Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become An Empty Nose Victim! [Paperback]

Christopher Martin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 30, 2007 | ISBN-10: 1583851976 | ISBN-13: 978-1583851975 | Edition: 1

Have you had nasal surgery, but now find yourself worse off than before? If so, you might be one of millions who suffer from a serious medical condition known as empty nose syndrome, or ENS--a complication of surgery. Symptoms of ENS include shortness of breath (despite a wide open nose), nasal dryness, throat irritation, thick, sticky mucus, shallow sleep, and sometimes chronic sinusitis. Many with ENS are depressed. Some have even committed suicide. Endorsed by well-known doctors familiar with ENS, Chris offers a genuine message to the reader and hope for the injured patient through: 1) His personal triumph in coping with ENS. 2) A critique of turbinate surgeries for anyone considering nasal surgery. 3) An inside look at the politics of ENS. 4) Best treatments for ENS, many of which also apply to sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, postnasal drip, GERD, and asthma. "Chris Martin's book is a must-read for anyone with nasal problems so they, too, can understand ENS and avoid becoming an ENS patient. His up-to-date information can empower the patient to best therapies."--Murray Grossan, M.D., Author of The Sinus Cure and inventor of the Grossan Hydro Pulse® Nasal-Sinus Irrigation System "I applaud Chris' attempt to bring this critically important issue to the public's attention. If one person can be saved from the devastation this surgery can cause, he will have performed a great service."--Wellington S. Tichenor, M.D., Creator of award-winning website www.sinuses.com, and wrote the introduction for this book "Chris is addressing a tremendously important issue in otolaryngology. Empty nose syndrome is a real entity that requires further investigation. Although Chris' book is written for the general public, I truly hope my colleagues in ENT will read this book and take it to heart."--Steven M. Houser, M.D., ENT specialist, MetroHealth Medical Center and Cleveland Nasal, Sinus and Sleep Center, assistant professor, Case Western Reserve University, and wrote the foreword for this book

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An ideal sourcebook on ENS...All nasal doctors should have on their shelves and be ready to pass onto patients." -- Les Chappell of BookReview.com

"Chris Martin's book is excellent and I recommend it to patients...ENS is preventable and this book will go a long way to that prevention." -- Murray Grossan, M.D., Author of The Sinus Cure and inventor of the Grossan Hydro Pulse Nasal-Sinus Irrigation System

"His personal disclosures make the book very interesting...I cannot imagine a more comprehensive, yet easy-to-understand source of information." -- Paige Lovitt of Reader Views

"Stop reading this review and start reading this book! It could save your life." -- Ryan Webb of Ontario, Canada

From the Author

Having Nasal Surgery? won a 2008 Independent Publisher Book Award, Bronze Medalist, in Health/Medicine/Nutrition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 234 pages
• Publisher: Christopher Martin; 1 edition (August 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1583851976
• ISBN-13: 978-1583851975
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #835,117 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book!, January 18, 2008

By 

Tom - See all my reviews

This review is from: Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become An Empty Nose Victim! (Paperback)

This is a must read for anyone that has had or is considering sinus surgery!
If it has been suggested to you that sinus surgery can correct your problems you absolutely need to read this book and do your research! Complications to sinus surgery can be life-altering and the damage permanent. As a victim of aggressive sinus surgery I can attest that these symptoms are very much real and can alter your reality in ways that I never imagined. I believe a great many ENT's do not fully understand the extreme importance the nose and sinuses play in the quality of life. With good intentions they can often remove too much tissue and bone in effect leaving the nose with the inability to function normally with regards to nasal cycles,moisture control,airflow and the health of the lungs. Chris does a wonderful job in explaining the importance of a healthy nose and sinus and the roles each structure plays in nasal health. If you do not know what a Turbinate is or what it does READ THIS BOOK!

Chris has put alot of time and effort in detailing everything a sinus suffer should consider before having surgery. Thankfully the ENT field is slowly beginning to understand that a very conservative approach should be applied when doing surgery. Chris explains each option a patient should discuss with the doctor performing the surgery. Each method is reviewed and rated for the possible outcomes and the conservation of important nasal tissue and structures.

If you have had sinus surgery done and are having problems Chris has outlined things you can do to help relieve some of the symptoms. For those having ENS type symptoms there are things you can do to help improve your sinus health. Chris describes things that he has personally tried that work and what others have used to find relief. Those that suffer from ENS type symptoms can find some comfort in the new methods Chris discusses in his book, to help rebuild important turbinate structures that have been removed in previous surgeries. Chris has first hand knowledge of how Alloderm implants may help improve the quality of life of ENS patients. With research into stem cell therapy and tissue regeneration the future is brighter. The important point that Chris makes is that ENS can be prevented if a conservative approach is used. Once removed, turbinates do not grow back. Conservation of nasal tissue is essential!

I can't recommend this book enough. I think it should be required reading for all those practicing ENT's that perform sinus surgery. Anyone suffering from sinus problems can find solutions that may make surgery unnecessary. Those that have had surgery and find their problems even worse than before surgery can also benefit from therapies and techniques Chris has outlined in the book. If you are considering having sinus surgery and have spoken to others around you that have had surgery it's important that you ask what was actually performed. Chances are they can't go any further than to say hey had a deviated septum corrected. It's of utmost importance that you go into surgery knowing EXACTLY what will be preformed and by what method. I went in for deviated septum and came out with an EMPTY NOSE!

Bravo to Christopher Martin for bringing the devastating problem upfront for discussion and sharing his personal story so that we can learn and hopefully prevent this devastating problem.

Tom

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Complexities of the Nose and ENS, November 12, 2007

By 

Paul (NY-USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become An Empty Nose Victim! (Paperback)

Chris has written a compelling and comprehensive account of his own personal experience with a relatively unknown affliction known as Empty Nose Syndrome (ENS). ENS is basically a surgically ruined nose that does not properly humidify and sense air flow, preventing it from performing its basic functions of smell and controlled, natural breathing. I can attest to the reality of this condition, as I have experienced many of the symptoms outlined in this book, as a result of nasal surgery involving my turbinates. If you are experiencing undefined, or hard to explain nasal dryness and crusting, loss of sense of smell, and uncontrolled breathing through your nose, this is a valuable and singular resource for gaining important insight that may not be provided from your local ENT. The complications and potential side effects of nasal surgery are not completely understood by many in the medical community (otolaryngology included), and as a patient that contends with sinus difficulties or is contemplating surgery, this book will serve as an enlightening introduction into the complexities of the nose. I know that I took for granted this amazingly complex organ and Chris's book will make sure that you don't repeat other's mistakes or suffer the potentially devastating effects of nasal surgery.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Ultimate Guide for Nasal Sufferers, October 3, 2007

By 

TE - See all my reviews

This review is from: Having Nasal Surgery? Don't You Become An Empty Nose Victim! (Paperback)

Chris Martin has written the ultimate "Bible" for anyone considering nasal surgery in general, and more specifically for those who have breathing problems related to swollen turbinates and are considering turbinate reduction surgery. This book will also serve as the ultimate guide for how to improve the lives of those who have already had the misfortune of overzealous resections of their turbinates and are now struggling with ENS. "Having Nasal Surgery?" is the first ever book on ENS. The coping strategies and tips detailed in this book can benefit not only ENS sufferers, but also all those who suffer from chronic nasal problems and discomfort, such as chronic sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, vasomotor rhinitis, and every otherwise healthy individual who simply wants to learn how to better deal with the most common medical problems affecting humanity: the common cold and nasal obstruction.

"Having Nasal Surgery?" is addressed to the layman and medical professionals alike. It is written as an easy and well-flowing read, but at the same time is backed and packed with scientific references from the latest medical literature published in leading medical journals. True, Chris Martin is not a doctor himself, but the fact that his book is endorsed by well-known and acclaimed doctors - such as Drs. Grossan, Tichenor and Houser - with a foreword by Dr. Houser himself (a leading authority on ENS) adds greatly to the scientific and medical credibility of this book.

Chris tells of his personal misfortune of suffering from ENS due to an over aggressive surgery he had in his late teens. As a fellow sufferer, I can testify firsthand that his descriptions are honest and accurate. Sadly, ENS is a devastating medical condition which has a very negative impact on the sufferer's well-being and quality of life.

I hope that ENT and facial reconstructive specialists and plastic surgeons will embrace this book just as much as I know their ENS patients will. I hope that through this book they will better understand the depth of suffering from ENS and realize their responsibility to 1) not only avoid destroying the mucosal structures of the nose when they perform nasal and sinus surgeries of all sorts, but also 2) that they will recognize the fact that for many decades now patients have been over "turbinectomized" and as a result there are potentially millions of patients in the world today suffering from ENS symptoms and are misdiagnosed because of overmasking other pre-existing conditions and not enough awareness to ENS.

I hope that one of the accomplishments of this book will be that these doctors begin to more aggressively search for those misdiagnosed ENS patients and that they will maximize their efforts to help improve their symptoms and utilize their knowledge and skills to come up with viable medical solutions (surgical and others) to rebuild or regenerate amputated turbinates.