Follow up on forum post: asal congestion 4 a.m. in one nasal cavity

[Dolphin_researching]

Dear forum moderator,

for some reason the original topic was closed. So unfortunately I have had to open a new topic (the 'continue discussion' button won't let me do anything else.) The original post, for those interested can be found at:
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Sleep-Breathing-Disorders/Nasal-congestion-4-am-in-one-nasal-cavity/show/765628?personal_page_id=539425&post_id=post_4005840

My thanks if there is any way (technically possible) for the below text to be added to the original discussion. Otherwise it would be a shame, in my humble opininion, if it got lost. Thank you for your understanding. Note I understand some of the technical difficulties/ choices to be made with running a digital forum, so you have my full understanding for this.

Reply to original topic posting:


Thank you for your reply. I appreciate the time you took. Please find below an update:

1. Possible rice, milk, and/ or gluten allergy/ intolerance:

Excluding rice from the diet has a positive influence on my health. Milk and gluten might also be a cause. I have appointments with an allergist to have these tested. And with an dietician to find a substitute diet in the meantime. This because the leading out of rice out of the diet seems to have a significant improvement (most notably on the fatigue and rhinitis related symptoms).  Rice would also coincide with the times of onset of some of the symptoms. Milk products also coincide within these periods.  Therefore it might not be the eating of salmon that is helping,  but the not eating of cheese when eating salmon. Further testing will be needed to prove/ disprove whether it is an allergy/ intolerance or digestive problem.

2. Stuffed nose (on one side)

I noticed lately that sometimes I can feel fluid moving to one side of my nose, when I am lying in bed. This might have been going on longer, or because of the change in situation fluid has become more fluid instead of a thick mucus.

3.Ear pain/ ache when biking:

When biking the wind going past my ear sometimes causes pain. This possibly does not cause pain in the other ear because I wear a headphone on this side, so air flow does not enter this ear.
Regularly cleaning the ear, with a special spray, also seems to help. Maybe it is dust and dirt build up that might be causing the trouble. Unknown, needs further testing and examination.

Theory:

Food intolerance/ allergy can account for some if not most of the complaints I am having. For whatever reasons fluid moves to the left side of my nose when I am sleeping (be it posture, coldest part of the morning, internal placement/ growth of organic tissues, etc.) When the allergy/ intolerance and the fluid congregates in one place coincides with the allergy/ intolerance, the mucus thickens and causes blockage and possibly (bacterial) infection. This could possible account for the rhinitis, as well as the pressure pains in my head. The fatigue could be caused by my body fighting the allergy/ intolerance and/ or bacterial infection, or general allergy/ intolerance symptoms.

I noticed I sometimes have an ear ache when I go biking when it is cold outside. The wind flow passes my ear. Cause and effect are as of yet unknown. It could be that the area is already tender from the rhinitis infection, or there maybe some other underlying cause. As far as I know, there has been looked  for signs of ear infection/ meningitis, etc., and these were not found. However, this is not to say some infection might not be present. However cause and effect is as of yet unknown. When combating the rhinitis the ear infection also usually goes away, or at least I cannot noticed it is there. A bit of a chicken or egg situation.  I am not sure.

The current theory could account for the fact that there are no abnormalities to be found in (extended) blood work. However we might not be testing for the right thing yet.

It is too soon to say anything conclusive.  However by eliminating intolerances from the diet, and substituting these in order to maintain a healthy diet, and steaming regularly have been able to reduce symptoms significantly. I also feel clearer than I have felt in years, I am not sure how to describe this (I think it is called 'mind fog' it is a term that sorta accurately describes it). My eyesight has also improved, in the sense that I can see things clearer. I have reduced the use of garlic at this time. At this point it is unknown whether the garlic killed of a persistent bacterial/ fungus infection. As it is not needed, at this point, to feel an improved health, I have stopped the garlic, until such time that my health deteriorates while avoiding rice, milk and gluten, or until we can definitely show it has a beneficial effect, or know the exact underlying cause.  This to try to avoid any resistance as much as possible. It appears some of my scalp hair is growing back, but this could be just coincidence. No proof has yet been found for any relation. It is yet unknown whether other allergies/ intolerances also apply at this time, or whether it is a digestive problem.

Please feel free to let me know if you have any questions. I will do my best to answer these. Suggestions from physicians and/ or people with similar findings/ results are of course always welcome.

Hope it helps.









This discussion is related to Nasal congestion 4 a.m. in one nasal cavity.

[Dolphin_researching]

Just another update (as requested)

Have had low blood pressure a couple of times now (over the past year and a half)
Kept a food diary for two weeks, dietitian is diagnosing this.

So far the working diagnoses are Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Fibromyaligia, and the diagnoses one sided rhinitis (on the left side, left nasal cavity)

A physical therapist examined me and discovered that blood vessel and nerves were being squeezed.

We are getting a better feel for which foods bring on an attack, however, there is still a black hole of foods, or other possible causes.

Still don't know the exact cause. Rice and milk products have been scratched from diet by me till further notice. As these seem suspect. The rice noticeably. However this has not been confirmed by testing. There seems to be no milk allergy. And trying to figure out where to find a test for the rice allergy (not a common thing around here).  As soon as I know the answer I will post it. Which for all intensive purposes, leaves food intolerances or something else. I can go and gripe about some of the medical waiting lists in our country, but anyway here is what I/ we have found so far (with the help of doctors)

So far I/ we have found this to work against an attack of the rhinitis, nerve pains(?), tightening of muscles, fatigue, and foggy head. When I do this symptoms usually clear in about half a day, instead of the usual three days (or sometimes weeks of extreme fatigue):
I am writing some of this, as I have just recently gotten this information, so I don't know all the ins and outs of it yet.

1. The low blood pressure: was advised to take a glass of water with a pinch of salt against it. - This helps me. I limit myself to one a day and two a week, until I know more.
2. Drinking a liter of apple juice in a day. -> This helps me. After noticing this I told a doctor and asked if it was healthy to drink this much apple juice, and he said to limit to  one glass a day. So I have to figure this out.  My stool also becomes more solid when I drink apple juice, and darker, more a normal color.
3. Eating two sandwiches with salmon and a clove of fresh crushed garlic.
4. Bed rest. For about 3-4 hours, sometimes more.
5. But also moving around, some walking, fresh air, carefully stretching muscles, and massaging the effected area.
6. I take vitamins and garlic pills everyday now. Using the fresh crushed garlic does seem to give a better effect, although I am not sure, however the bad breath was really bothering me, as well as bringing up the discipline and not forgetting to eat 3 cloves a day. I did find that you have to take the garlic for a couple of weeks in order for it to have some effect. With improvement coming within a couple of days.

I hope in the coming weeks to get more answers, but am waiting on appointments. My apologies if I can't be of more help.

If somebody wonders, why I am going through all this to solve this. The answer is because the pain can be excruciating. Besides which the fatigue is not fun, and my life gets pretty much devastated during these attacks. The weird thing is once they pass, I have a relatively normal life again. Although I have to say there is a difference, between 'normal' and normal. I don't know how to explain this. When I have 'treated' it for longer periods I feel clearer and normal than if I do a light 'treatment'.

The exact causes is yet unknown.

I hope this helps doctors/ specialists, or people with the same problems so that they can go the their doctor/ specialist and share the info.

Please note that I confer everything with physicians, and I am very weary and careful of doing anything that could harm my body.  If I find something to work, I check with what is recommended for the body. Unfortunately I don't always know all information, because I am not aware. Well beter late than never. I am very lucky to have some excellent physicians/ specialists and medical staff as well as others, around me who I am really thankful.
Unfortunately so far these symptoms have just been really elusive to get a hold of.

What I want to figure out is:
What are the exact ingredients of the products that are helping me?
Why are they combating the symptoms?
And what are the effects on the long term? Will they solve the symptoms or are they just temporarily suppressing them?
What is causing the symptoms?

[Dolphin_researching]

Correction:

In the last topic this should be:

Note: the garlic and salmon help with the general feeling and the stuffy,, painful nose, not with just the painful muscles in general.

@medhelp.org
Being able to edit posts would be really handy.

[Dolphin_researching]

Note: the garlic and salmon help with the general feeling and the stuffy,, painful nose, or with just the painful muscles in general.

Have asked different doctors what could be the reason it helps. Unknown why yet.

Will have to check what exactly is in these two ingredients that is helping my situation. Long term effects for my disease are unknown. A bit at a turning point. If I don't use it, my health deteriorates and we don't know how to solve it. If I do use it, I might build up immunity to it if it is a bacteria/ fungus.  On the other hand it could be just that it adds necessary food substances lost due to diarrhea for example. Hopefully the dietary scheme the next two weeks will point to more clues.

The allergist suspects possible irritable bowel syndrome. Further testing will have to conform or deny.

[Dolphin_researching]

Update:

Had a relapse.

The symptoms appear to advance back slowly and get worse.  Appears to be starting with a little stuffiness in the left sinus cavity, upper nose. (for lack of better description.) Gradually gets worse over a week to two week period. After which the fatigue and other complaints increase. General 'slowness/ foggy mind' (not sure how to describe this) also increase in this period. Almost sneaks up on you. You 'get used' to the body state. Except the sleepiness and the (muscle) pain. Only notice the difference when I feel better. Kinda like swimming under water with or without swimming goggles. (A bit of a stretch for the comparison, but I wouldn't know how else to describe it.)

This image might possibly accurately describe the problem of the stuffed sinus: http://www.health.com/health/library/mdp/0,,tp12078,00.html

Having a lot of tight muscles at the moment. Doing exercise to loosen up muscles.

Steaming helps, as does eating fresh garlic with salmon appear to help in the short run.

Also taking saline solution nose spray at the moment.

Have received a list to note down diet for the next two weeks for the dietitians.

Allergy tests (24 in total) have turned up negative for the melk and gluten.
Moving on to intolerancy testing. Rice is still also an unknown factor. For now have banned rice from dieet.

[Dolphin_researching]

P.s.

Also as the rice is usually eaten at dinner time, this might also explain why the symptoms start to occur during sleeping.