"I was practicing as an internal medicine physician in Ketchikan, Alaska but had to close my practice and move to a drier climate because of my asthma. It didn't get much better in Bend, where we moved. I had to take prednisone and other medications to manage my illness but still, I could hardly get up a flight of stairs. I could barely even get out of the house. I thought I might have to travel to Seattle or Portland to find the specialty care I knew I needed. Then a friend of mine who had had a similar condition referred me to Dr. Gallivan. Within five minutes, he could see how sick I was. It turns out I had nasal polyps and an aspirin sensitivity in addition to my asthma. Dr. Gallivan operated on my polyps in 2009 and he was able to remove the inflamed tissues in my sinuses, bringing great relief. He also referred me on to a pulmonologist and an immunologist. Now we manage my condition through medication. I can do mild exercise and work in my yard. As a physician, I've been very impressed with Dr. Gallivan. He is precise, analytical, smart---and explains everything to my satisfaction. I'm no longer on prednisone and my energy level is much higher now. My family is grateful. So am I. Dr Gallivan is really an outstanding physician. I am grateful for his work, expertise, and intensity. We are fortunate to have this physician in this medical community. I would recommend him to any member in my family, about the best testimonial that I could give to another physician."
-Dr. Stacy Schultz
"I had been suffering for years with recurrent sinus infections and got to the point where I could not even clear my nose. Heavy antibiotics were no longer working. I was miserable. My primary care physician gave me the names of three ear/nose/throat doctors and when I asked which one he would go to, he said Dr. Ryan Gallivan. I can't think of anyone else I'd prefer to have seen. We debated my options but with a head full of infection and sinus polyps, surgery was the best option. I had my operation over a year ago and my life has improved so much. I sleep better and don't snore as much. I can dance and go out more because now I can breathe. I have to say the difference has been like night and day. Dr. Gallivan is an OK guy."
-Jim Taylor
"I had had sinus problems since 2005 and had my first sinus surgery in 2006. It didn't help much so we moved to Bend in 2007 from Salem to get away from the allergens in that area. That same year, my sinus condition developed into pneumonia and I was hospitalized. We learned that I was highly allergic to the molds in the valley. I was referred to Dr. Ryan Gallivan by my PCP in Salem, and he performed surgery in November 2007. Dr. Gallivan cleared out the four membranes in my sinuses and I found I finally could breathe easier. Before my surgery, I had to sit up in bed just to breathe. I couldn't even think of taking a walk. Now, I've joined a gym and am walking outside. I've been able to lose weight. I still have problems during allergy season but together, Dr. Gallivan and I manage to control my condition. He is very dedicated to getting to the root of the problem. I found he will fight for your quality of life---he does not give up! He's made a big difference for me."
-Jennifer Cooper
"Chronic sinusitis runs in my family. My father passed away from a sinus infection in 1944, before we had antibiotics. I had had sinus surgery three years ago to relieve my symptoms, but the infections kept coming back. My ENT tried prescribing different antibiotics, but they weren't working. I felt sick for 2 and a half years before he finally referred me to Dr. Ryan Gallivan. Dr. Gallivan did a CT scan using a headband that showed where my infections were. He said I needed surgery and used the CT images to guide him during my operation. I was skeptical at first, because of my first surgery. But right after it was done in December 2011, I felt better. Dr. Gallivan is such a wonderful doctor! He's very personable and very thorough. I even overheard the nurses in the hospital saying what a wonderful doctor he is. I'm 82, and I can get out and socialize now that my infections are gone. I'm doing things I didn't feel well enough to do for over two years. I feel very blessed to have found Dr. Gallivan."
- Barbara Culbertson
"I have had sinus problems for many years and have had three operations: in 1985, 1995 and 2005. The last one was performed by Dr. Gallivan and the experience was absolutely fantastic compared to the first two. When I woke up, I got up and never had any sensation that I'd had a 2-hour operation. It was like I had just fallen asleep in my chair! I never even filled the prescription for pain pills that he gave me. He is so thorough. Before my operation, he showed me the CT scans where my sinuses were almost completely black, they were so full of polyps. Now when I go in for follow-up visits, they are clear and white. I am 81 and thanks to Dr. Gallivan, I think I can live to 100!"
- Philip Dorn
"I had been having problems for two years, including sinus pressure and headaches. I couldn't breathe through my nose, and it seemed like I had a cold every two weeks. I had had my nose broken a couple of times over the years, which didn't help. I was referred to Dr. Ryan Gallivan by another ENT. He is the neatest person! He explains everything so us common folk can understand what's going on. Dr. Gallivan found that I had sinusitis and recommended surgery. During the surgery, he cleared out the polyps and infections that had been making my life miserable. He also fixed my nasal passages where the nose breaks had caused problems. I was home the same day of my surgery. When Dr. Gallivan took the bandages out, it was immediate relief! I could breathe out of both sides of my nose. I can now enjoy walking, running, playing golf. Dr. Gallivan is a wonderful physician. He treats you as a person, not someone herded through the office. I see him once a year for follow-ups and there's never been a problem. I just can't say enough about him as a doctor!"
-Ken Combs
"I was visiting family in Southern California when a bloody nose landed me in the hospital. My doctors packed my nose for my trip home to Klamath and when my doctor here did an MRI, he saw a large mass. It turned out to be a tumor. I was referred to Dr. Gallivan for surgery, which he performed in August 2011. He removed a benign pleomorphic adenoma from my sinus cavity which had been growing for many years. I never knew I had it and only suffered occasional stuffiness before my surgery. It didn't click that something was wrong. When I first met Dr. Gallivan, I knew I wanted him to do my surgery. His enthusiasm and devotion to his profession are impressive. He's very up-front and doesn't give you any false hopes. He tells you the risks and what could potentially go wrong, but he also tells you what he thinks will actually happen following surgery. With Dr. Gallivan, I had the best possible outcome I could have had. My tumor was not cancerous and Dr. Gallivan removed it completely. He made me and my family feel so comfortable in his care because he is so knowledgeable and professional! I really appreciate what he has done for me."
- Mike Morgan
"For about three years, I kept getting recurrent sinus infections along with headaches. There was constant pressure in forehead and cheeks. My primary care doctor tried nasal spray and medication but it just wasn't getting any better. She finally said I should see a specialist and referred me to Dr. Gallivan in April 2011. After evaluating me, Dr. Gallivan recommended surgery and in June, he performed a sinuplasty. It seemed like such a simple procedure! I only felt minor pain and I remember being in twilight sleep, having him explain what he was doing. I came home, took a pain pill and woke up feeling fine. I ran a 3-mile race the day after surgery. Dr. Gallivan opened my sinuses and if I start to feel pressure, I go do a saline rinse and it goes away. Before, colds always progressed to sinus infections. But now I find I don't even colds anymore. Dr. Gallivan took good care of me!"
- Carrie Deaver
"I was started on treatment for sinus infections in 1980, but I never really got over them. I had sinus surgery around 2000 and it helped for a while, but the sinus infections eventually came back. I was always tired, had a low grade fever and headaches, and constant drainage in the back of my throat. By the time my GP sent me to Dr. Gallivan, I was having five sinus infections a year. I knew he would probably recommend surgery, which I wanted to put off as long as possible. I didn't want to go through having my nose packed with 8 miles of cotton wadding again! But Dr. Gallivan recommended a different procedure, balloon sinuplasty. He did it in his office under a local anesthesia in less than two hours, and I drove myself home afterward. There was no recovery. The tiny balloons he inserted into my sinuses helped me get unplugged, and he also removed my polyps. It's been fourteen months since my surgery and I have not had a single sinus infection. Patients who are thinking of this treatment should be prepared for getting better. I can't imagine Dr. Gallivan doing this surgery on anyone and not have it be a success."
- Mark Brown
I have had chronic sinus problems for some 50 years, which had gradually become increasingly worse. My symptoms included sinus infections, thick post nasal drainage, chronically blowing my nose, sporadic halitosis, (bad breath), diminished ability to smell and breathe, and the inability to get a good nights sleep due to coughing, snoring and choking. My wife was loosing more sleep than I was from my snoring and turning and twisting all night long. Approximately 20 years ago I sought relief in another city and experienced a very unpleasant surgery during which they removed a polyp from my left nostril. The experience was not good, it was what we all fear sinus surgery might be like. Thus I didn't go back. Last year I was referred to Dr. Gallivan by my internist, who assured me he was an excellent surgeon and diagnostician. She was dead wrong. He was way, way better than that, he was superb. He systematically investigated all possible causes and when all were eliminated only then did he suggest surgery. The surgery went extremely well, it was great, if one can use that word to describe surgery. I had absolutely no problems during or following surgery, and no pain at any time. I took one one pain pill after the surgery, only because Dr. Gallivan told me to. After that I needed none. I believe that the fact that I have been involved in the medical field all my professional adult life, and have worked in the field of head and neck surgeries and reconstruction related to the oral and nasal cavities, allows me to give a valid, objective, very positive recommendation to Dr. Gallivan. Thank you Dr. Gallivan, I am very indebted to you for what you have done for me.
- Leon M. Willis DDS MSD
Excerpted from Deer hunt in Hawaii: Pursuing axis deer on the island of Lanai
By Gary Lewis, published in The Bend Bulletin April 28. 2011:
Over the past three years, my sense of smell had gone away. Now it had been 370 days since my operation with Dr. Ryan Gallivan in Bend. I don't take it for granted anymore. There was salt on the wind, but another scent as well. Deer? There couldn't be so many deer that I would smell them from hundreds of yards away. Could there?
"I was having trouble breathing through my nose. An ENT doctor recomended straightening my septum and during surgery he found I had a tumor in the sinus behind my eye. It was a rare form of cancer called a Esthesioneuroblastoma and if it grew into my brain, I would die. I was referred to Dr. Gallivan, who recomended surgery to remove the tumor. He was able to perform the surgery through my nose, removing some cartilage and affected tissues. Dr. Gallivan used available tissue in my own sinus to repair what was removed near my brain. Because of the extent of the surgery, I was in the hospital for about 7 days. I appreciated that Dr. Gallivan worked with my other doctor to explain my options. Whenever I had questions, he always responded so I was never felt left in the dark. I feel the whole situation couldn't have worked out any better. A year or so after my tumor was removed, Dr. Gallivan did a balloon sinuplasty to relieve some pressure I was feeling behind my eyes. Everytime I have seen Dr. Gallivan, I am very pleased with the care I receive. I would recommend Dr. Gallivan to anyone who is having simular medical problems."
-Steve Mooney
"I have suffered with chronic sinusitis for over 30 years. During that time, I had two sinus surgeries and they seemed to help for a while, but my symptoms always came back. I got to the point where I had to be on antibiotics and steroids every three weeks. I was always feeling sick and run-down, I had headaches, sinus pressure, even my teeth hurt! I would try to rinse my sinuses 5 or 6 times a day, but there was no drainage. I finally went to see Dr. Gallivan, who explained that chronic sinusitis is a condition that never goes away. No one had told me that before. And then he said he usually never tells patients they need surgery without trying other treatments first---but that I really needed surgery. He did my procedure in the hospital and it was immediate relief. I was home in Burns, a 2 hour trip, the same day as my surgery!! It was great to get to come home that quickly. What I really appreciate about Dr. Gallivan, however is the follow-up and maintenance he does with me. He tells me how to manage my sinusitis and having him there willing to take my calls, seeing me throughout the year, that's such a big thing for me, having gone through this so many times before with other doctors. The man is a genius in his field!"
-Donna Clark
