Constant Blocked Nose

[zebra]

Ok, just a quick one.

my nose is alwas blocked...now i'm fairly certain thats because Ive been smoking a pack a day for a few years.

But i'm no expert.

So could there be anyother reason?

As a side note, I am mega allergic to dust mites and was on rhinocourt for years, but we are going so far back now that I cant remember whether my old shnoz was blocked before I started smoking.

Anyhoo

Thoughts?

[stagman]

Get ye old Sinus removed

[The Bogan]

Stop smoking, use saved money to by whiskey, first problem solved........................................................................

[The Bogan]

Actually Im thinkung of thaking up smooking agin as trhe drunking has may becum a prroblum...........................

[Birds]

You might have pollyps in your nose...I have them and I can't breathe that well through my nose. One nostril always seems to be blocked and it swaps between the two? I also have a lot of trouble with my sinuses - they are the first place to get sore when I catch a cold. Best to see an ENT doctor and find out what's really going on up there...

Can you really get your sinuses removed without trouble? Sounds good to me...

[zebra]

Birds yup...what you describe has hit the nail on the proverbial.

buuuttt...wtf is an ENT doctor?

[zebra]

hmmm

This is what i was on since I was a kid

http://allergies.emedtv.com/rhinocort-aqua/rhinocourt.html

Nasal Steroid.

Treatment for Polyps is nasal Steroids.

Ill be off the see the doctor to get a prescription in a couple of days, see if it helps

[oweban]

Birds yup...what you describe has hit the nail on the proverbial.

buuuttt...wtf is an ENT doctor?

ear nose throat

[zebra]

Makes sense lool

[Basti]

link

lol nose douche

[zebra]

hahah nah thanks.

[R31Nismoid]

Ye I get the left-right-left nose block shit all the time. It wasnt too bad until about '06 IIRC when my nose was broken clubbin one night, had it re-broken it a week later and tried to set it best as possible but now the right side is even more closed and really gives me the shits. I dont smoke either, just unrucky!

It's definitely sinus related though as I was on prescription nasal steroids for 2 months last year as over counter stuff just couldn't clear it out. I was fixed in literally 5 days but needed to keep it going to stop infection coming back or some shit apparently. Cant remember what it was called though.

Do you find you get headaches as well? I get really epic headaches when it all blocks up after 4-5 days.

ENT is the way to go. Once i get private health sorted etc I'm gonna go look at getting mine fixed up as i believe the only real way is to get the equivalent of a bore job on a motor, but in ya nose. It's a good 1-2 weeks off work level of fck you up.

[zebra]

I'll avoid any surgury...Ive had enough Surgury before I was 22 to last me a lifetime lol

Yeah I always get headaches, but hard to pin-point the cause...half a dozen or more coffee's + a pack a day would more likely be the cause of those lol.

Definatley get mega Sinus pain all the time, espesially when I get a cold etc.

[Birds]

You can be more likely to catch colds too I believe, given the mucus membrane is more "exposed". I always put this as the reason why my sinuses feel like someone has sand papered them when I get a cold...then it moves down the body as the cold progresses.

Problem with nasal steroids is, as anyone who has been on them knows, once you're on them you're on them. Worse addiction than chapstick or moisturiser.

[R31Nismoid]

Ye certainly more likely to get not so much colds, but more so sinus infections. That's how all my colds start off.

Hence I wanna get it fixed before i get too much older as 40+ - get an infection like that and it could take weeks to fix rather than days. More about quality of living etc.

I dont smoke, or drink heaps off coffee etc (4 a week on average at the most). So certain mine isn't influenced externally.

Nasal steroids are fine for long periods of use. I didn't find them addictive, even the prescription ones.

[mad082]

regarding the left/right nostril breathing thing, everyone does that (well most people). it's just more noticable when you have a blocked nose. studies have shown that your brain functions in different ways depending on which side of your nose you are breathing through (left nostril breathing = right side of brain more active/dominant and vice versa).

[GTR-N1]

Checklist before going to ENT (and helping him/her diag-nose)

* Dust Mite allergy

Symptoms:- Blocked nose, but especially on waking. Either side or both sides affected.

Try:- Allersearch pillow cover > if that works a bit > Allersearch mattress cover > should work even more > Dust Mite Spray & air out the room (+ often too)

* Allergy to mould

Symptoms:- Blocked nose, but usually both sides

Try:- Killing mould in house + repaint with antimould paint + if it's wet under house > improve drainage around house + if rising damp up the walls > insert lead flashing/membrane + fix roof + lop trees over house

* Allergy to airborne

Symptoms:- Seasonal blocked nose, either or both sides

Try:- Antihistamine > ENT or Naturopath who has Vega Testing

* Allergy to foods

Symptoms:- Blocked nose on both sides and chest can get tight

Try:- Antihistamine > EPI Pen if anaphylaxis is setting in, ENT or Naturopath with Vega Testing

* Deviated Septum

Symptoms:- Blocked on one side and same side

Try:- ENT preferably a younger one who is also a surgeon

* Polyps

Symptoms:- Blocked on the side/s where they're growing

Try:- ENT

* Yeast Sensitivity

Symptoms:- Blocked nose on either one or both sides + bloated tummy + wind + foggy thinking. It manifested after antibiotics.

Try:- Probiotic eg Inner Health Plus > if it returns, see Naturopath to treat Candida albicans (yeast sensitivity)

[zebra]

Cheers Terry

[tweety bird]

+1 thanks terry.

[GTR-N1]

No use learning info unless you can share it - lol

But yes, thanks to you zoo animals - bird and zebra - lol

* Antihistamines

a) it's OK to mix and match them

b) Pseudoephedrine is not a true antihistamine

c) a person tends to develop a tolerance to an antihistamine formula over time (and gets less and less effective); so if you have a chronic condition that requires constant use, it pays to change it to a different one every 4 months.

This means 3x different formulae per year on rotation > yes, the first one you used is effective once again.

Personally, I'd try and get to the bottom of the problem.

* Vega Testing

a) The machine is not intrusive (compared to scratch-skin tests)

b) The results are repeatable

c) Whether or not they're reliable is questionable according to two opposite camps

Rationale:- The machine has two wires poking out of it.

#1 goes to a solution with a potential allergen in it

#2 goes to a metal probe that's pressed against the side of a digit like your thumb.

When the machine is turned on, the pitch of the noise emitted (if high) tells us that you're allergic > move the #1 electrode to the next potential allergen and so on.

It's interesting how the machine will give off the same high pitch if you go back to the offending allergen > and yet on someone else's thumb, it won't.

Hope this helps...