It takes me about 30 minutes for my sneezing and runny nose to go away
after leaving a dirty cat.

I have chronic nasal stuffiness too, mainly in my right nostril. When a
doctor looked up my nose, he offered me a prescription for a
corticosteroid nasal spray. I'd already done some research, but the
spray I wrote down was more expensive, so the doctor recommended a
different one. When I got home, I did more internet research and
discovered a warning about one of the ingredients in the spray that was
prescribed saying not to use corticosteroid nasal sprays with that
ingredient. The spray I had written down would have been safer.

I also saw a web page that said corticosteroid nasal sprays usually
don't work for non-allergic rhinitis, which is what we both might have
(see
http://www.nationaljewish.org/disease-info/diseases/allergy/about/conditions/rhi
nitis.aspx
).

Then I read the information that came with my prescription and saw that
makes you more susceptible to getting sick, and it said to stay away
from people with certain illnesses--like I'm supposed to know if
someone I'm sitting near on the subway has that illness!

I threw out the spray. A few weeks later, I heard on the news that long
term use of corticosteroid nasal sprays may cause some disease--I think
Parkinson's.

I was going to go back to trying a saline spray, but then I read that
those leave you more susceptible to getting sick too!

Everything I read about surgery makes it sound like you should try
medication first, but I won't take the current medications. Some day
I'll see a surgeon about my stuffiness. I'd prefer surgery with local
anesthesia. I have no preference about laser or the knife. But if the
surgeon is reluctant to operate without me trying medication first,
even after I explain my concerns, I'll just forget it and try
experimenting with diet and cleaner air and stuff. This sucks.

Oh, there are also those strips that pull your nostrils open. Every day
of my life? In public? I'm trying to avoid those.