Sinus Surgery

Paul has nearly always had an impossible time waking up in the mornings, no matter how long he stayed in bed. He went through a sleep study about a year ago and the doctor said he had mild obstructive sleep apnea... meaning he wasn't a candidate for the CPAP machine nor for any surgery, etc.

As his bed partner, I found this to be rather unsatisfying, since it is not unusual for me to hear Paul struggle while sleeping to both inhale *and* exhale. It's damn stressful laying there and hearing him stop breathing... "Breathe damnit!!"

So, Paul consulted a sinus specialist, who agreed he was a good candidate for a surgical solution to help him breathe far better (& sleep better and feel more rested in the mornings). This involved correcting his deviated septum, removing his uvula, and having a turbinectomy.

The procedure took place yesterday, and Paul is home now recouping on the couch next to me. He's got straws up each nostril, stitches along the soft palette at the back of his mouth, and a really sweet suite of drugs that seems to make this all okay for him.

He's started eating more substantial foods (potato soup, pudding, and such) this afternoon, and we're hopeful that we'll be able to begin getting some useful nutrition in him to really help him heal quickly.

For my own part, I'm really excited about the prospect of him feeling more rested, getting rid of that persistent cough he's had ever since the day we first met (it's honestly how I always find him in a crowd) that is apparently caused by constant minor sinus infection, and correction of the deviated septum that was probably exacerbated by getting hit hard in the nose - twice within 5 minutes - with a soccer ball when playing goalie about 8 years ago.