My ENT appointment

So, I guess this doesn’t really belong in the support area, but wasn’t sure where to put it. I just wanted to update on my ENT appointment this afternoon.

Have to say, she actually re-assured me a little about my T and didn’t dismiss me, which is a good thing (especially from an ENT so Ive heard!) She didn’t say it would go away, but said my hearing test was perfect, and that my ears look really good. She said that its very possible that my nasal douch/wash either damaged permanently or non-permanently something in my estuation tube, and if I was quite stressed out during that period it would make things 100 times worse.

I ended up telling her about my dad and his T and she explained that my T and his are 2 totally different things, and the best thing I can do is de-stress, not think about it and not worry about it getting worse. Nothing I didn’t know, and I’m working on it.

The not so good news is that my sinus CT I had last week showed up "moderate sinus disease" and she is recommending a few surgeries to try and fix it up. She took me through my CT films and there are so many areas that should be black (filled with air) and mine are mostly grey (so filled with inflammation) Even my septum is being pushed to one side by inflammation. I guess in a way im happy that everything I’ve been dealing with for the past 9 months isn’t all in my head and there is a reason for all the headaches, pain and pressure I've had.

The next step is some allergy testing, and she is happy for me to use a nasal spray for 6 weeks to see if that makes a difference, even though she is sure my case is too far gone for the sprays to do anything and surgery will be my only option. I asked her about 4 times if the spray was safe for T sufferers! haha.

So that’s where I’m at. Didn’t get the holy grail of " T will be gone within a few weeks" but I guess knowing that there is nothing wrong with my ears is a good start.

 

ENTs nothing know aboy T!

 

Hi Amelia, in my eyes this is absolutely good news! Just like you said, at least you know what is causing (on contributing) to your problems! What type of surgeries are they suggesting and do you have a date yet? Maybe fixing your nasal disease will alleviate your symtoms! Imagine!

 

Thanks so much nina83!

I don't have a surgery booking as yet. I'm going back in 6 weeks and in the mean time ill use the nasal spray, see an allergist and think about the surgery.
At this stage she mentioned septoplasty (straighten the septum), reduction of enlarged turbinates, and then surgery on the maxillary, ethmoid, and sphenoid to remove the thickened sinus linings which are inflamed.
I think it's just really thrown me as I was actually expecting the ct to be clear.

Not sure it all relates to my T, but would be nice! Won't get my hopes up tho

 

Well at least there's something to work with! While I'm just taking a massive stab in the dark here, the issues with your sinus area and any inflammation there could definitely mess with your eustachian tubes which could be messing with your T (the same sort of thing happens when someone has a cold, increased pressure in the nasal passage/sinur area = a higher perception of T) - hopefully if you get this other stuff sorted it might alleviate some of your T symptoms!

Good luck!

 

Keep us posted on the progress, it's also nice to know if your ENT actually managed to identify the problem areas as we are kind of keeping statistics on ENTs ability to resolve anything. Seems like your sessions was fruitful and it's interesting to see if the suggested surgery can lead you to further solutions Amelia. Really hope so. Good on ya I believe you say down under.

 

That's really interesting Amelia. It's great your specialists are so pro active. Guess it must vary massively from country to country how useful the likes of ENTs are.
When you did the flush, it might have shifted something, hence the start of T.
That sounds like a lot of inflammation, so there must be a good chance it's all linked.
I know there can be a link between T & sinuses (googling!)
I wonder if there is also some sinus link with my T. I have suffered from rhinitis for years and most mornings my nose can stream for a good hour.
Well keep us posted!

 

Thanks so much guys! I really appreciate all the support.
Like I said, I won't get my hopes up in terms of this helping my T - only because it started after a specific incident (the flush) not randomly, but who knows? Maybe it was there before and I just wasn't tuned into it?

I guess my biggest fear is:
A) who'll the surgery stir up/worsen the T
B) I'll have to use a nasal flush after surgery which is what put me in this situation in the first place!