My Nostrils Are Constantly Swollen Shut, And I'm Unable To Breathe! Help!
Posted , 5 users are following.
For years, I have had problems with breathing through my nose, and I've recently been to the doctor for it. As I took their medicine, it worked for a while until I ran out of one of the meds. Now, I'm right back where I was. I'm unable to sleep, eat, or even just enjoy my days off because I can't breathe. I'm stuck having to rely and carry nasal spray everywhere I go for the rest of my life, and there's nothing that could cure my bad sinuses. The doctor diagnosed me with allergic rhinitis, but I think it's more than that. Throughout the year, my sinuses stay swollen shut unless I use nasal spray. Saline never works for me, and I even try home remedies such as steam, salt water, and massaging pressure points. NOTHING WORKS! I even tried taking medicines, but they never open me up. My mother says I have to keep taking them, but I need to breathe NOW! Now, I'm praying for my mother to come home soon with the nasal spray because I can't eat and breathe at the same time. I'm starting to think that I don't have a nose anymore.. My throat and mouth are constantly drying out cause I'm relying on my mouth to breathe, and I'm starving cause I can't eat unless I had a nose to breathe through! It's just too hard trying to breathe and eat at the same time through your mouth when you're tying not to choke on your food. I'm desperate! This happens every time I don't have nasal spray within my reach. I feel like I'm either gonna suffocate or starve. My sinuses have been the torture of my body besides my overly sensitive hearing. Every morning, I wake up struggling to breathe because my nostrils stay swollen shut without nasal spray. Blowing my nose doesn't help, and trying to drain my sinuses with a solution just makes them swell shut more! I don't think I can keep living like this! My mother refuses to take me back to the doctor because she expects the regular medicines to work, but they aren't opening me up! They're supposed to keep me open, but without nasal spray, I close right back up! I don't need medicines; I need a miracle. Nasal spray is the best I can get. Idk if we even have the money, but maybe I should suggest surgery. I feel like a dying fish lying here with my mouth hanging open.
0 likes, 6 replies
yeep63334 GigglesTheHyena
Posted
What spray are you using? Are you using a decongestant spray like afrin? It is not good to use decongestants more than a few days continuously.
Also what meds are you on? Antihistamine?
Have your mom read some of the sharing on this site so that she knows your issue is real and your inability to breathe through nose can cause major issue with sleep, anxiety, headaches, brain fog etc...
GigglesTheHyena yeep63334
Posted
I don't know. She eas diagnosed with something by the doctor, but her medicines didnt work, but congestion wasn't much of a problem for her as it is for me. She went back to regular meds, and it worked for her. When I was diagnosed with allergic rhinitis, the doctor prescribed me with Allegra, a nasal spray decongestant, and a third medicine I can't spell. It worked until I ran out of the third medicine. While I was still taking Allegra and that nasal spray as instructed, my sinuses started back acting up again, so now i'm back to using regular nasal spray. It doesn't say afrin on it, but it says not to use it as often as every 10-12 hours and not
fast acting maximum strength nasal spray. Using that nasal spray, my sinuses have been staying open now, but i will still need it to keep them open for about 10 hours or so. Medicines didn't work. Nothing else did. Prescribed medicines worked for a while until I ran out of one of them. So now regular nasal spray is working for me again. The regular one I'm using says it has oxymetazoline hydrochloride as a nasal decongestant. This is what I have been using for the past few days since that prescribed stuff has ran out, and it is working fine now, but what I don't understand is when I take medicines without using the regular nasal spray, I just close up completely. Home remedies I tried don't help either.
yeep63334 GigglesTheHyena
Posted
I encourage you to google what the third medicine is. So far, what you have is Allegra, which is an antihistamine. This help your nose react less to allergens and hopefully swell less. You have a spray, likely a corticosteroid spray. Same effect, to help your nose react less. Both of these take time to work... can take 2 weeks and above. But that third medicine may be a decongestant, and if it is, it acts to constrict your blood vessels in your nose which has a fast effect of reducing the swelling in your nose.
And now that you are using a Over the counter spray, it has decongestant and that helps to reduce the swelling fast. The issue with using decongestant is that it cannot be overused or else it’s effectiveness will reduce. It’s called rebound. If you can google that. It’s best that you use it for a 3-5 days but stop. Alternatively, try oral decongestant like Zyrtec D, Allegra D etc. These are antihistamines plus decongestant. The packaging prescribes once every 12hrs, so u can take it twice a day. But again, you should only take these at max 5 days in a row. My doc had instead told me to take it once instead of twice a day n that helped me thru the day. And at this dosage, it can last you longer than 5 days in a row.
Ultimately, I suspect you need do see an ENT as well as an allergist. The allergy you are having is causing havoc to your turbinates which are likely swollen. The ENT will be able to walk you thru management better. Many of the OTC medicine can be harmful if you don’t take them according to the prescription.
Take care.
GigglesTheHyena yeep63334
Posted
Ok. The OTC nasal spray doesn't work, but the store bought does well. I've only used the nasal spray two times today! I'm doing well with the regular store bought nasal spray right now, but it will still be good to see a doctor. Thanks for the advice. I'll let my mother know.
samzzz GigglesTheHyena
Posted
OMG. I am going thru the same exact thing. I can't even live my life
I have an appointment with an allergist on Wednesday so I'll let you guys know if anything new works. I can't breathe/eat/think... it's ruining my life 
kenneth00894 GigglesTheHyena
Posted
One day I shined a flashlight up there, and I figured out it wasn’t mucous, it was my nasal way complete swollen shut. For me, it is ussually on one side of the other, it alternates. When laying down it is far worse.
I also have had a history of digestive issues, and though not a problem, I’d say a bit more then the average person in terms of number 3 or irregular bowel movements.
Fed up, when I was 25 I went RON naturopath to see if she might have a solution for me. I was desperate, and I wasn’t getting anything from my regular doctor. I always thought of the naturopath as some hippie dippie nonsense.
She did a full battery of tests, no allergies like ussual, but then she did a food sensitivity test, with my blood sample which is a different test from allergies.
It came back that I had an immune response to wheat, diary, processed sugar, brewers yeast, garlic, and pecans. She suggested a 30 day diet with out any of those... after 5 days I could breathe! I had a cold, but even with the cold I could breathe through my nose. I’ve narrowed it down to pretty much wheat and diary and processed sugar, I can even have some cheese but not what I used to eat. It is an absolute struggle to avoid wheat and diary, and I often give into the temptation, weekly. And, I simply choose to bare the consequences, but now that I can control it I can definitely attest that it has to do with my diet. When I give in, within hours I get swollen on one side. Right now even, I am halfway through the Seattle to Portland ride, and I ate a bunch of bad things for me along the way cause food was provided, like PB and J sandwiches. It’s over 90 degrees and I can’t sleep even after riding 108 miles today, because I’m getting dry mouth. All because I ate wheat. The food test is a few hundred dollars and not covered by insurance, but my gosh was it worth it. You can also try an elimination diet, and do it the old fashion way. Western medicine completely failed me, that’s just my story. Sorry if it offends you, but I went though a lot of trouble to reply to this post because ive been there, I have no reason to make this up.
I’m a federal agent in a position of public trust, and I hope you give this a try. It will be rough. Your friends will make fun of you. Your doctors will scoff. But I’m telling you, try a reputable naturopath that searches for solutions rather than treating your symptoms. Our medical system is quite broken, there is no emphasis on nutrition, but the food that we eat has such great power on your quality of life.
Best of luck.
-Kenny McCray