Diagnosed with non-allergic rhinitis but I'm not sure

Ears, nose and throat
1

A couple of years I started getting really bad headaches, especially when going to sleep at night. Also pressure headaches when I stood up, really heavy on the top of my head.  An ENT guy put a camera up my nose and said it was only slightly enflamed, I had two sets of skin allergy tests.  Was then told it was non-allergic rhinitis and given a spray which didn't make any difference.  

Since then I've noticed some patterns.  I'm okay in the summer but its bad in the winter.  I also get red raised itchy skin, every so often my skin tingles, or I touch or lightly scratch my skin and it comes up raised and red for a while.  I break out frequently with hives and rashes. The slightest irritant causes my nose to feel congested and headaches, itchy, tingly throat, my throat feels blocked with thick mucus.  To me it sounds like a seasonal allergy, but they've done the skin tests.  Also I don't know what to do, what they've treated me with previously doesn't work.  I use netti pot regulary (although i find the pain unbearable using it), I use decongestant tablets daily, anti allergy tablets, anti inflammatories and nose sprays.  I hate living like this and my sleep is so bad. 

Can any one offer any advice, does it sound like allergic or non allergic rhinitis, has anyone found any other treatments that work?

2

I take it you are using pre boiled waster cooled, added salt also for your neti pot. Water from tap will burn the sensitive naval cavity. I buy online special salt sachets (Amazon not expensive) in my pre boiled water. I have Ryhinitis all year round some of the summer months a bit worse. I also have a facial spa not dear it has a nose area for nasal steaming, helps a lot. These also not expensive, or the usual towel over steaming water does the same. This helps my breathing. I cannot breath through my nose, so those procedures help. I also have a humidifier that sprays fine waiter into the bedroom at night, no sound except occasional glooping sound, but this does not wake me. I am on Fexofenidine  antihistamine, I find this the best for me, also Mentalukast this reduces mucus, I have Asthma also so the usual inhalers. Ryhinitis is a very annoying health problem, I have had this also for two years, I suck Jackemans menthol sweets clears the nose for a while, I get these on Amazone in a huge Sweet shop size plastic jar, very good price.

regards Maureen    

3

I use filtered water, i used to use filtered bottled water, warm to look warm, it just really hurts, I feel pain like eating icecream right at the back of my head and my eyes water so bad.  The UK is very humid already and I live by the sea so I don't think I need a humidifier. Thankyou for your advice I'm going back to the doctors today.   

4

Hi

I have very similar problems like you, all except the headaches. Ocasionally I get those too, but my concern is mainly the congestion.

You mentoned that you live in the UK near the sea. I think I know the why part of your problem. 

Mine started when I moved up Nth( Australia), hot tropical climate. I had my nose fully blocked , was horrible, I was only able to breath trhough my mouth. Had surgery for middle turbinectomy, didn't help. Also tried all what mentioned, no help. So I moved to a drier climate.

It helped a lot, not 100% , but my nose is ok during the day, night time I still have some partial congestion. I noticed that when the weather stays humid for some time, my nose stuffs up more.

I recently had an appointment with an ENT and he said that it was the physiology, the temperature & humidity and some other things I might breath in which cause my nose to stuff up. The tubinates swell. (I think it's also the lining of the nose)

As for treatment, I found that saline sprays work better that saline rinse - I also find it a pain, for me it's my ears which hurts , however sprays only help when the congestion is only mild. 

I also use infrared lamp, it's helpful to reduce inflamation. It's not very expensive to get, and also very useful if you have a cold, and everyone can use it.

I think you need to do the exact opposit of humidifying tha air. You could try putiing on the air condition - have you noticed any difference when you're in an air conditionned shopping centre for example? 

Have you tried pseudoeffedrine? It works pretty well, though it's not really good for long term use, but can use it longer than the spray.

In some places you can buy tea which has effedrine it it. It's milder than the tablets. The problem with pseudoeffedrine, that it could keep you awake, so for night time I wouldn't advise it. Though you could try the tea, which is not that strong. 

Other than that I'm afraid I don't have any solution. 

let me know how you go, if any of those helped you

 

5

Thanks dear for sharing ur insight and experience. I also have same experience as of urs. I feel problem in humid places. i am staying next to Sea.. But, i don't understand why my doctors could not agree that hot and humid climate was creating havoc for me, though lot of patients suffering from sinusitis/rhinitus have similar observations like u and me that they feel better inside air-conditioned room and worse when humidity rises. whether ur doctors approved ur observations? can u plz put address of ur doctor and if possible any email id. I would like to have consulation with him. none of the doctors with whom i have consulted have understood my problems. Thanks in advance.

 

6

I feel best when i take steam inhalation over full face , nose, ear i.e. full face exposed to steam. Donot use small steam making machines which give steam only on nose, that won't help.. Instead you try boiliing water in a big bowl and put one or two drops of eucalyptus oil - take steam thru that, put big towel over your head covering the bowl, so that overall face remains warm for long time. do it for 10 mintues. if u do it for short duration, it won't have much benefit, do it for 10 minutes minimum, longer is better. and follow advice of 'care4health' which he has shared below. So, i am not repeating the things he has already mentioned. I use UV or RO water filterd at home , i don't get any irritation. i think u r doing  a mistake that u are not aware that if ur nose is very much blocked, Jal-Neti u can't do effectively. so, when nose is extremely blocked, take steam inhalation as i have explained earler, then after 5-10 minutes do Jal-Neti with luke-warm water...Don't use water at room temperature for doing Jal-Neti. Luke warm water only has benefit, also keep the salt in a separate bottle which is not used in kitchen...to avoid mix up with spices.

 

7

Heya, thankyou for your info. I will try the tea.  I have now been prescribed Mentalukast and I know it takes a while to work but I did sleep better last night.  I find many things irritate my condition, it could be the train or someone smoking.  When I visited san francisco I felt terrible, I was in air conditioned offices a lot so I'm not sure that helps, maybe makes it worse.  I found that it gets worse in a lot of office environments. I will keep an eye on different climates and see what helps, thankyou so much for sharing

8

Thankyou for the advice, I'm so busy that I find making time to do steam difficult. But I will try to work out a way to make time especially as so many people say it helps.  I haven't heard of UV or RO filtered water, I will look it up.  Thankyou 

9

Do u use any water filter machine at home? UltraViolet treated water or water puried thru' reverse osmosis. I am from India and here mostly everybody uses it.. we don't use tap water directly for drinking/jal-neti. You can try ayurveda or homoeopathy, my friends have got some benefit, not me, but , some ppl get much benefit. All the best

 

10

Most doctors don't agree that humidity can cause sinus problems for some people. They stick with the old fashion theory, that if it's not physical like a deviated septum, it must be allergy to something, usually pollen or dust mites.

I'm afraid my doctor won't be much help to you, he's in Australia and in a public hospital. Moreover, even though he admitted that humidity and temperature is the problem, he said there there is nothing he could do about it. Unless it is really bad, turbinate reduction is not recomended he said because of the risks.

There are different methods to reduce the size of the turbinates, I read a lot about it, but I found that none of them is 100% safe, and might not even work or could make it a lot worse.

The common one, which they say is the most efficient is submucus resection, done in the hospital with general anesthetic

The other types are done with radio frequency, cautery of turbinates, it can be done in the office with local anesthetic. 

You're right, doctors have no clue about it, and no idea how to fix it. 

They just gambling when it comes to surgery. 

One other thing which I thought about: capsicain spray.

Some people say that it helps for non allergic rhinitis. I have it at home, but for me it didn't work though. 

 

11

I have a water filter jug, not a machine, I'm not sure how it works, i'll try to find out more information about it, maybe it's not good enough.   No scientific validity to homeopathy so I won't try that, waste of money.  Thanks for your advice on the filters, I will look into it more! 

12

Thanks care4health for the elaborated reply. God bless u. Atleast I got the relief that i am not the only one, who thinks that doctors donot accept their ignorance and donot agree to the deteriorating effect of humidity+ temp. combination on patients suffering from Rhinitus, though lot of patients have observed it...I am trying to stay in airconditioned rooms now a days, but, it is inevitable to go out to market and other places which are not air-conditioned, I am trying for re-location to a dry area..

13

I suffer a lot in the winter too. I travelled to Cuba and I cleared up in hours. I returned home within 10 minutes, everything came back. I use ipratropium nasal spray, and reactine. Together they seem to get my through the day. I invested in a humidifer (cool), helps alot at night. Check the active ingredient for allergy pills. Some have made me worse.  Good luck, and if you find something else please let me know.