Hi, I wonder if anyone has had a similar problem to me? Last May I started to notice my breathing was getting harder and I felt like I couldnt get enough air in. I was diagnosed with Rhinitis and swollen turbinates and after several months of trying different medications from various anti-histamines and steroids I had surgery two months ago. It was decided that as none of the meds worked it was best to do a turbinectomy and septoplasty. Yesterday I went to see my consultant and explained to him that my symptoms have not improved at all so the surgery has not worked - I am still finding it hard to breath through my nose and it feels very stuffy all the time. He has prescribed some more Flixonase steroid drops and said if these dont work then the only other thing to try is actually trimming back the turbinates. (I just had them cauterised in my recent op). So I am looking for anyone else who has had a similar problem and may be able to suggest something to help me as I am really fed up with this now ( Thanks...

Hi Pinkcat

Sorry to hear about your ongoing problems.
I have to say, in my practice I never cauterise the inferior turbinates as this procedure simply does not work in my experience. I always perform either a submucous turbinoplasty, or a powered endoscopic turbinoplasty (where the turbinate bone is removed itself and the lining of the turbinate left intact as much as possible).
People used to perform turbinECTOMIES in days gone by, leaving patients worse off and a condition known as 'empty nose syndrome'.
Nobody really knows why this occurs, but one of the theories is that the inferior turbinate lining contains 'flow receptors' that are able to detect the flow of air over the turbinate - giving you the sensation of a clear nose. It probably isn't as simple as this however.
Moreover, as your underlying problem sounds as though it is with the lining of the nose, rather than any anatomical issue, surgery has limited benefit.

Have you had any allergy tests done?

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Hi, Many thanks for your detailed and helpful response. I havent had any allergy testing done yet but this is something I am going to ask my GP to arrange. In your experience which type of allergy testing is best? I see I can have a full blood test or skin prick testing done. However if it is an allergy its certainly something around me all the time and not just bought on by hay fever as a doctor first thought as the breathing problem is consistent whatever time of year - also we travel abroad alot and it doesnt go away. I guess being I have had it for almost a year now it is more chronic. I have taken the flixonase steroid drops for a month now and seen no improvement but no surprise there as I did take these before my op and they didnt make any difference then either! I really would appreciate any information you can offer - its just a shame I live in Bristol and am not closer to Guildford but having said that if I felt you could help me find a solution to this ongoing problem it would be worth me coming to see you. Thanks Again for any advice you can offer via this forum.

Hi Pinkcat
It doesn't matter too much if you have SPTs (skin prick tests) or RAST testing (blood testing) done. They 'gold standard' is the SPTs. The downside is that there is a miniscule chance of having an anaphylactic reaction. The upside of the RAST is that your GP could order them.
The most common cause of perennial allergy these days is house dust mite.
I have found that individual responses to the different topical steroids, and indeed different antihistamines, is quite variable and I'm not sure why. This is one of things my research team will be looking at in coming years.
Beware though that the best treatment for allergies is avoidance of the allergy in the first place - something that can take a LOT of effort to do.

_________________
Any information given by me is for educational purposes only. You are not establishing a doctor/patient relationship with me. No liability is assumed towards you by me. If you need a consultation please visit www.guildfordent.co.uk for further info.

Thank you so much again for your response. I am going to get the allergy testing done as I guess at least I may have an idea of what is causing this then and can do my best to avoid it! I do find that at times through the day my nose clears a bit intermitently and then at night it really blocks and early on in the day my breathing is harder. I find it interesting you say you think it could be caused by the nasal lining more than structurally, which makes sense as the op has made literally no improvement at all. Thanks again for your helpful reply.

You're welcome.

_________________
Any information given by me is for educational purposes only. You are not establishing a doctor/patient relationship with me. No liability is assumed towards you by me. If you need a consultation please visit www.guildfordent.co.uk for further info.

Thanks - I have liked your FB page so will follow your posts on there too now

Thank you!

_________________
Any information given by me is for educational purposes only. You are not establishing a doctor/patient relationship with me. No liability is assumed towards you by me. If you need a consultation please visit www.guildfordent.co.uk for further info.

Hi pinkcat

Here's something else for you to consider - helminthic therapy:

http://tiny.cc/some9

http://tiny.cc/iz7gdw

and here's more info about helminthic therapy:

http://tiny.cc/iqg0cw

Hi, Thanks for the links - makes for some interesting reading. I've never heard of it before! Do you have any patients you have referred for this and has it helped? The patient in the first link mentions he stopped eating dairy and that helped reduce his mucus. I don't find I get much though, if anything my nose gets quite dry particularly overnight when my breathing is harder. Do you think in my case cutting out dairy would help? I have cut out wheat in the last few weeks but not noticed any difference yet, only I had read some info on this helping. I am vegetarian so cutting out dairy is more difficult but I might just give it a try - I do eat alot of soya but I have also read some people can be allergic to soya. I guess if I go for the allergy tests when I get back from my holiday this might highlight any dietary allergies. Anyway thanks again for all your help and the intreaging links. Have a great weekend