NASAL POLYPS, GET OUT OF MY HEAD

I created this quasi-blog for the hundreds of thousands of people, like me, who’ve had sinus problems and are considering FESS (Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery)  to correct it. This blog is for anyone who’s had this surgery, are considering having it and, especially, those who are about to have it.

For me, I want to know as much about things as I can. For others, they’d rather be in the dark about the details. If you’re the latter, perhaps you’ll want to click off this blog now.

But if you’re the former – someone who wants to know everything there is to know about what it’s like to live with nasal polyps – and probably, more importantly, if you’re reading this now, what the surgery to remove them is like to go through – well, read on. (And put down your sandwich. This isn’t exactly an appetizing read.)

The reason I created this blog was, as I considered having this surgery myself, I found myself mining the web for personal experiences. I wanted to know just how bad or not-so bad this procedure would be.

And, as the surgery date approached I found myself combing the web yet again to find out what I could expect: should I be scared? What’s it’s like the day of surgery? What’s the pain like? What’s recovery like?  Did people feel it was worth it?  We’re the people undergoing FESS suffering from the same symptoms as me and did it help them breathe normally as they hoped it would?

Just maybe these are questions you’re asking if you’ve drawn a winning ticket in the Sinus-Polyp-Hell Lottery, like me.

At the end of the day, sinus problems are not the worst things that plague humanity, in terms of maladies. However, if you suffer from it, it’s pretty darn miserable. You’re chronically stuffed up, chronically fatigued, you’re always sick and you’re always taking antibiotics, you snore and your significant other wants to take a pillow and suffocate you. You’re always trying some homeopathic, snake-oil cure-all in a hail mary attempt to escape the constant sinus hell you’re living in.

And your friends and family? Believe me, I know they don’t get it. Their sinuses are pretty much normal – they get an occasional cold or sinus infection, but that’s about all. And so they tell you things like “blow your nose”, “try some saline spray”, “try that neti-pot thingy” (neti-pot? you’re assuming my sinuses are open enough to let water through them – mine weren’t), “inhale some steam” (hey jackball, I can’t get air through my nose, much less steam) and all other manner of ill-informed sinus advice. They’re trying to help, but it just makes you kinda more frustrated and miserable.

So, welcome, fellow sinus sufferer or whoever else has stumbled onto this blog. Feel free to commiserate, share a story or just read mine.

It’s my hope that by knowing a little more, you’ll actually be comforted. You actually might get that much closer to ending your sinus suffering once and for all by deciding to take the leap and have sinus surgery, if that’s indeed the right decision.

Maybe, just maybe, you’ll discover – as I did – there’s a light on the end of your hairy nostril.