About Kathleen MacNaughton Expertise As a registered nurse and health educator, as well as a person living with nasal allergies, eczema, allergic asthma, and eye allergies, I can answer questions related to allergy symptoms, triggers, diagnosis, and treatment.
Experience I have lived with severe nasal, eye, and skin allergies all of my life. I also have allergic asthma. In addition, I have been an RN for more than 30 years and have spent the last 10 years as a consumer health educator, both offline and online, specializing in the areas of allergies and asthma.
Publications About.com (asthma), HealthCentral.com (asthma and allergy networks), RhinocortAqua.com, EverydayKidz.com
Education/Credentials Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Syracuse University.
I am 24 years old and ever since I can remember, I have had sinus problems. To be more specific, a dry moderate congestion w/ not much sinus pressure that varies in severity, and alternates nostrils. Occasionally, it'll be in both nostrils, but most of the time, its just in one and blocks it about 90%. In short, enough to be annoying.
As a teenager, I have been through the various prescription nose sprays and had allergy shots (mold, dust, ragweed) for years. The allergy shots seemed to help slightly (placebo?), but not enough to make a large difference. The prescription nose sprays did not seem to help at all.
The only thing that does work, is the "over the counter" nose spray of the Afrin variety. I'm not constantly using it, but I find I have been using it a few times per week. However, this is the ONLY thing that works, and it works great. I know this time of nose spray is bad in many ways, but its the only relief I seem to get.
I have read about sinus surgery, but it seems that is more for permanent blockages that can't be remedied by any of the nasal sprays. Am I right or wrong? What should I do at this point? Any advice would be appreciated.
Answer Hi J,
I'm sure you know that long term use of OTC nasal sprays is not recommended. Overuse of these medications can actually lead to a worsening of your symptoms over time. I know that has not really been your experience, but chances are you will eventually begin to experience these negative effects.
You don't say what specific kinds of prescriptions you've tried in the past. Have you tried Flonase or the like? Prescription nasal steroids? Have you ever tried a nasal saline rinse, such as the Netti Pot? That's very gentle and a lot of people are finding it really works.
I'm sorry; I don't know too much about nasal surgery. Hope you find a solution that will work for you.
