@bfrank-

Sorry to hear you now have more issues with this.

Septoplasty/ bi lateral turbinate reduction seems a bit much and really are only done if someone has a confirmed breathing issues.

So now your drainage pathway has been altered/opened more, which will naturally cause bit more dryness due to the opening of those areas. This is why you now probably have more a day because it’s more dry in there now.

Did the ENT give a through explanation of what this recovery entails? These are only adjuncts to assist in the issue, and you are correct a “here and now” bandaid as you said for these issues.

Also-allergies aren’t the cause for everything in the nose, although that is a common ENT “catch all”. Dryness is the cause for a lot of mucous issues in the nose and can be solved with some diligent practices and environmental assessments.
Many people have small isolated dryer areas in their nose. It’s no reason to do anything bilateral or remove functioning parts.

Pre surgery-did you use a nasal rinse regularly with humidification and do you drink a lot of water and stay hydrated through other means like fruits and vegetables?