7 ms·

I had turbinate reduction after a series of never-ending sinus infections. Lessened the symptoms somewhat, didn't abate. Went to an allergist, found out I was a

I had turbinate reduction after a series of never-ending sinus infections. Lessened the symptoms somewhat, didn't abate. Went to an allergist, found out I was allergic to pretty much everything outside, went on immunotherapy for 5 years, haven't had a sinus infection yet. Best thing I ever did for my health. Moral of the story: Surgeons like to do procedures. ENTs are surgeons. Act accordingly.

dinkleberg 5y ago
Thanks for sharing your experience, you've inspired me to go find an allergist. I'm tired of feeling like crap for months every spring.
emptysongglass 5y ago
I have sinusitis. Been tested twice by two different ENTs for a common allergy screening. Nothing. Should I be doing something different?
- seehafer 5y ago
  YMMV of course. Did you get skin and blood testing? I've found that dedicated allergists tend to be more thorough about this, but there's no guarantee that allergies are the cause of your sinusitis.
eterm 5y ago
What do you mean by immunotherapy?
- elric 5y ago
  Not the person you're replying to, but probably allergen immunotherapy, aka desensitization. Basically you're given ever increasing doses of whatever it is you're allergic to. Over time, you should build up a tolerance. IIRC there are tablets available for common allergens like dust mites. For others, you need to get regular shots, which is a bit tricker and riskier.
  - seehafer 5y ago
    Yes, this is correct. Generally you need regular shots. There is a startup working on a way to deliver the same regimens in oral drops: https://www.wyndly.com https://www.wyndly.com
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
Lazare 5y ago
Interestingly, I went to an ENT recently with chronic sinus problems. Me: "My nose has been clogged since the 90s, I'm on three different antihistamine prescriptions, do you think surgery might help me?" ENT: "Surgery? I mean, it might help a little. Might make things worse. What I'd really recommend is figuring out what you're allergic to. Let me write you a referral to an allergist instead." Me, confused: "Wait, I'm allergic to something?" ENT, more confused: "You didn't realise? Did nobody tell you you've displaying obvious symptoms? Why did you think you were on the antihistamines?" Me: "Uh...." So yes. I'd certainly recommend checking allergies, but the good news is, some ENTs are sensible. (Then again, this was the NZ medical system, which probably matters...)
- jghn 5y ago
  I had mostly the same experience. Except my allergy tests all came up negative. Everyone pretty much shrugs. They all note the inflammation, even at the dentist when they do x-rays. Yet no idea what's causing it.
  - pbhjpbhj 5y ago
    I imagine you're best placed to do a bisection test yourself? Like move to a different locality, cut out everything but water and be a nudist for a couple of days and see if it's improving?
  - carom 5y ago
    Have you looked into food? I had sinus headaches my whole life and I've identified a ton of foods as the triggers. Might be worth doing an elimination diet.
- daveguy 5y ago
  This has been my experience too. I have been to several ENTs. Every one was more interested in my allergies than any sort of surgery. YMMV, but ENT stands for Ear Nose and Throat specialization. There's no surgery inherent to the treatment. Sure ENTs have been trained in basic surgeries of their specialization, but that doesn't mean they're "surgeons". It's just one tool.
polishdude20 5y ago
I've been to an allergist a few times and I've got seasonal allergies for pollen as well as dust mites and such. I usually sleep with my mouth open because my nose is always blocked at night which causes me to wake up in the middle of the night with a dry mouth to get water. What did you get immunotherapy for? Which allergies did it help with and how did you convince your doctor you needed it?
- karanbhangui 5y ago
  It could be non-allergic rhinitis like in my case. USC head of sleep surgery recommended I try the “Afrin test” which is trying Afrin for a night or two (avoid more to prevent rebound effect). Lying down can engorge nasal passages. Try elevating head via pillows or bed elevation. Use humidifier and take large dose vitamin D. Mouth tape and sleep on your side
  - polishdude20 5y ago
    I've been using Afrin on and off and recently went off of it because of the rebound effect. What does the test indicate though? Afrin will clear your nose regardless of allergies or not. I don't see how this test would tell me anything.
    - karanbhangui 5y ago
      Assuming you’re cleared for allergies, it can show that it’s positional. I wouldn't use Afrin on a regular basis, or even more than two days. Try corticosteroid like flonase instead
      - karanbhangui 5y ago
        Also hepa air purifier, vacuuming/avoding carpets, and replacing and continuously running HVAC filter/fan has helped.
  - cameronh90 5y ago
    What does the Afrin test indicate? I have persistent rhinitis since I was a kid. Only two things I've tried so far help: Afrin, which of course you can't use often due to rebound congestion but it's nice to get the occasional break. Secondly, holding my nose shut then blowing hard against it, as if to pop your ears. For some reason this clears my airways for about 20-30 seconds which is enough to at least blow my nose. Steroids, surgery (tonsils + adenoids) and sinus irrigation have not fixed it, but antihistamines do help a little. Besides my nasal passages, inflammation is also noted in my eyes and gums by opticians and dentists respectively.
miqkt 5y ago
Interesting, I never thought about allergies. I've had not one but two turbinate resections, each time with a different ENT. From memory, neither had even bothered to really stress some of the risks others have pointed out. I think my quality of life improved rather substantially after the first I had. To my disappointment, it didn't last. This eventually prompted me to seek out another several years later. Again, some improvement, but this time that time window was even shorter. I'm now at the point where I've given up and just learned to live with feeling of being completely blocked through one nostril. It's frustrating. I find the feeling affects me most when sleeping (I've tried CPAP to get restful sleep without much success) and during heavy aerobic exercise (having to constantly blow out mucous build-up as I'm running).
- PhantomGremlin 5y ago
  It's probably good you've given up. Too many surgeries can mean a serious problem outcome like this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empty_nose_syndrome https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empty_nose_syndrome It sounds like you may already have some symptoms of that?

dinkleberg 5y ago

Thanks for sharing your experience, you've inspired me to go find an allergist. I'm tired of feeling like crap for months every spring.

emptysongglass 5y ago

I have sinusitis. Been tested twice by two different ENTs for a common allergy screening. Nothing. Should I be doing something different?

seehafer 5y ago
YMMV of course. Did you get skin and blood testing? I've found that dedicated allergists tend to be more thorough about this, but there's no guarantee that allergies are the cause of your sinusitis.

eterm 5y ago

What do you mean by immunotherapy?

elric 5y ago
Not the person you're replying to, but probably allergen immunotherapy, aka desensitization. Basically you're given ever increasing doses of whatever it is you're allergic to. Over time, you should build up a tolerance. IIRC there are tablets available for common allergens like dust mites. For others, you need to get regular shots, which is a bit tricker and riskier.
- seehafer 5y ago
  Yes, this is correct. Generally you need regular shots. There is a startup working on a way to deliver the same regimens in oral drops: https://www.wyndly.com https://www.wyndly.com
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]

Lazare 5y ago

Interestingly, I went to an ENT recently with chronic sinus problems. Me: "My nose has been clogged since the 90s, I'm on three different antihistamine prescriptions, do you think surgery might help me?" ENT: "Surgery? I mean, it might help a little. Might make things worse. What I'd really recommend is figuring out what you're allergic to. Let me write you a referral to an allergist instead." Me, confused: "Wait, I'm allergic to something?" ENT, more confused: "You didn't realise? Did nobody tell you you've displaying obvious symptoms? Why did you think you were on the antihistamines?" Me: "Uh...." So yes. I'd certainly recommend checking allergies, but the good news is, some ENTs are sensible. (Then again, this was the NZ medical system, which probably matters...)

jghn 5y ago
I had mostly the same experience. Except my allergy tests all came up negative. Everyone pretty much shrugs. They all note the inflammation, even at the dentist when they do x-rays. Yet no idea what's causing it.
- pbhjpbhj 5y ago
  I imagine you're best placed to do a bisection test yourself? Like move to a different locality, cut out everything but water and be a nudist for a couple of days and see if it's improving?
- carom 5y ago
  Have you looked into food? I had sinus headaches my whole life and I've identified a ton of foods as the triggers. Might be worth doing an elimination diet.
daveguy 5y ago
This has been my experience too. I have been to several ENTs. Every one was more interested in my allergies than any sort of surgery. YMMV, but ENT stands for Ear Nose and Throat specialization. There's no surgery inherent to the treatment. Sure ENTs have been trained in basic surgeries of their specialization, but that doesn't mean they're "surgeons". It's just one tool.

polishdude20 5y ago

I've been to an allergist a few times and I've got seasonal allergies for pollen as well as dust mites and such. I usually sleep with my mouth open because my nose is always blocked at night which causes me to wake up in the middle of the night with a dry mouth to get water. What did you get immunotherapy for? Which allergies did it help with and how did you convince your doctor you needed it?

karanbhangui 5y ago
It could be non-allergic rhinitis like in my case. USC head of sleep surgery recommended I try the “Afrin test” which is trying Afrin for a night or two (avoid more to prevent rebound effect). Lying down can engorge nasal passages. Try elevating head via pillows or bed elevation. Use humidifier and take large dose vitamin D. Mouth tape and sleep on your side
- polishdude20 5y ago
  I've been using Afrin on and off and recently went off of it because of the rebound effect. What does the test indicate though? Afrin will clear your nose regardless of allergies or not. I don't see how this test would tell me anything.
  - karanbhangui 5y ago
    Assuming you’re cleared for allergies, it can show that it’s positional. I wouldn't use Afrin on a regular basis, or even more than two days. Try corticosteroid like flonase instead
    - karanbhangui 5y ago
      Also hepa air purifier, vacuuming/avoding carpets, and replacing and continuously running HVAC filter/fan has helped.
- cameronh90 5y ago
  What does the Afrin test indicate? I have persistent rhinitis since I was a kid. Only two things I've tried so far help: Afrin, which of course you can't use often due to rebound congestion but it's nice to get the occasional break. Secondly, holding my nose shut then blowing hard against it, as if to pop your ears. For some reason this clears my airways for about 20-30 seconds which is enough to at least blow my nose. Steroids, surgery (tonsils + adenoids) and sinus irrigation have not fixed it, but antihistamines do help a little. Besides my nasal passages, inflammation is also noted in my eyes and gums by opticians and dentists respectively.

miqkt 5y ago

Interesting, I never thought about allergies. I've had not one but two turbinate resections, each time with a different ENT. From memory, neither had even bothered to really stress some of the risks others have pointed out. I think my quality of life improved rather substantially after the first I had. To my disappointment, it didn't last. This eventually prompted me to seek out another several years later. Again, some improvement, but this time that time window was even shorter. I'm now at the point where I've given up and just learned to live with feeling of being completely blocked through one nostril. It's frustrating. I find the feeling affects me most when sleeping (I've tried CPAP to get restful sleep without much success) and during heavy aerobic exercise (having to constantly blow out mucous build-up as I'm running).

PhantomGremlin 5y ago
It's probably good you've given up. Too many surgeries can mean a serious problem outcome like this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empty_nose_syndrome https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empty_nose_syndrome It sounds like you may already have some symptoms of that?