Vasomotor rhinitis

[braveheart]

I've been struggling with a blocked nose and sinus and tension headaches for some time. But I've always had weakness etc in my sinus and nose. I was on phenergan and piriton syrups from age 5 to when I was a teenager, as well as otrivine drops. All of which provided little relief. I would, almost nightly, to the annoyance of my father and the placations of my ever submissive mother, cry out 'I can't sniff', and I couldn't breathe properly through my nose until my late 20s!
This didn't help life long insomnia due to anxiety and night-terror like experiencese...
I was diagnosed with lactose intolerance aged 5, and put on these medications. And told not to eat milk, cheese or chocolate!

But recently it's been causing me difficulties again. Mostly since I had a bad cold/sinus infection a few months ago. It's not settled back/healed.

I'm getting some relief from natural medicine, as I am now unable to take decongestants, as my body's built up an immunity and response to them - of dizziness.

I was just searching online, and I found out about 'vasomotor rhinitis', which describes what I have suffered from for most of my life....

Vasomotor Rhinitis


Definition
Swelling of the lining of the nose and sinuses resulting from disordered control of blood flow to the mucous membranes for which no specific cause can be found.

Incidence/Age
Vasomotor rhinitis can occur at any age, but is more common in young adults.

Causes
The anatomy of the blood supply of the nose is well described, but the control of the distribution of blood flow to the mucous membranes is poorly understood. The nerve supply of the nose has three components: One is involved in the perception of touch and pain, whilst the other two are involved in the constriction and dilation of blood vessels. At any one time the balance between these two is usually in favour of one or the other with either constriction or dilation of blood vessels predominating. Measurements of nasal blood flow and nasal patency shows that in general one nostril receives more blood flow than the other at any one time and hence one nostril will be more widely open than the other. This situation tends to reverse every few hours in a cyclical fashion - the so called 'nasal cycle'.

A variety of factors may pervert the normal nasal cycle. Lying on one side increases blood flow to the lower nostril and this tends to overwhelm the normal cycle. Hormonal variations during the menstrual cycle and in particular during pregnancy may pervert the normal cycle, as may infection and allergy. These will all tend to cause increased flow and congestion. Emotional upsets may also play a role, as may some drugs, eg, cocaine. There are also several bizarre and poorly understood reflexes which may alter the pattern of blood flow, eg, pressure in the armpit may cause an alteration of nasal blood flow.

Along with alteration in blood flow may come variations in the rate of mucus secretion by the glands in the mucous membranes, with increased secretion being associated with decreased blood flow.

Symptoms/Signs
Patients with Vasomotor Rhinitis suffer from variable degrees of nasal blockage and watery nasal discharge or drip. They may also complain of a poor sense of smell and taste as a result of impaired ventilation of the sensitive olfactory areas in the roof of the nose. These variations often occur without apparent rhyme or reason, but are often triggered by environmental changes, eg, extremes of temperature and humidity. Exposure to bright sunlight and sleep deprivation may also result in an exacerbation of vasomotor rhinitis. Spicy foods may also cause problems.


Complications of the Disorder
The degree to which the symptoms of vasomotor rhinitis disturb an individual varies greatly. Some find the symptoms a minor nuisance, whilst for others they become an all consuming preoccupation. Psychological disturbance may be seen and some may suffer from considerable sleep disturbance especially where nasal obstruction is the predominant symptom. Paradoxically this may worsen the disturbance of the nasal cycle.

Where clear nasal drip is the predominant symptoms, patients may use boxes of nasal tissues repeatedly wiping their nose, developing secondary symptoms of soreness of the nasal tip as a result. A chronically dripping nose may also result in psychological symptoms with introversion and a reluctance to socialise.

iVillage Medic direct

 

[SoSo]

I can really relate to this post. My father's dog chewed my face up when I was 3, the nose got the worst of the attack. I had problems all my life with sinuses and breathing. Five years ago a surgeon did my left nostril saying that if he repaired the collapsed side of my nose my breathing would improve and I would never get sinus infections again. I still get sinus infections and my breathing has not improved. I recently tried colloidal silver to try to clear up the sinus infection but this remedy is not without risks. If you come up with a good natural remedy I would appreciate hearing about it. Has your doctor suggested surgery to drain the sinuses? Mine did but I haven't had it yet. Hope it gets cleared up for you soon.
Feistyeek:

 

[braveheart]

This is getting up my nose. Quite literally. I have no idea what to do. Crying helps, but I can't always cry.

 

[Cat Dancer]

I'm sorry, braveheart. I hope you get some relief soon.

 

[braveheart]

Thanks, me too. Sucking water through my nose seems to help some, as does pulsatilla.

My GP put me on anti-histamines [my nose is sensitive to everything, and pollen happens to be one of them] and it didn't really help much, and my body really didn't like it. Seemed to set off dissociation big time.