<p>Monday night S’14 (he plays third base) got hit in the nose by a line drive. Went to ER; they did X-ray; nose is broken. He had a cut on the bridge of his nose; got 4 stitches. No concussion according to ER doc. S is very stoic – doesn’t complain of pain or headaches – stayed home from school today but is at game today, on the bench, cheering for his team.</p>
<p>Visited ENT guy today; he said to reevaluate once swelling goes down.</p>
<p>Interested to hear from parents whose kids have had sports injuries resulting in broken nose. Does it heal on its own (without requiring medical intervention)? I want to do whatever will help him heal and not result in long term breathing problems. I called one plastic surgeon and they said definitely it should be dealt with by them immediately, but I’m not sure if that’s kind of their sales pitch and an ENT could handle it just as well (which has a greater chance of being covered by my insurance).</p>
<p>When my sister broke her nose skiing she had a plastic surgeon fix it. Also, if the surgery isn’t elective (like a nose job just because you don’t like your nose) why wouldn’t your insurance cover it if a plastic surgeon did they fix? </p>
<p>I had my nose broken 4 times and it is semi-obvious. Only once did I have it fixed and it hurt like hell. The ENT put a pair of pliers up my nose and yanked until it was approximately straight. The other three times I refused to go but now, at 50, looking like a former fighter is not such an advantage and I wish I had taken care of it at the time. If it is really swollen it’s best to get it done right away before the bones start to set. Check with your insurance beforehand, but I would go with Plastics.</p>
<p>My oldest two (S1, wrestling, and D, soccer) have both had theirs broken, but not so severely, and you can barely tell.</p>
<p>Physician here. I broke my nose in medical school and did nothing about it. We women were in an intramural touch football league- the other team didn’t show so we gained up on the two guys there to watch us- an elbow hit my nose. Fast forward 25+ years later. Needed surgery to open the nasal passages (won’t get technical here). Should have had it fixed when it happened- didn’t even see a physician then. </p>
<p>Insurance will cover fixing a nose for medical but not cosmetic reasons. Realigning a broken nose is functional, therefore covered by insurance. Either specialist is used to doing the work required but a plastic surgeon is not needed. I spent time on/with both services in school/training and as an anesthesiologist so have first hand experiences. I would trust the ENT surgeon to be sure to align the bones/cartilage to prevent future problems and to achieve an aesthetically pleasing result. I would not bother looking for another surgeon. I would be sure that once the swelling goes down the physician does whatever is needed to keep the nose in alignment. Good for the ENT physician to advise reevaluation. He may not feel he needs to do anything now but later will regret not fixing it.</p>
<p>thank you all – emilybee – ENT guy said insurance wouldn’t cover it if I also tried to get his deviated septum fixed (which has been an issue since childhood). I have to navigate the murky waters of Oxford Freedom to find out if they’d cover a plastic surgeon’s fee.</p>
<p>Magetron – I’m so sorry! I have heard so many stories like yours from guys I work with. I think if it’s not taken care of correctly at the outset, you have major breathing problems and aesthetic issues later. S is not a model or anything but I want him to at least have the nose he was born with.</p>
<p>wis75 – thank you for the medical opinion – that means a lot – I’ve heard this can happen later on (breathing issues) if it’s not taken care of right away. The plastic surgeon route is SO much more expensive and if I can get it done by my in-network ENT, I’d rather take that route. He doesn’t need his nose tapered or perfected – he just needs it not broken and so he can breathe properly.</p>
<p>S’s first concern – can I still go to Prom? It’s Friday night. I said yes.</p>
<p>I should add that my untreated broken noses resulted in a horribly curved septum which led to frequent sinus infections and nearly constant mouth breathing. I finally had that fixed about 5 years later, covered by insurance, and it made a world of difference. Fixing it cosmetically would not have been covered, even then.</p>
<p>Don’t worry about me, Co2, I was still attractive enough to find a good-looking wife, just a little more “rugged” than before. I wear my scars proudly.</p>
<p>“ENT guy said insurance wouldn’t cover it if I also tried to get his deviated septum fixed (which has been an issue since childhood)”</p>
<p>I don’t understand this as fixing a deviated septum (Septoplasty) is normally covered by insurance. It’s Rhinoplasty for cosmetic reasons that isn’t covered and your S doesn’t fall into that category either. I would definitely call your insurance company before scheduling it with either doctor. </p>
<p>Agree about the prom and hope he has a great time! </p>
<p>thanks emilybee – it didn’t make sense to me either – unless ENT is looking for the shortest straightest path to getting reimbursed. </p>
<p>His prom date was at the ER the whole time, blood stains and all, so I’m hoping even with a swollen nose and stitches, he’ll still have a great time!</p>
<p>My son had a severely broken nose from playing rugby about five years ago. We’re talking severely. Much of his nose was dislocated to the side. He could not breathe.</p>
<p>He went to an ENT who was associated with a plastic surgery clinic. He wound up needing two operations. The first one was done within a week of the injury; the second one was about six months later. Both surgeries were in the $15K range, and $5K of the second surgery was not covered; we paid out of pocket. </p>
<p>I certainly wasn’t happy about that, but his nose looks good and functions well.</p>
<p>“ENT guy said insurance wouldn’t cover it if I also tried to get his deviated septum fixed (which has been an issue since childhood)”</p>
<p>DH broke his nose a couple times in high school. He has a deviated septum. It causes him a lot of problems.He really should get it fixed but it’s harder to schedule time off for something like that when you are an adult and have a job. Plus there’s usually no mom to take care of you when you are an adult. If it were my son I would have the deviated septum fixed when they fix the nose regardless of whether insurance pays for it. He’s already going to have to deal with some sort of recovery anyway. </p>
<p>I was in car accident in my 20’s. thought I had nose fixed. When a plastic surgeon (actually, the head of plastics for US) told me the cartilage wasn’t meshed and would continue to separate, I still did nothing. Fast forward, and I was 95% blocked. Saw ENT and plastic surgeon. Insurance paid for septoplasty, but not rhinoplasty. $6000 or so out of pocket. I should have let the original P.S. fix it in my 20’s, instead of becoming a mouth breather. Must say, the septoplasty was not fun; tubes up my nose and face covered with bandages. No pain at all after a week. I am the worst procrastinator when it comes to surgery. Please, have it fixed right the first time.</p>
<p>I have a feeling my DD must have suffered a broken nose at some point. She was a goalie in soccer. I know she took a few shots to the nose, although there was never an obvious injury. But now her nose is crooked. I haven’t said anything, and I wonder if she notices. I suppose we would pay to straighten it if she asked.</p>
<p>My son broke his nose playing baseball when he was 13. He was first seen in the ER and then later I took him for a consult with an ENT and still later he had a consult with a plastic surgeon. At both consults my son was advised to come back when he was at least 18 years old. The reason given was that boys’ noses continue to grow and change shape until that age, and they didn’t recommend doing surgical repairs on noses that aren’t fully developed. </p>
<p>My son had the surgery to repair his nose when he was 20 years-old. In the seven years between the break and the repair, I sought the advice of many doctors regarding the issue of ENT vs. plastic surgeon. We followed the majority opinion and went with the ENT because function was the primary concern. The ENT did a great job and the cosmetic result is excellent as well. Do some research about the procedure … the swelling can take a year to fully resolve. The nose looks pretty normal at two weeks post-op, but function and looks continue to refine and it gets better and better. It’s hard to describe, but the nose looks thick for quite a while. It takes some patience to get the desired outcome. I think it was five to six months before my son was truly happy with the result. His was a major repair and it was an open vs. closed procedure, both contributing to a longer recovery.</p>
<p>Our insurance fully covered the repair, but pre-surgical approval took 2.5 months. The insurance company admitted they really scrutinize these surgeries and the process is slow. They needed a lot of documentation, photographs etc. </p>
<p>My D was hit in the nose by a door. She was across the country from us in the middle of an event, so nothing was done about it. A couple of years later, after breathing/snoring/allergy-type symptoms became unbearable for her, an ENT/plastic surgeon diagnosed that one passage was completely blocked due to a deviated septum, likely caused by the door whack. She had it surgically repaired. </p>
<p>S got hit in the nose while far away at camp. After he called me about it, I called the same doc who said the nose should be repaired within 3 days. We could not make that work. As a result, you can tell by looking at him that his nose has been broken, but we haven’t done anything about it yet, and I wish we did at the time.</p>
<p>Oh wow – thanks everyone – this is exactly what I want to avoid – just fixing the nose then later, he can’t breathe. He goes back to ENT on Monday to remove stitches from the bridge of his nose. I’m going to push to get deviated septum fixed now too. I’ll keep you all posted.</p>
<p>Just so posters know, there are board certified ENT docs out there who are also board certified plastic surgeons. About 20 years ago, when I had my deviated septum fixed, I went to one of these docs. Insurance paid for it.</p>
<p>My softball ( 2015 ) girl took a foul ball to the nose her freshman year. She lost the ball in the sun and it hit her smack on her nose. Smashed it! . As the ER doc was stitching her up ( 17 stitches) he could see bone fragments ( yuk) I insisted that a plastics guy perform the procedure. We live close by a large Childrens hospital and there was a Plastic Surgeon on duty. He did a beautiful job, you can hardly see the scar. She saw a plastic surgeon on the Monday and had surgery that Friday. Her nose looks beautiful and she has no breathing problems. Our insurance covered everything less deductible. Softball girl is probably the only outfielder you will ever see wearing a facemask.</p>
<p>I took an elbow to the nose in my 20’s and did nothing about the break. It hurt for a LONG time–like a year . I swear that 25 years later it still seems sort of screwed up. </p>