No allergies but congestion issues

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legaleagle01

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I've had a really bad time with congestion and PND and bad breath over the past year and I can't get the problem to go away completely. Sinus issues run in my family but mine were aloways controlable until a year ago. Now I am constantly congested and dealing with excessive mucus. Both make me have bad breath and this bad taste in my mouth. I've seen lots of ENT's and so far the only things I've noticed that kinda help is:nasal rinsing (salt and baking soda) I do it 2-3 times a day. I also use OTC sinus congestion tablets, I only get relief if I take them every 4 hours and use a nasal steriod but I still experience bad breath. I don't have anything wrong structurally with my nose and I was tested for allergies, that didn't help much.

My goal is to get a routine and hopefully that will stop the PND totally but I find myself still not fully better. Any one else experience this?
 
you took the Allegra-D24hr (240mg pseudophedrine ) and 2 (2x 120mg pseudophedrine) Claritin-D 12hr tablets in the same day? Were you able to sleep? Amazing

When i'm really bad i will take the rx strength mucionex d (no longer available) around the clock, but after a couple of days i paid the price and couldn't sleep much at all

Good luck
 
legaleagle01-

I know that I mentioned this before, but the "lump in the throat" feeling you mention is one of the key symptoms of LPR (acid reflux) related post-nasal drip.

I too have chronic sinusitis (for more than a decade) but last summer I went through a brutal 6 month period when my PND was completely out of control, I also had a red, sore throat and fairly severe congestion - my ENT was mystified and the only thing that seemed to help was Sudafed (which reduced the swelling in my sinuses).

I went to a new allergist (for about the 5th time) to be re-tested and the tests came back negative for everything but a few obscure molRAB that aren't common where I live. The allergist asked me if I ever had heartburn and when I told him "rarely" he literally said "aha".

He put me on Nexium - even though I insisted that I didn't have acid reflux - and a week later the PND, sore throat and congestion were gone.

When I went back to the allergist he explained that there is a form of acid reflux called LPR that can be an underlying cause or contributing factor to chronic sinusitis. LPR often shows none of the symptoms associated with traditional acid reflux and is commonly called "Silent Reflux" because its most common symptoms are a "lump in the throat" feeling (globus), post-nasal drip, and sore throat.

I know you mentioned earlier that you don't think your symptoms are acid reflux related but I think it might be worth reconsidering.
 
The symptoms you describe - PND, bad breath, a bad taste in your mouth and excessive mucus can all be caused by acid reflux (which doesn't always cause heartburn symptoms). The bad taste in your mouth can be especially indicative of a reflux-related issue.

If you ever have heartburn symptoms you should probably consider trying a course of PrilosecOTC and seeing a gastroenterologist. Acid reflux can actually be a contributing factor for chronic sinus problems so getting it under control can make a huge difference in your symptoms.
 
Yes, I do and they are constantly bright red and sore but my doctors don't think removing them is the answer. I've been to about three dentists including a bad breath clinic and they just look at my teeth: bright white with no cavities and they send me on my way. I am now taking OTC decongestants every 4 hours and o far with each day the stench improves, I think with 3-4 more weeks it should be long gone but I can't keep taking decongestants every 4 hrs for the rest of my life, can I.
 
i was getting ready to say go to a ENT but see you already have. That would be frustrating. On another forum that i participate in, one guy who has severe PND, said he started using a water pik irrigator and has shown a lot of improvement. Do you use a neti pot or sinurinse bottle? You may need more "force" if you are using a neti pot.

good luck
 
i am curious,l have these dentists taken xrays? also, the neil med bottles you buy with nasal rinse can be used with a prescription medicine (pulmicort ampules) that you mix with distilled water. my ENT prescribed, but i have been waiting a month for approval to have it paid for. i think i am going to buy some this week to hold me over til they decide. the doc said "once you try this, you'll never go back"! (i had been on nasal steroid sprays previous) i just know constant OTC meRAB are not good for exteneded perioRAB. i hope you find an answer soon. if you are in legal profession like your name suggests i suspect a solution is even more important to you.
 
Yeah, its werid I sleep so much better now that I can breath but it seems like alot of meRAB to be taking each day.
 
Im too suffering with what i think is congestion. It seems to be in my eyes, head and blocking my ears making me feel unbalanced at times. Ive tried beconase (for allergy) sudafed, Anti histamines like clarityn, neasl rinse with neti salts and lastly anti biotics from my doctor. Nothing is working and its driving me crazy. Its though sometimes im walking on air.
 
I will. I am still taking my acid reflux tablets as well but the decongestants are working wonders.
 
Eagle - I know it's been some time since you wrote in, but thought I would check if you have heard of "tonsil stones". I think you said you still have your tonsils? There are tiny folRAB way back in your mouth in the tonsil area that form small "pockets". When you have PND and/or acid reflux, tiny globs of stomach acid, food bits, bacteria and mucus accumulate in those tiny pockets by your tonsils. Over time, they form tiny, hard, white "stones". Sometimes, when people don't know they have them, they may just spit them out without knowing it with saliva etc., from heavy coughing and sneezing.

In any case, the key is -- they smell really bad, like sulphur or bad eggs. They can resolve themselves over time, and sometimes dentists or docs see them and take them out, but sometimes they "hide" inside these little pockets of skin, causing problem breath, and sometimes swelling and pain.

Just thought you would like to know.
Paddy
 
Yeah. I went the LPR route. I had two pH tests because initially that's what my doctors thought I had but I experienced no relief at all. I took Nexium and then Protonix for a year with no results the congestion persisted, then I started to focus on the congestion itself fro a few days, I've been doing it three weeks now and the bad breath, headaches, nasal congestion has improved. Furthermore, I can eat chocolate, drink coffee, eat tomatoes and all without any stomach problems at all. The lump in my throat also miraculously goes away as well when I take the congestion meRAB. I can breath and I feel normal again, its really werid because it's not related to anything else or it doesn't seem that way. I had three EGD's and each came back normal but also with excessive amounts of mucus in my stomach, each doctor told me it was from congestion and that there weren't sign of reflux (no erosion) so I gave up and focused on the congestion and so far i feel better I just can't wait to wake up and not have a hint of bad breath, I keep hearing the song "the way we were playing in my head".

That's all I want. My doctor gave me a prescription for Claritin D and so far I feel decent much better than taking a pill every 4 hours. Kepp your fingers crossed.
 
If the decongestants are helping, there's no reason why you can't keep taking them for as long as you want to. You might try 12-hour Sudafed (or generic 12 hour pseudoephedrine) so that you don't have to mess with them so many times during the day, but if they help the problem I'd keep taking them.
 
I've been using a nasal rinse, a pulsating one and it help but my PND is pretty bad, I feel like I have a lump in my throat pretty often, but when I take the pills it goes away. I agree with the idea of taking a 12hr tablet instead of setting my clock for every 4-6hrs. I just hope that in the next couple of days the stench from the PND goes away for good. I noticed the PND is much worse when I am in an air conditioned area? I wonder why. As soon as I walk outside I feel so much better.
 
I know mine is chronic sinusitis but what I don't know is why the bad breath is not getting better. I am now doing nasal rinsing 3-4 times a day and taking OTC decongestants, its been 2 weeks now, I would expect to see a change with it but I haven't so far. I have had this for a year and I understand that its been a build-up for that long which ultimately caused the bad breath but now that I have a routine shouldn't I see an imporvement in 2 weeks. I thought I'd be all better in 4 weeks but I don't see that. It from the back of my tongue that's the horrible area. I see some improvement but it would be nice to have a decent conversation, go on a date or attend a meeting without this stench.

My ear haven't been plugged in two weeks and I no longer have a sore throat and ear pain as well. it feels great to be almost normal, I just have this last hurdle to get past.
 
Hi Richard,
I have been following your posts on the Ear BoarRAB and we've replied back and forth.
I am STILL suffering with your identical symptoms, and am now realizing it may be allergies.
Rich, I have a few questions specifically for you . . .
Do you still get the ringing in your ears?
Does your ear pressure sometimes just come on suddenly?
What do you do when you get that spacey and drowsy feeling?
Also, in the past, when I've had post nasal drip, I was able to expectorate it and clear my head . . .but now, it just seems to want to stay inside my head (for 2 months!)
I know I'm sounding crazy, but I really need to resolve this and you seem to be suffering exactly as I am (and it's nice to know I'm not alone in this).
Thank you
kdny
 
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