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Chronic Rhinitis ruining my sons life - could change of climate help?

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ursulauc62
ursulauc62

I have just joined this forum after years of trying to find a solution for my sons terrible chronic Rhinitis. 

He has a blocked nose - one nostril worse than the other, aas well as runny nose most of the day and is always blowing it, plus always present phlegm, which makes it very hard for him to go to sleep at night.

He also gets reflux quite often which makes him throw up, particularly at night.

He has had his tonsils taken out, turbinate removal surgery - they just grew back, and has been on all sorts of anti-allergy medication and steroid nasal sprays for years.  The problem is as bad as ever. Its got to the point where he is taking a sleeping tablet some nights when he is completely exhausted by 4-5am and has had no sleep, then sleeps till midday or longer. 

I went to the Dr a few days ago with him as I had done a bit of research online and found that chronic rhinits can be made worse by some sorts of fungal infection similar to those which cause the MRSA virus and the skin condition Impetigo.  His younger cousin who he has spent more time with recently has had this condition on and off for years. Could he have unknowingly caught it from him? The research concluded that some anti-fungal antibiotic ointments can help, and in fact after I told the Dr about this, she prescibed some ointment for my son for his nostrils as she said they looked as if they might be infected.

This has helped his nose problems a bit during the day.

I am thinking of trying exclusion diets next - lactose free, Gluten Free - anything which might potentially help.

I have read online and also from some posts on this forum, that moving to a warm dry climate can help. We live in a temperate damp one currently.   I am willing to explore options to do this if it will help him, as the condition is currently really damaging his life, and he cant work because of it.

His symptoms of rhinitis first became prevalent a couple of months after we had moved a few hundred miles from one part of the country - more rural, to another - North, on the coast and a bit more polluted. We had no idea at the time, but apparently, - I have since heard from various Specialists we have seen, that it is a more common complaint in this part of the country.  Of course I didnt know this before, and now wish we had never moved!

Is moving somewhere warmer and drier really likely to help?  Could it take a few weeks before one knows if this is going to help - the climate change?  I am feeling quite desperate to help him just now.  He is 19, and taking a year out before going to university, but his condition impacted his performance in his A' Levels, which he is supposed to be re-taking, but is currently too ill to study.

Any useful advice on this would be welcome.

 

0 likes, 12 replies

12 Replies

  • care4health
    care4health ursulauc62

    Posted

    I feel for you and your son. I had been suffering terrible sinus congestion. You probably have read my post, I'm the one who moved to a dier climate.

    All my life I had allergies, but not too significant, but after we moved to the tropics, a few years later I developed such a horrible allergy that my sinuses were fully blocked 24/7, and had many sleepless nights too! I had middle turbinectomy, becuase my ENT said that I had a cyst in my nose, I trusted him and went along with the surgery, he cut part of the middle turbinates. Mind you I didn;t know at the time, that turbinectomy is actualy quiet dangerous, you can end up with empty nose syndrom, which is uncurable. The surgery was absolutely useless. ENT told me that I am allergic to dust mites and they thrive in humid climate so better to get away from it. It was partially true, even though I am allergic to dust mites, just dite mites by themselves don;t cause such horrible allergies. But the humidity does. For me anyway. So took his advise, took some longer holiday, 1 month here, 1 month there, and noticed the difference immediately. I moved 2 years ago, and I am still having sinus issues, but never during the day, and mild during the nigth. So I am ok with that. I'm not taking any antihistamines or sprays. 

    You certainly can experience with different diets, he could try saline rinse or sptray, but I suppose he already done that.

    Chortison sprays on the long run are not good, they damaging the lining of the nose. 

    I'd suggest the easiest thing first to get a skin prick allergy  test, if you haven't done that yet, that might brigh the light if he has any severe alleries. It's not a 100% test, but gives some ideas what could cause it.

    If you have a chance take your son on a holiday to a very different area, at least for 2 weeks. My nose started to clear up already on the plane! But it's not instant, it took quite, it was on and off for quite some time. 

     

    • ursulauc62
      ursulauc62 care4health

      Posted

      Thanks very much for this.  

      My son did have the Turbinectomy and the recovery was really unpleasant and painful, and soon his probem came back. He has been advised that any more surgery will not really help.

      I'll have to try the allergy test route and then perhaps take a long break with him somewhere warm.

       

  • anon_private
    anon_private ursulauc62

    Posted

    Try to remove all fungal spores from the house.

    Don't forget to try and remove all house dust mites, including from the bedding.

    Consider any local environmental factors that could be causing the problem, farms. factories, etc.

  • anon_private
    anon_private ursulauc62

    Posted

    A change of climate might help, (away from the damp and the cold, if relevant), but note the importance of identifying and removing allergens.
    • ursulauc62
      ursulauc62 anon_private

      Posted

      I understand exactly what you mean about removing dust and preventing mould.  The house we bought and now live in has quite a mouldy garden shed. The people who lived here before us actually had a carpet fitted in the shed!  When we moved here we thought it was very eccentric, but didnt bother taking it out. We stored alot of things in there over the years, and I noticed in the last couple of years or sore that whenever I go in there I start feelng itchy and my throat and chest feel tight.  I am certain there is a fungal infestation in there. So we removed the carpet, but some of the things stored in there semed to have also been affected by the mould. I brought a suitcase from the shed into the house a couple of months ago, and did wipe it down thoroughly with disinectant and store it in a bedroom. Bu5t a few weeks ago I took it out from the corner it was in as we were about to go on holiday and I wanted to use it.   Immediately, There was a very mouldy smell and I felt the itching and tightness in my throat and chest again.   I realized that the bottom of the case was mouldy and there was also mould on the bedroom carpet which had spread a few feet around the area.  

      I couldnt believe it had persisted and got so bad.  I cleaned and treated the carpet, and threw a things away which I thought had been affected, and couldnt even stay in the bedroom for several days after that.

      My son has quite a thick carpet - we suggetsed removing it, but he said he likes it. I am constantly trying to keep it and the rest of his room clean and as dust free as possible - but its like fighting a losing battle.

      My husband doesnt seem to be affected by any of these things at all, but I know how damaging dust and fungal spores can be.  I would like to get rid of all our carpets and minimise the soft furnishings for starters!

    • anon_private
      anon_private ursulauc62

      Posted

      ' I would like to get rid of all our carpets and minimise the soft furnishings for starters!'

      A good idea. You son's health comes first - as does yours.

      I know it does not sound very nice, but consider making you environment as spartan as possible..

      Anything that you think has mold, consider throwing out.

      Try to ensure a clean environment. Your husbad does not suffer from the allergies that you do.

      Best wishes

    • care4health
      care4health ursulauc62

      Posted

      I had itchiness to, interestingly it was when I went to the bathroom, I started to have sneezing attacks and itchyness in the throat. Our place was renovated, so no visible mould was there, but it could very well be some sort of fungus. I also suspect that dust coming from the sugar cane fields - they were all over the town, - were also responsible for this horrible sinus congestion. 

      You can buy allergy free carpets. I had no carpet at all where I lived and still had this problem. But better to get rid of old dust attracting carpets.

      And very important! how old is the matress? That's the place where dust mites are living the dream of their lives! Same for the pillow.

      The way you might get rid of them is putting it on full sun, freezer and of course regular vacuum. But if it's too old just buy a new  one.

      Dust mites also thrive in hot humid climate! 

       

  • ooops64
    ooops64 ursulauc62

    Posted

    I a man so sorry to hear, your son has Ryhinitis and only 19, that is rotten for him. Mine started about five years ago I am 67, so retired. I have a bit of Asthma too and also have suffered with GURD. My GURD is connected to my sliding Hernia problem. With the Ryhinitis I take Fexofenidine, I find that is the best antihestamine. Recently my doctor has given me Dymista, that does have a bit of steroid in, but I have found this stops the constant drip and I am not walking around with a tissue constantly. I sleep better too, with this, I only use one spray each nostril, sometimes just one nostril. 

    I use Almond milk and use non dairy cheese, no dairy at all. I also have realised, some other foods have impact too. Alcohol if I drink, the morning is dreadful, I wake early and the mucous and phlegm is appalling, takes me an hour to clear my head of it. I am in the process, of trying to find out what other foods I can iliminate, to help myself. I believe I have a reaction to foods that, produce more Histamine in my head. Some foods help us to reduce Hystamine. We take Antihestamine to get rid of Hestamine, as this makes us produce mucous. There are thoughts that people who have Ryhinitis, that they are actually allergic to the Histamine the body makes. Polyps are what grow, also in navel cavities, that are sometimes removed by operation, and can grow back. I do hope your son finds some relief, as he gets older. 

    • ooops64
      ooops64

      Posted

      Sorry that should be I am. I am in fact female incidentally 🙄

    • ursulauc62
      ursulauc62 ooops64

      Posted

      Thanks ooops64. I will look into the medications you mentioned, and also try him on a dairy free diet for a while.

       Luckily he doesnt object to this as he is so fed up, he will do practically anything to get rid of the condition.

  • ooops64
    ooops64 ursulauc62

    Posted

    Oh and I have also started taking, tablets a mixture of Ginger, Termeric & Bromelain all anti-Histamine ingredients.. I only started taking these last week. These I got on Amazon after Googling information on how to limit, the Histamine my bod makes. 

  • jan06380
    jan06380 ursulauc62

    Posted

    Hi, I don't know where you live. I moved the central Portugal one thing I have found is living at altitude is beneficial but only short term as after almost a year my symptoms are slowly returning.  We have very little air pollution from industry but still many irritants. This time of year everyone burns cuttings from olives trees and vines and have wood burners or open fires in houses. Also in the summer the temperature is in the high 40s by day and still into the 30s through the night. I cannot say for certain but i think not eating overly processed food could help.  Coconut oil around just inside the nostrils every night helps me to sleep, we have a different product here but it's not available in the uk 😕 also if I feel wheezzieI found a Himalayan salt inhaler is very calming 🙂 Hope this is useful to you 🙂

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