Weird Smell in my Nasal passage will not go away.

[jpp2000]

I have had nasal problems for years, nasal polyps, sinus surgery sinus infections etc. For many years I have experien ced smells that reside in my nasal passages. I recently had nasal polyps removed for a second time and am on an aggressive treatment of antibiotic, antihistamine, and allergy medications.
Since I have had this smell for many years when people ask me to identify it, I can't because I have only this smell to reference so I can not compare it to anything else.
What I have noticed, and what I have yet to read in my research is that WHEN ANY OTHER SMELL IS PRESENT, I CAN SMELL MY WEIRD SMELL IN PLACE OF IT. So, if a strong smell is present, I smell my smell stronger. It appears the smell comes and goes, but it actually gets triggered by other smells. I have spoken to my ENT and she hasn't got a clue. I wonder if there is some kind of study being done on this phenomenon? I have cleaned out my Sinuses with alkalol(not misspelled) and a baking soda and salt water solution on a regular basis, but it does nothing to reduce the smell. I can even put vicks vaporub under my nose to try to overpower the smell but nothing helps.
Are there any real Doctors out there that can come up with a solution? I'm totally at a loss...

[FurballsMom]

I've had this weird smell before.  Everyone else thought I was nuts, too.  Don't listen to them.  I have allergies and I've had sinus infections.  Netti pots are a great solution.  I've even gotten rid of sinus infections with this nasal wash without the use of antibiotics.  I don't smell that awful smell so often any more.  This really helps a lot.

[dpthots]

I had something similar to that except it only seemed to be noticeable when I put saline spray in my nose. The smell was kind of like moldy socks.

I've been through a lot of trouble with my sinuses too. Surgery and such, treatment for allergies, but didn't get much improvement until I treated myself for a fungal infection.

[Cassianna]

I have fungal sinusitis, which is chronic.  Most doctors will not recognize this as a condition because they assume that yeast infections are controlled by our immune system, unless you have HIV or another auto immue disease.  

The Mayo Clinic has done much research on this. It appears by their data, and other labs have verified it, that everyone who has chronic allergies and sinus infections has fugal sinusitis. The fungus grows, the esinophiles in your immune system attack it and kill it, but in the process the proteins released by the esinophiles tear tissue in the sinuses and opens them for bacterial infection.

When you think you are having allergies, it is the yeast being attacked by the esinophiles, not histamines.  So allergy meds often don't work well.  Then after your so called allergies stop, you are left with a sinus infection.

The use of antibiotics and steriods will make this condition worse.  The antibiotics change the body chemistry to the extent that the yeast can grow and the immune system cannot fight it off.  Steroids kill the immune system, so the yeast gets worse and often can go into the lungs and cause asthma.  The Mayo Clinic has also found fungal residue in all asthma patients.  They have shown that using anti fungals orally will greatly help asthma patients. It helps them so much, they don't even need their inhalers.

I use a nasal irrigation system at least three times a day. I also get nasal irrigation medications from Sinucare.  I use an antifungal wash and an antibiotic wash.  Both are used topically in the sinuses.  Unless you are dying and have no choice, do not use antibiotics orally and never intraveinous.  

  I have been off antibiotics and doing this irrigation routine for 2 1/2 years, and I am normal most of the time.  This condition is chronic and will never go away.  So I'm always fighting the yeast, then bacteria. The immune system gets tired and it always comes back, especially if you get stressed.

When I have fungal balls in my nose I can smell ammonia, garbage, or this weird hard to explain smell. Its like a waxy perfumey smell. But, they wash out and after a day, it goes away for a while.  

Also, probiotics, which antibiotics kill, are important to take on a regular basis.

Do some fungal sinusitis research on the web, and good luck finding a doctor to listen to you. You can go to Sinucare (www.sinuspray.com) and they may be able to help you find a doctor in your area who understands. You need a prescription to get the sinus washes.  

I went to a doctor and took all my research data, papers, ect. and I gave her a presentation of the Mayo Clinic research.  So now she gives me prescriptions for the washes.  But she had never heard of the Mayo data until I told her.

[dpthots]

I believe I have suffered with this condition for most of my 47 years. Two weeks ago, in the middle of fighting another sinus attack, I spent the days searching the internet, when  I hit upon the information you have described, Cassianna.  I dropped of the info to my doctor, told him to call me if this was hooey, started self treatment, and am doing splendid without his help.  I can't remember if I have ever felt this good in my life.

[Cassianna]

That is wonderful! What are you using? I have a Sinupulse machine that is made to flush out the sinuses. It is fabulous. I'll use that with a salt water solution and then use a syringe to irrigate with 16 mls of antifungal/antibiotic wash in each side.  

I was at a point where I could not taste or smell anything, 2 years ago.  Now I can almost smell everything. Plus, it used to make me so fatigued, now I'm almost full energy again.  It is considered to be an autoimmune disease because it taxes your immune so much to be constantly battling yeast.  

Even after all this time, I still have bad days.  Today was one. I had that ammonia smell this morning, and I felt like crap. Now its gone and I'm feeling like eating. The longer you do this, the better you get. You can irrigate out polyps and fungal balls.  I've seen fungal balls come out of mine, a year ago. I didn't know what they were, then I found a paper on Aspergillus and fungal balls in the sinuses, and they described exactly what I had. It comes from over use of antibiotics, plus I'm sensitive to fungal spores in the environment. I'm sure I have Candidas too. I get it on my skin when it gets real bad.
If I take anitbiotics, I get athletes foot on my whole body. I have to take oral antifungals.

Here is a link to a summery of the Mayo study. They did this in 1999!

http://www.mayoclinic.org/ent-rst/chronicsinus.html

[dpthots]

I am using just a plain old "douche" bottle that comes with the sinus rinse kit. I started using it couple years ago on the advice of the ENT, with an "inhaler". Actually, I had been prescribed the "inhaler" stuff god knows how long ago, even though I kept telling them they didn't work, and they would tell me that this was the latest and greatest, and  to try it. I guess you and I know what that does- thank god I didn't use it much,  usually it was just when I was stuffed up, so it didn't really get a chance to screw me up too bad.

The one real bad thing I did, I think, was that I used water off my tap for the rinse, and I am on a well. (You see this coming, don't you?) I think our well water has a fair amount of bacteria in it. Anyway, I got myself a bacterial infection a couple of times, wasn't until this last episode that the light came on in my head. I was told that this was a deep well, and I thought it was safe, but got to thinking about it, and stopped using tap water, and got purified water to use, and that helped. Anyway, got that part figured out, what a relief to at least give my system some kind of a chance.

Other than the rinse, I am taking GSE, about 10 drops to a glass, about 4 times a day, and also I am taking enzyme supplement, and a "broad" probiotic, which I hope I can reduce to acidophilus in a few weeks, will see.

Not sure if I will require the oral antifugal drug or not, still improving every day, going to stay the course and see. After all the miserable times of failed doctoring, still expect things to back slide one day, but have had about 2 weeks of steady improvement, so every day is great for me.

About a year ago, I expected I would be dead today, I felt so bad. I was dizzy, tired, blurry vision, spots in my vision, a dry cough when laying down, hurt everywhere, notwithstanding that I had not been able to breathe through my nose for months. Just getting up to walk across the room, my heart rate would zoom up. I still managed to get out and walk and lift weights, but just through force of will. I was ready to just throw in the towel, go get a bunch of life insurance, and wait for the end. I had so much pain in my joints and muscles, I had to grit my teeth and just walk or whatever. I was seriously just tired of fighting.

Today, I had the best day of feeling good.

Well, hope to fill you in on my experience more someday, should go do something else for awhile before bed.