Joined: 20 May 2006 Posts: 1 Location: North Dakota
Nasal Polyps - Any New Treatment On the Horizon? Posted: 05-20-06 22:43pm
Hello. I am a 34-year old male,
suffering from nasal polyps for the past
14 years. I have had multiple
surgeries (1993 - polypectomy and
septopasty; 1999 - endoscopic sinus surgey
and another septoplasty which the doctor
had to cut short due to severe bleeding
(something happened but this was the only
time I used this doctor, as I had moved to
a different city); 2001 - endoscopic sinus
surgery and reduction / opening of
turbinates; 2004 - polypectomy).
Well, now just 18 months after my last
surgery, along with the springtime
conditions of north dakota, I have noticed
that my breathing passage has been clogged
each morning and I can actually see nasal
polyps in the far back of my nasal passage
again. These things literally
have popped up in the past two months.
I am desperately looking for some
alternative guidance. I have
moderate allergies, and have been on a
regimine of allergy shots since my 2001
surgery. I also flush my sinuses
regularly with sinusrinse and use two
puffs of nasonex in each nostril each day.
I have been on a few runs of
prednisone since 2001, but prednisone
really gives me some nasty anxiety / sleep
disturbances / palpitations / blood
pressure issues. I don't have
asthma but I do have an intolerance to
aspirin and asas. Finally, it
seems that if I drink even a single beer,
I get unbelieveable colored discharge and
severe congestion ~ therefore I have now
eliminated alcohol as it appears I am
intollerant to some ingredient in this.
I have had no sense of smell since
1999, except for immediately following my
2001 and 2004 surgeries (but this only
lasts for a couple of weeks at best),
oddly enough except for one or two days
out of the blue in the past year and a
half (no idea why), or after a few days on
prednisone.
I am looking for alternatives. I
have done as much research as I can, but
things seem pretty unclear about these
polyps. Does my case seem severe
enough where I should now consider seeing
a specialist at one of the top ent clinics
in the country (ie. Mayo)?
Is there any credibility to homeopathic
treatments? Has the recent
nasonex study moved some ent specialists
to prescribing a higher dose (ie.
2 puffs twice per day), and if so, side
effects? I am nervous about the
prednisone. It clearly is not
good. Does a one-week course a
couple times per year add significant risk
of serious side effects?
As you can see, I really would like some
guidance here. Living in north
dakota, medical options are quite good,
but limited. Any information, new
studies, or trial studies which you could
share with me would be extremely
appreciated. Thank you for your
time.