Dr. Thomas Christopher Spalla, M.D.

Your surgeon will often provide a list of "recommended" foods. This usually includes foods that are soft, cooler, and free of spices and excessive salt. Avoid things such as sharp breads, pretzels, chips, hot sauces, and very hot temperatures.

Pediatric sinusitis is typically treated with a combination of nasal saline and antibiotics. Sometimes a nasal steroid spray is also used.

Sleeping with your head elevated (> 30 degrees) can help with nasal/sinus congestion - especially after surgery. Follow your surgeon's instruction regarding nasal care carefully as the aftercare is so important with regards to sinus surgery.

If you truly feel sick, are running a fever, and feel like you are worsening, seek medical attention. The white spots do not concern me. They appear to be lymphoid tissues on the posterior oropharynx, nothing more.

These look like aphthous ulcers. If they are, they typically are VERY painful and last up to 7-10 days. Oral cancer is "typically" painless, although there are exceptions. Gargle with warm salt water. Consider a topical anesthetic spray. Avoid hot/spicy foods and liquids. Drink plenty of fluids. Stay hydrated. Avoid caffeine and please stop vaping. Vaping may worsen this situation and is definitively detrimental to your health.

No, a dorsal hump would not be considered a "defect." A dorsal hump is typically an inherited nasal feature. In some situations, I've seen a dorsal hump become acquired after nasal trauma. If this is your unique situation, I would recommend that you demonstrate this as such with pre-injury photos illustrating that the dorsal hump is a new traumatic deformity.

You definitely need to see an ENT physician. A thorough history and examination is warranted. If the situation permits, a hearing test should be done as well at that visit. Further prognostication is difficult without this information.

As we are seeing with COVID, there are variants of the flu virus. So, you should avoid anyone else to avoid co-infecting yourself or the other person.

Patients undergoing tonsillectomy, at least in the USA, are put under general anesthesia. This means putting a breathing (endotracheal) tube through the mouth and into the windpipe (trachea) to allow for mechanical ventilation.

It certainly can be for some individuals. However, I have seen my patients' allergy profiles/sensitivities change of the years. I'd recommend that you get formal intradermal allergy testing to start. Then, discuss with that physician (allergist/ENT) if desensitization is right for you.

Since it has only been 1 day, as you noted, this may very well pass. If it persists for several more days, make an appointment with an ENT or facial plastic surgeon for an evaluation. There could have been a hairline fracture (may not be able to be definitively determined). It's likely that no intervention is required if there is not a change in appearance, but the doctor will rule out any internal injuries.

Promethazine is not a narcotic. However, it can cause sedation, so never mix with other sedating medications or alcohol, so do not drive/operate machinery while taking this medication.

Hearing loss in hydrocephalus: a review, with focus on mechanisms
David Satzer 1 , Daniel J Guillaume 2
Affiliations

PMID: 26280639 DOI: 10.1007/s10143-015-0650-2

Abstract

While neither hydrocephalus nor cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunt placement is traditionally considered in the differential diagnosis of hearing loss, there is substantial evidence that CSF circulation and pressure abnormalities can produce auditory dysfunction. Several indirect mechanisms may explain association between hydrocephalus and hearing loss, including mass effect, compromise of the auditory pathway, complications of prematurity, and genetically mediated hydrocephalus and hearing loss. Nevertheless, researchers have proposed a direct mechanism, which we term the hydrodynamic theory. In this hypothesis, the intimate relationship between CSF and inner ear fluids permits relative endolymphatic or perilymphatic hydrops in the setting of CSF pressure disturbances. CSF is continuous with perilymph, and CSF pressure changes are known to produce parallel perilymphatic pressure changes. In support of the hydrodynamic theory, some studies have found an independent association between hydrocephalus and hearing loss. Moreover, surgical shunting of CSF has been linked to both resolution and development of auditory dysfunction. The disease burden of hydrocephalus-associated hearing loss may be large, and because hydrocephalus and over-shunting are reversible, this relationship merits broader recognition. Hydrocephalic patients should be monitored for hearing loss, and hearing loss in a patient with shunted hydrocephalus should prompt further evaluation and possibly adjustment of shunt settings.

There are a lot of possibilities here:

-bacterial infection, which could have started at the hair follicles inside the nose
-soft tissue cyst
-dental root disease/hairline crack/periapical abscess/cyst

Consider having dental X-rays or a cone beam CT of the area at an oral surgery office. People to consider seeing: oral surgery, ENT, another dentist.

It is HIGHLY improbable that any permanent hearing loss resulted from what you described. A scratch to the ear canal, as you noted, would not result in any hearing loss itself. If blood pooled and hardened along the eardrum, this could result in some hearing loss and fullness in the affected ear. Prescribing you antibiotic drops was appropriate given the situation.

After the prescribed time period for the drops, simply return for a repeat examination. The remainder of the wax (and possibly, blood) should be easier to remove as it should be softened by the drops. At that point, an audiogram and tympanometry should be performed.

Some possibilities include:

-infection - bacterial, viral
-trapped debris around the tonsil = "tonsil stones"
-trauma = you'd probably remember this though
-neoplasm = tumor/growth, less likely given what you've described

This sounds most like eustachian tube dysfunction. Since it has persisted for 2 weeks at this point, I recommend you see an ENT doctor for an examination - ear/nose/throat which may include a scope placed through the nose to examine the eustachian tube orifice as well as audiometric (hearing) testing.

You may have been exposed to something irritating your nose such as an allergen. Occasionally, nasal irritation can lead to sneezing as well. If you start to feel sick or develop other symptoms, or if this persists, seek medical attention.

This definitely warrants seeing a physician. Patients can have a loss of sense of taste from inflammation or infections of the tongue, post-viral loss (e.g., COVID-19) or due to sinonasal infections/blockage/tumors (rare).

See an otolaryngologist for a work-up.

This could represent an infection. It's worth seeing your doctor. Phlegm could also smell off if there is acid reflux as well. Post nasal drip could also result in an abnormal smell, particularly if there is an associated infection of the sinonasal cavity.