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Saturday 10 January 2009

Medical Report

I have a maxillary polyp in each nasal sinus, and my nasal bone is shaped like a thunderbolt. This cramped up my airways and made the nasal allergies worse. After years of this said polyps are now the size of an average grape. Said sinuses are swelled and filled with mucous. Surgical procedure required.

So says the specialist from Taman Desa Medical Centre. The first paragraph cost me around RM600, including fees, CT scan and several insertions of a probe with a camera at the end. The first time was OK, but when I went back for the report (the radiologist wasn't there for the scan) I got it stuck up my nose again.

Either I go for "minimal-invasive" surgery or keep using nasal sprays for life, which is not a good idea. I told the specialist I sometimes bleed when I blow my nose. "You pointed that out exactly," he said. "One of the symptoms of long-term steroid use (thinning of the membrane). As a journalist, you're supposed to look for the black and white of things - why didn't you check the warnings in the brochure?"

That's why I guess they're called "consultants", not "doctors".

Do not get sick. Ever.

4 comments:

  1. Ouch.
    Sympathies from a fellow runny-noser; albeit one with a milder case.

    Good thing to find out now rather than later.

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  2. Sneexe: Luckier you. Now planning how to tackle the problem. I hope I won't have to endure it for much longer.

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  3. Sad to say, these polyps usually return :-(. I'm going to need to have my own sinuses cleaned out soon, and am not looking forward to it. From what I'm reading, you have to irrigate your nose and sinuses with sterile saline several times a day for some time to keep things from scarring up, and I already know from experience that this is *not* something which feels good :-(.

    Ah well. At least I, unlike 1/4th of Americans, have health insurance that will pay for it. Otherwise I'd just have to be miserable. Thank the Creator for small blessings, I suppose.

    -- Badtux the Snuffy-nosed Penguin

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  4. Bad Tux: Ow, that sounds unpleasant. But it's been more than twenty years of discomfort. Right now I'd do almost anything to stop the nasal runs.

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