Message for Dr. Phil

Just thought I would share the letter I sent to Dr. Phil. Thanks for posting on this, jdog. I hope others will post a reply to Dr. Phil as well....the more, the better chance we will be heard. I have sent many emails to Oprah and Dr. Oz in the past, but hope springs eternal. I probably didn't personalize my letter that much as I tried to briefly explain ENS, but I encourage you to share gory details of your suffering, if you so desire.....

Here’s my story of how an incorrect diagnosis (of rhinitis) led to an unnecessary and highly damaging nose surgery. I had a highly aggressive nasal surgery performed on me in 1997 that has led to a serious and troubling condition called empty nose syndrome – or ENS. Because the turbinates are largely removed or rendered dysfunctional as a result of the surgery, the nose is unable to heat, humidify, and filter air, or provide nasal airflow resistance to the lungs. This condition consequently leads to many problems including nasal dryness, breathing difficulties, chronic throat discomfort, recurrent (and sometimes serious) infections, and it is associated with high rates of depression – even suicide. Because it is caused by surgery, very few physicians strive to treat it.

In addition to patients, some expert doctors that you could consider interviewing include: ENT specialists Dr. Houser of Cleveland, Ohio, Dr. Grossan of Los Angeles, California, Dr. Eugene Kern and Dr. Oren Friedman of Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN; and Dr. Wellington Tichenor of New York City.

Thank you so very much for your consideration of our serious but little known and poorly understood iatrogenic condition. You could do a ton of good by making the public aware of our plight.