Betty Bostian
Patient Story Betty Bostian
I met Dr. Zanation 10 years ago in Chapel Hill. I was having a lot of problems with my nose and the doctors in Hickory could not do what needed to be done. But Dr. Zanation was so good with us. I had my family with me, and we were all a little concerned. He talked to us like he had known us for years. He did lots of testing to see what was going on and to see what just needed to be done. He found a large tumor (about the size of my fist) in my nose, and it had spread to my brain. It was not cancerous, but if I did not have it removed it would continue to grow and be deadly. He was very easy to talk to at this time and answered all my family questions. Then came surgery time.
The surgery was five hours and his staff made sure my family was kept informed of what was going on. After all of this I had to continue to see the doctor and I kept asking why I was not getting well. My brain part of surgery was healing very well, but my nose would not completely heal. At each visit for the next seven years he would tell me that something else was going on and that maybe I had an autoimmune disorder. I continued to see other doctors in that area, but no one was able to find my problem. Then, in January 2020, I saw him, and he ask me to see another throat specialist; after testing again, they found that I had an autoimmune disease.
If Dr. Zanation had not continued to work with me, I could have never gotten to the bottom of this mess. But because he was so concerned, he made sure I got the help I needed. When he left Chapel Hill, I was so disappointed and so was my family. I saw the doctor that took his practice over in Chapel Hill a couple of times and he was not the same. He wanted to change everything that Dr. Zanation had done.
I continued to do what I had done for nine years. It just so happened that I came to Carolina ENT for a hearing check up and saw Dr. Zanation’s name on the door. I immediately asked if this was the same doctor I had seen for 10 years and made an appointment to see him in Hickory the next week. At this first visit in Hickory we had a long talk and he told me that I needed to go back on some medicine that he had me on before that the doctor in Chapel Hill would not give me. I did so, and now my nose is the best it has been since I have the immune disease being treated and now Dr Zanation can heal my nose.
Dr. Zanation really saved my life twice because he had to do two surgeries on my nose; if he had not continued to see me all these years, I would not be doing as well as I am. Dr. Zanation is the one to see if you have any breathing problems. He will find out what is going on and will not stop until he has you well. I will have to continue to see him because of the immune disease and I am so thankful that he has come to the Hickory area. I know he will be a real asset to this business.