I can’t breathe. Do I have a crooked nasal septum?

Deviated (crooked) nasal septum

Difficulty breathing through the nose occurring with the following symptoms: poor sleep, morning headaches and grumpiness, dry mouth, and drowsiness during the day is certainly very annoying. It can, however, lead to more serious problems, such as insomnia, which can develop more severe conditions, heart disease among others.

This problem arises mainly from the combination of a crooked nasal septal cartilage (that separates the two nostrils) and hypertrophy (overgrowth) of the nasal conchae (see: chronic rhinitis).

Deviated nasal septum can only be treated with surgical intervention. In order for this type of surgery to be effective, in our opinion, it should be accompanied by some surgery on the nasal conchae (radio-frequencies, conchoplasty). Should there be a deformity of the nose, rhinoplasty could be performed at the same time.

With new technology and sophisticated equipment, this type of surgery has become much simpler, painless and can be performed on patients regardless of age. It requires one day hospitalization. A light nasal packing with a soft sponge is placed in the nose, along with a small tube to allow the patient to breathe. This is removed after 2-3 days, essentially without any pain.

There is also the possibility that nasal packing is not used at all after the surgery.

Post surgical care consists of 1-2 visits to your doctor and daily care of your nose (nose washes with natural saline, and ointment) for about ten days. Improvement to breathing is high, varying between 65% and 100%.