Dr. Rajeev Nangia

What is a Sinusitis Surgery?

The traditional sinus surgery involves the removal of the diseased sinus tissue with improvements in the drainage channels by creating a definite pathway so as to drain out the infection from the cavities.

Usually, endoscopic techniques allow for better access and visualization as compared to making external incisions. This furthers the recovery process from this sort of a surgery.

Unlike other surgeries, a sinusitis surgery aims at re-routing the infected sinus pathways in addition to clearing the damage pathways. Post-operative care is as important as the surgery itself. In fact, insufficient follow-up and poor post-op care are two of the most important reasons behind the failure of this surgery.

Few essential things you need to know before such a surgery:

1. Balloon Sinuplasty is a comparatively newer method to treat and expand the natural drainage mechanisms of one’s sinus passages.
2. The patient should refrain from eating or drinking any beverage at least eight hours prior to the surgery.
3. Once the surgery is carried out, the patient can go home and rest with his/her head elevated for faster recovery. Also, applying a towel wrapped in ice can also help stop the bleeding that might so commonly occur.
4. Recovery from the surgery can take about 5 days and the patient should not carry out any strenuous activity until cleared by the surgeon.
5. Post-operative care is of the essence in this sort of a surgery.
6. Follow up with the doctor if you happen to have fever that refuses to subside even with medications, headaches that do not respond to medications or bleeding that doesn’t stop.
7. Any swelling in and around the nose or fluid draining from the nose should not be left ignored and untreated.
8. Identify and stay away from allergens, moisturize your nose frequently with the help of nose moisturizers and avoid the common cold and flu.

Surgery choices

Endoscopic surgery is preferred over traditional surgery for most cases of chronic sinusitis that require surgery. It is less invasive, less expensive, and has a lower rate of complications.

1. Endoscopic surgery may be done to remove small amounts of bone or other material blocking the sinus openings or to remove growths (polyps). Normally, a thin, lighted tool called an endoscope is inserted through the nose so the doctor can see and remove whatever is blocking the sinuses.
2. Sinus surgery may be done when complications of sinusitis, such as the development of pus in a sinus, infection of the facial bones, or brain abscess have occurred. In this type of surgery, the doctor makes an opening into the sinus from inside the mouth or through the skin of the face.

What are the complications and risks?

• Recurrence of polyps or other nasal problems.
• Excessive bleeding post-surgery.
• Chronic drainage from the nasal cavities, crusting of one’s nose and excessive dryness.
• Further aggressive surgery might be required.
• Damage to one’s eyes.
• Damage to one’s skull, including drainage of spinal fluid.
• Facial or upper teeth numbness.
• Polyps which result in nasal obstruction.

Here are some suggestions for taking care of your nose and sinuses after surgery:

1. Keep your head elevated to help reduce bleeding and swelling after your operation. The first night after surgery, elevate your head with extra pillows or sleep in a recliner.
2. If you have packing material and splints in your nose, make sure they stay in place. If the packing gets clogged, breathe through your mouth. Do not remove the packing or splints.
3. Some bleeding is normal for 2 to 3 days after your operation. If you think you are bleeding a lot, be sure to call your doctor.
4. Don’t blow your nose for at least a week after surgery. Don’t do any heavy lifting, straining, or strenuous exercise. This increases the likelihood of bleeding in your nose.
5. If you have to sneeze, try doing it with your mouth open.
6. Don’t take aspirin. It slows clotting and increases bleeding.

   If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult an ENT specialist.

Neck cancer refers to the formation of cancer cells in the throat or neck region of your body. Neck cancer is commonly seen in people above sixty years of age .But people above forty can also have the chances of getting neck cancer. Though the symptoms of neck cancer can vary from one person to the other, 

Some of the common symptoms are stated as follows:

1. Neck cancer affects the voice box, so a change in your voice can be noticed.
2. Weight loss is also a symptom for neck cancer.
3. A person suffering from neck cancer can also suffer from dysphagia or difficulty in swallowing.
4. Sore throat in some cases can be considered as a symptom of neck cancer
5. Bleeding from mouth or through your nose is also a common symptom for neck cancer.
6. Ear pain in some cases is a symptom of neck cancer.
7. Coughing persistently is also regarded as a symptom of neck cancer.
8. Sometimes a lump in the neck is also noticed and it is usually painless.
9. Some people also encounter breathing problem.
10. In some cases a swelling of the neck, jaw or eyes can also be noticed.

Neck cancer involves certain risk factors too. Neck cancer can be treated in many ways. The following are few treatments available for neck cancer:

1. Surgery: Your doctor can conduct a surgery for removing the tumors from your neck region. The doctor may decide to do either a microsurgery or laser treatment or endoscopy.
2. Chemotherapy: If the tumor spreads to other regions or is large in size, then your doctor may recommend chemotherapy. 
3. Radiation: It is used to destroy the malignant cells. It is usually conducted after removing the tumor.

These three are the common treatments followed by doctors. Your doctor may also take help of other treatments like administering drugs to control the growth of cancer cells. But, sometimes treatments fail to work if the process of metastasis starts. So you should not ignore it, as soon as you encounter any of the symptoms stated above, visiting an oncologist is highly recommended.

Rhinitis is an irritable medical condition where the mucous lining of a person's nose swells up. The term is more of a category and less of a definitive way to describe something specific. Rhinitis involves a host of other conditions that affect the mucous membranes of your nose. If you were not aware, common cold is also a kind of rhinitis. Rhinitis can cause acute touchiness in the inner lining of the nose leading to continuous discharges from one's nose. It can also lead to clogging of your nose or inflammation of the internal tissues. 

Rhinitis can be divided under two main types; allergic and non- allergic rhinitis. Allergic rhinitis, popularly known as hay fever is caused due to contact with allergens that are usually undamaging. However, in case of non- allergic rhinitis the symptoms take after that of the allergic type but no particular causal factor can be identified.

Factors that can increase your propensity to suffer from rhinitis of any kind are:

• Pollen from flowers
• Inhaling certain substances can be harmful; smell of certain chemicals is bad too.
• Both active as well as passive smoking can be detrimental
• High levels of air pollution contributes to the risk
• Weather conditions affect your health; a windy yet humid weather can aggravate rhinitis.

Common symptoms of rhinitis can be listed as below:

1. A person suffering from this condition might catch a cold all of a sudden.
2. People, usually little children, might even face high fevers.
3. Your nose tends to be runny. After the infection subsides, chances of a thick, sticky discharge are more.
4. Exhaustion is also felt in combination with headaches and teary eyes.
5. The nature of your nasal discharge tells the doctor if you are suffering from an allergy or from a viral infection.

A few preventive measures to aid you against rhinitis:

1. Rhinitis can be communicable and in most cases it is so. Therefore a person should not share his or her utensils and other personal things such as towels or handkerchiefs with any other person.
2. One should not be in close proximity of another infected person.
3. Hands are the most common sources of infection. One must wash his or her unclean hands before touching the face.

Here are some health effects of snoring 

Hi I’m Dr. Rajeev Nangia, senior consultant ENT. Today I’ll be talking on a very important and common topic- Snoring. It is taken to be a very common thing but now it has been proved scientifically that there are a lot of bad effects of snoring too. It is caused by obstructive sleep apnea, whenever there are obstructions in the upper airway then there is a reduction in the oxygen levels to the body which leads to further effects on the body and can cause hypertension, diabetes, and weight gain and even affect your heart and can seldom lead to sudden death.

We should not ignore snoring but rather should always go for a complete ENT examination followed by a nasal endoscopy followed by a sleep test. It is nothing but while you’re sleeping we just attach some instruments and note the apnea and the hypopnea plus we note the oxygen levels and other things. So then we evaluate the severity of the sleep apnea whether it is in the mild, moderate or severe category. If it is mild then we can change our habits or we can reduce weight and other things, we can get over it.

Moderate or severe category can be a serious problem because sometimes people can have a daytime sleeping pattern and have a road accident which can be fatal. So for the moderate we have two things basically: we can either operate which is known as UPPP operation and or we can go for the BiPAPS but for severe category we have to go for the BiPAPS and for any other thing regarding snoring or its problems, you can consult me at this wonderful site called Lybrate or can consult ma directly online.

 

Never take steam or hot things when you have nasal bleeding.

What are the causes and symptoms of ear discharge?

Ear discharge is the phenomenon of fluids being expelled from the ear. This condition is also known as otorrhea.

The kinds of fluids that can be discharged from the ear range from blood to pus and other forms of bodily secretions. It is caused by a number of factors, which determine the exact nature of the condition and the diagnosis for treatment.

What are the causes of ear discharge?

Some forms of ear discharge are natural, such as ear wax which is produced by the body as a form of defense against external particles that may enter the ears. Other forms are unnatural and result from anomalies in the health system.

The causes of these include the following:

• Infections: This is the most common cause of ear discharge and occurs when bacteria and viruses infest the inside of the ear and lead to the secretion of fluids, which builds up in the middle ear or at the eardrum
• Swimmer’s Ear: This condition is also known as otitis externa and is caused by staying in water for prolonged periods. It results from excessive exposure to moisture that makes the walls of the ear canal to break down allowing bacteria and fungi to enter and infect the ear.
• Trauma: Excess pressure on the eardrum can cause it to rupture and discharge fluids. This happens due to a number of reasons such as exposure to loud explosive sounds or pressure from flying in aircrafts and scuba diving.
• Skull Injury: Damage to the bones behind the ear as a result of injury can also lead to ear discharge due to infection.
• Tonsillitis:  Inflammation of tonsils may cause pain or a repeated infection in the ear leading to fluid discharge.

What are the symptoms associated with ear discharge?

Some of the symptoms of otorrhea are as follows:

• Abnormal and unusual secretion of fluids from the ear
• Swelling of the ear
• Partial or complete loss of hearing
• Pain and throbbing in the ear
• Accompanying signs such as fever and migraine

Diagnosis and treatment of the problem depend on the exact cause and nature of the condition, which also determines treatment and recovery time.

'Consult'.

Why nose bleeding can be serious?

A majority of people experience nosebleeds at least once in their lifetimes, whether from excessive picking of the nose or a pretty hard fall. Most nosebleeds go away soon but it can get very serious if you are not careful.

Nosebleeds can be broadly classified into two types:

1. Anterior nosebleeds, which happen from the front of the nose, are quite normal and get better quickly.

2. Posterior nosebleeds happen from deep within the nose and get very serious if proper care is not provided. However, such cases are rare and happen only in extreme trauma.

What to do when a nosebleed strikes?

- to stop the bleeding, tilt your head upwards and apply ice on the bridge of the nose. This helps in stopping the blood flow quickly. You can also stuff cotton in your nostrils while doing it.

- blow your nose in order to clear the clots in the nose as they can prolong bleeding.

When does a nosebleed get serious?

- when the measures to stop the bleeding don't work. You are at risk to lose blood if you don't get medical help.

- if you have regular nosebleeds then consult your doctor immediately as it could be a symptom of an underlying health condition.

- a nosebleed can also become serious if you are having medicines that thin blood as it could make the nosebleed more severe.

- if you suffer from a blood clotting disorder.

- if the nosebleed is a caused by a trauma like a fall or an accident and you are having difficulty in stopping the bleeding, get immediate medical help.

'consult'.

Related Tip: Ways to Prevent and Stop Nose Bleeding