Septoplasty at Bellevue Medical Center

You may feel drowsy for a few hours following the surgery and you may also feel pain. However, your surgeon will prescribe medication to help with the pain. Some congestion and bleeding can occur after you are discharged from the hospital as your body recovers, but these symptoms should be gone in 2 weeks. The recovery period varies from one person to another. In general, you should be able to return to work within a few days, but you should allow at least three weeks before going back to your full normal routine. You should also limit your physical activities such as exercise for several weeks to minimize swelling and speed up healing because intense physical activities can increase your blood pressure and lead to bleeding. 

The success rate for septoplasty is high, with up to 85% of people experiencing a significant improvement in their nasal blockage after surgery. 

However, some people will require a second surgery if they are not satisfied with the results. Septoplasty is a very low-risk procedure, but you should be aware of the possible complications and side effects and these risks can include:

• Bleeding in small amounts is common, but in rare cases, excessive bleeding may occur.
• Infection can occur after septoplasty because the nose is not a sterile environment.
• Toxic shock syndrome is a very rare and life-threatening infection.
• Septal perforation is a small hole that can sometimes develop in the nasal septum during or after the surgery.
• Spinal fluid leak and it is extremely rare.

Other risks such as scarring, and altered nose shape, discoloration of the nose, a decreased sense of smell, tooth or nose numbness, and continuing symptoms are also possible. Other than following your surgeon’s aftercare instructions, keeping the nose clean and washing your hands often can reduce the risks.