STOP!  I used cocaine for 3 years every day and it has messed up my nose and teeth.  I have been off cocaine for 10 months now but my receding gums have not gotten any better and my nose is not the same and probably never will be.  I lost clients and eventually my abuse led to bankruptcy and foreclosure.  What amazes me most is how I continued to use it everyday watching this all slowly unfold, and nothing mattered to me except for getting my next 8 ball.  At some point you have to pay the piper, and destroying your life is not worth the small amount of pleasure.  I remember the daily routine of laying in bed as the sun came up with my nose on fire and missing the entire day, family functions, etc. What cocaine does, ultimately, is suck the life out of you.  If you are using right now you know it is true.  And the crazy thing is...watching you destroy yourself probably will not be enough to make you stop.  You can go back to a "normal" life after you quit, but there will be consequences that stay with you the rest of your life which will make your life far worse than it would have been if you never used.  You cannot change your past, but I beg you to stop the damage in the present.  I don't miss cocaine, I regret every doing it in the first place.  Why do us with addictive personalities seem to have to learn everything the hard way.  There is nothing glamorous about cocaine once your health and life starts the downward spiral.  Trust me.          

[brokenheart69]

Cocain is a killer. My b/f had been clean for just over 5 yrs until Sept.19. he relapsed for the first time. In the early morning hours of Sept.20th he died of a massive heart attack in our bathroom floor. He had went to the ER a few hours before with his blood pressure 200/100. They sent him home after getting it down. When we got home he was throwing up and said he didn't feel good. We didn't know he was having a heart attack. Didn't even know throwing up was a symptom. I loved my b/f very much now I feel like a part of me died with him. For you and your families sake fight that demon with every thing you have in you. He had fought so hard to stay off that stuff. But our next door neighbor, his so-called friend knew he was a recovering crack addict was on his porch smoking when my b/f went over there and he made a very bad decison because he had been drinking that night. My b/f told me he was ashamed he let it happen. That night at the ER I had told him I didn't want to lose him and about an hour after we got home he died. We didn't even know the man smoked it. He's a sixty yr old lowlife who just used and took advantage of my b/f's good heartedness. He always tried to help people. My b/f was only 42. He died 5 yrs to the day they buried his brother. The pain of my b/f's death is so unbearable, i can't hardley function from day to day. i go on the internet just to research anything I can find on crack and the effect it can have on people. My life will never be the same again. My daughter has lost 2 dads before she is 6 yrs old. Her real dad died when she was 2 from health problems and i met my b/f 7 mths later and he stepped in to be a dad to her and now he's gone from her little life.

[UncleFish]

Unfortanately i used Cocaine for 15 yrs. started when 20 and now im 35. believe me when i tell you that if you continue the use of coke you will have much more to worry about than your nose. I dont have a deviated septum but i do have one hole that goes directly to my sinus cavity and another that goes srtraight to the back of my throat. in the last 7 yrs of use i would do a minimum of a ball or 3 to 4g's. daily about some point maybe 5 yrs ago my nose stopped being able to drain at all. meaning whatever i snorted just stayed there and would turn to a scab the size of a marble. sometimes larger. my nose would become completely clogged so i would take a q-tip and make a hole so i could do me (smart i know). that would then create "fresh tissue" for the cocaine to destroy. and believe me it hurt like a SOB at first. to hide that pain i had to do more for the numbing effect of the drug.  it came to a point that when i did do powder i wouldnt get high because it wouldnt dissolve. so what should you do at that point? quit? oh no not me. so i started to just inject it instead. my arms would look like someone took a hammer to them because of all the bruising. i would run out of veins to use. even on my feet and ankles i would inject. at this point my nose does not drain at all. i have to snort handfulls of water and use q-tips to clean out the build up of thick muccus that look like scams at leasee once every single day and usually a couple times of day. but like i said on the beginning. this is the least of my problems. i have made so many bad decisions that i now live in a world shame and regret. i almost lost both of my brothes because i slept with both of there wives. i almost lost my parents because of stealing from them. not only money but i would take my moms pain medication to a point that she would run out. seeing a loved one in withdrawals and knowing why it is happening is terrible. i have not had a girlfriend in 7 yrs. i just didnt care. i have no friends whatsoever. drug friends are not friends by the way. i went to jail for getting into a fist fight with my brother. i have had my car reposessed. i then almost let it happen again. i have no real possesions. can not pay my bills. i've had my licence suspended many times for not having insurance. the last time i failed to appear in court so i was pulled over and arrested for the bench warrant. when i was pulled over i had 5 grams on me and a bunch of needles, both of which they found of course. i spent 4 days in jail before i could get bailed out. i now have court for those charges in about 2 weeks.  but let me say this. as bad as all this sounds i know that i can get through this hell. i am now going to rehab. i have the full support of my family and of work. work knows because i was driving a company truck when i was pulled over and arrested. and my family because my dad bailed me out (thank you dad). honestly at this point i am happy to be alive. so f\or anybody reading this i say this or to any one battling addiction. quit while your ahead and have faith that you can beat this demon and also that i can beat this demon. i wish you all luck, happiness and a long life in your sobriety. it might suck now but i have already been to hell and sat next to the devil as he laughs at me. now is my turn to laugh. its our turn to laugh.

[bmdad]

Glad you found us here on medhelp! You will get so much support while you fight to free yourself from the chains of addiction. You should post your story so you can start getting support. At the top of the page you will see a green box that says "post a question". Just click on that and let us know a little about you if you feel comfortable. Normally no one on here will judge so don't let the one post above keep you from getting the great support and friendships that you will make along the way that will help you to the other side. In other side I mean sobriety which is a great place to be!
Best of luck to you!

Brian

[tucansam]

you sir are in every sense of the word a pompus ***. i sat here and read every single post because they all touched me as storys of addicts finally hitting there rock bottom and turning their lives around in most of the cases. but then someone like you has to come along and tell them theyre all bad people because they gave a referance to how long they used and how much. when your dealing with a subject such as this where it involves damage due to heavy drug use its helpful to know whether it was just a few lines a night or an 8 ball a night. that may be the differance between having a septum and not having one and never once did it strike me as anyone bragging about their usage. nobody in their right mind would brag about snorting an 8 ball a night with their deviated septum. please do step off your soap box and stop telling recovering addicts that they're the scum of the earth, its people like you who are the driving force in a young addictive personality and if they had less people like you in their lives this forum wouldnt be so full of storys that both touch my heart and inspire me to never snort anything again. i myself found this website worried that my nose was damaged from snorting perscription meds such as oxy, adderall, and methadone as of recently. thank god i still have my septum and mucus membrane intact and most likely the damage ive done will heal. but the last thing i need  while i try to get clean and healthy is someone telling me im a bad person for seeking help
good luck i hope every one who posted here is clean, healthy and happy by now
                                                                       Tucansam