I think with this nasal blockage I am looking at three different
phases.  The first phase is when I have nasal blockage in the morning
and sinus blockage in the afternoon.  I can wake up with the nasal
blockage.  A small squirt of Afrin - only one spray in the affected
nostril will cause it to drain and the breathing passages are open for
the day.  If the blockage happens in the middle of the night, I do not
feel well and I wake up feeling like sh.t.  The sinus blockage tends
to happen more in the afternoon.  This causes an irritation and mental
confusion.  I really notice it when I have to do some deep
concentration and the backup causes a severe loss of concentration.
The second state of severity is when I have inflammation of the
sinuses.  I had this when I used to be exposed to cigarette smoke in
the office.  The irritation was both in my sinuses and bronchial
tubes.  The nose would run for about an hour in the morning and then
plug up.  I had severe pressure on my head that led to drowsiness and
mental confusion and severe irritation of my bronchial tubes.
The third and most sever stage was when the sinuses and bronchial
tubes became infected.  This would happen on on the tail end of a
cold.  It became an upper respiratory infection.  I once carried a
Upper Respiratory Ifection in my lungs and sinuses for a three year
periond with no relief.  Cigarette smoke would continue to irritate
the respiratory passages.  I had a low grade fever and constant
chills.  Plus my sinus passages had a greater propensity to swell shut
and give me the nasal confusion.  The infected sinuses would
chronically drip into my lungs and thie would give me a chronic cough
for the three year period.  I also had chronic bad breath which I
could not control - no matter how much mouthwash I used.  Of couse
this had a great impact on my social life.
I am able to control stage 2 and 3 cause I no longer am exposed to
cigarette smoke.  I use a nasal wash and I no longer have the serious
nasal and bronchial infections.  Steroids and Ipratropium bomide tend
to curb the excessive mucus that puddled in my sinuses and caused the
infection.  The present running of my nose tends to flush out any
infections and I have not had an URI in about 3 years.
One of the afteraffects has been that my career is in shambles.
Employers hire on experience and a successful past.  You can't really
go into an employers office and discuss the sickness that was caused
by inflamed and infected sinuses.