stuffy nose

[Ken825]

I was diagnosed with enlarged turbinates and deviated septum. It affects my normal breathing (makes my nose stuffy even though I have no colds) especially when i lie down before/after sleep and when i tilt my head down.  But when I stand up or take a walk during the day, my breathing is normal. Hope that you can explain on this.

[smichael81]

Hey you might want to refer to my post on the main page.

[National Jewish]

Several different things, both allergic and nonallergic, can cause enlarged turbinates.  An allergic individual can have exposure and swelling.  A non-allergic individual can have swelling from irritant exposure and/or from an infection of the nose and/or sinuses.

The deviated septum can certainly explain the difficulty breathing, even if it is only when you lie down.  This position could cause a blockage not experienced when upright.  The deviation could also block the opening or more of the sinuses and be a reason to get more frequent sinus infections.  When the opening of the sinus is blocked, proper drainage cannot occur and this sets up a risk of fluid accumulating and becoming infected.

However, if you are still quite able to function and not experiencing severe sinus symptoms, it may still be possible to wait until you return home to see a specialist.  If the discomfort is really a problem or you feel you are having an acute infection, seeing someone sooner is better.