3 1/2 months until surgery...
So I noticed on my surgical packet that one of my procedures is a Nasal Turbinectomy. I had no clue what that meant and assumed is was something they were doing in the nose just because they will have to cut up that high when moving my upper row of teeth. After talking with the dr. I got some more info.
We all have 3 Nasal Turbinates on each side of our nose. They are structures inside the nasal cavity meant to warm and moisturize air as it passes through. However, these can swell and cause nasal obstructions or low air flow. In a nasal turbinectomy they will remove or reduce the size of the turbinates to increase air flow.
It seems this is a common procedure added in with the total joint replacement surgery. My little support group (who have gone through this already) said it can result in a lot of nosebleeds. Another said whenever she eats something too hot or too cold it now makes her nose run crazy.
I've been complaining for a while now that I can't breathe through my nose. I have to wear those plastic strips on it at night and I have to breathe out of my mouth when exercising, which then irritates my jaw. Especially when running, I just can't get enough air through my nose! I'm looking forward to how this improves afterwards. See turbinate pic below:
In other news, I started Physical Therapy, something recommended by both my TMJ Dr. and my Neurologist. I wasn't sure what to expect. The physical therapist said my pelvis was tilted and gave me exercises to get it properly aligned. It was truly amazing how differently I walked after doing these exercises. She said that could be the cause for a lot of my back pain.
Additionally she found that the lymph nodes in my face were extremely swollen. You can get lymphodema (where the lymph nodes won't drain) from trauma to that area or prior surgery that removed or altered the lymph nodes. This was kind of good news to me as I just thought my face was really fat! 😂 As she massaged and drained the lymph nodes I was amazed how different my face looked!
I mentioned before that I had a prior surgery to my jaw in 2012. That surgeon removed a cyst (or maybe a lymph node) and was doing his work all in the area of my neck. It's possible that surgery caused trauma to my lymph nodes or it could just be the TMJ constantly keeping everything inflamed. Either way, it seemed like my neck and jaw lines swelled up terrible after that surgery and never went back to normal. Im learning massage techniques now to drain the lymph nodes myself. I still have a lot more to learn about this issue but I'll keep you posted. Overall, I think I should have started physical therapy a LONG time ago. To other TMJ sufferers, I'd definitely recommend getting a physical therapy consult. See Lymph Node diagram below:
So I noticed on my surgical packet that one of my procedures is a Nasal Turbinectomy. I had no clue what that meant and assumed is was something they were doing in the nose just because they will have to cut up that high when moving my upper row of teeth. After talking with the dr. I got some more info.
We all have 3 Nasal Turbinates on each side of our nose. They are structures inside the nasal cavity meant to warm and moisturize air as it passes through. However, these can swell and cause nasal obstructions or low air flow. In a nasal turbinectomy they will remove or reduce the size of the turbinates to increase air flow.
It seems this is a common procedure added in with the total joint replacement surgery. My little support group (who have gone through this already) said it can result in a lot of nosebleeds. Another said whenever she eats something too hot or too cold it now makes her nose run crazy.
I've been complaining for a while now that I can't breathe through my nose. I have to wear those plastic strips on it at night and I have to breathe out of my mouth when exercising, which then irritates my jaw. Especially when running, I just can't get enough air through my nose! I'm looking forward to how this improves afterwards. See turbinate pic below:
Additionally she found that the lymph nodes in my face were extremely swollen. You can get lymphodema (where the lymph nodes won't drain) from trauma to that area or prior surgery that removed or altered the lymph nodes. This was kind of good news to me as I just thought my face was really fat! 😂 As she massaged and drained the lymph nodes I was amazed how different my face looked!
I mentioned before that I had a prior surgery to my jaw in 2012. That surgeon removed a cyst (or maybe a lymph node) and was doing his work all in the area of my neck. It's possible that surgery caused trauma to my lymph nodes or it could just be the TMJ constantly keeping everything inflamed. Either way, it seemed like my neck and jaw lines swelled up terrible after that surgery and never went back to normal. Im learning massage techniques now to drain the lymph nodes myself. I still have a lot more to learn about this issue but I'll keep you posted. Overall, I think I should have started physical therapy a LONG time ago. To other TMJ sufferers, I'd definitely recommend getting a physical therapy consult. See Lymph Node diagram below:
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