Harm Reduction deviated septum: lots of questions...

[waldo777]

1) How bad is having a hole in the piece of cartillage seperating your two nostrils? (AKA: a deviated septum) Its not huge, meaning I can't stick my finger through it, but its not tiny either, if I had to guess, I'd say its around 1cm in diameter.
-will it heal on its own if not further agitated? Are there things I can do to speed up the healing process, like neti-pot rinses for example?

2) How is absorbtion of insuflated drugs effected? It seems like 1 nostril is more open/ never ever clogged, and the other nostril is always partially blocked. I'm thinking the partially blocked nostril has part of the septum protruding into it, blocking air flow. If that's the case, would the damaged septum be less able to absorb drugs, or is it not even an issue because absorbtion takes place elsewhere?

 

[Coraline]

I don't think it will heal on its own. I read some info online and it's conflicting. I did find a source on wilkopedia that says no, it won't heal on its own.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasal_septum_perforation#section_2

 

[cj]

You need to see a doctor and switch you method of administration away from snorting

 

[waldo777]

Switching my ROA (using coke) would mean either smoking or injecting, and besides the addictive and dangerous nature of those ROA's, the effects are far too differant from snorting to consider them.

A doctor would be wise of course, no argument there...but more than pure medical advise, I'm looking for experiences from those who are or were in similar situations.

Has anyone ever had a deviation that healed on its own? Did anyone ever have a medical complication from a deviated septum? How's your quality of life been with it and/or with it surgically fixed? Would people reccomend a surgical solution? How did your drug use change after you realized you burned a hole through your nose?

That's the kind of knowledge/experience I'm looking for...

 

[6apbhmm]

I'm sure it can't just heal itself. If you continue using this ROA, it WILL get bigger.

 

[Swimmingdancer]

Sounds like a perforated septum, not a deviated septum. A perforated septum is a hole in the septum, while a deviated septum is when the septum is over to one side.

What about switching to plugging (rectal administration)? Snorting drugs is really not wise if you have a perforated septum, in fact that's usually what causes it. It's never happened to me but I had a few friends with perforated septums and they do not heal on their own. Snorting drugs is definitely a barrier to healing. Snorting cocaine is a common cause of a perforated septum.

Edited to add: As for what you can do, the number one thing you can do is stop snorting cocaine. It is only going to get worse and a doctor is unlikely to treat a person until they stop snorting the cocaine. The hole will not close back up, but often the hole is just left as it is and a healing ointment or cream is applied to heal the raw edges. This should help with the symptoms. Otherwise there are surgical procedures, but they are usually only done in severe cases and they don't have a very high success rate, maybe around 50%. What you need to do is stop snorting drugs ASAP, don't pick at your nose or touch it with unclean fingers, rinse it with saline solution, and gently apply antibiotic ointment to the area multiple times a day using a cotton swab.

Of the 3 people I know who this happened to, 2 kept snorting coke, that's how powerful addiction can be. One of those 2 had surgery which didn't work and in fact made the problem worse. The one who stopped snorting coke and properly treated the perforation for several months seemed to do well.