Bente Van de Veerdonk: Empty Nose Syndrome After Septoplasty and Coblation Turbinate Reduction
Bente Van de Veerdonk was a young woman from Oss, Noord-Brabant, whose health deteriorated after nasal surgery in early 2024. The source material documents severe dryness, burning pain, excessive airflow sensation, disturbed breathing, hyperventilation, extreme sleep loss and a relentless search for relief.
Empty Nose Syndrome: A Tragic Story
Bente Van de Veerdonk was a vibrant and determined young woman from Oss, Noord-Brabant, in the Netherlands. Born on December 28, 1997, she had a promising future, balancing aspirations in marketing and communication with a career in childcare.
Her life ended in November 2024, approximately one and a half months before her 27th birthday, after a devastating period of health problems that the source material associates with septoplasty and turbinate reduction.
During the septoplasty, Bente’s inferior turbinates were reduced using coblation. The source describes this as the event that led to Empty Nose Syndrome. Alongside ENS, Bente also lived with Crohn’s disease and thyroid imbalance, adding further complexity to her health.
A Life of Ambition and Dedication
Bente’s educational path reflected her commitment to learning and personal development. She studied childcare at ROC de Leijgraaf from 2014 to 2017 and earned qualifications as a pedagogical employee.
Her dedication to working with children was reflected in her role at Avem Kinderopvang from July 2019 to November 2021, where she worked in care and early childhood education.
She later broadened her professional ambitions by studying marketing and communications through LOI, the Leidse Onderwijsinstellingen, in 2023.
A Multifaceted Health Struggle
In addition to her professional and academic goals, Bente faced chronic health challenges. She had Crohn’s disease, an inflammatory bowel condition, and also experienced thyroid imbalance that left her body feeling fragile and unpredictable.
Despite these challenges, she continued searching for ways to improve her health, including alternative approaches such as homeopathy and consultations with different specialists.
The Nose Surgery That Changed Everything
In early 2024, Bente underwent nasal surgery intended to correct a deviated septum and reduce enlarged turbinates.
The procedure included septoplasty and bilateral turbinate reduction using coblation, a technique commonly presented as a relatively conservative method intended to improve nasal airflow.
According to the source, Bente developed immediate postoperative complications that progressively worsened.
Her postoperative care included corticosteroid nasal sprays. Bente herself believed that these sprays further damaged her nasal mucosa.
Video About Bente Van de Veerdonk’s Case
Severe and Unrelenting Symptoms
The source interprets this symptom pattern as consistent with Empty Nose Syndrome, particularly the combination of an excessively open nasal sensation, severe dryness and loss of normal airflow perception.
Other Symptoms Likely Related to ENS
Additional symptoms listed in the source include dry eyes and mouth, difficulty swallowing, a persistent lump-in-the-throat sensation, ear pain and burning across the chest, arms and back.
Other Medical Conditions
The source states that Bente described her thyroid as being “close to being too hard,” which was interpreted there as possible hyperthyroidism or another thyroid disorder. The exact diagnosis is not established by the supplied text.
A Desperate Search for Relief
Bente searched tirelessly for help. She consulted specialists and planned to visit Dr. Dixon, described in the source as an ENS specialist in Rotterdam.
She experimented with nasal ointments, warm drinks and alternative treatments including homeopathy. The relief was described as either brief or nonexistent.
In online forums, she shared her experiences openly and asked other patients for advice, alternating between hope that something might help and despair when the symptoms continued.
“I can’t focus on anything else but my breathing. Sleeping is a BIG issue... I really need help to make it a bit more bearable because now I can’t even focus on the TV. You have to imagine.”
Her posts also described severe insomnia, use of lorazepam, declining mental well-being, isolation and an urgent desire to find a treatment that would make the symptoms bearable.
The Final Months
During the approximately ten months after surgery, the source describes a dramatic deterioration in Bente’s quality of life.
Health problems that had previously been manageable became overwhelming. She endured sleepless nights, chronic pain and a feeling that her body was failing in multiple ways.
Despite continuing to search for treatment and support, her suffering eventually became overwhelming, and she was lost after a final crisis in November 2024.
A Legacy of Awareness
The source material states that Bente was the sixth person known within these ENS support communities to be lost during a severe crisis in 2024.
It also names Charly Audes of France, Tyler Kuckelman of the United States, Océane Flavigny of France, Sam Treffry of Australia and an unnamed 54-year-old Canadian man as other people reported by the same online communities during that year.
The source specifically notes that these reports came from three Facebook ENS support groups with approximately 5,000 to 6,000 members and should not be interpreted as global epidemiological statistics.
The original text argues strongly that Bente’s outcome was directly connected to complications following septal and turbinate surgery and calls for greater medical accountability, stronger warnings and reconsideration of procedures that alter turbinate tissue. That causal and policy position is preserved here as the viewpoint of the source material rather than presented as an independently established conclusion.
