to get a few posts in before hand to read but just in case I don't feel up to it, I apologize now. Please feel free to browse my archives and I will get back to normal posting as soon as I feel better.
The turbinates are shelves on the side of the nose. The main ones are the middle and the inferior. They normally enlarge and shrink. They especially enlarge with a cold or infection because blood is coming to the area to fight infection. They enlarge with allergy, and become pale and swollen
The turbinates serve a major function. They warm inhaled air before it enters the lungs. They are covered by millions of cilia which defend the body against contaigons and irritants in the inhaled air. They provide an environment for the good white blood cells, and a bacteria-fighting enzyme called lysozyme, to gather and fight infection. They act as a baffle to better direct the flow of air.
No matter how much your turbinates seem to cause you trouble, you don't want to just remove them. If you did, you would have dryness, crusting and sensations of burning pain. Doctors have therefore come up with various ways to reduce the blockage of your nasal passages without removing your turbinates and their cilia.
One technique is to just remove a small amount, not enough to take away too much cilia. In certain cases the position of the turbinates is such that the middle turbinate blocks sinus drainage. Here it is necessary to modify the turbinate to allow sinus drainage. Whatever is done to the turbinates, however, there are different ways of doing it.
The turbinates are important for the sleep mechanism. When you sleep, you are supposed to turn some 50 times a night. This prevents you from getting pressure sores. What happens is that you sleep on the right side, with the right turbinate down. After a time, this right turbinate fills up with fluid, and expands so that it pushes against the septum in the mid line and this makes you turn on the left side until that side fills up and turns you again.
Article found here.
3 comments:
Hi, hopefully all goes well and the problem will be helped. Sinisitus is no fun at all. My daughter had it once and it was very bad, so I can understand you want to do something about it. Lots of strength in the coming days !!
Dear One,
Hope all goes well and healing is mild and quick. Peace,
Diane
Wishing you a successful surgery and quick recovery; best of luck, Liz...Happy week.
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