Q:I'm 80 and my nose was broken 70 years ago. I don't get enough breath in my left nostril. I'm trying to stay healthy and do three miles of mild jogging three times a week. Would it make sense, at my age, to have the problem corrected?

A: If you're 80 and still jogging three miles three times per week, I would say your nose hasn't hurt you one bit!

But age should not stop you from having elective surgery unless you have a medical condition that would raise a red flag. The fact that you have a deviated septum (based on your description) does not mean you have to fix it. If you are bothered by the lack of breathing from your left side and it truly makes you uncomfortable, you can have corrective surgery.

A septoplasty is an operation that straightens your septum (a midline partition separating your right nasal airway from your left). I would most certainly include some work on your turbinates, the structures that help humidify and cleanse the air that goes into your nose. Turbinates often enlarge and are a significant part of the nasal obstruction.

Obviously, whoever is going to operate on you would have to examine you to determine what is causing your obstruction. If I were you, however, I would continue to run in the opposite direction of a doctor's office!

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