Maria's Story

Finding relief for a deviated septum has been a long and exhausting journey for Maria Dibs. “I fell and fractured my nose as a young girl, which led to pain and discomfort, in addition to years of compromised breathing through my nose,” she told us. With a deviated septum, the thin tissue separating the two nostrils is not positioned optimally, often due to injury. This creates congestion of the nasal passages. “Unfortunately, my previous physicians considered the problem more cosmetic than medical,” said Maria, “and none of them addressed my concerns.” Enter Timothy Ortlip, MD, an ear, nose and throat specialist at Washington Hospital and Washington Township Medical Foundation. In a recent procedure at the Washington Outpatient Surgery Center, Dr. Ortlip re-aligned the nasal bones created by the fracture, grafted cartilage from the tip of Maria’s nose to smooth and support the bridge, and restructured her septum to clear the airway. How does Maria feel today? “It’s the most refreshing feeling to get a full breath of air through my nose,” said Maria, who is soon off to graduate school on her way to becoming a pediatric speech-language pathologist. “I am so thankful to have found such an expert surgeon and team,” she added, “and I'm thrilled to be breathing normally again and free from discomfort.”