HELP!!! DOG BITE on nose—lose of cartilage and infection

Posted by kerissad @kerissad, Jul 18, 2019

Hello,
I am writing on behalf of my sister in law. A year and a half ago her dog bit her on the bottom of her nose causing extensive damage. The cartilage In between the nostrils deteriorated and has fallen off leaving an open slit wound—effectively leaving her with the appearance of 3 nostrils.
She has visited various EMTs and plastic surgeons within the Dallas Ft. Worth area but everyone says the same thing—they “have never seen anything like it”, check her nose to see if the condition has worsened and then schedule another follow-up appointment in 2-3 weeks. A few months after the injury a plastic surgeon performed a skin flap procedure in an attempt to fix the appearance of her nose. It was unsuccessful because it was soon very apparent there were some MAJOR issues inside the nose that needed to be addressed first because the pressure within her wound quickly “blew” open the stitches.
After it was concluded that a cosmetic fix would only work after the underlying problems within her nose were addressed and completely gone she began to see EMTs to solve the problems that were taking place within her nose and sinuses.
The unknown issues have resulted in headaches, lots of pressure throughout the nose and into the sinuses and leakage from her nose.
She has been using Aquaphor on the wound to keep it moist but the build up of pressure inside her nose is so bad that it causes the Aquaphor and other tissue, cartilage, and possibly homeopathic ointment that had hardened out of her nose causing great pain—She has described the feeling as “giving birth” or going through pregnancy labor within her nose. Her nose is swollen and continues to become more so causing great concern.
The exterior of the bottom of her nose in between the nostrils doesn’t appear to be the root of her issue even though she now has three openings. The slit or other nostril (the place where there is normally cartilage) is the place where the discharge comes from which causes everyone to believe there is something behind that which may be the “root of the problem”.
As previously stated she has been to various EMT and plastic surgeons within the DFW area in the last 18 months with no real resolution. She recently developed an infection which included the presence of pus on the wound within her nose which she is taking antibiotics for now.
She complains of having inflamed sinuses and sever headaches—which have worsened within the last 3 weeks.
The doctors that she has visited thus far have all said they have never seen a case like hers but because she is so stoic about it all they don’t seem to prioritize her case. Her pain has become almost unbearable and yet she still goes to work and pushes through.
As a family we are very concerned that an infection could reach her brain or bloodstream, etc. We can see that her condition has worsened and we are in desperate need for a doctor who can help her, so I am putting her case on medical forums hoping that someone somewhere can help. Please contact me if you might know of someone that can help or has heard of a similar situation. Additional information, details and pictures can be provided. PLEASE PASS THIS INQUIRY ON. Thank you very much!!

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@kerrissad Welcome to connect . I'm concerned about infection setting in . I think I would suggest go see a specialist such as a infectious Dr. If the ENT isn't helping you need to see other Dr.s before it gets worse. Is there any drainage coming from the nose? Either way it needs to be taken care of by a Dr. Please let us know how she is doing .

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Hi, @kerissad - I wanted to add my welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I can imagine this dog bite was terribly scary for your sister-in-law and for you. Sounds like it's been a long road for her medically since that time.

Here's an article I thought you'd be interested in https://www.mayoclinic.org/medical-professionals/trauma/news/facial-trauma-from-dog-bite-a-pediatric-case-study/mcc-20437938.

If your sister-in-law is interested in getting another opinion from Mayo Clinic, here is a link to where she could make an appointment online or via phone https://www.mayoclinic.org/appointments.

Have the antibiotics seemed to make a difference in her infection thus far? How has she managed the headaches?

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