was it hard to breathe after surgery

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#1 Post by **shanalouis** » Wed Sep 22, 2010 7:47 pm

did any of you expierence breathing problems? if so, what was it like?

#2 Post by **geordie999** » Wed Sep 22, 2010 9:01 pm

I breathe mostly through my mouth but can also breathe through my nose. For about a week after my upper jaw surgery my nose was clogged so it felt exactly like I had a heavy cold except with the added benefit of nose bleeds

When I slept at night I had a humidifier going which I think helped keep everything moist. In addition I was discharged with a prescription for a nasal spray, afrin which I rarely used, and was told to get some children's sudafed, which I did take regularly. It took 1-2 weeks for me to fully clear my nose and breathe more normally but I never felt like I couldn't breathe properly.

#3 Post by **shanalouis** » Wed Sep 22, 2010 11:25 pm

oh thats good..i'm afraid i will suffocate

#4 Post by **Chefflaco88** » Thu Sep 23, 2010 3:59 am

I was actually able to breathe through my nose immediately after surgery. Before surgery I had that same fear of not being able to breathe so it was a pleasant surprise to wake up from surgery and have no trouble breathing.

#5 Post by **VikingGirl** » Thu Sep 23, 2010 6:27 am

I've been told that my breathing didn't sound very good when I was sleeping, but as long as I didn't jump around and just needed to breath normaly I didn't notice anything.

#6 Post by **chicago29** » Thu Sep 23, 2010 8:39 am

For me it was awful. My nose was clogged with blood for the first 5 days, and while I've been a mouth breather I still found it to be claustrophobic to be forced to breathe that way. No matter whether you're a mouth breather or what, you're still using your nose to some degree. Having that cut off really made breathing difficult.

When I woke up, I remember them saying my breathing was not good. I do recall being able to breathe through my nose, but I had a tube in. When they removed that I remember getting worse.

Thankfully this was only 4.5 to 5 days of difficulty. I do admit I have some anxiety and I'm sure that made it worse. My recommendation is that if you feel at all that you may be claustrophobic or anxious, I highly recommend talking to your doc to get an anxiety medication BEFORE you're recovering.

All this being said, most people are fine. I think you need to anticipate how you might react and go from there.

#7 Post by **chicago29** » Thu Sep 23, 2010 8:42 am

Also FYI I was banded shut for the first 5 days and I did not have a splint left in. I'm in light bands now and of course that helps. You should also talk to you're surgeon to see how you'll be fixated after surgery. That will make a big difference.

#8 Post by **ColoradoGirl** » Thu Sep 23, 2010 10:56 pm

Hi all,

Does anybody else also have asthma? I do, and notice trouble with my breathing on a fairly regular basis (1-2 nights/week), especially when I have anxiety. This makes me all the more worried about the post-surgical breathing issues. I'll ask my surgeon, of course, but if anybody has suggestions I'd love to hear them.

Chicago29--glad to hear it's cleared up somewhat; sounds awful. Ugh!

~M

#9 Post by **mountaingirl** » Thu Sep 23, 2010 11:50 pm

No problems breathing here. I was so doped up that even with a tube down my nose the breathing part didn't bother me even though I was soooo anxious about it. Thank god for morphine.

#10 Post by **OhioM** » Sun Sep 26, 2010 4:18 pm

I was totally clogged for weeks. In the hospital and the first week were the worst and they kept me an extra night, b/c when I would fall asleep, with my mouth swollen shut, and my nose blocked 100%, I was essentially suffocating. They removed my bands so that I could breathe through my mouth. Everything was so swollen I sounded like Darth Vader. It was HORRIBLE.

I am still congested all the time 9 months post op. Usually I'm not 100% clogged, but there is some degree of congestion all the time. I can't wait for my next follow up to ask my surgeon about this. People are always asking me if I'm sick because I sound so stuffy.