My husband has a permanent stuffy nose which causes him to sniff continuously, desperately try to blow his nose which often leads to the situation getting worse with the roof of his mouth being very dry and uncomfortable. If this was a one off or just a cold we could deal with it but this seems to be permanent and he has suffered in this way for many years. It flares up every now and then and then we have a period of about 6 weeks where it is unbearable, keeps him awake at night and generally interferes with normal life.
He has tried numerous remedies - nothing has worked, We thought it may be an allergy and have tried cutting out various foods but this has not worked either. He will not go to the doctor so suffers badly . Sometimes I think he makes it worse by constant sniffing but he says he cannot help it .
Any advice appreciated.
Has he tried a vaporizer in the room while he sleeps? That helps me.
I don't have any other advice, but I have what appears to be permanent congestion too. I did see an ENT (two, actually) and they both said I couldn't breathe because I had a deviated nasal septum. So, I had surgery and now I have a perfectly straight septum.....and still can't breathe correctly. I feel super congested all the time, and when I sleep I still have to breathe through my mouth. Surgery definitely not worth the money!
I spent most of my life not being able to breathe through both nostrils at the same time. When my allergies acted up, I couldn't breath through either nostril.
In April of last year, at age 57, I had nasal and sinus surgery. My ENT removed a cyst from a maxillary sinus, cleaned out my turbinates (the cause of the stuffiness), opened my ethmoids and straightened my septum.
As soon as the packing was removed from my nose, 3 days post-op, I could breath through both nostrils at the same time. Almost 16 months later, that continues to be the case.
I'd have the surgery again in a heartbeat. It was expensive surgery. We're still making payments to the ENT. But, in my case, it was worth every penny.
I use the generic brand of Flonase, a prescription nasal spray, 2 sprays in each nostril every morning. I've used this for about 4 years and have been very happy with it. My reason for the surgery was because I wanted to get rid of the cyst. Since I was having surgery anyway, we decided to take care of the other things, too. I also sometimes rinse my nose and sinuses using a Neti Pot.
Your husband really should see an ENT. It isn't scary at all. I was a little nervous about allergy testing. I have a thing about needles. But there was nothing to it...just tiny pricks down my arm. Maybe all your husband needs is a Flonase prescription or some allergy medicine to help clear up his stuffiness.
I have been using Flo Naise for over 20 years! I couldn't live without it.. I tried the generic and that like to have killed me, so I am stuck with the name brand.
It takes about 2 weeks for it to work but once it does, it keeps you open. The ONE time in all those years of useing it that I didn't have it, I got a sinus infection (and that one time was the generic they gave me).. Get him to see a PCP if you can't get him to a ENT.. My PCP gives me the Rx for it, not my ENT..
