SPASMS in INFERIOR TURBINATE

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5438 - 17 Oct 2006 05:29 GMT

48 yr. old athletic white male, 215 lbs, don't smoke.

I posted here about 2 years ago, but my symptoms are coming back
but only worse. I actually found my own post just now by Googling
for: turbinate spasms ... and there it was, my post.

My right inferior turbinate is hypertrophic and when I lay my head
down to rest I'm having terrible spasms inside my nose. I can't get
any sleep without heavy sedation.

The spasms occur when I'm awake and laying down and they get
much worse if I try to sleep. This is definately not sleep apnea,
because the snapping-like bursting spasms occur even when I'm
awake, but laying down.

I just had a CT scan and it shows no sinusitis. The doctors don't
know what's causing the spasms. It's really torturing me and I can't
sleep without heavy medication. The turbinate is really inflammed.
I've had post nasal drip now for almost 4 years. The doctors say
I have allergic rhinitis -- but allergy medication does not help.

I had several laser turbinate reductions done using a CO2 laser
at 10 watts and I think that may have damaged my turbinates.
It seems as though these spasms started *after* the laser burns.
There is *no* pain when the spasms occur inside my nose, which
rules out trigeminal neuralgia. No facial pain, either.

I don't know what to do. I don't want to live like this, but I don't
have the guts to kill myself.

I hope no one has a laser turbinate reduction done -- don't do it.

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Shirley ann - 17 Oct 2006 12:18 GMT

Try elevating your head at night. Have your head higher then the rest of
your body.
I got my husband 1 of those wedge pillows finally as he would slip off
of 2 pillows. (ps. he weighs over 200 lbs too)

He had nasal surgery a few years ago and when he would lay down his nose
seem to close up and he could not breathe.

I have allergies and this was recommended to me and helps me a lot that
I sleep through the night.

shirleyann

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5438 - 17 Oct 2006 18:15 GMT

> Try elevating your head at night. Have your head higher then the rest of
> your body.
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> I have allergies and this was recommended to me and helps me a lot that
> I sleep through the night.

Hi,

I've tried that and the turbinate still spasms. I try it again.
(I'm 6ft., so I'm not overweight)

Something is really wrong inside my nose. I'm been tired and weak for the
past month now and the post nasal drip is getting worse. My blood work
shows normal. If I do any excercise I get a fever of around 99.2 right
away. At rest, my temperature is normal, but it jumps right up with any
physical exertion and the spasms get worse that night after excersize.
There is also occasional bleeding in the turbinate. The post nasal drip
was greenish-yellow, but the Levaquin knocked that out and seemed
to knock out the spasms, but now there coming back. I was only on
the antibiotic for 15 days.

It seems like there's an infection somewhere but they can't detect it
But I'm not sure. Those CO2 laser burns may have done something bad.

I have an appointment with a new ENT today

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5438 - 17 Oct 2006 18:57 GMT

Sorry, I forgot to mention that I also have this awful
white coating on my tongue that gives me a sawdust
feeling in my mouth.

I thought it might have been Candida, but diflucan
had no effect. (took it for 7 days)

Here's a history of what happened.

Sinus Problems -- History:
My sinus problems began in November of 2002 when I contracted sinusitis.
The sinusitis was contracted when sleeping at a house and the heater came on.
I was asleep and awoke and heard the hissing of the warm air coming through
the air duct. I immediately noticed an awful feeling of 'sawdust' all over my tongue.
All hell then broke loose in my sinus. My right maxillary sinus became completely
filled with pus and infection and yellowish post nasal drip started. I had a CT scan
done which confirmed the sinusitis. I had surgery done in 2003 to drain the right
maxillary, a septoplasty, and an adenoidectomy.
However, I have had post nasal drip for 4 years now after the surgery which I
cannot get to stop. The surgeon who drained my right maxillary sinus, later, in
2004, did a series of CO2 laser (10 watts) turbinate reductions to stop the post
nasal drip, but they had no effect at all and I think they damaged my right turbinate.
The laser-burned right inferior turbinate now seems to be causing me problems.
That surgeon said I have chronic allergic rhinitis and cannot help me. However, I
have no typical symptoms of allergies ... no sneezing, no itchy watery eyes, no
runny nose or any hives -- just the constant post nasal drip, sawdust tongue and
now the current symptoms I described earlier.
Could whatever got into my sinus from that heater's air duct still be in my system?
Whenever I workout and start sweating, it seems to increase the post nasal drip.
Could the pathogen be systemic and be stored in my fat cells and released when
excersizing? What tests can be done? Allergy tests? Any other tests?
If I have allergies, then why don't the allergy medications stop the post nasal drip?
Rinsing my sinuses with salt water does not stop the post nasal drip or the spasms.

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