Smoking and nasal polyps

[Nasal Issues in my Family]

Is it an coincidence that on two occassions when my husband has stopped smoking his nasal polyps have flarred up? He stopped about 12 years ago and had surgery to remove nasal polyps 10 years ago. He stopped smoking about 2 months ago and the polyps are very prenounced in both nostils and appeared very quickly. Did the cigarette smoke keep them at bay over the years or is the timing a total coincidence in both cases. The earliest appoinment to see the same specialist who performed the first surgery is in 4 weeks but they seem to be growing by the day! Is there anything he can take in the meantime? Is it worth taking a nasal steriod? He is very uncomfortable at the moment with both nostrils blocked and dripping.

[knowmynose]

A related discussion, Advice seeking was started.

[Inanga]

i had trouble nose breathing - not from polyps but from food allergies. If i eat wheat gluten or soy i get masses of mucous and generally blocked up. I couldn't sleep properly - I'd wake up choking on mucous. The allerguy tests only showed a pollen problem but I kew that was not the big problem since that should be seasonal and I had problem all year round. Since avoing these thing I've come 100% right. I guess there's a possibility you have the same think on top of the poyps. Or some other food allergy. I think it's worth trying an elimination process - the doctors i saw for years over this were no help. They tried to treat the symptoms and that helped but not very well. I had to find the cause myself. Good luck and never give up!

[TB1n]

My husband has been suffering for 3 years now.  He doesn't have insurance so for 2 years he just went without seeing a doctor.  One day while investigating his problem I noticed something large and kind of whiteish in his nose.  We finally broke down and sent him to an ENT/allergy doctor.  Treatment begain with an antibiotic, Prednisone, Flonase, Singulair and Clarinex.  That worked well for a while.  Now the Prednisone doesn't seem to shrink the polyps at all.  They are large enough that he cannot use the nasal spray because he is completey blocked.  He's had the allergy test and allergy shots, which didn't do a thing for him.  He is still without insurance and still without the ability to breath thru his nose.  Do you have any suggestions?  When the allergy testing was performed we were given a sheet which showed things like mold,weeds, trees,etc... and foods that coincided with those elements.  Some were only at certain times of the year.  What are the rules with that.  If a certain food is related to a certain element, should that food be avoided at all times?  Or only in the months stated?
I am desperate for help!!!!  It kills me to listen him struggle for breath, especially at night.  He works hard to take care of our family. I feel so helpless not being able to do anything to make him breathe easier.  PLEASE HELP!!

[Nasal Issues in my Family]

Thanks! Actually my husband borrowed a relative's nasal inhaler called Flonase, and what an incredible difference!! We cannot see the polyps that were so pronounced less than 2 weeks ago when I first entered this conference. We cannot get over how much and how quickly they have shrunk and he only used the nasal spray a few times. He can at least now breathe until the appoinment with the specialist in a few weeks. He has stopped taking the nasal spray for a few days now trying to see how effective it is. Hopefully surgery will not be the only option.

[National Jewish]

Your description certainly suggests that there is a cause and effect relationship.  I am unaware of this and found no description of it in a brief Medline search. As you know nasal polyps do often return after surgery.  The overwhelming majority of nasal polyps can be well controlled by the use of nasal steroids.

However, if polyps are large enough to block the nasal passages, a nasal steroid, such as Flonase, will not get to the tissue it needs to.  In this circumstance, it is often necessary to use a short-course of high dose oral steroids to shrink the polyps.  Then, when they are much smaller an inhaled nasal steroid can be used.  Using this technique, it is often possible to avoid repeat surgery.