I didn’t realize my septum was deviated until quite recently. For well over a year I had been experiencing chronic sinus infections, migraines, dizziness, and other debilitating symptoms. I had gone through many courses of antibiotics and regularly engaged in home remedies like saline nasal spray, irrigation with Neti pots, and breathing in steam from boiling water and showers. After finally getting a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, I was informed that my symptoms likely resulted from a severely deviated septum (my doctor could tell I was getting headaches just by glancing at the MRI results).

Soon enough, I visited a local Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) doctor who recommended a corrective surgery called septoplasty. I scheduled the procedure for a few months down the line to ensure I could get time off work. The insurance was a little tricky, and I eventually realized that I would have to pay my entire deductible ($250) in order to be covered. So I set up a GoFundMe page, shared it on social media, and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was fully funded in less than two weeks.

“Septal deviations are common. About 70 to 80 percent of people have a septal deviation that’s noticeable to an examiner.” -John Pallanch, M.D. (Mayo Clinic)

The surgery was scheduled for a Wednesday, so I took Wednesday through Friday off work. My wife had taken the same three days off, and was prepared to drive me to and from the hospital (it was an outpatient procedure), and to care for me during recovery. That morning, we arrived about 20 minutes early and checked in. After waiting a short period of time and filling out some paperwork, I paid the $250 deductible in cold, hard cash, and we were taken to a personal waiting room.

I changed into a hospital gown and conversed with my wife for a while. We were soon visited by a cheerful nurse who recounted hilarious tales of patients behaving strangely while under the influence of general anesthesia. I filled out more paperwork and discussed additional details with the nurse. A few solid hours went by, and I was eventually attended to and set up with an IV and other basics as I laid in my unexpectedly comfortable hospital bed.

An MRI scan showing the sinuses (source)

Since I wasn’t permitted to eat or drink anything that morning, I joked about how much I wanted a taco like the one I had eaten the previous night, right before bed. My anxiety was not as bad as I had expected, but still ominously lurked in the back of my mind.

Finally, medical staff wheeled me from the small waiting room to the surgery area. The anesthesiologist greeted me and mentioned that she was going to give me “some nice, relaxing drugs.” Mere seconds later, I felt my legs begin to get heavy, as though they were filling with cement. I told the woman I was feeling strange and asked if she had started administering the anesthesia. She confirmed that she had and reassured me that my sensations were normal.

The next thing I remember was groggily waking up and realizing the procedure was over. The surgeon (my ENT doctor) was there — I think he was on his way out. I don’t remember being transported back to my waiting room, but there I was, being offered some Percocet pills. I took one and continued spacing out for the next hour or so. Soon enough, I found myself at home in bed, where I continued sleeping off the effects of the potent narcotics.