Patient case documentation · Empty Nose Syndrome
Luke Botsis: Empty Nose Syndrome after turbinate reduction and sinus surgery
A documented account of severe nasal dryness, pain, air hunger and a persistent sensation of suffocation after nasal surgery, together with Luke Botsis’s reports about treatment, implant surgery and life with ENS.
Luke Botsis was born on July 2, 1987, in Albany, New York. According to the material collected for this page, he underwent turbinate reduction surgery and surgery involving the ethmoid sinuses. He later described severe symptoms consistent with his own diagnosis and understanding of Empty Nose Syndrome (ENS), including suffocation, air hunger, nasal pain, dryness and crusting.
Severe ENS symptoms after turbinate reduction
Luke described intense respiratory discomfort after his nasal surgery. His reported symptoms included a persistent sensation of suffocation and air hunger, significant pain inside the nose and between the eyes, severe dryness and morning crusting.
He believed that he had developed secondary atrophic rhinitis following surgery. He wrote that he often woke with a completely dry nose and green crusting and that the sensation of suffocation could become extremely difficult to tolerate.
The symptoms affected his ability to function and work. According to the collected material, improving enough to return to employment was one of his main goals when he pursued reconstructive treatment.
Luke wrote in an ENS Facebook group:
“However, my guess is I have permanent nerve damage, especially considering my ethmoid cells were removed with a microdebrider.”
Luke’s concern about nasal pain and possible nerve damage
Luke repeatedly discussed pain in the deep upper part of his nose and between his eyes. He considered seeing a neurologist for the persistent nasal pain but, according to the material, was unable to pursue that evaluation because he lacked insurance.
His comments show that he was trying to understand whether the symptoms came from structural changes, sensory loss, nerve injury, dryness, altered airflow or a combination of these problems.
ENS treatments Luke Botsis tried
Luke pursued several approaches intended to restore resistance, reduce the excessively open feeling in his nose and lessen pain and suffocation.
Reported improvement after cartilage implants
Two and a half months after the July 2019 implant procedure, Luke reported approximately 50% improvement in nasal pain and a reduction in the sensation of suffocation. The surgery reportedly cost him $10,000 out of pocket.
“Unfortunately, I still have pain, especially between my eyes and the deep interior of the upper half of my nose.”
In October 2019, Luke tried hyaluronic acid injections in an attempt to increase nasal resistance. The injections reportedly cost $900, but he said that they did not improve his symptoms.
Luke Botsis treatment and symptom timeline
Luke later reported severe dryness, pain, air hunger, crusting and a sensation of suffocation associated with Empty Nose Syndrome.
Dr. Das performed implant surgery intended to reduce the excessively open nasal space and increase resistance.
Luke described about a 50% reduction in nasal pain and less suffocation, while significant deep nasal pain remained.
Experimental injections intended to increase resistance did not provide the improvement Luke hoped for.
The collected material states that Luke died by suicide after a prolonged period of severe nasal and breathing symptoms that he attributed to the consequences of his surgery.
Video of Luke Botsis
The video below is part of the archived material concerning Luke’s experience with Empty Nose Syndrome. The previous Vimeo embed has been replaced with the new YouTube version and is fully responsive, so it cannot force the Blogger content column wider or cover the sidebar.
Archived Luke Botsis posts and ENS case documentation
The images below preserve additional material collected about Luke Botsis, including posts and discussions relating to his nasal symptoms, Empty Nose Syndrome, treatment attempts and the effect of the condition on his daily life.
Click any image to open the original full-size version.
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