Last July (2006), I had septoplasty to correct my extremely deviated septum. Ever since then, my nose has been persistently stuffy. I went to an ENT doctor about it in June, and he said that it was probably seasonal allergies and prescribed Nasonex. STILL no change in my breathing, so I went back over Thanksgiving weekend. The doctor still maintains that it's allergies and prescribed Fexofenadine (Allegra, I think) and Singulair--and instructed me to continue using the Nasonex as well. It's been 2 weeks and I've still seen no change!

I feel like taking three allergy medications simultaneously is a bit excessive. In addition, stuffy nose is the ONLY allergy-like symptom that I have--I don't have itchy, watery eyes, sneezing, runny nose, skin problems, etc. I'm just so disappointed because I thought I'd finally be able to breathe clearly after the septoplasty and now, a year and a half later, my breathing is just as bad as ever. Can anybody give me an idea as to what's going on in my nose???

I can't tell you what's going on but I can tell you that using Nasonex, Singulair and Allegra in combination isn't that unusual - IF it's really allergies that are causing the problem. You should probably consider seeing an allergist to get tested - at least you can rule out allergies as the cause of the problem.

ENTs vary in their approach so you might want to consider getting a second opinion - there are lots of things that can cause you to feel stuffy - if your ENT isn't using an endoscope to look up into your nose when you go to visit him, he's not really seeing what's going on up there.

Actually, when I went in June, he did use an endoscope....he said that I had excess lymphoid tissue in the back of my nose and commented on the tonsils in the back of my throat (which are always a bit swollen)....I'm not sure if that's related to allergies or not, just thought I'd throw that in in case it would help!

The good news is that if he used an endoscope he would have been able to see any singificant inflammation or polyps that could have been why you continue to feel stuffy. I think your best bet would be to see an allergist to try to rule out or confirm allergies. If he/she confirms that you have allergies they'll be able to help develop a more specific treatment plan - if you don't have any allergies they may have other suggestions.

Hope that helps.