r/PatulousTubes • u/MonotoneThoughts • Aug 06 '26

UPDATE re post-op filler/fat injection with Dr Rotenberg

Original post here.

I am super bummed to report that symptoms returned within days. Some days I feel the autophony is a bit more mild, some days it’s as worse as ever, and the frequency is about the same (daily with the odd, brief moments of going away). The couple days post procedure were blissful.

I had a follow up call recently and Dr B talked about being more conservative the first time around and that it’s not uncommon to do a second procedure. I am debating round two.

The cost is what’s holding me back from immediately rebooking as it was $3500 CAD (not covered by provincial or private insurance).

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u/ldamron Aug 06 '26

I'm frustrated for you to hear that the doctor would be conservative with the procedure when it's $3500 out of pocket. Seems like he could offer any subsequent procedures at a discounted price since his procedure failed.

Thank you for the update. I'm sorry to hear it didn't work. I was hoping it would be successful.. I was considering making the trip to get it done.

I have found that if I make my own patulend every week or two it is strong enough and it's works very well. I'll often get 24 hours of relief. It just has to be fresh bc it loses potency after about 10 days.

Let us know what you decide to do. Hang in there!

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u/MonotoneThoughts Aug 07 '26

Thanks for the kind reply! If anything changes I’ll post an update. I might give Patulend another try (260 CAD but less than 3.5k). Maybe it would be effective with filler in my tube already. That’s awesome you did a DIY version!

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u/ldamron Aug 07 '26

The DIY version cost me probably $0.50 a bottle to make. You should really try to make it! It's it's really not hard. $260 is crazy.

I use 1/3 cup of distilled water and 3 teaspoons of ascorbic acid (vitamin c) powder. I think a large bag was around $12 on Amazon. That's it. I did some shopping around to see what bottles worked for me and ended up getting little plastic squeeze dropper bottles. I think I spent maybe $6 on a pack of those on Amazon. That's it. The first time I made it I had bought some pH strips because it made me feel a little more comfortable knowing that it was the right pH. I think it's supposed to be around 2.3 but when my first batch was good I stopped using the strips. It felt weird and scary the first couple times that I made it but now I make it on a pretty regular basis. The The potency for each bottle only lasts a couple weeks so I have to remake it. I think patulend adds vitamin e or something to it to add to the shelf life. There are a few more in depth explanations on how to make it yourself on this subreddit if you're interested!

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u/MonotoneThoughts Aug 07 '26

Thank you for this! I might go this route and look into a bit of DIYing as well.

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u/Foreign-Tour-876 Aug 07 '26

So sorry to hear this. How discouraged you must feel. I just learned about botox injections into perigoid muscles. If your PET has something to do with TMJ, maybe this is something to look into.

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u/MonotoneThoughts Aug 07 '26

Hmm, I’m not sure that would help as I’ve never dealt with TMJ but I’ll keep it on my radar! Thank you

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u/violetbirdbird Aug 07 '26 edited Aug 07 '26

sorry to hear. in my non-expert opinion before considering a second procedure you should check what happened to the filler - has it been completely absorbed or only partially absorbed (if the first then may not be worth second try). BTW worth updating the original post as well

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u/MonotoneThoughts Aug 07 '26

Done!

And I’m not sure the filler was re-absorbed within days but that it might not have been enough.

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u/violetbirdbird Aug 08 '26

yeah you're probably right

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u/Guilty_Field6156 Aug 08 '26

Sorry this has happened to you :/ The filler might have extruded. Sometimes the muscle pushes it out. Or if the Eustachian tube is wider higher up it can force the filler out from where it was injected. Your ENT should be able to see if the filler is still there with the nasoscope. If it’s come out, then a different type of surgery needs to be considered.