VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

Mike Harrison

I'm scheduled to (finally) have my "severely" deviated septum corrected on May 26th, and I'm reading that it's necessary to have someone stay with me during the first night following surgery.

Can anyone tell me why that's necessary? I have no one to do that. What might that mean?

Also, I'm beginning to compile questions to ask before the procedure. I'd sure appreciate it if anyone can offer suggestions, in case I fail to consider something.

Many thanks!
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Mike
Male Voice Over Talent
I have taken leave of my sensors.

Glenn Moore · Been Here Awhile Joined: 24 Jan 2005 Posts: 241

Mike-

I have had the surgery. Once you completely heal up in a few months you will be glad you got it done. They want someone with you for the first night because you are coming off the anesthesia and will most likely be on pain meds for a couple days. Someone needs to make sure you don't try anything crazy or hurt yourself. It's just a pre-caution. The first week you will feel like you have a bad sinus infection and your nose is totally blocked up. After that everything starts to heal up. You have to constantly use Saline solution to make sure everything stays clean and does not get infected. Your nose will feel numb for about 6 months. Hope it goes well. Again, once you heal you will notice a drastic improvement in your ability to breathe through your nose. It will make a major difference in how you sound too. At least it did for me.

Glenn

Lee Gordon · Posted: Sat May 16, 2015 4:53 pm Post subject:

What it means is, the hospital is in C-Y-A mode. If they send you home and you trip over your furniture while still groggy from the anesthesia, they don't want you suing them for releasing you too early.

I had the same thing happen when I had outpatient surgery for a detached retina. The friend I recruited to drive me home from the hospital had to assure them that he was staying with me that night. He may have even had to sign a form to that effect. He drove me home, stopped at the drugstore to pick up some Extra Strength Tylenol (which, it turns out, I didn't need to take), hung around for about an hour, and then left. My cousin then came over to babysit me, but after an hour it was pretty clear I was fine but keeping my head face-down was not conducive to conversation, so she went home, too. No ill effects befell me.
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Lee Gordon, O.A.V.
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Mike Harrison · Posted: Sat May 16, 2015 5:48 pm Post subject:

Thanks, Glenn.

My ENT is leading me to believe recovery will come much sooner than what you describe; I sure hope it does. But, then, we're going to have the Q&A this Tuesday. My wanting the surgery was not because the deviated septum was affecting my voice; it was making decent sleep impossible and it was causing recurring sinus infections. (My chronic dehydration (another thread) exacerbated that.) So I'd already asked very early on whether the surgery would (negatively) affect the sound of my voice and was told it would not.

As for getting through the first night following surgery, I quite honestly don't have anyone, especially nearby, who I can ask. I'll see if my insurance will cover my staying overnight in the hospital.

Lee, I'm so sorry to hear that you had a detached retina. I can imagine how scary that must've been. Just a couple of years ago, I had "posterior vitreous detachment," where the vitreous gel in my right eye shrank and tore a small hole in the retina, releasing many, many blood droplets that clouded my vision. It happened suddenly; as if someone flipped a switch. Laser surgery corrected it. And, while I hate to bring it up again, I do believe that my dehydration contributed to that. When a gelatinous substance shrinks and becomes more sticky – something they told me is very common as we get older, it makes perfect sense to me that a lack of water could cause or at least contribute to it.

So I hope you don't have any recurrences!
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Mike
Male Voice Over Talent
I have taken leave of my sensors.

Gregory Best · Posted: Sun May 17, 2015 2:18 pm Post subject:

It was a much easier recovery for me. A day or two. I could breathe more easily in recovery than I could preop. I had no numbness or swelling. It depends on what the have to do and the surgical skill of the ENT. I had a tonsilectomy, septoplasty, a nasal polyp removed, and endoscopic sinus surgery.

You'll be fine.
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Gregory Best

greg@gregorybest.com