Are You Arranging For Sinuplasty To Ease Your Chronic Sinusitis Symptoms? 4 Tips To Achieve The Best Results From Your Procedure
As someone with chronic sinusitis, you may have struggled for months or years with uncomfortable symptoms. Unfortunately, issues such as sinus pain and congestion sometimes don't respond to the usual medications. When this happens, surgery becomes necessary to help open up your nasal passages so that the mucus can drain properly. Now that you've decided that sinuplasty is your best option to find relief from your symptoms, you can use these tips to make sure that you feel your best before and after the procedure.
Take Your Prescribed Medications
You will likely be prescribed medications before your sinusitis procedure. These medications are meant to help reduce the inflammation within your sinus passages so that the surgeon can access the areas that need treatment. Make sure to take these medications as they are prescribed since they help to reduce the potential for complications after the surgery.
Know What to Avoid Before the Surgery
In some instances, you will also need to stop taking certain medications. This is because certain medications thin your blood, which increases the risks that occur during surgery. For example, aspirin and NSAIDS increase the risk of excessive bleeding during the procedure.
Certain herbal medicines also increase the chances of bleeding, such as garlic tablets and ginkgo biloba. You will likely need to stop taking the medications about two weeks before your surgery. Always be clear about any prescriptions and over-the-counter medications that you take during your first consultation with the surgeon so that they can let you know what you need to drop from your routine.
Smokers will also need to give up their habit. This is because smoking increases inflammation in your nose and reduces blood flow that stimulates healing. You will most likely be asked to stop smoking for several weeks before your procedure. After the surgery is complete, you will need to abstain from smoking for another month to give your nasal passages time to heal.
Follow the Recommendations for Fasting
Many patients choose general anesthesia for comfort during their sinusitis surgery. With general anesthesia, you are not allowed to eat or drink for a certain number of hours before your procedure. Make sure to follow this rule since it could lead to having to reschedule your procedure if you have any food in your stomach.
Practice Proper After Care
Once you return home, you may be provided with instructions to avoid straining and blowing your nose. This is to prevent bleeding, and it gives you a chance to rest and recuperate. Limit physical activity such as serious workouts for at least a week. Then, make sure to attend your follow up visits to ensure that your nose is healing as expected.
For more information, contact professionals such as Frank J Scaccia Md FACS.