My ENT says that i should wait another year for me to get surgery to fix my deviated septum. He says because i'm only 16 that it's better i wait until i'm 17, even closer to 18. But i really don't want to wait another year to be able to breathe correctly. It feels like i've had a stuffy nose for 4 months now, its really annoying. And at night it's even worse, sometimes i have trouble sleeping because i can't breathe good and it makes it hard for me to fall asleep. And sometimes i even wake up gasping for air in the middle of the night because i'm so used to sleeping with my mouth closed. He put me on 2 different kinds of nasal sprays at the same time so i can breath, but it doesn't help at all really all it does is give me really bad stomach aches in the mornings. He says i'm not done growing that's why he doesn't want to do it, but if i have a deviated septum, if it's not fixed won't it grow all fucked up? I'm just wondering if he's making this up because we're not paying for it our insurance pays for it.
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Is it true what my ENT is saying?
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I think it's common practice to wait until one is out of their teenage years to do a rhinoplasty.
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I think the concern is if he fixes it now, and then you grow it may grow incorrectly. Whereas when you're done growing, he can fix it and it'll stay fixed.
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I don't think it's a rhinoplasty, i think it's a septoplasty. Unless it's the same thing, idk.
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But what about if it's not fixed won't it grow incorrectly even worse?
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Yeah you're probably right.. lets just say nose job.. LOL
I don't know if it will get worse or not. However, if he did the surgery now, and it doesn't set properly due to growth then you would need another nose job later.. The probabilities of it setting properly are probably better as you get older.
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I know your experience all too well. I've had 3 surgeries to fix my deviated septum. The third time was a charm. It is true that it's better to wait until you're older, as the bones in your nose are not done growing until your mid to late twenties. It's actually best to wait until you're in your mid 20's. I had my first surgery at 18, second at 20 and my third one at 24. It's definitely a pain to deal with so I totally understand your frustration. After my first and second surgeries the results only lasted about 8 months and then I was back to the way I was before. Have you tried using Vicks Nasal Spray (the 12 hour one)? I know it's bad to use on a continual basis, but since you already have a deviated septum I don't think there's really any harm, as it's the only thing that kept me sane until my surgeries. I was using it about every 4-5 hours, but it definitely helped me. Another thing to consider is your health insurance. Many insurances do not like to cover the surgery until you're in your mid twenties. I had trouble with my insurance company the first go around trying to get them to pay for it.I also want to mention that this is a painful surgery with a difficult recovery. I've had several surgeries and this tops the list for the worst.
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it's quie normal to hold off on such surgery until dubstantial compleation of growth, as noted.Try Breath Right nasal strips at night. They helped me before my septoplasty
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Where can i get those nasal strips, do they have to be prescribed?
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You can get them anywhere, CVS, Target, Walmart...etc. Also, try Vicks Nasal Spray.
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Breath Right