A boxer’s bout with breathing: Rhinoplasty patient Journey

At just 33 years of age, rhinoplasty patient Kurt Bahram has competed in 45 amateur and 19 professional boxing bouts.  Kurt has broken his nose so many times during training and bouts that he is unsure of an exact figure.

Kurt originally sought the assistance of ENT and specialist rhinoplasty surgeon Dr. William Mooney because he was having trouble breathing while sleeping due to decreased flow through the nasal airway.  Upon examination, Dr. Mooney discovered Kurt to have nearly complete septal deviation meaning he was only breathing from one side of his nose.  Diagnostic testing recorded his nasal peak inspiratory flow at 30 litres per minute whereas adult males should be averaging 150 and elite sportsmen such as Kurt should be around 250.  Kurt also suffered greatly from allergic rhinitis. 

Cosmetically, Kurt had had so many blows to the nose that the cartilage inside was completely displaced and his nose appeared flattened, twisted, and the dermis of the skin had thickened.   Dr. Mooney reported that in his 27 years of medicine he was ‘yet to find a more post traumatically deranged nasal super structure’.  ‘The volt was twisted and cartilage was variously missing, horizontal, and duplicitous’.  The result of these findings being a nose that was cosmetically and functionally – defuncted.

Prior to surgery Kurt felt prepared and at ease due to the extensive and thorough pre-operative appointments with Dr. Mooney and his post-operative nursing team.  In addition, Kurt also felt that the boxing ring equipped him well for his post operative recovery and he was surprised of the ease in which he recovered.  Although he felt it was a little uncomfortable at times due to congestion and light bleeding, he did not find the procedure painful.  He also found it very beneficial to have everything explained to him by the nurses at the post-operative appointments so that he knew exactly what to expect during his recovery.

Kurt feels that day to day life has improved out of sight since his surgery.  He is sleeping better and he has more energy through the day due to improved breathing.  ‘It was totally worth it’, claims Kurt.  He has since been recommending the procedure to his boxing companions.  His boxing ability has improved greatly and he wishes he had undertaken the procedure much earlier in his career.

Interested in having a consultation with Dr William Mooney?
Email: [email protected]
Call: 02 8897 0079
Interstate or international enquiries a SKYPE consultation is available.