In addition to breathing difficulties, having your mouth open for a long time can also be a sign of a deviated septum; Understand more about the condition
O Deviated septum was the reason for surgery on the surfer Gabriel Medina, who was admitted to the hospital last Thursday, 31, to undergo the procedure. According to Medina, in a story on her Instagram, the problem affected the quality of her health: “I’ve always breathed badly, but now I know what it’s like to breathe”. The athlete has already been discharged and is recovering at home from the condition that, according to the otolaryngologist Dr. Ricardo Dolciit is common for the patient to refer to breathing difficulties on one side of the nose. “He closes one nostril and sucks in air and can’t breathe anything, on the other side breathing is normal”explains the doctor.
But after all, Are all cases of deviated septum that need surgery? The Doctor. Ricardo Dolci replies that no, since the surgical procedure is only for cases with symptoms. In fact, according to the doctor, a large part of the population shows some sign of the condition. “The patient who comes to the office, for example, with an ear complaint, we do a complete evaluation (ear, nose and throat) and, if we see that there is a small deviated septum, but the patient says he breathes well, in this case it will not be surgical. We treat the patient’s symptoms and not an exam that shows a deviated septum“elucidates the otorhinolaryngologist.
There are patients with a deviated septum who do not realize that they breathe poorly
There are also cases in which patients with a deviated septum do not realize that they breathe poorly, as this is an automatic and unconscious function, as Dolci recalls. “In this case, we ask the patient to start two or three times a day to take a more attentive breath: plug one nostril and pull in air, pull from the side and notice how much air you’re breathing in to see if you really don’t notice if there’s any side that’s worse“.
Something also that can help to understand if the condition is affecting breathing is with yoga and meditationas this practice allows a “breathing a little more conscious and end up having more complaints when it really is a major deviation”.
CASES OF SURGERY FOR SYMPTOMS OF DEVIATION OF SEPTUM: HOW IS THE PROCEDURE?
The patient who undergoes the surgical procedure because of symptoms of deviated septum does not feel pain after surgery. “However, due to the formation of a crust in the nose, swelling, sometimes it collects clots and breathing can get worse in the first week”, explains Dr. Ricardo Dolci. “We do a high volume nasal wash early to help clean and clean that nose, so that he (the patient) can breathe again as soon as possible”.
Lifting weight, activities and physical efforts are out of the patient’s routine for a while. “If it is associated with a turbinectomy, which is another procedure we perform, most of the time the patient must stay for a month without physical activity due to the risk of bleeding“alerts the otolaryngologist.
Factors that may be related to a deviated septum
The condition treated by Gabriel Medina may present some important signs to watch out for. However, it is worth mentioning that the diagnosis of deviated septum must be evaluated by an ENT doctor. The Doctor. Ricardo Dolci cites some factors that may be associated with the condition, in addition to breathing difficulties, such as:
- Keep your mouth open for a long time;
- Snoring at night or sleeping with your mouth open;
- Excessive daytime tiredness;
- Fatigue during the day from not sleeping.
“The patient who breathes a lot through the mouth, due to deviated septum, may have cranio-maxillofacial alterations, such as teeth starting to grow crooked, crossbite, open bite”adds the doctor.
Source: Recreio
