Here is my story……the best I can explain it….

My problems occur after I catch a bug.  My definition of bug is as
follows:

I get a mild sore throat.  Sore throat seems to last for 2-4 days and
then my nose jams up really bad.  It feels clogged, then swollen, then
dry, then I get post nasal drip then it goes back to dry, then it
feels swollen again, etc….  There are times when I think I am
completely better (I even cancel my ENT appointment), then I wake up
the next day dry as ever.  I get in the shower and the dryness goes
away but then I get swollen to the point where I have to lay down
because I'm so dizzy.   In other words, it just lingers and lingers
for weeks and months at a time.  My mucous may be discolored for days
1-4 but for the next 6-8 weeks it is clear but I still feel like crap.
 The strangest thing to me is that it varies so much throughout the
day.  I could feel great for 2-3 hours at a time and then my nose will
either get so clogged (or sometimes so incredibly dry) that I have to
literally sit down or I'll fall over.   I would say that I am
generally better of mid-day and late evening.  Early morning and early
evening are the worst ??????  It's as if someone is dangling a carrot
in front of me and I feel almost 100% better just to feel like garbage
in another hour or two.

I am not always like this.  It only happens when I catch something.
I've gone 10 months without anything and then caught some bug and I'm
on week #7 of feeling like above.

Here is what gives me some relief:

1-    Eating?  For some reason when I'm eating my nose problems seem to
disappear.  I feel almost "normal"
2-    Exercise – Same thing but I tend to be very dry when I exercise
3-    Irrigation – Usually feel OK for 5-10 minutes after irrigation…this
goes away as well.  Also, worth mentioning……I've seen some posts
saying that water comes out of the nose 20+ minutes after irrigation.
I've been irrigating for 2+ yrs. & I don't think this has ever
happened to me.  After irrigation, I blow my nose gently or sometimes
I just let the water drip out --- it all seems to come out 10-15
seconds after irrigation.  Don't know if this is relevant or not.
4-    Nasal Gels – Same as irrigation.  May provide 5-10 minutes of some
relief but not much more.
5-    Going outside – fresh air, especially cool air makes me feel better
(although sometimes it makes me even more dry ?????)  I guess most of
the time it helps though.

Had IT cautery & Septoplasty in Dec. of 2002.  At first I thought this
helped ( I was symptom free for almost 10 months) but now of course I
am questioning it's effectiveness.  The main difference that I noticed
after IT cautery  is that I no longer feel as if I want to shove a pin
in my nose to let air get up there (sounds weird huh).  I remember
feeling intense pressure right above my nose in the center of my
forehead.  I would lie on the couch and rub my forehead for and hour,
I could not bend over to tie my shoes because I would get so dizzy,
I'd feel as if I would pass out.  I no longer have this pressure but I
still have the nose irritation and pretty bad nasal dryness throughout
the day.

I have every drug that there is (Nasonex, Rhinocort, Vancenase,
Astelin, Allegra-D, Muconex etc…).  There are times, when my nose is
in "stuffy" mode that I spray some Astelin and I feel this incredible
tingly feeling in my nose and I feel great.  Of course 15-20 minutes
later my nose gets all dry and irritated and I regret ever spraying
anything in there.   I am therefore reluctant to use any more nasal
sprays because of the nasal dryness.

My 2 prior CT scans showed no sinus disease whatsoever however I did
have enlarged turbinates.  I've had several allergy tests and I am
allergic to nothing.  Vasomotor Rhinitis is probably the best guess
for my condition but it is not chronic and it only occurs after I
catch a bug (which may be a few times a year).

Is there any type of cream, gel that I can use in my nose to provide
some type of a soothing affect?  How do I control the nasal dryness
and the swelling at the same time?  Is there anything else I can do?
Are there any doctors out there that can actually help ….. or is that
a silly question?  Is there any treatment for Vasomotor Rhinitis if
that is what I have?  Thanks very much all!

-Charles