I'm allergic to dust and temperature. My nose is almost always blocked. Please advice.

Question

Hello doctor,

I have allergies to dust and temperature changes. I get headaches frequently around my eyes. I breathe through the mouth during the night and sometimes in the day. My nose is almost always blocked.

I also have huge under eye bags, a protruding brow bone, and a bigger lower lip because of mouth breathing. My tongue is usually white with foul breath and my ears have a little more than normal wax.

I had adenoids as a kid and my parents left it untreated. Some doctors say I might have sinusitis while some say it is just an allergy. I had an NCCT PNS and it showed inverted 'S' shaped mildly deviated septum. Doctors suggest septoplasty, but I am skeptical about it as I do not think it will cure my problem. I think my cure lies somewhere else but I am not able to find it. Your help would be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Let us discuss your problems one by one. Before you undergo any surgery for this issue(s), you must know for sure if you have an allergy.

Allergy is a form of hypersensitivity by your body to substances which do not elicit such a response from other individuals. Also, there is no known cure for allergy. We can, however, keep it under wraps using our medications. Hence, for someone who has allergy, we only give a guarded prognosis for surgeries, which means the success of surgery performed on such a person will be less because he has an allergy. Going back to your problem, only such a deviated septum that causes nose block almost always without any respite with nose drops and steam, do we advise septoplasty. A gross deviated septum increases your chances of contracting rhinitis (infections of nose) due to increased air currents and alterations in normal clearance mechanisms of the mucosa. This can aggravate your mouth breathing and headaches. Headaches around the eyes, like how you have described, could be due to sinusitis.

Sinuses are air-filled cavities in your skull and facial bones which open into the nose through a small hole called ostium. The ostia of sinuses could get blocked due to mucosal edema which could be due to infections or non-infectious swellings. Blocking of the ostia result in poor ventilation of sinuses and hence sinus ache. Nose drops when applied in apt positions will gain access to the ostia and reduce the edema around it, increasing its diameter, to allow for better ventilation of sinuses.

To confirm whether you have an allergy, you may undergo a few blood investigations like serum IgE (immunoglobulin E which is increased in blood in those with allergy) and AEC (Absolute Eosinophil Count). If the counts are higher, then we may institute you on nasal steroid sprays which have to be taken for a month or two or longer.

These sprays control allergic responses very well in most individuals. If after the spray, your symptoms are getting better, you may forget the surgery. This advice is based on what information you have provided.

I am giving you some general measures which you may practice:

Do steam inhalation a few times a day, definitely once in the morning and once before sleep.
Do not blow your nose, instead try hawking.
Keep yourself away from dust.
Keep your bed, bed sheets and bed covers clean and wash them regularly.
Eat nutritious food rich in all vitamins and minerals.
Drink plenty of warm boiled water.
Do brisk exercise daily morning for half to one hour.
Stop smoking if you do.

Hope you get well soon.