Do I have a Deviated Septum?

 

post-nasal-drip

The bone and cartilage that divides your nostrils are called a septum. When the wall of the septum isn’t aligned correctly, it means the septum deviated, a condition that can cause serious symptoms when the septum doesn’t divide the nostrils evenly.

There are many things that can cause a deviated septum, including a birth defect like a cleft lip or palate, or injury to the nose from being broken or from a previous medical procedure. So what are the signs that your septum may deviate? You may have this condition if you experience frequent nose bleeds, trouble breathing, congestion, headaches, sinus infections, post-nasal drip or facial pain.

If you have a severely deviated septum that causes nasal obstruction, it can lead to sleep disturbances due to difficulty breathing comfortably through your nose,  dry mouth caused by excessive mouth breathing or pressure and congestion in your nasal airway.

Initial treatment of a deviated septum involves managing the symptoms with medication. Nasal decongestants can be an effective way to alleviate nasal congestion and help you breathe easier. Antihistamines may also be useful in treating any allergy symptoms you experience. In serious cases, a deviated septum can be repaired with a surgical procedure called a septoplasty, which involves cutting away damaged parts of the septum and realigning or removing them. Splints or packing are then used to keep the tissue in place during the healing process.

Sometimes a rhinoplasty procedure is done alongside a septoplasty to reshape the nose. Unlike a septoplasty, which doesn’t cause bruising or swelling afterward, rhinoplasty does. In fact, it’s normal to have bruising and swelling for up to two weeks after rhinoplasty.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What are the Differences Between Allergies and A Cold?

Image
  While allergy symptoms may seem very similar to cold symptoms there are several things that can help an individual determine what may be the cause of their symptoms. Allergies typically cause chronic symptoms while cold symptoms are more acute. A cold can affect a person for 7-10 days while allergies can affect an individual seasonally or chronically through out the year. Cold symptoms are caused by a viral infection. Symptoms typically present asrunny or stuffy nose, sore throat, cough, congestion, slight body aches, mild headache, sneezing, and a low-grade fever. As the cold is caused by a virus, antibiotics will not typically improve symptoms. Over the counter cold and flu medications will help treat the symptoms while the infection runs its course. Allergies occur when your immune system identifies a particular allergen as harmful even though it isn’t. Your immune system reaction can inflame your skin, sinuses, airways, or digestive system. Allergy testing includes environme...
Read more

Does My Child Have Speech Delays? How Can an ENT Help?

Image
  Speech delays are very common amongst young children and have many different contributing factors. Many parents will express their concerns to their pediatrician, who will first assess the clarity and number of words in the child’s vocabulary. There are different benchmarks for each stage of development and your pediatrician advise if your child is within normal limits. There are many different contributing factors to speech delays in children, including but not limited to: Bilingual upbringing Hearing Loss Comprehension Audtiory Processing So how can an ENT help? An ENT will likely first rule out hearing loss as the culprit by ordering a complete audiogram. Audiograms are done by an audiologist that is trained to test children with appropriate methods for their age. If the results show a hearing loss of significant degree that would cause speech delays , an ENT may order additional testing, such as a CT or MRI to rule out anatomical issues. Additionally, fluid build up may decre...
Read more

How do Cochlear Implants Work?

Image
  Cochlear implants bypass damaged hair cells and convert speech and environmental sounds into electrical signals and send these signals to the hearing nerve. The implant consists of a small electronic device, which is surgically implanted under the skin behind the ear and an external speech processor, which is usually worn on a belt or in a pocket. A microphone is also worn outside the body as a headpiece behind the ear to capture incoming sound. The speech processor translates the sound into distictive electrical signals. These 'codes' travel up a thin cable to the headpiece and are transmitted across the skin via radio waves to the implanted electrodes in the cochlea. The electrodes’ signals stimulate the auditory nerve fibers to send information to the brain where it is interpreted as meaningful sound. Cochlear implant benefits Implants are designed only for individuals who attain almost no benefit from a hearing aid. They must be 12 months of age or older (unless childhoo...
Read more