Symptoms of Deviated Septum

[Tiger33]

I have recently been diagnosed as having a deviated septum. The deviated septum is the result of having had my nose broke twice. I've had sinus problems for years including the headaches, congestion, and sore throats. I also have problems in the morning, such as mucus in my mouth when I wake up. I have to spit several times to clean out my mouth. I also have nausea for the early part of the day.

Could a deviated septum cause all of those problems?

[National Jewish]

The nasal septum is a plate of bone and cartilage along the center of the nose.  A deviated nasal septum is shifted to one side.  When your septum is deviated there is less space on the side that the septum leans towards.  Generally this area is squeezed.

A deviated nasal septum may cause blockage of the sinuses on that side to the point that the sinuses do not drain as well.  This can cause swelling of the nasal and sinus passages.  As the sinuses become swollen, the drainage openings that lead from each sinus into the nose become blocked.  Both the swelling and the mucus that collects in the sealed-off sinus can cause pressure.  This is a possible explanation of the headaches and congestion that you are feeling.  The mucus can drip down the back of your nose making your throat sore.  It can even end up in your mouth.  It can also end up in your stomach causing your nausea for the early part of the day.

The goal of treatment is to decrease the swelling in the nose and sinus openings, so that sinus drainage improves.  Nasal decongestants or combination antihistamine/decongestants may help with this.  Please discuss these medicines with your doctor to determine which would be most helpful for you.

A nasal wash helps remove mucus from the nose and sinuses.  This can temporarily reduce symptoms of sinus pressure.  This may also eliminate your need to spit several times to clean out your mouth in the morning.  A prescription nasal steroid spray can decrease nasal swelling and mucus production.  This will prolong the decrease in sinus pressure and improve sinus drainage.  A nasal steroid spray does not provide immediate relief of symptoms.  It may require several weeks of routine use to become effective.  To help the nasal steroid spray work better, use it regularly after doing the nasal wash.  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 doing nasal washes regularly would be helpful for you.

[thankgod]

yep, thoses are the symtomes, i got surgery done last week for it,i had a deviated septum,chronic sinusis,and a polys on top of that,i hade a deviated septum since the age of 16, it was really annoying had mucus akk the time swallow it did not care about it, until 2 months ago,i'm a ahtelet so i play hockey, and work out 4 times a week, my throat was hurting me so mush when i would bread deeply it feels like a ulcers, so i had no choise to go see my ENT doctor, he said i also had postnasal drip on top of all the other 3 things, so they reconstructed my nose,drain all the **** i had one one side because of a chronic sinusis and i have shitches in my nose because of the polys and because of the deviated septum,but its really worth it, i can bread from my nose,nothing is blocking, i still have a little pain in my throat but its way mush better then it is, i'm still healing,the surgery is not that painful,whats annoying is you got to bread from your mounth for 3 days, your throat hurts more than your nose,anyways the pain killers are prettty good, i hate taking pills because i dont want to get addicted,but you wont,the pain afther 4 days is just once awile like somebody puch your nose,but now my nose is ichy! the shitches are healing! anyways he gave me salt water, and cream to put in my nose, i'm telling you go for it do the surgery, it feels good to bread!!

[EternalBunny929]

I'm contemplating finally seeing an otolaryngologist.  I thought of it on my own...heaven forbid if my primary physician went against the Health Insurance wishes and volunteered a referral for me!  Anyway, I'm not certain I have a deviated septum, but I'm sorta hoping that I do, in that it can be fixed and I can finally breath and feel normal again...not that I remember what "normal" feels like.  Ever since I was a little girl, I've suffered a SEVERE itchy throat and ears.  And for the past several years, I've suffered chronic sinus infections.  And more recently, I've been persistently ill for the past five months with the following sypmtoms:  headaches, congestion, pressure under my eyes and above my eyebrows, nasea in the morning, and every morning ample flem (phlegm) stuck in the back of my nose in which I have to spend about the first hour of being awake spitting out.  I've experienced facial pressure and aches for several months, and I'm hoping that I receive the "deviate septum" label in that it can be diagnosed and furthermore, appropriately fixed!  So, according to these aforementioned symptoms, anyone else care to share their "armchair diagnoses?"  Thanks.