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How long will swelling and numbness remain after sinus surgery?

I had surgery on my sinuses on March 15th to remove a very large cyst and a wisdom tooth that had migrated into my upper sinus and was causing bone deterioration and infection. It was pretty serious, and I ended up having to be rehospitalized because I was in so much discomfort.

Since then Ive been doing very well, but I am still quite swollen by my nose and upper lip and still have a lot of numbness which is uncomfortable. My doctor said this is normal and the numbness would go away as the swelling went down and the pressure on my nerves was relieved, but how long might this take? I know healing takes time but the swelling and numbness is very annoying and uncomfortable and Id like a clearer idea of how long it will take to resolve.

2 Answers

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  • 1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    It has only been 1 day over a week since your surgery. It will take another 3-4 weeks for you to feel more normal in your facial area. You describe some rather extensive manipulation of the sinus tissues since a big wisdom tooth was involved also.

    There are several things you cn do or avoid to help you feel better. Sleep with your head raised. not flat. This facilitate drainage through the principles of gravity. Frequent mouth care with a very soft toothbrush will prevent dry and cracked oral tissues.Avoid blowing your nose or coughing or straining since this causes pressure to build sharply and suddenly. We used to recommend an ice pack for 15 minutes at intervals throughout the day. Provide sugarless hard sour candy to suck on for dry mouth.

    If you should notice yourself running a fever equal or greater than 101 call your dr's office immediately. If your pain level rises to an unbearable pitch also call the dr's office. Do the same if you notice a yellow or greenish pus/bloody discharge coming out of your nose or running down the back of your throat.

    Try to have a little patience with this. Someone should have reviewed this with you somewhere along the line. If you want to you can call the dr's office and ask to speak to his/her nurse. Then ask the nurse the questions. Never bother with receptionists or switchboard operators. All the office personnel need to know is you wish to speak to the dr's nurse and you phone number. The nurse should return your call within 1 hour unless you state it is an emergency - then you should receive a call within 15 minutes tops.

    Hope you feel better soon.

    ICU RN, 30 years exp.,retired recently

  • kahal
    Lv 4
    4 years ago

    Swelling After Sinus Surgery

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