Coblation Turbinate Reduction

[PASToronto]

I am 4 weeks after coblation turbinate reduction. No allergies (had 2 times skin tests) and sinus issues (as far as I know). My turbinates were enlarged during the nights only, during the days, when I am up, I can breathe. When I am laying down always one of my sides is clogged. So, 4 weeks after the coblation I feel pretty much the same- always one of my nostrils is stuffed during the night. When I am up, I am o.k. as before.
Can someone with experience (with coblation) tell me if it is normal 4 weeks after the procedure? Does it mean that the coblation does not work? My doctor told me to wait 4 week before consider it as a failure, but some other doctor suggest waiting at least 6 weeks. Do you think I have to wait more to see the result? And something else- I had an infection 3 days after the procedure had been on antibiotics and steroids for 10 days. Can the infection slow down the effect of coblation? Can blowing the nose (very gently) a few days after coblation slow down the effect? I would appreciate if someone who was through all this can help me.

[PurdueLindsay]

I'm looking for an ENT in the Chicago area who performs Coblation Turbinate Reduction.  If you can help me with this that would be great.  
Thanks,
Lindsay

[PASToronto]

Hi,
go to the website of ArthroCare ENT (they make and sale the coblator) and when you tipe your area you can find all doctors performing coblation there. Here is the link
http://www.arthrocareent.com/wt/page/dr_finder

[Stuffhed]

I am going on my 4th week post-op coblation.  The first few days afterward were really difficult.  I develop a severe "trapped-anxiety" when I can't breathe out of my nostrils, so I was bouncing off the walls.  You would think after years and years of being stuffy we would be used to it, right?  The 2nd week was absolutely wonderful, I was able to breathe like I never was able to before.  That following weekend I was doing a site inspection in a very dusty building and afterward when I blew my nose I must have blown too hard and caused my nose to start bleeding all over again - about the same amount coming out of both nostrils as I had immediately after the surgery.  From that point on my stuffiness increased, so I decided to go back and get a check-up.  The doctor said everything looked good and the turbinates were shrinking just fine and he recommended using AYR saline gel for the swelling and scabbing (as well as the neil med rinses which are a necessity).  My doctor also mentioned that the noticeable healing usually takes about 8 to 12 weeks (possibly more if you had very enlarged turbinates that needed a lot of work - like mine, because I am just so damn lucky).  So now, I am just trying to be really careful when I blow my nose - if you are seeing any blood (or pink) on your tissue you are blowing too hard, stay away from cigarettes since they will slow down your healing (I am a recovering smoker and this has been oh-so-much fun for me), don't use afrin since you could develop a rebound effect which will mask the benefits of your turbinate reduction.  I have been using Sudafed for my nights since I am still pretty stuffy and have been running a humidifier every night.  I hope this gives you some hope and if you have any questions feel free to ask away.

[PASToronto]

Thank you for the answer!
It’s good to hear someone with a similar experience. I am almost 8 weeks after the coblation now and still not O.K. During the days I am completely fine and I can breathe freely, but when my head is down on the pillow one of my nostrils is always clogged. I am sleeping almost sitting. I never had post-op, I traveled to US to have this procedure and I live in Canada. Anyway, I e-mailed the US doctor a few days ago and he thinks I will need additional procedure, more invasive than coblation. He said if it (coblation) doesn’t work till the 4th week- it will not work and I have to have something more done with my turbinates. It is confusing how different doctors have very different opinions on when you have to fill an improvement. I already had an exam with an ENT doctor here in Canada and they offered me cryotherapy. This procedure is from the time I was born; don’t think I will do it. If I have to have an additional procedure I will try probably microdebrider; unfortunately, the waiting time in Canada is ridiculous.
The US doctor told me that he shrank about 5 to 10% of my turbinates. On the surgery report I saw that my turbinates are 3+. I don’t know what this mean, but if it indicates the size of the turbinates then 5-10% probably was not enough.
I know every case and recovery is different, so if your doctor told you will need 8-12 weeks to fill the full effect, I hope he is right and you will be better soon. If you want keep me posted on your recovery.
Good luck!

[PatrickinToto]

I had RF turbinectomy, but mine was a failure. My nose still gets block.

As I am talking to you, I have blocked nose, sometimes makes me dizzy. I can't believe there is no remedy for the problem.

I am using afrin from time to time, but the rebound effect kills.

I hope you recover well. If you do, I would like to know your ENT doctor.

Did you get your treatment in Toronto. I can't find anyone doing surgery in Toronto.

BTW, none of the ENT doctors I went to see are any good.

[CTchris]

Going for mine today.  Wish me luck.

Your night issue may be from acid reflux as is my case.  just a thought.

[Victoireh]

I"ve had several sinus surgeries and have no turbinate tissue left to speak of. The reason for the surgeries were because of chronic sinus infections that would turn acute regularly. My ENT wouldn't even touch my sinuses initially but my pulmonary specialist complained to him that they were affecting my quality of life.

I must say that my sinuses function much better, only one two at them most infections per year now.

I do agree that having a sinus infection after your surgery will cause healing problems. Why were'nt you given antibiotics with the surgery. Each time I was given a course of antibiotics to make sure the sinuses stayed clean while healing up from the surgeries.

Trust me you don't want to go without your turbinate tissue. I have constant dry nose/sinuses. I have to make sure I drink tons of water throughout the day or I have sinsus headaches, because the mucous is drying up into balls in my sinus cavities. The reason my turbinates were all cut out is that my first surgery dealt with making the sinus openings bigger, but the ENT guy didn't realize I had a badly deviated septum (till he went in during the first surgery) and as a result of wrong airflow, the sinuses healed up very badly, with all sorts of pockets created (housing tons of bacteria as a result). Went for a second one to clean up the mess and fix the septum. Still had some minor problems after that and saw the top ENT specialist in the province and he uses fibre optic technology. It is amazing the clarity which he could see in your sinuses. He took out some scar tissue and a bony shelf. Now like I said, I"m down to a reasonable amount of infections per year.

Cleansing the sinuses is very important. You should be irrigating them for many weeks if you want to see positive effects. Also salt water irrigations help remove the excess mucous that builds up and blocks your nose. Also try using on occasion a night time decongestant (ex. Night Time Tylenol Sinus), it helps shrink the membranes and opens things up, so you breath better.