Double jaw surgery with some nose stuff?

[dorothysnarker]

I'm waiting for insurance approval for a BSSO with Lefort I, and I just received a letter from my insurance company reiterating the procedures I'm supposed to have. I was surprised to see "excision inferior turbinate" and "septoplasty" included. Has anyone had these procedures? Is there anything you can tell me about it? I'm freaking out a little here.

[clockworkrabbit]

Turbinates are round boney shapes in the sinuses that swirl the air around when you breathe (like a turbine, hence the turbinate name). They tend to get overgrown, especially when there has been an injury to the septum (the dividing bone between left and right sinus). When the septum is shoved to one side, the turbinate beside it also grows toward the middle: this pinches off your air supply on that side.

To fix this, they remove some of the excess turbinate and straighten the septum back into place. You'll breathe a whole lot better.

[dorothysnarker]

Ahh, thank you for the explanation! I had surgery 11 days ago, and I'm not sure if they did the turbinate reduction or septoplasty, but I do know that I'm breathing easier through my nose now!