complicated, so many variables

I have either a stuffed or runny nose, only sometimes in between sort of nomal.  It doesn't drive me crazy and I think of it as part of other more serious problems.  First, I had a deviated septum operation on my left nostril, this is the one that runs, and the operation was to let it run since I had gotten pneumonia twice, the sinuses described as a petri dish.  As here, people with these operations seem to suffer from dripping noses.  But i recently discovered i am pretty certain I have GERD, a few night waking up from sleep and with that terrible lump in my throat and a burning mouth, the taste making it seem less like asthma than acid reflux, though they are completely co-morbid to the degree of 70% to 90% depending what you read (and medical info is all over the place, I know enough to be very wary of it).  And the way I have treated it and so far pretty successfully is to get some Zantac and elevate my head, and go on a alkeline diet, eliminating really acidious foods (lived, say, on tomato sauce,maybe the worst).  The Zantec because it seems something you can be on forever -- which I don't like and has side effects (like even pneumonia) -- I will try to cut out, so reading here gives hints (alkeline water, which I have read about and will now try, lemon, gargle with some salt water, the licorice pills to replace Zantac,etc. -- but all of these I think only are good only as a trial, each person maybe very indiviual; and the humidifier seems good too to try).  I will mention I also have severe CPOD beyond asthma, and high blood pressure (am a mess, but older too), and for the pressure, I thake some Viagra, trace amounts (about 10 mg daily) which was developed originally for pressure, and this causes stuffy noses, so if anyone cannot stop a nose, this might actually work.  The downside -- there is always one -- for Viagra for me is that it can hurt the esophogus flap, eases things, so you get more reflux maybe, just like calcium blockers for high blood pressure are also implicated.  Obviously there are a million variables, like lemon is acidic but seems to become alkeline in the blood, so is maybe good, but is it alkeline in the stomach where it counts?  or the thories that acidic foods are needed to produce an alkeline stomach.  You name it.  I do notice however that my nose is now running much more on the more alkeline diet, so maybe this contributes, the mucous is thinner, which I prefer, less toxic seeming, the kind I associate with a sore throat dripping down as well as gastric juices coming up.  Everything is related, and I am certain mood also plays a part, anxiety, and certainly being sleep deprived with gastric or nasal drips, going nuts just from this, afraid even to sleep.  Melotin is a calming drug supposedly, and a sleep aid, and maybe reducing anxiety has some benefit for nasal problems.  I have an idea that this is a neverending narrative, dust, temperature, everything, but I also notice when I am with people talking, I am much less symptom free, that obsessing about the problem can aggravate things, wanting my nose perfect can aggravate things, and my nose is never perfect except in the space of becoming problematic running or stuffed.  one other thing, dust is also a factor, clearly.  Being alive is also a factor.  

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