Thought I'd put this thread out there as I'm sure it's not that uncommon and just wondering if there were any remedies or treatments folk have used that actually have worked.
I've had chronic congestion for the best part of 20 years. No real sense of smell for many years apart from the time I got strong steroid drops but that's a limited time treatment.
I've always thought my congestion had an allergy component and take regular antihistamines to try and keep that at bay.
The last 3 months have been the worst it's been and I'm pretty sure I have a polyp on one side which I think is pretty close to my sinus opening. I do the saline nasal wash regularly but it doesn't seem to be having an impact lately either.
I'm at the stage where I am going to go for an ENT private consultation with the expectation there will need to be some polyp removal.
Unfortunately the polyps tend to recur fairly quickly so not sure even that would be a long term fix.
Anybody with any good long term fixes?
Or even short term solutions.
Thanks in advance.
I feel your pain.
I suffered for many years. Two things helped:
The smoking ban in pubs
The Operation; gruesome at the time but a godsend in that my problem was banished seemingly forever. To be fair, they removed also debris connected with a sports injury.
I'm the same.
Been suffering for about 2 years now, Finally my G.P. put me on the waiting list in the summer to actually see a specialist at E.N.T.
As its getting worse and worse, while I was in Thailand (October-December). I went to the hospital over there.
Long story short, they say I have polyps and a tumour up there. I'm going back to Thailand in less than 2 weeks...going to have an operation over there...I cant wait any longer on the old N.H.S.
Went to the doctors a couple of weeks ago (after Id come back from Thailand)..told then Id had a scan etc.etc.the doctor said, I cant look up your nose as its too congested????! Tell me about it love, Ive not been able to breathe properly for 2 years! Waste of time going really, I said what can you do about it? She said keep using the steroid spray? Yeah OK ...she said I can write to ENT...They will get back to you "the end of the month...I said great ..just before New Year...no she said I mean January!! No thanks I said..I'm going back there on the 10th, I've got a hospital appointment on the 12th. So hopefully, may get some joy over there....What Ive been told though, there is a 20-30% chance of them coming back.
Going to give it a try though, as my quality if life is rubbish now, and Im not getting any younger!!
The steroid nasal sprays di give a bit of relief at the beginning, but they arent doing much now...Maybe ask for a steroid spray, unless youre already on them?
edit!
Since my "nose problem"..my blood pressure tablets have doubled? Every time I go to the docs. I say surely its related? No they keep saying?! Im convinced it is, surely there is more stress, with not being able to breath properly? Waking up gasping for breath, stress. lack of sleep etc....what do I know?!!
Last edited by valleywatch; 28th December 2023 at 22:06.
I've been told not to use my prescribed nasal spray any more now I'm on statins because the sprays can increase blood pressure!Originally Posted by valleywatch
This post has come at a good time for me. I've dealt with mild congestion for years (I had a septoplasty to straighten a deviated septum about 20 years ago, but both pre- and post-op I've always had times when I've needed to clear my nose more i.e. first thing in the morning).
Recently, in the last 6 or so months, I've found my nose has been much more congested more frequently. It seems that certain foods (or at least too much of certain foods) trigger it much more too. At first I put it down to allergies/hayfever so tried taking antihistamines then nasal OTC steroid spray and saline spray. None of which helped. I also tried to keep track of the foods that triggered symptoms but it really does seem a bit all over the place.
The congestion seemed to be made worse when I tried to come off of my reflux PPI medication, so when I saw my GP we both thought the congestion might be related to silent reflux. Several tests were done to check for gastro issues but all came back clear.
The GP has effectively drawn a blank and referred me to the GP practice dietician, but I've not heard anything back about that yet. Reading this and having had a bit more time to reflect (as well as 'stabilising' my reflux symptoms somewhat now I'm back on a high dose of PPIs), has got me wondering if the congestion is completely separate to the reflux.
Is a GP able to check for nasal polyps or does it require a proper assessment by an ENT specialist?
I'm on statins and use avamys nasal spray for chronic rhinitis with no side effects.
I suffered for years with rhinitis and sinusitis, culminating in surgery to increase the size of the various sinus openings, which lastingly improved the sinusitis, but the rhinitis remains, and indeed is worse then ever after a bout of COVID in 2020.
Off-the-shelf antihistamines help a little, but since I have few other symptoms and they make me even sleepier than usual I've canned them. I live in a rural area, and the house is old and drafty, so I don't feel air quality has much influence. I've never smoked either.
It's tiresome, but I've reached the point of simply accepting it, especially as obtaining any sort of NHS treatment in this area is near impossible nowadays, and I can't afford to go private.
My wife has suffered with this for about 10 years.
She has had 3 operations, 2 locally and the last at Guys by a woman called Claire Hopkins.
https://www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/o...claire-hopkins
Seems she is the top person for this process and is also available via BUPA
After 6 years of no smell and taste and awful congestion my wife is now back to normal.
The “service” at Guys was poor but the outcome so far is great and much better than the previous operations.
Fingers crossed the improved situation is permanent this time.
Last edited by Montello; 29th December 2023 at 14:03.
I don’t wish to add to your list, but this could be symptoms of Obstructive Sleep Apnea?
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/sleep-apnoea/
Otrivine was better than any steroid nasal spray for me when I had really bad hay fever which seems to have miraculously disappeared for the last few years.
i used otrivine on a regular basis and it works very well - that said if you use it too much you actually get a rebound effect and it ends up worse than it was , the nasal strips you can buy also work very well (stick on outside of nose and it holds the airway open , i use these > )
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Angzhili-Co...3859727&sr=8-8
ive had rhinoplasty as well - its a lot quicker these days to get done.
I think if it's obvious then GP would be able to spot it but you would probably be able to feel an obvious one yourself.
Likely need an ENT consult which may take a while unless going privately.
That's what happened to me (finally! after almost 2 years, and 3 or 4 visits to the G.P.).
The GP who referred me to see E.N.T. in the summer (still waiting!) said "it looks like you may have a polyp or else your nose is deformed?",
Fast forward to October/November, I saw an E.N.T. specialist in Thailand, she said you have polyps up one nostril, its unusual. as you normally have then in both nostrils? She also said I have a mass or a tumour up there. Just over a week and £150 later...Id had scan (not sure what type of scan, but they injected what I assume was dye into my arm?)
Result being, she asked me how much longer I was staying in Thailand, I said a few weeks..she said OK. It looks OK to me, we will get the op.done when you come back in January.
I appreciate the NHS over here is vastly overworked under funded badly run etc etc...What I wasn't happy about was it took me almost 2 years to be put on "the list".
Then when I saw a G.P. in the surgery the other week, she said "I cant look up your nose as its so congested"?! That's what I went there for!, I could have gone to toilet and cleaned the damn thing! When I told her Id had a scan etc and was told Id had a tumour and polyps, it seemed to me, as if she didn't believe me? I didn't take any records etc (from Thai hospital) to the surgery.
One thing that she said which made me more happy/relaxed! was when I told her Id had a scan, she did say they could tell a lot about the "tumour form etc" from the scan. So by the Thai doctor saying she was happy and I was OK and they didnt rush through my op...I feel lot better mentally at least!!
Keep us updated VW and best of luck.
I'll be going the private route too as it's going to be too long otherwise and the polyp(hopefully) definitely feels bigger recently but not sure if it is bigger because of the congestion or is causing it.
Good to hear recommendations of Drs specialising in it so cheers to Montello for that heads up.
Really time I got sorted after about 20 years of not smelling .
Many thanks for that.
I will indeed update, in a few weeks, hopefully with good news!
Good luck to you too. The NHS is sadly not what it was or should be,,the docs, nurse and all staff are excellent....the running of it, finances etc. are woefully really poor now unfortunately.
Last edited by valleywatch; 29th December 2023 at 17:32. Reason: spelling!
I had my nose drilled out in 2019, or rather they put me under, I died, they panicked and had to resuscitate me and then didn't do the operation. I had to go back for a second attempt (at the operation, that is) and they succeeded (at both the operation and killing me again) and it did bugger all to help, I still can't breathe properly through my nose. Worst of all, I missed the 2019 Goodwood Revival, the only one I've missed so far (well, it was cancelled for some reason in 2020).
"A man of little significance"
Have you looked at Candida or yeast infection. A lot of congestion can be caused by this kind of overgrowth in the body and you should be checked for it.
Thanks Hood. Guess I'll be going back to bother my GP again in the new year then! To be honest I'm not sure what I'd be feeling for but I guess if I can't feel anything obviously untoward then it's not an 'obvious' polyp! I'm surprised now that the doc didn't have a look up my nose but I think the reflux symptoms that coincided with it were a red herring (or at least possibly just exacerbated the congestion/post-nasal drip symptoms and made the two issues seem connected).
Good luck with getting your congestion sorted.
The posts above resonate with what my wife went through. She tried allergy tests, diet changes and a range of nasal sprays/drugs none of which had any long term benefit.
She got surgery and has improved by effectively chasing her case through the system … she would phone all sorts of secretaries and so on to get cancellations etc. If you sit back and wait you will be waiting a long time.
If she needs another operation in the future we will go private, I believe the cost is around £5000 but I expect its highly variable.
The consultant said her issue is an auto immune response that is caused by her body attacking the bacteria in her sinus that should be there. She also had polyps.
She said there is a drug that would fix her issue but it’s not funded by the NHS so the only treatment option is surgery that has worked but the auto immune response may restart.
She said the drug is about £500-1000/month for life …
It can be a bloody nightmare, and I’m sure my situation is nowhere near as bad as other.
I had a septoplasty op and turbinates reduction around 15 years ago, after suffering from daily low grade headaches for years prior. MRI should restricted airways - quite extreme on one side. Everything seemed ok ish (but was never 100% happy with the op, and the shape of my nose was changed by it - but at least I could breathe better and was headache free for some years afterwards). In fact when I came round and asked why I had bruising all down one side of my body, apparently I’d woken up after the Op for the first time an hour or two ealier, stood up ripped out my lines and started making my way through furniture and staff etc. to the hospital exit, in nothing but a backless gown, and a couple of doctors and porters had to tackle me to the ground and they sedated me again! The attending nurse said that it like watching something from the Incredible Hulk - the bruising was quite extensive…. I was quite considerable pain for at least two weeks afterwards.
We also had a bit of a scandal involving the ENT specialist consultant surgeon shortly afterwards who had 44 counts of fraud registered against him in Germany - but obviously our HR backgrounds checks at that time weren’t worth the effort!
Then around 4-5 years ago I was referred back to ENT after having similar low grade headaches everyday. They’ve continued ever since, and eventually I was contacted to see if I still wanted an appointment with the ENT consultant, who then carried out an examination and an MRI, and has recommended further surgery. Hopefully it won’t take the same amount of time to get the operation carried out.
Thankfully one of my current employers provides private medical, but I didn’t have anything in place at the time of initial referral. If it takes too much longer I might enquire if it’s covered and whether or not I can select my own surgeon, but I’ve already got a few other approved ops lined up, so we will see and hopefully I’ll get everything sorted and out of the way during 2024 and try and get back to healthier ways asap.
It's just a matter of time...
I’m now in Thailand,
I went to the hospital last week. For X-ray, ecg, bloods etc. The next day, I saw the doctor/ consultant. Basically, she said, yes lots of inflammation , polyps etc. we need to get rid of it. So I go in next month on the 12 th, and have the op. on the 13th. I’m to stay in hospital for 2 nights though. I originally thought ( looking on nhs website admittedly) that it would just be an in and out on the same day job! Apparently not in Thailand! Bit of good news though! They originally said it would cost about 70,000-80,000 ish thai baht ( currently about 44.4 to the pound) .apparently though it will only be 35,000_40,000 Thai baht…
The price they quoted was to be in a ward..a private room can be had though! I saw a brochure type thing, pretty sure they had 2 or 3 different types of room. Priced about £60-£80 per night…so I shall be having one of those. Also! Another Thai thing, by having a private room, means you can have a family member friend wife etc stay in the room with you! It’s either a sofa type bed or a bed provided for them! My 43 year old nephew ( he is Thai) who was with me..said I stay take care of you! No it’s fine I said, I’m a big boy can take care of myself! He insisted. So I gave up? Message my ex wife ( she is Thai) in England. Saying to tell the nephew it’s fine, I’m good by myself…she said no! He is family he take care of you! So there we have it!
I have to admit myself to the hospital before 08.00AM! When I asked my nephew why so early ( given as the op is next day! ) he said , have to book room see doctor blah blah blah! The Thais certainly love their paperwork, so that’s probably why!
When I saw the first doctor in a local hospital, in Thailand in ? October or November, he said need operation. Not do here, go to either Bangkok Pattaya hospital or Sri Racha hospital. I chose Sri Racha hospital, as opposed to Bangkok Pattaya,as? it’s cheaper! ( its also a university teaching hospital, ) The other hospital has a reputation for charging lots of money!
As for people who may say Thailand is a third world country? The hospital Ive been using, has far better facilities, modern equipment , plenty of staff and is way cleaner than hospitals Im used to, in my neck of the woods in south wales.
So,it’s all looking good so far…can’t wait to get it done, as the last 2 years has been crap….its really affected my lifestyle….of course, it wasn’t so bad when I first “ had it”… the last 9 months or so though, has been really crap. Can’t breath properly, nose is always running and blocked up, can’t sleep blah blah blah. So to say I’m excited to get it done. Is a vast understatement. I’ve also lost my sense of smell…basically can’t smell anything! My mouth has a disgusting taste 24-7 due I imagine to the nasal sprays I’m using..
One thing I noticed, on one of the forms from the hospital, it said I have nasal polyps and chronic rhino sinusitis…I google it, it made sense then with the symptoms I’ve had, particularly the tiredness..it also said, to use steroid nasal sprays for 12 weeks , this should get rid of it..if it doesn’t..then you know you’ve got a problem if it doesn’t go after 12 weeks…hmmn I was back and for with the same problem for almost 2 years , at my local surgery, it was only after 18 months ( last June) that they referred me to see ENT..( I’m still waiting on them obviously!).
My advice is? If you can afford it, give our “ world beating?” “ national treasure” but way under funded and badly managed NHS a miss…particularly the Welsh NHS. It may sound as I am bitter….well I am! The NHS successfully got rid of my prostate cancer 10-11 years ago…I would hate to have it now though…as th system is literally at breaking point.
The staff on the NHS I’ve found to be brilliant always, the system though, to coin a much used phrase is not fit for purpose.
Hopefully, when Labour get in , next election..the NHS will improve..I very much doubt it somehow..but I can but dream!
Last edited by valleywatch; 18th January 2024 at 10:17. Reason: Spelling
Thanks for update VW and good luck with the op.
Hope the op (and recovery!) goes well VW.
My GP has referred me after seeing her yesterday to the ENT department., but she's warned me the waiting list will be about a year! She did check for any obvious obstructions or polyps and found nothing.
She did however give me a handy tip to help 'jump forward' a bit once I actually get an appointment to see ENT; she said to start taking an OTC steroid nasal spray about 6 weeks before my appointment is due, then when they inevitably try to prescribe a steroid spray as a first line treatment (apparently standard procedure) I can smugly say I've already tried that without any success! (In fact, from prior experience of trying one, as well as saline solution, I think they might make things worse).
Until then, unfortunately she's not been able to offer any help as I've tried all the things she'd suggest, although things have been slightly better the last few days. Although I suspect that could be down to taking night nurse to help me sleep a bit better ;)
A bit like mine it ebbs and flows in regards to severity of congestion.
At the moment I'm going through a decent spell where I don't feel massively congested but I still can't smell a thing(haven't done for many years)
I bought a couple of Dymista sprays from the online Doc which is a steroid combined with an antihistamine.
Going to give that a whirl for a bit.
Do you work in a dusty environment or have regular contact with pets? I cannot tolerate cats which can cause me to have asthma symptoms for up to two weeks – similarly with tobacco smoke.
"Well they would say that ... wouldn't they!"
Yes, it's very infuriating. I'm fortunate in that my sense of smell doesn't seem to be affected, although my taste is perhaps affected a bit sometimes.
The Dymista sounds like a pretty handy combo medicine ot have. Keep us updated as to whether it helps at all. Good luck!
Valley, do you still have your source for this? I'd be interested in reading a bit more on it. I tried OTC steroid spray for about 6 weeks around Aug-Sept time and it didn't seem to make a blind bit of difference. I'm wondering if I just didn't keep to it for long enough.
My GP also mentioned that the OTC steroid sprays you can buy are just the same as the ones that they'll prescribe you too (I assumed they'd be lower strength or something, but apparently not!)
My wife tried all the various sprays over the years. Some made mild impressions but no lasting benefit.
This 3rd surgery has been transformative, I just hope it’s permanent.
The above more serious conditions not withstanding, I use menthol crystals from chemist, sprinkle on a bowl of hot water and towel over head and breathe. Very good at clearing general congestion and hayfever and other allergy symptoms.
Sent from my iPad using TZ-UK mobile app
Tested for allergies?
I tested for dust, but just slightly. I also may have a deviated septum. My brother had it done, but didn't fix the problem
Do you have a humidifier?
If it's bad. Breathe Right strips. If I get a cold. I use them to keep the passages open. I though they would bother me, but after a minute. Don't even notice it.
I just googled chronic rhinosinusitis nhs and a fair few results came up!
I’m using my iPad at the moment, and I’m rubbish at copy and paste with the iPad!
Thanks, I’ll try that then and see what I can find.
Sadly, I can’t offer much by way of medical knowledge. However, a few years ago I had septoplasty to cure a deviated septum and I would just warn the OP that recovery from that operation was an absolute nightmare, far worse than I could possibly have imagined. Be prepared to go through quite a hard time post-op, to sleep sitting up in a chair for a while, and to generally require a little bit of support from others, if that will be possible.
I'm not sure if these were directed at anyone in particular, but will respond in my case anyway.
I've tried steam in the past without much noticeable difference.
As for allergies, I don't think that's apparent for me, as I still got symptoms when we went on holiday on a cruise (I know it doesn't necessarily rule them out but a change in surroundings plus the sea air I'd imagine would make a difference if it were something like a dust allergy? We don't have pets so that's not it either)
As for a humidifier, we actually have a dehumidifier running daily as our flat has too much moisture in it. I must remember to ask my wife if my snoring has improved any the last few nights I've been taking Night Nurse.
I had surgery for a deviated septum about 20 years ago, so it's not like my nasal passageways haven't been subjected to damage in the past either. Before and ever since that, I've always had a bit of a congested nose in the mornings, but it's just in the last 6-9 months I've noticed my symptoms getting worse and being spread throughout the day & night.
My latest thinking on it (and hope!) as it does seem to have decreased the last few days, is that it's just been a very long-lying inflammation due to a cough/cold I had way back last April (perhaps exacerbated by hayfever and then covid) which is finally clearing up now. A longshot I know but I can live in hope! I guess I'll find out if symptoms return once I stop the Night Nurse...
Last edited by andy100; 19th January 2024 at 08:55.
I had no idea so many people here were having these kinds of issues, perhaps there’s a link with watch collecting? I’ve been having ongoing problems with my ears feeling weird, sort of blocked or something like an inner ear infection, which is incredibly frustrating as it proves almost impossible to think straight or function normally in that state. A specialist said it was sinus related, essentially allergic rhinitis - sort out the nose and the ears will follow. I suspect the culprits are house plants and dust, and the issue got worse when we moved to a flat with powerful and slightly wayward underfloor heating.
Long story short, after trying various medications, what’s helped is NeilMed Sinus Rinse, which you can get over the counter at Boots or on Amazon, and a humidifier. Due to the recent cold weather and the underfloor heating being on full blast, the humidifier is currently chucking out an astonishing amount of water to keep the flat in a sensible range, several large tanks a week. Forget to refill it and humidity quickly dives below 30%. So long as I keep the tank topped up and use the sinus rinse daily, I can keep it at bay. This has done a lot more good than courses of antibiotics and steroids, and their side effects.
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