Can cronic post nasal drip cause nausia and the runs?

[cwcelder]

I am a 44 year old female that has had several broken noses and the surgery that follows. (11 sugeries)  For the past five years I have suffered extreme loss of appitite, nausia, runs, weight loss, etc.  I have had every test my family doctor and a hand full of specialists can think off and they all come back negative.  I expel and swallow a large amount of nasal congestion daily (measure by cup not ounce).  My doctors just smile when I mention a conection between my cronic post nasal drip and my condition.
At times I have gone from 112 lbs to 67 lbs.  Today I try to keep over 100lbs but it is hard when everthing I eat comes back up or goes right through me in under 15 minutes 85% of the time.

Can my post nasal drip be filling my stomach and convincing it it's full, thus causing my lack of appitite and AM nausia?  

Could the digestion of all the nasal run off be causing my AM runs?

I quit smoking a year ago and I sleep slightly elevated from the waist up or I choke in my sleep.

[National Jewish]

As you know postnasal drip is drainage from your nose and sinuses dripping down the back of your throat.  You may be swallowing a lot of this mucus into your stomach.  It is certainly possible for this to cause your lack of appetite.  This would also explain the way you feel in the morning with the nausea and “runs”.  Postnasal drip can cause breathing difficulty as a result of irritation of the throat and lungs.  You may experience the postnasal drip as a feeling of mucus at the back of your throat.  Typically this is worse at night when you lay down to sleep.  This may explain your choking in your sleep.  Generally this irritation feels the worst when you wake up and gets better as the day goes on.

The fat content in dairy products can thicken mucus.  Generally eating dairy products with less fat content is helpful.  Drinking plenty of water will help to thin the mucus so that it moves more easily.  As long as you are not on a fluid restriction you should be drinking 6 to 8 8-ounce glasses of non-caffeine non-alcoholic fluid daily.

An antihistamine can dry up the postnasal drip.  However, it may make the mucus thicker and more difficult to move.  A decongestant like Sudafed® (pseudoephedrine) can thin the postnasal drip and decrease the swelling so it drains easier.  A combination antihistamine-decongestant will do both.  Check with your doctor to see which would help you more.  Often an antihistamine and decongestant are taken only when the postnasal drip gets bad.  It may be more helpful to take the antihistamine and decongestant on a regular basis.

A nasal wash helps remove mucus and germs from your nose and sinuses.  This can temporarily decrease the postnasal drip and lessen your problem.  Please read our Nasal Wash MedFact at http://www.nationaljewish.org/medfacts/nasal.html for more information about this technique.  Share this information with your doctor to see if you would benefit from this daily treatment.  A nasal wash is most helpful when done daily before using any nasal spray.

A prescription antihistamine nasal spray, like Astelin® (azelastine), helps when the postnasal drip is due to allergies.  When the postnasal drip is thin and watery Atrovent® Nasal Spray (ipratropium bromide) may help to dry this up.  A prescription nasal steroid spray decreases mucus production by decreasing the inflammation of the nose and sinuses.  This may prevent the postnasal drip and your other problems.  A nasal steroid spray does not provide immediate relief of symptoms.  It may need to be used every day for several weeks to months for it to help.  Sometimes it takes the antihistamine, the decongestant, and the nasal wash followed by the Astelin® (azelastine), the Atrovent® Nasal Spray (ipratropium bromide), and the nasal steroid spray ALL used routinely to keep the postnasal drip from bothering you.

While postnasal drip could explain your present condition, it is important to be sure that you do not have any other health problem.  It sounds like you have described either an eating disorder or a chronic bowel disease.  Be sure your doctors considered this in the testing that you have had done so far.  If you have not had testing for these problems, then a thorough evaluation by a gastroenterologist would identify if either of these are causing your symptoms.

[wilkat]

This may be a long shot, but I have had some of the same symptoms;  My nose will stop up for a while and I will have extreme pain;  when it unstops,  I have massive amounts of clear slimy post nasal drip that almost strangles me.  ONce I get it out I don't have the pain any more, but get the nausea, etc.  In doing research, I ran across some information about cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea, which is fluid that leaks from around the brain into the nose and is more common in someone that has had a head injury or surgery.  I think it is supposed to come out the nose, but even when I have an active sinus infection, my is mostly postnasal drip.  You can buy glucose test strips like used to test urine for glucose (diabetics) and test the mucus.  I don't think that ordinary mucus is supposed to have glucose in it, so if it is positive, it may be a possiblity.  It is not the main test used to detect this, so you would need to see your doctor.  I bought some of the strips and sometimes mine tests strongly positive and sometimes not at all.  My husband's never does.  I am going to check this out with my doctor.

Again, I am not a doctor, just someone who has had a lot of sinus problems, and done a lot of research, so like I said this may be a long shot.

Kathyw

[Heather123]

Just relating my similar experience.  I have had a sore upper throat, very bad sinus pain, postnasal drip (last yr it was often so thick I couldn't breathe), nausea, etc. almost every day for over a year.  The nausea overwhelms me - it feels like my whole head is very sick and it centers in the throat.  I also get headaches and am sensitive to light.  
I also have swollen glands (slight) on the right side of my neck.  I tested negative for Mono and STDs.  My cholesterol, blood are very good.
I had sinus CT scans last yr and they showed all my sinuses were filled but not infected.  I took Biaxin which didn't help and Amoxicillin but after 6 days of it had hives and have had them ever since 11/20/04.  I also get bad chest pains on the right side a few times per week and it often radiates up my throat and ears.  I get the pain across the bottom of my ribs and in my stomach.
I'm seeing an ENT and Allergist.  The ENT doesn't think anything of my scans and ordered different scans and a head MRI (she's concerned about the upper palate pain).  The Allergist thinks the hives are from the Amoxicillin but are now Dermatographia (skin-writing) and thinks the pains are Acid Reflux.  I have been researching that and think it could be true - I have often had pain in my stomach after eating large meals (esp Mexican and Italian) and after drinking pop or iced tea.  I think I may have LPRD and am going to try modifying my diet and getting more exercise while waiting to see the doctors again, and am going to mention this to my ENT as I read that GERD and LPRD can cause sinus and throat problems.
Well, maybe some of that relates.  GL!!!