Is Your Breathing Obstructed?

By Wyatt A.

Did you know that breathing through your nose is crucial for living a longer, healthier life? Yes, it’s that simple. However, what if you can’t breathe through your nose because of a nasal obstruction? Shockingly, about four out of five people have some degree of a deviated septum. While the severity varies from person to person, it still means a large majority of people aren’t able to breathe through their nose to its full potential. Some people can hardly breathe out of their nose at all, and unfortunately, I was one of them. 

I spent over 30 years barely able to breathe out of my nose and believed there was nothing to be done. Well, that’s not entirely true; when I was eighteen, I saw an ENT who simply told me I had a narrow nose, gave me some nasal spray, and sent me on my way. The spray didn’t help whatsoever, so I gave up and convinced myself that nasal breathing was overrated.

Fifteen years later, I decided to try again. Unbeknownst to me, I didn’t have a narrow nose like the first doctor claimed, but instead, a severely deviated septum and a left concha bullosa, meaning an air-filled cavity in the nose that caused an even worse blockage. Did that first doctor not even look? Apparently not, because this wasn’t something that just appeared out of nowhere; I was born with it, and this time, I was determined to get it fixed. 

If you know your nasal breathing is obstructed and you’re considering getting it fixed, this article will answer your questions and give you a glimpse of what life is like on the other side. If you aren’t entirely sure whether you have an issue, maybe my past symptoms will help expose an unfortunate truth. 

Life Before Surgery

Breathing entirely just through my nose wasn’t possible. I could inhale and exhale a handful of times, but eventually I’d have to breathe through my mouth just to get enough oxygen. This became normal everyday life for years, and I didn’t even realize the potential damage I was causing. 

Breathing through your nose filters and conditions the air, preventing dust, viruses, bacteria and allergens from reaching your lungs, while also preventing dryness in your mouth and throat. It also produces nitric oxide, enhancing oxygen absorption and circulation, which helps lower blood pressure, improve focus and clarity, and reduce stress and anxiety. And that’s just some of the benefits of breathing through your nose. 

Instead, I spent every day knowing I could only inhale to roughly 30% of my nose's full potential and tricking myself into believing I was fine. If I closed one nostril completely, breathing through my nose was impossible (something I didn’t realize wasn’t normal until after surgery and recovery). Besides not being able to breathe, nasal obstructions can cause constant post-nasal drip, which leads to getting sick more frequently. Other symptoms of mine included: frequent headaches, anxiety (due to lack of oxygen), and sleeping issues. For the longest time, I thought everyone woke up feeling extremely groggy, not realizing that was a major sign something was very wrong with my breathing. 

Eventually, I decided to address these issues once and for all, but before I get into the good news, it’s important to warn you about a negative and expensive experience that almost made me give up for a second time. 

Choose The Right Doctor

Before I found my life-changing doctor, I went to a local ENT practice that was highly rated. I soon learned their motives weren’t to help fix my obstructed breathing, but instead to line their pockets. The first visit was business as usual; the doctor performed a quick endoscopy where he used a long, thin, flexible camera to see what was going on inside my nose. From there, he suggested a CT scan for my next appointment. At the time I was thrilled just to have a doctor acknowledge that something was wrong, which was a major improvement compared to the first doctor I saw all those years ago. But at my next appointment is when things started to seem unusual. 

After the CT scan, the doctor diagnosed me with chronic sinusitis and suggested a balloon sinuplasty, where they widen blocked sinus passages. Since I am not a doctor, I was thrilled to learn that my problems could be fixed once and for all. The only issue was that my doctor no longer performed this minimally invasive procedure, but his son did, and he scheduled a consultation with him down the hall a few weeks later. Just on my way out of the doctor’s office, he stopped me and asked to quickly do another endoscopy while I literally stood in the doorway. He looked into my nose for less than a second, “just to check” as he said. Immediately I thought that was odd but quickly shrugged it off and went home. 

After my appointment with the doctor’s son, who also did an endoscopy as I was leaving, they scheduled the procedure, which I quickly learned would cost me thousands of dollars. I knew it wouldn’t be free, even with insurance, but something didn’t feel right. However, it wasn’t until I canceled the procedure that the unfortunate truth came out. Despite paying a copay with each visit, this doctor’s office was holding back huge bills, only to shove them in my face the second I cut ties. The reason for all the last second endoscopies was because they were charging my insurance triple the regular rate and leaving me to pay the rest. I had no idea I was even being charged! When confronted, they told me it was my fault and that I could have declined the service, which is undeniably ridiculous; until then, I lived under the pretense that my doctor was acting in my best interest, not robbing me blind. 

I wanted to give up, and return to my life of congestion and mouth breathing, but I decided to be brave and see another doctor. Immediately, this new ENT restored my faith, and shed a light on just how crooked these other doctors were. She was kind, straightforward, and during the endoscopy she performed (that didn’t cost me an arm and a leg), she explained that a balloon sinuplasty would have done nothing for me. She diagnosed me with a deviated septum and explained that the only way to fix my congestion was surgery to straighten the nasal passages. It then dawned on me that the crooked doctors would have performed a useless procedure, put me through weeks of a difficult recovery, only for my congested breathing to remain the same, so they could then suggest a second procedure and bill my insurance carrier to oblivion. Thankfully, my new doctor’s office was extremely transparent and gave me everything I needed to see how much my surgery would cost, which turned out to be very little out of pocket.

Surgery

Three weeks before my scheduled surgery, I had a quick pre-surgical testing appointment with a Nurse Practitioner just to make sure everything would go smoothly during surgery since anesthesia is involved. Finally, the day came and I was beyond excited to finally be able to breathe once and for all. I had my ride to and from the surgery arranged, a wedge pillow (because you need to sleep upright for a 1-2 weeks afterward), and my sinus rinse kit ready to go. 

The surgery itself wasn’t very long, and I headed home in under three hours. I had splints in my nose and my face definitely felt odd, but all I could think about was how amazing that first true breath of fresh air would be once I was recovered. Unfortunately, I would have to wait a few weeks to be able to breathe through my nose, and a few months to be one hundred percent. But don’t let that discourage you! Things often have to get worse before they can get better, and that perfectly describes day-to-day life after a septoplasty. 

Recovery 

For the remainder of the day after my surgery, I was quite naive and felt the next few days would be a breeze, but days two and three rightfully kicked my butt. Bloody noses? Routinely. Sinus pressure? Like my head was going to explode. Good night's sleep? I wish! The wedge pillow definitely helped but sleeping upright several days in a row definitely takes its toll. But by day four, things started to turn in my favor. Congestion gradually decreased, and the routine saline rinses began, and before I knew it, a week had already gone by, my splints were removed, and the real improvements started to become noticeable. Breathing through my nose actually felt a bit surreal because due to the deviated septum, parts of my nose never felt air before. 

My favorite part of recovery was noticing my breathing improve week after week. Every time I thought I reached the limit, that this was as good as it could get, it somehow kept getting better. Breaths got fuller and deeper. Each day I felt more clear headed, and my groggy mornings never returned. I was shocked to realize that I’d gone my entire life without feeling this great.

Quick Recap

No matter how long you’ve dealt with it, if you feel your breathing is obstructed then definitely seek a professional opinion! 

If you don’t like your doctor then see another one, and don’t let them take advantage of your situation. 

The surgery is quick but the recovery takes patience.

Soon you’ll see this was one of the greatest gifts you could have given yourself.

To people who have never had an issue breathing through their nose, this might all sound silly, but for me, it was literally life changing. I wish I fixed my deviated septum earlier, but there’s no use dwelling on the past. Instead, I can celebrate the decision that changed everything. If your breathing is obstructed, maybe it’s time to consider making that decision too.