Vasomotor Rhinitis

[PattiL]

Chrissy just got back from the ENT Dr. yesterday. He's the one who did her sinus surgery last year. We went to see him b/c she's been getting sinus infections more often again, even after the surgery. He said she didn't have a sinus infection. No redness, no swelling, etc. He said he's pretty sure she has Vasomotor Rhinitis, which is basically non-allergy rhinitis. He gave her some Veramyst and Allegra D to make sure it's not being caused by allergies. (She's been tested for allergies twice--nothing really significant) He mentioned that it's a problem with the nervous system.

Once we got home Chrissy started looking it up and found that it is 'an autonomic nervous system dysfunction'. It makes me sick to think of all the antibiotics she's been put on when other Dr.'s have thought she had a sinus infection. We're seeing her neurologist at the end of this month, it'll be interesting what his take is on this (relation to POTS).

Has anyone had anything similar? If so, what meds have you used that have worked?

Thanks,

Patti

[mkoven]

I'm always a little congested, regardless of allergies or cold. I do have allergies, but can tell the difference.

[pat57]

First I've heard of it.

I wanted to say that I empathize with your feelings about Chrissy being given meds she may not have needed.

Please try to balance that out by knowing, (the good news) it can be avoided, in the future.

[ajw4790]

I too have heard of it and figured I do have it, but have not been formally diagnosed. I think I originally saw it in connection to migraines. But, it did answer a lot for myself. I think that it may be something that can often be overlooked. I haven't used any meds.

I am glad that someone was astute enough to notice it!

[juliegee]

Wow,

Yep, I've been DXed with this, years ago in my 20's. My allergy testing showed nothing, but I always had a runny nose, sinus infections, nasal polyps, and sometimes sneezing attacks, 50 in a row! I also had sinus surgery and have taken oodles of anti-B's. Trust me, at a certain point they are necessary despite the cause of the problem. I never knew that this was connected to the autonomic nervous system.

I'm in my mid 40's now and those symptoms have gotten better....replaced by others (LOL.) Or maybe, all of the antihistamines I takes for my mast cell issues are hiding the runny nose. Thanks for the info. I hope Chrissy's problem also improves with age.

Julie

[flop]

My rhinitis is a mixture of allergic (all year round but much worse in the pollen seasons) and vasomotor. A classic sign of vasomotor rhinitis is having a nose that streams when you move from a hot to cold temperature and vice versa. I'm not allowed to use steroid nasal sprays anymore (daily nose bleeds) but find that a cromoglycate nasal spray helps a bit with both the allergies and vasomotor symptoms.

Rhinitis of any cause that leads to excess nasal discharge gives a "wonderful" environment for bugs to breed in - sometimes those antibiotics are a necessary evil, learning the signs of severe infection can help you decide if antibiotics are needed - pain, swelling, purulent discharge and fever together that last more than a week is what my GP looks for before prescribing antibiotics for me.

Flop

[mkoven]

This is really interesting. I think I must have some form of this-- and always have. I'd never linked it to the ans.

[kitchmill]

Ahh, learning more and more here every day! I have horrible allergies, but not all of my nasal symptoms are due to my allergies. Sounds like I've just pinned down another mystery problem that I've had all of my life.

[JaneEyre9]

Hi Patti--

I am prone to sinus infections and have allergies, so I asked Dr. Grubb what he would suggest for treating these things if I can't handle the heart rate increase of a decongestant. He highly recommended (and personally uses) a neti pot.

Recently my mom got me one from the drug store to try out, and it's a very simple way to clear congestion, reduce swelling of the sinuses, and to make a less friendly environment for bugs to grow. I don't know if it will work for Chrissy, but it might be worth a shot if you haven't tried it. There aren't really any side effects, and it's easy to use whenever you have congestion-- even multiple times a day.

Sorry to hear Chrissy is still having problems with her sinuses even after her surgery. Has she been able to try living/staying in different places to be sure it's not an environmental trigger?

Take care,

Kristen

[juliegee]

Kelly Rippa recently demonstrated the use of one of these on "Live with Regis & Kelly." Very interesting, you simply pour water into one nostril and let it run out of the other. Hmmm.

Julie

[firewatcher]

I LOVE my neti pot. I've used it for 5 years and it has helped me breathe through many colds and stopped many soon-to-be frontal sinus infections! However, my allergist says that my nose is always really swollen and my ENT has shown me (MRI and CT scans) sinus infections that I did not know I had. I am beginning to wonder about vasomotor rhinitis. Have any of you had sinus surgery and had it help with that? Both my ENT and allergist are urging me to get sinus surgery. Any experience? Does it help?

THanks,

Jennifer

[mkoven]

I've had it suggested that I get some sort of radiofrequency procedure to shrivel my turbinates. Right now, I'm not really interested. I'm often a little congested, but I can't take any more medical procedures! And I wonder about cause and effect. I have enlarged turbiantes, but I think they got enlarged from allergies and vasomotor rhinits-- which I would still have, and i imagine could cause the problem to recur????

[Csmith3]

I have non-allergic rhinitis. It has driven me mad over the years with the chronic sinusitis and nose bleeds, but I finally feel like I have got this more or less under control and I am a happier person for it!

I did take the hayfever steroid sprays for a number of years and that helped reduce the nose bleeds (and shrunk the nasal polyps) but the sinusitis persisted.

I then went to see an allergy consultant who confirmed it was actually non-allergic rhinitis and that typically the triggers are fumes from cars/buses/trains, cold air, bugs in old aircon systems and for some people, sulphites in foods (eg, in the dried apricots that retain their orange colour). He prescribed a nasal spray called rinatec and said that typically, after about 6 months use, your body learns not to overeact to the triggers and then the spray can be stopped. It took much longer than 6 months for this to happen to me, but the improvement has been great. I also try to avoid the triggers, eg, commute on trains that have windows that don't open and let the fumes back in, put a scarf over my nose and mouth when its very cold.

I have tried nasal irrigation this year. I also wonder if there is some EDS connection in that work I have had done this year on my jaw and surrounding muscles (which is probably correcting imbalances from orthodontic work carried out in my teens) has coincided with a major improvement in my sinusitis.

Finally, I just wanted to say that I have heard doctors being disparaging about using sinus remedies available in the pharmacy (I mean the tablets rather than sprays). I know they aren't a great solution (and most now include stimulants which is a recipe for tachycardia), but used occasionally, they can provide some temporary and welcome relief. In particular, I take them as soon as I have a cold to try to prevent sinusitis.

[Ancient Mariner]

I had years of what I thought were sinus infections.  Nasal sprays did nothing and I was prescribed antibiotics so many times I hate to count.  When the medical community made  the automatic writing of antibiotics more stringent, my Primary Care doctor sent me to an ENT doctor who referred me to an allergist.  After two tests, it showed I had no allergies but instead had vasomotor rhinitis.  I’d never heard of that before.  

I tried another nasal spray but it dried my head out so much that my eyelids turned inwards.  I tried a neti pot which worked, but not at night.  A nurse recommended Arm and Hammers Simply Saline.  It worked as good as the neti pot and I keep a can next to my elevated pillow to use at night. 

I only recently learned vasomotor rhinitis is another form of autonomic dysfunction.  That meshed with my recent diagnosis of dysautonomia due to Parkinson’s. (I cannot use antihistamines because of my blood pressure which can get exceedingly high 234/116, as well as drastically low 56/33.)

My symptoms are the worst when it is hot and dry and the Santa Ana winds blow here in Southern California.  The barometric pressure and temperature fluctuations are also problematic, which of course is about every day but easier to deal with when it’s cooler outside.

Knowing that all these crazy symptoms I have are all related doesn’t make the symptoms any better but at least I’m not being pumped with antibiotics any longer, which is not good for the gut.