Hi everyone,
For starters, sorry for the really long post. I've just joined Medhelp to seek advice for my horrible nasal congestion that's persisted for more than 4 years. About 4 years ago, I noticed I started to have one-sided nasal congestion whenever I was sitting or laying down. When I turn to the other side, the congestion will shift to the other nostril. I'm a mouth-breather when sleeping because I can only partially breathe through my nose. About 2 years ago, I had a horrible cold that lasted a month and since then, my breathing has worsened. I've been prescribed Nasonex, fluticasone corticosteroid spray (ENT told me not to continue it though) which only helped during the day and have also tried every sinus pill and capsule possible. I often get headaches around my eyebrows, eyes and nose bridge which take hours to relieve. I've seen 3 doctors and 2 (allergist and ENT) specialists in the last 3 years - I'm currently seeing an ENT who has looked at all my medical history and even took a bunch of x-rays and endoscopies of my sinuses and septum, but in May he said that they were totally fine and that surgery may not be an option for my condition. He advised me to use a neti pot twice a day, but that isn't really helping much - the congestion just comes back after a few minutes. I've read up on many medical forums and websites and I seriously think I have enlarged turbinates and/or a deviated septum. If I put my finger up one nostril, I can't go up more than about a 1/4 inch because the turbinates on the side are sticking out so far against the septum. The inside of my nose has always been very red and at times looks swollen. This nasal congestion has completely taken over my life. All I think about during the day is "Will I be able to breathe normally?" I can't go on vacations because I fear not being able to breathe on the airplane, it's very hard to sit still in college lectures because my nose gets congested easily and sometimes In the winter I even sleep with a vaporizer during winter months. Anyone have some suggestions for treatment or could have a diagnosis?
Thanks!