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Chronic sinus congestion after quitting smoking
I am a 28 yr old male with no history of allergies or ear infections. I had been smoking cigarettes liberally for about 10 years and quit smoking completely as of January, 2009.
About 6-7 months ago I developed (as if overnight) extreme sinus congestion. Usually my nose is completely blocked up around the clock, especially in the morning. Blowing my nose tends to do nothing, except for the rare occasion that while standing in a hot shower I can get a bit of gunk out now and then. I also have had extremely red chapped lips ALL the time. My family physician did blood tests to test for vitamin deficiencies and found nothing out the ordinary.
I saw an allergist about 4 months ago, they did all the standard allergy tests and didn't find anything. The doctors suggested that perhaps it was seasonal allergies and placed me on Clarinex, Nasonex and Astepro - none of which have had any sort of effect. I purchased a Neilmed Netipot, but my sinuses are so blocked that I can't use the product, as the nasal rinse wont travel through my nasal passages.
The ONLY medication that I have taken that helps is Neo synephrine nasal spray. Within minutes of using that stuff I get instant relief and can actually breathe through my nose (still can't blow anything out). However, it says on the label that you're not supposed to use it for more than 3 days.
I'm not sure of where to look for answers next. I've always read about people have quit smoking and felt so much healthier, and I feel like since I've quit smoking I've simply opened another door of health concerns. Has anyone else experienced something like this? I've never had any sort of health issues that have onset so quickly and persisted for so long!
About 6-7 months ago I developed (as if overnight) extreme sinus congestion. Usually my nose is completely blocked up around the clock, especially in the morning. Blowing my nose tends to do nothing, except for the rare occasion that while standing in a hot shower I can get a bit of gunk out now and then. I also have had extremely red chapped lips ALL the time. My family physician did blood tests to test for vitamin deficiencies and found nothing out the ordinary.
I saw an allergist about 4 months ago, they did all the standard allergy tests and didn't find anything. The doctors suggested that perhaps it was seasonal allergies and placed me on Clarinex, Nasonex and Astepro - none of which have had any sort of effect. I purchased a Neilmed Netipot, but my sinuses are so blocked that I can't use the product, as the nasal rinse wont travel through my nasal passages.
The ONLY medication that I have taken that helps is Neo synephrine nasal spray. Within minutes of using that stuff I get instant relief and can actually breathe through my nose (still can't blow anything out). However, it says on the label that you're not supposed to use it for more than 3 days.
I'm not sure of where to look for answers next. I've always read about people have quit smoking and felt so much healthier, and I feel like since I've quit smoking I've simply opened another door of health concerns. Has anyone else experienced something like this? I've never had any sort of health issues that have onset so quickly and persisted for so long!
your body is regrowing your cilia, and your sinus cavities are covered in toxic buildup. they are doing what they should be doing, kicking out the toxins, however it is uncomfortable at best, and for some completely miserable. it goes away after a smoke as you have effectively burned off the cilia that your body worked so hard to regrow. AVOID THIS TEMPTATION! I have found eating healthy helps aid in regrowth of hairs and helps sinus cavities flow more effectively. drinking water also aids in thinning out mucus. I have resorted to a spit bottle temporarily. keep in mind your body wishes to reach homeostasis. it will heal most affected or most important organs first then go down the line to next affected organ etc. it means your body has time and or energy to effectively go after your sinuses. Its a great sign however miserable it may seem. any efforts to stop will hinder the process and make it take longer, i.e. make you miserable for longer. again avoid temptation of quick fixes i.e. rinses, baking soda, etc. you will once again burn off cilia starting the process over. lastly I have found cherry tomatoes aid in quitting measures as they are in nightshade family, and take over the role that tobacco was playing but in a healthier fashion. you may notice you have a sudden aversion to certain foods (mushrooms, eggplants, etc), or certain sudden food addiction (cherry tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, dark chocolate, apples, peanut butter). That's a great sign your body is trying to heal a new organ. Choose organic as much as possible. best advice avoid soda, try and cut back on coffee, sugar, etc as these things may hinder your bodies ability to detox these things. I enjoy a sip or two of black coffee maybe three to five times a month. Keep in mind I am about 2 to 3 months into detox, but I have had to research what was happening in my body and foods to eat etc. At some point my body passed the point where homeostasis was impossible and had a complete meltdown. Im taking the long trudge back to health with many of the awful pitfalls along the way. ive read oodles and doodles of articles on nutrition, metal poisoning, the brain, etc. best advice go organic and trust your instinct (except when it tells you to smoke). Lastly when trying to smoke I found switching to american spirits first helped my body get used to not seeing lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, pesticides, etc in my lungs and pushed me to start eating healthy, which pushed me to want to quit. switching from one brand to american spirits was harder (withdrawals from additives) than quitting altogether. I have found it is more the additives than the nicotine our bodies get angry about not seeing, and kicking out substances such as lead, cadmium, arsenic, mercury are harder than nicotine could ever be. you can do it, eat healthy, include fruits and veggies. eat less milk products and possibly less meat. see a nutritionist if you are concerned.
1 Comments
This has helped me a great deal , thankyou for taking time to share this information , I wasn't a heavy smoker bit smoked role ups occasionally , I've been smoke free for just about 4 weeks, I can now take deep breaths , I'm faster on my mountain bike without getting out of breath , the cherry tomato thing is very interesting i be grabbing some of those to see if it works . Thanks again . I've heard cranberry juice is good to .
I read through this whole thread and thought I would post because my symptoms are slightly different. I quit 3 months ago after smoking a pack a day for 13 years. I developed sinus problems about 4-6 weeks after quitting - really runny nose and sneezing. I then experienced a nose bleed and a lot of itchy/dry congestion. After two nose bleeds and some yellow mucus, I went to the doctor and was told that it was just allergies and that I needed Flonase. I've never had allergy problems, so I believe now after reading this thread that it is directly related to quitting. I think it will go away over time...stay strong!
Hi,
I first found this forum 5 years ago when I first quit smoking. I had extreme sinus congestion and I could not sleep at night. I literally thought that I was going to go crazy with the congestion. It blocked everything in my head..ears, nose, everything. I was in such misery, I was put on a waitlist for an ENT to examine me. When I finally got to see him, he said that everything was fine..swollen, but fine. He gave me a quick couple of shots of steriods and asked me..do that feel better? Hardly...
I once said to someone, if this is what quitting smoking is going to be like for me, I am not going to be able to continue it. As a matter of fact, a year in, I could not take it anymore as the congestion was so bad. (I had been a pack a day smoker for 35 years, with 8 years off and so in between. Anyhow, I started smoking again after a year.
However, 3 years later I decided to again try to quit. This time, though, I decided to try the steriod spray that they wanted me to use. The doctor says that it takes over a month for it to work properly. I primed my nose for two months with the nasal spray, two squirts in each nostril per night, then quit after the two months. I can't tell you how much different and more pleasant this quit is now. I can breathe through my nose, head is clear, I feel so much better. This quit is so much more successful than my last one.
I remembered this forum from a few years ago, from the first time that I quit and I thought that I would post this, so that some other pool soul could benefit from my experience. I tried very hard to use the nose spray the first time, but with the congestion and stress from the congestion, I guess that I was not diligent in using it. As well, it could have made a difference that my nose was primed before I quit.
Mind you, it has only been a week for me, but it is amazing the difference in feeling. I am using Flonase and now, I have reduced the dosage to 1 squirt in each nostril every day. I hope to reduce that in time, too.
I first found this forum 5 years ago when I first quit smoking. I had extreme sinus congestion and I could not sleep at night. I literally thought that I was going to go crazy with the congestion. It blocked everything in my head..ears, nose, everything. I was in such misery, I was put on a waitlist for an ENT to examine me. When I finally got to see him, he said that everything was fine..swollen, but fine. He gave me a quick couple of shots of steriods and asked me..do that feel better? Hardly...
I once said to someone, if this is what quitting smoking is going to be like for me, I am not going to be able to continue it. As a matter of fact, a year in, I could not take it anymore as the congestion was so bad. (I had been a pack a day smoker for 35 years, with 8 years off and so in between. Anyhow, I started smoking again after a year.
However, 3 years later I decided to again try to quit. This time, though, I decided to try the steriod spray that they wanted me to use. The doctor says that it takes over a month for it to work properly. I primed my nose for two months with the nasal spray, two squirts in each nostril per night, then quit after the two months. I can't tell you how much different and more pleasant this quit is now. I can breathe through my nose, head is clear, I feel so much better. This quit is so much more successful than my last one.
I remembered this forum from a few years ago, from the first time that I quit and I thought that I would post this, so that some other pool soul could benefit from my experience. I tried very hard to use the nose spray the first time, but with the congestion and stress from the congestion, I guess that I was not diligent in using it. As well, it could have made a difference that my nose was primed before I quit.
Mind you, it has only been a week for me, but it is amazing the difference in feeling. I am using Flonase and now, I have reduced the dosage to 1 squirt in each nostril every day. I hope to reduce that in time, too.
I found this site after some surfing the web. I am male, 57 years old. I quit smoking, cold turkey, when I was 49. I started smoking when I was in grade 6, probably about 12 years old. Even before I quit I was frequently congested and it only got worse after quitting. I have been using decongestant nasal sprays, especially at night so that I can sleep. I recently went to an ear, nose and throat specialist for a problem I had a few months ago with my ear - it has since cleared up and I am ok, I can hear now! I told the ENT specialist about my chronic congestion and he did a scope of my nasal passages. He said they looked fine, no polyps, just a little swelling. He has referred me to an allergist. The ENT asked me if I had any allergies, I said none that I knew of. I have always been pretty healthy. From reading the posts here I am not too confident about the allergist finding anything. Anyway, I am wondering if I have an allergy to alcohol. I am a serious amateur winemaker (I use grapes, juice etc) and while I don't drink excessively I usually do have a drink or two after work, sometimes I have more, and I will finish the bottle. I use sulphites in my wine as a preservative and I am now beginning to wonder if the wine (and the histamines in the wine) along with the sulphites could be contributing to my nasal congestion. I am going to completly give up drinking for the next week or two to see if this has any impact on my sinus congestion. On one level I hope it does confirm that I am allergic to what is in the wine and on another level I will have to seriously consider giving up something that I really enjoy. I am not sure that I want to go there. I will try to post back at the end of April, 2015 with an update.
The same is happening to me, I smoked for 10 years I quitted 9 months ago and have experienced terrible sinus congestion ever since. Went to the doctor, and the medicine didn't worked. Tried with homeopathic medicine but no luck either. Do you know if it goes away? Or I will have this sinus congestion forever?
I have had very similar problems. Was a long term smoker and once I quit sinuses got permanently blocked. I tried everything to eliminate it – prescription allergy drugs, rinsing, acupuncture, dust mite protected bedding and homeopathy with no results. A homeopath suggested I tried Buteyko breathing exercises and I bought a book on it and it has helped within 5 days!
As I understand it. Smoking increases our CO2 in the body relative to oxygen (we need both). As smokers, in order to compensate for lack of oxygen we start breathing more. Once we quit smoking we continue to breathe the same amount as when we were smokers and as a result significantly more than we should. We end up overworking air passage ways and have too low a CO2 balance. I think that with all the inhaling we did for years we simply forgot how to breathe correctly! I compared how frequently, loudly and visibly I breathe compared to people who never smoked and my breathing is all over the place.
I am not sure how scientifically accurate this is but it definitely worked for me. It also would explain why simply sitting down and concentrating on your breathing is a great help.
As I understand it. Smoking increases our CO2 in the body relative to oxygen (we need both). As smokers, in order to compensate for lack of oxygen we start breathing more. Once we quit smoking we continue to breathe the same amount as when we were smokers and as a result significantly more than we should. We end up overworking air passage ways and have too low a CO2 balance. I think that with all the inhaling we did for years we simply forgot how to breathe correctly! I compared how frequently, loudly and visibly I breathe compared to people who never smoked and my breathing is all over the place.
I am not sure how scientifically accurate this is but it definitely worked for me. It also would explain why simply sitting down and concentrating on your breathing is a great help.
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