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September is World for the awareness of sinus health.
As Erica Rimlinger said
The nose overload began twelve years ago. There were several possible causes that I could think of: I might have had a mild cold or seasonal allergies. The floods that swept from the hurricane to our hometown this year may have triggered my asthma and sinus overload. Although the Fema stations claimed that the flood damage was not bad, I assumed that my symptoms were due to mold. I cleaned my house with bleach and when that didn’t help, I let the walls disappoint and replaced.
My sinus symptoms got worse. One day I looked in the mirror and saw that I had growth in my nose. I often blew my nose and hoped that growth came out and all this blown let my nose bleed. But it didn’t come out. I went to my doctor, who had prescribed a steroid drug without giving me a diagnosis or explanation of how or whether the medication would help. Not convinced, I didn’t take it.
Fatigue, headache and a new habit of snoring joined as my new normality to an overload. I lost my sense of smell. I couldn’t taste anything. I only ate when I was hungry and I was rarely hungry. My daughter had to alert me when the baby’s diaper had to be changed: I couldn’t smell it.
The lymph nodes on my neck swell and my doctor was surprised again. He sent me to “specialists” who turned out to be a heart surgeon. The surgeon said nothing useful to solve the secret. I realized that it was time to carry out my own research on my health.
I found that there were specialists for sinus problems: otolaryngologists, also known as doctors of ears, nose and neck. My insurance did not require a transfer to this specialist, so I found a provider.
The ENT scoped my nasal caves and after diagnosing myself with a very bad sinus infection, he said I have nasal polyps. “What is that?” I asked. He showed me a picture of a man with growth on his forehead. “If you have no surgery,” he said, “the polyps will grow and grow.”
The operation he pushed was not a minor operation. It would take at least three hours or more and the recovery would take longer than a month. I would not be able to wear my baby for up to six weeks. I left the office with antibiotics for my sinus infection, a date for the operation and many unanswered, excruciating questions. I wanted to hear other treatment options, but the only option he provided was an operation. He would not tell me whether an operation would be a permanent or a temporary solution.
I didn’t appear on the day of my operation.
The doctor called me and asked why. I told him I was afraid. I didn’t want an operation and felt an railway. He told me that he let go of his practice.
But I had done more research. I found another ENT that told me that steroids and other drugs that were generally used to treat asthma can also reduce polyps. Steroids were a miracle cure for me. I was finally able to breathe again and smell again, and it was such a relief. The doctor warned that they could lose their effectiveness over time. These drugs were treatments, no remedies.
Sure enough, my symptoms came back after four or five months. This time I was more open to an operation. This new doctor explained the procedure, set its advantages and restrictions and gave me the choice. I said yes and planned it during the Christmas season.
After I was overwhelmed after the operation, I returned home, with my nose bleeding. It seemed to bleed for weeks. I dutiful my sinuses with a medical sinus flushing for a month. The recovery of the operation was intense, but I could smell. I could taste. I could breathe.
But it didn’t take. Nine months later I was back at the ENT with all my symptoms. It turned out that an operation was a treatment for some people – no healing. I started taking steroids again.
I now had polyps in all my sinus caves. I was not to the ENT that the operation had carried out on the basis of COVID-19 restrictions. A new ENT that I found in my district suggested that I take steroids again and then have another operation. I told him I would not be operated on again because the recovery was too long and involved. The doctor said he cut out cartilage in the sinus caves to create more space. That made no sense for me. More space meant more space for polyps for growth.
When I had increased in another steroid, I returned to visit the ENT that my operation carried out. He gave me some good news: there was a new treatment for people who, like me, subjected several treatment rounds for recurring polyps. “You are the perfect candidate,” he said. He was able to approve my insurance through my history of recurring polyps after the operation.
The new drugs required an injection at home or in the office of my general practitioner. After I started the medication, I got my sense of smell, sleep and my life back.
According to researched renowned websites, I can learn that recurring polyps are caused by a chronic immune response called Type -2. This inflammatory reaction has no healing and influences several systems in the body. My polyps, asthma, allergies and even my eczema are symptoms of this disease.
Through this experience, I learned how important it is to carry out your own research and use it for yourself. My doctors and even my family didn’t notice how much I suffered. It was never just a cold, just allergies or just a stuffed nose. It was my immune system that attacks my body on several fronts for over a decade and even robbed me of one of my five senses.
I am still on the injection medication to control my polyps and medication for the treatment of my other symptoms and they work well. I can smell and breathe normally. Today I am healthy and hopeful that scientific research will not only find treatment, but also a healing for nasal polyps and the inflammation of type 2 that can cause you.
But until this day I know that my own research and listening to my own body is of crucial importance for my treatment and recovery. Even the health service providers (HCPS) trust me most who see me in short, 15- to 30-minute appointments. I stay in my condition and write out my questions before I go to HCPS to ensure that they are answered to my satisfaction.
Nobody will take care of my health anymore than I do, and nobody else will live with the consequences of my health care. My experience with polyps did not lead me to a healing, but it has led to successful treatment and the ability, strength and independence to work for me in all medical matters.
resources
Asthma and allergy foundation – nasal polyps
This educational resource was created with the support of Glaxosmithkline, Sanofi and Regeneron.
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Our real women, real stories are the authentic experiences of women in real life. The views, opinions and experiences that are shared in these stories are not supported by healthwomen and do not necessarily reflect the official politics or position of healthwomen.
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