**WARNING: You are about to read some gross stuff! There are even pictures.**
Last summer Thad began having headaches off and on. It wasn't long before they didn't stop. Some days he had blurred vision and dizziness because of these headaches. As is his way, he rarely complained. About 3 months went by before I finally said, "Sweetie, you always have a headache!" It dawned on him that he did always have a headache and that he had just grown accustomed to it.
We went to our GP who ordered an MRI thinking it might neurological. Then we went to a neurologist. Nothing there but he did mentioned, almost as an after-thought, that the MRI showed "diffuse sinusitis" which meant nothing to us.
Back to the GP we go.....Yep, diffuse sinusitis! Still no in depth explanation but now it was off to the ENT. Dr. Travis, who did Thomas' adenoids and tubes, ordered a CT Scan which is apparently better for seeing the sinuses. What he saw was pretty impressive and more common than we thought. The radiologist's notes indicated a "complete white-out of the sinuses."
Doctor's orders: "we need to go in and clean that out!" So what if Thad didn't want the surgery? All that lovely bacteria would eventually eat through the sinus and bone and into the brain. So, surgery here we come!
Thad had some interesting comments and observations along the way:
- "Well, now I've had my head examined twice, and I have proof that my brain is not the problem!"
- "Now I have to shave off my mustache because there is now way I'm letting them rip off the gauze tape! Great, I'll look like I'm 15 again!"
- "How do they get that much packing in there?" The packings after surgery were in 2 sets, one in the back and one in the front. They measured 2 inches long by 1 inch in diameter and 4 inches long by 1inch in diameter, respectively.
- "Hey, I can breathe again!"
When all was said and done, one of the biggest issues was, as Dr. Travis said, "he had a little bit of weird anatomy." An extra wall in the sinus that prevented drainage and aided in the build-up, some of which was even calcified.
Borrowing from Jeff Foxworthy, they went in and rooted around with a stick and got that "dad-blamed clot."
Last summer Thad began having headaches off and on. It wasn't long before they didn't stop. Some days he had blurred vision and dizziness because of these headaches. As is his way, he rarely complained. About 3 months went by before I finally said, "Sweetie, you always have a headache!" It dawned on him that he did always have a headache and that he had just grown accustomed to it.
We went to our GP who ordered an MRI thinking it might neurological. Then we went to a neurologist. Nothing there but he did mentioned, almost as an after-thought, that the MRI showed "diffuse sinusitis" which meant nothing to us.
Back to the GP we go.....Yep, diffuse sinusitis! Still no in depth explanation but now it was off to the ENT. Dr. Travis, who did Thomas' adenoids and tubes, ordered a CT Scan which is apparently better for seeing the sinuses. What he saw was pretty impressive and more common than we thought. The radiologist's notes indicated a "complete white-out of the sinuses."
Doctor's orders: "we need to go in and clean that out!" So what if Thad didn't want the surgery? All that lovely bacteria would eventually eat through the sinus and bone and into the brain. So, surgery here we come!
Thad had some interesting comments and observations along the way:
- "Well, now I've had my head examined twice, and I have proof that my brain is not the problem!"
- "Now I have to shave off my mustache because there is now way I'm letting them rip off the gauze tape! Great, I'll look like I'm 15 again!"
- "How do they get that much packing in there?" The packings after surgery were in 2 sets, one in the back and one in the front. They measured 2 inches long by 1 inch in diameter and 4 inches long by 1inch in diameter, respectively.
- "Hey, I can breathe again!"
When all was said and done, one of the biggest issues was, as Dr. Travis said, "he had a little bit of weird anatomy." An extra wall in the sinus that prevented drainage and aided in the build-up, some of which was even calcified.
Borrowing from Jeff Foxworthy, they went in and rooted around with a stick and got that "dad-blamed clot."
Before
After
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