Post-nasal drip

The New-Test Forum - Rhinitis

FromTo
I have been having problems with mu sinuses for a year now and its completely affected my life, I am afraid of social situations. I have ear pressure, pain, congestion and worst of all a bad smell which comes from my nose. It's so bad I can barely sit in a rome with people, people hold their nose around me especially when I speak. I had a CT scan it showed I had inferior hypertrophy on the right side of my maxillary sinus, sinusitis, and a mucus retention cyst on the right side.

Finally, I had turbinate cautery to clear the turbinate hypertrophy it has helped I can breathe finally, yet the smell hasn't diminshed at all. My ENT said it was from accumulation of post-nasal drip, which sounds unreasonable. Yet, this smell is really bad. People cough and quickly move away from me, I mean even people 5-6ft away, I feel as if I am contagious. The doctor put me on Astelin, it has dried up the phelgm I usally have but the smell still hasn't lessened. It's only been 3 days but I've been living this nightmare for a year, I'd hate to get my hopes up that I could be cured.

Does anyone know whether this is where the smell originates from? I thought it was my breathe because how could a smell come from your nose yet it has. It's really embarrassing because people are less than nice about it, my dating life has suffered and I've felt all alone on this.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!		crystalgray01
6/9/2006
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If you still have your tonsils, the smell may be coming from them. When post-nasal drip goes down the back of the throat, it will often drip over the tonsils causing you to cough or sort of choke like your finger is too far back in the mouth and you get the choke reflex. This drip doesn't always get cleaned off and the nasal drip along with saliva can build up on the tonsil. Bacteria growing on this can cause a really bad oral odor that is not alleviated by brushing. You can try gargling with salt water, you can go to a dentist and have the tonsils "washed" off. If this is your problem, (it can be diagnosed by the dentist), the only way to permanently "cure" the problem is to have the tonsils removed. good luck

star queen
6/9/2006
 .
I feel ur pain. I had surgery because i had a deviated septum. I thought this was going to clear all my problems!! I can finally breath through both my nostrils, but i still have post nasal drip. I hate it because it smells. I have tried everything. I has the surgery thinking it would take care of my nasal drip and it didn't. It's thick, gross, and causes bad breath. I shy away from speaking closely to someone because i am scared that they can smell my bad breath. I went to a dentist thinking it was my teeth. He said my teeth were perfect and told me to go see an ENT. That is how all this got started. I dont know what to do anymore and i feel very hopeless sometimes. Please if you find out anything, PLEASE let me know.

very sad
6/25/2006
 .
Well so far I have yet to find a cure. The post-nasal drip has lessened a bit but I still have pretty bad breath. It's embarassing and truly bothers me because I've done everthing I can to fix it. Each doctors seems to think it'll go away on its own but so far it hasn't.

crystalgray01
8/3/2006
 .
Hello Crystal,
I read your comment and I can very much sympathize with your problem. Getting your tonsils removed is not the answer. During my research I have read that having them removed will not cure your bad breath. You need to get to the source of the problem. Post nasal drip is a problem I have been researching for a year now. Hopefully I can help you. I currently have post nasal drip and it is leaving very quickly. I know you are more concerned about bad breath problems because it can effect your life, relationships, and self-esteem. But the good news is that what I'm using cures that too. I'm using products called therabreath. The doctor who created the products is named Katz. He started his research because his daughter suffered from the same embarrassing problem. I'm using all of his products. I suggest you use the starter kit and don't take any short cuts. You will only waste money. This is a system that will give you continuous fresh breath if you use it correctly. You need the toothpaste, floss, mouthwash, nasal drops, throat spray, and mints. I also purchased his nasal/sinus irrigation system. It was $90 and worth every penny. It totally clears post nasal drip getting all that sticky mucus that clogs your throat and causes bad breath. I would have paid $300 to get my life back. (lol)
The irrigation system gets to the source of the problem. You need to alternate using the oral products as well so the problem doesn't come back. Do not waste your money on anymore over the counter oral products that will only make the problem worse because they contain sugar. His products have oxigen bubbles in them; exactly what the mouth needs since it doesn't get any. Finding his products were a miracle. I think I have cried my last tear and hopefully you will to after reading this.
I just hate that I didn't find this sooner. I suffered from this embarrassing problem for a year and it totally effected my relationship. I am a very social, flirty, confident, outgoing individaul. But I must say that this was a very humbling experience.
Go to google and search Therabreath Products or type in www.therabreath.com. You will find confidence in his articles and testimonies of others who share the same problem as you. Hope I have helped you. Good luck!!
Also be sure to look at food you should minimize or avoid while treating this problem.

mekkaNG
8/10/2006
 crystalgray
I forgot to mention that you should stop wasting your money on doctors and dentist that are only going to ignore you and give you false hope that it will go away. It doesn't. It will only get worse. I had mild post nasal that turned into bad breath you could smell only when speaking to a foul odor that came from my nose. I also hated social setting when once I loved he spotlight. I was tired of others covering their nose, turning their heads, coughing, and moving away. Totally embarrasing. You are not alone. You will read that half of all people suffer from this problem. Pls let me know if I have helped you.

mekkaNG
8/10/2006
 Crystalgray
Hi thanks for the response. I tried the Therabreath products a few months back--they didn't help. I have the irrigation system and I bought the mouthwash, toothpaste, and the breath spray. I used it all for weeks, it didn't help at all. It didn't remove the white-coating from my tongue either. I was so frustrated. I know they have other products as well but I didn't see the point in buying them because it didn't help. I even got the sinus drops it made the smell worse, It created a bad breath mixed with sinus drops smell-not so great. lol

Its great to hear that it worked for you and that you getting back to enjoying the spotlight. I was the same way but my self-esteem has definately changed this past year.

If you have any other suggestions I am all ears.

Thanks,
C

crystalgray01
8/20/2006
 .
First I want to say that I'm sorry the products didn't work for you. Don't get me wrong I felt the same way at first, which was the reason I mentioned that you shouldn't take any short-cuts when using these products because you will only waste money. Initially, I was only using over the counter therabreath products (toothpaste, mouthwash, and throat spray) and they didn't work alone. I did this for about a month. I didn't give up because I had tried everything else before and this was the last resort.
When I purchased the irrigation system, I saw a difference. Like you, I was still frustrated because my bad breath didn't immediately leave. But I read the book that came with the system in and out. I used the irrigation system 3 times a day for 4 days straight and noticed that I didn't have that foul smell coming from my nose. I also had less mucus in my throat, but my bad breath wasn't totally gone. I kept using it and this makes 2 weeks for me and I have fresh breath now. However, I have noticed that if I don't go through the steps thoroughly it will come back, but not as bad as before.
I have never had the thick coating on my tongue, so I'm sorry, I don't have any recommendations for that. The nasal drops also made my breath smell worse at first, but I kept using it. Now it doesn't. What I have stop using is therabreath mints and gum because it wasn't working effectively. Instead I use wrigley's extra sugar-free gum and it works. I am also using decongestants on days I have excess mucus or post nasal. I also use their 1 800 no. for any questions. Don't get discouraged. I hope you find something that works or give therabreath another try.
Off the subject, but my last name is Gray and I have a cousin named Crystal Gray.

mekkaNG
8/21/2006
 Crystal
It always seems that I forget to mention something. Now, this is going to sound disguisting but if you have post nasal you probably have tonsil stones. These are small white or yellow stones stuck in the throat. I discovered I had them one day after trying to cough up some of that sticky mucus. My first day using the irrigation system, I flushed out three and yesterday three more. Those things stink really bad. I know my breath is better after getting rid of those. Now the decongestant that I'm using is benedril. I'm not recommending that. It does a great job of drying post nasal but I'm sure it's not healthy to take everyday and besides it makes you sleepy. I do plan to start using mucinex. It's another decongestant advertised a lot. I also want you to look into using these therabreath tablets that you desolve in tap water. You can gargle with it and swallow some at night before bed. It is also a good mouth wash. The reason I kept using the throat spray and nasal drop even though they worsened my bad breath is because they get rid of tonsil stones. Those play a big role in how your breath smells. The reason I saw mine flush out in the sink is because I put the tongue sprayer so far back in my throat that I gagged a little.(lol) I know that sounds crazy, but I was trying to literally get to the source (lol) and it worked. Again I am not recommending that. Also go to the site when you get a chance and look at frequently ask questions. You will find suggestions for that white coating on the tongue. Let me know if I have helped you.

mekkaNG
8/21/2006
 Crystal
Tags: d,breath, smell, nasal, products, post, throat, tonsillitis, back,
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