Conditions
Nasal Septal Perforation
When former Eastenders actress, Daniella Westbrook, was photographed at the British Soap Awards in 2000 with her septum eroded from excessive coke-snorting, she not only became the poster girl for the ravages of cocaine, but also brought nasal septal perforation into the limelight. The septum, composed of cartilage and thin bone, can develop a hole in the cartilage, not only through cocaine use, but also as a complication of previous nasal surgery, excessive nose picking, trauma, cancer, or diseases such as tuberculosis or syphilis. As damage reduces blood supply in the septum, the cartilage begins to die, and a hole develops. Many septal perforations don’t need to be closed, and small perforations may need only frequent rinsing with prescription saltwater solutions and applying lubricating gels. Septal ‘buttons’ can also be inserted to fit the hole, which can be an alternative to surgery. However, there are various surgical techniques available for larger perforations, which can be performed under general anesthesia.
Comments and Questions
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guess what, on the 5th july, i had septal surgery done as i had real trouble breathing. i had a real rough time with the recovery and also had an allergic reaction to the drugs. g p had to come out to me, and i said i wish i had never had it done. finally just 10 mins ago a big lump or crust if you like came out of the good side and now i swear there is a massive hole. as you can imagine i am so shocked and in a real panic. got to wait till monday before i can contact anyone and my follow up at hospital is not till end of sept.. I dont think i will sleep much tonight for worrying
hi all, i posted a comment on here a few months ago. i too have a Nasal Septal Perforation i have just come back from ENT apt today and i am going in to get my sinus's drained and getting a block put in the hole to stop it from whistling as this causes embarassment and also causes a bit of discomfort when i breathe. i get a pain in my left sinus and then it spreads to my temple, for some reason its only the left side that is blocked and causing me pain! however after gettin my ct scan results my right sinus is inflamed and my left is blocked! hopefully this procedure i am going to get in 3 to 4 months will help although the consultant said there are no gaurantees that i will stop gettin sinusitus!
hi guys i cant believe there are people that have the same as me. i had nasal cauterization when i was about 10 (now 18). a few months after i had a funny smell coming from my nose and one day a huge scab fell out. as you do when your younger i stuck my finger up my nose to realise i could fit it through the other side, i showed my mum and she said thats not right. i went to the doctors who referred me to a london hospital and they said they couldnt do anything until my nose had stopped growing. now im 18 im going back to the doctors as i have trouble breathing, my nose is constantly blocked and its very uncomfortable. the whistling is also very embarrasing, i wonder how the doctors can help me?!?!
Hi Chelsea, how big is your hole and has it got bigger over the years?
it is the size of a 5p and it has got a little big bigger over the years. its got to a point now where i am so paranoid about the whistling its really annoying!!
Hi I wrote underneath about discovering the hole in my nose, I went to see an ent doc monday and I have been told to make a solution and douche my nose 1-3 times daily it's 1-2 teaspoons of salt, 1 teaspoon of sugar and 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda and I have been told to order a gel called nasogel to use on it, I haven't been able to get hold of that but going to phone the number on the leaflet I was given today. I have to see how this helps and go back to see him in 2 months, I just hope this heals it and I can stop worrying : s
after getting a septal perforation due to cauterization during pituitary surgery through the nostril, the best thing I do to relieve the symptoms is rinse with saline solution twice a day and apply Bactroban nasal cream twice a day. Since doing this my eye pain and headaches have reduced to the point I don't really notice them any more.
I have too just discovered a hole in my nose and I'm terrified, I know I have done it from constantly picking scabs from there and making it bleed for about 3 months, I wish i'd just gone the docs now and stopped picking at the scabs but I couldn't help it as they were irritating me and could feel them up there so when the blood dried I'd just pick again and this was at least 4 times a day! I'm very very worried and have got a sort of ache up my nose and into my head now, I went the doctors this morning and she was no help I went in as an emergency so had 2 see 1 of the rubbish 1s who didn't even look at the hole and seemed to dismiss everything I was saying, and now I have to wait 2 weeks to see one of the good ones and I'm going out of my mind!! Does anyone know how to keep it clean as the hole is getting blocked and causing more discomfort I was hoping the doc would of given me something, I've tried vaseline?? I'm so worried about it getting bigger or something happening to my nose, can anyone help!
Im no help but im going through exactly the same as you but Im too scared to talk to anyone about it, I too had scabs up my nose and was constantly picking at them and then discovered this hole...told you I wasnt much help, but please let me know how you get on, i dont know what to do either :(
That's ok I'm just glad I'm not the only 1, I'm really really scared I've got the hospital this afternoon so I will let you know how I get on but reading comments on here doesn't sound like the hospitals have been too helpful or there's much they can do :(
Hi all, i had my septum straigthened in Feb 2010 as i was told it was bent due to an accident i had when i was ten years old and also it never stop smelling. After this surgery is still smelling. I douce it sometimes even up to three times a day. Dont know what to do now, so embarassing. Can someone please help/ advice on whatelse to do.
for a few months now i have had excessive bleeding frim my nose and it is particularly tender. Also i have a snuffly nose and scabs form from it and always feel the need to clean it. And i have w whisltling noise every time i breathe which is extremely annoying ! i have recently found a hole in my nose and think that this is the problem. Going to go to the doctors to get it checked out soon so ill keep u posted on my progress...
Please do update - I have had the same experience, though I didn't find my GP very sympathetic or interesed on the two occasions i've seen them before - so I keep putting off going to see them. The hole has been there for about 3 years now and has been getting bigger; I have not and do not take drugs of any kind but it's the embarrassment associated with it that is scaring me. Does anyone know if there's a way just to see a specialist, bypassing the GP?
thank you for your page i have been told i have a hole in my nose and i never ever took drugs how did i get it i snore very loud for the last 18 months that why i went to the doctor he took a blood test he said to check out my body why want was he looking for thanks sandra could your answer be in langwich i can under stand as i have a learning disablty where i an not good at reading
Hi Lynn I have quite a large hole too and I'm desperate to get it fixed as it's ruining my life as I'm so worried about it, I looked at dr kridel aswell but don't really want to fly to America either, I found someone called ullas raghavan who is in Doncaster so I'm going to see if my doctor can refer me to him as it says he has a special interest in septal perforations and does surgery to fix them, I'm not sure about the success rate but maybe it's worth a look for you aswell. Hope this helps x
Which surgeon has performed a septal hole closure the most and is the best in the UK? When you look on the web for advice Kridel in America looks outstanding as a surgeon and has a high success rate for closure. I have seen a couple of ENTs and as my perforation is quite large I want to make sure I get the best surgeon for the repiar. Any help would be so much appreciated as I dont want to have to fly to America if I dont have to.
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