2 septoplasties and both made my nose worse - Detroit, MI

Thank you for sharing your experience. I hope you find support in the community.

I am so sad you have had to go through this, but don't give up hope yet. You may have some other issues contributing to your problem. I have had trouble breathing, have had a turbinectomy and I have severe sleep apnea, and I am now using a CPAP machine. However, I have also found that I have both food and environmental allergies, which were making it so I cannot breathe! To start, try doing the food elimination diet by eliminating the 7 most common food allergens from your diet for30-60 days. I think it is Wheat, Eggs, Dairy products, Soy, Rice and Corn, but you find it online. Turned out my culprits are dairy and wheat; cutting them out has made a huge difference. Environmental factors may also play a role in your chronic nasal congestion. If you are allergic to dust, dust mites, pollen or pet dander it will affect you. Dust mites are easy to deal with by purchasing dust mite pillow and mattress protectors. Also you will need to wash your bedding on a regular basis; I have to do mine every two weeks. As for dust, I have to clean the house every two weeks, and I have to say, it really makes a difference. As for pets, if you have one, try getting your house thoroughly cleaned and taking your pet to a friend's house for a couple of weeks; see if you feel any different. If you live in a place that has carpet, that may also be a source of allergens, either because it's really dirty ( if it's old) or if it's new, the V.O.C.s could be a problem for you; they are for me, and living in a place with wood floors makes a huge difference. Other things that have helped reduce my stuffed up and swollen nasal issues are Pseudoephredrine, which works great, but you cannot take it long term as you can develop heart problems, which I did, so I had to stop using it. I have been going to a Doctor of Chinese medicine and it has also helped. Lastly, with your CPAP, tell your doctor that you are having troubles with it, and he shoudl prescribe another model for you, which your insurance should cover. I couldn't use CPAP for the same reason as you: I felt like I couldn't breathe. I now use the ResMed Autosense with nasal pillows which has made a HUGE difference. I sleep much better and wake feeling refreshed. If your Apnea values are really severe, you might qualify for the BiPAP ( variable airway pressure) which is even more like our natural breathing pattern. Anyway, I hope this helps. Good luck with everything and don't give up, because any one of the above issues may be contributing to your problem. It just takes awhile to figure it all out! :-)