Dry nose for 10 years.

[LikaLaruku]

In 2003 I started getting lots of nosebleeds, the kind that can go on for 15 minutes, & my nose became very dry. I frequently used Vaseline, Carmex, DHT, lotion, cocoa butter, & Neosporin to keep it dry. My mother was cheap & I was regarded as a Hypochondriac. She contributed the nosebleed to "we live in the desert."

By 2006, my nose is probably worse. I'd stopped using Neosporin & Vaseline, as they were possibly making things worse, because I made the mistake of using Afrin whenever I had a cold, & my whole family was hooked on pseudoephedrine for allergies. I stopped using the stuff altogether in 2008 & switched to Breathe Rights.

I've since tried aloe gel & Calendula ointment. I've tried saline gels & spray & find that they evaporate & dry within seconds. I've tried going days using nothing, hoping it would heal, but I just can't resist the urge to moisten. I've also got a cool mist humidifier & live in the most humid state in the country; doesn't help at all.

Outside of trying nasal irrigation with a neti pot, I can't think of anything else to try. Google searching has been a wild goose chase.

Other information:
*Not using ANY kind of medication, vitamins, inhalers, allergy reducers, or herbal supplements.
*My nose is constantly runny, but the incredibly thick light green mucus is gummy & doesn't moisten my nose at all.
*No history of smoking or sexual diseases.
*No one else in my family has this problem.
*Weak sense of smell, some days things taste completely wrong.
*In the morning, I always cough up thick mucus balls.
*The only kind of headaches I get are from neck strain. Never had a sinus headache or sinus infection.
*Some times when I get a nosebleed, the color is unusually pale, like the red paint blood from Dawn of the Dead.
*Female, 30, Caucasian. Problems started in my late teens.

[Paderla Anitha, DNB]

Hi, understand your predicament. But sometimes you're of a dry nose could be due to disorders like Sjogren's syndrome, which is a disease that causes dryness of the mouth and eyes.  It can also lead to dryness in other places that need moisture, such as your throat and skin. It is an autoimmune disease. Most people who get Sjogren's syndrome are older than 40. Nine of 10 are women. Blood tests, eye tests, imaging studies and sometimes a biopsy may be needed to diagnose to this condition. Check with your doctor to rule out this condition. Regards.

[LikaLaruku]

& to eliminate a bunch of options, I don't cough at all. The phlegm I "cough" up most mornings is literally forced up by vibrating the uvula; a trick I learned from my mother.

[LikaLaruku]

Ah! I forgot a few things.

*Might be unrelated, but some times of the year I suffer frequent dizziness, & then it goes away for a long time. The nosebleeds occur more frequently at these times. It can happen if I am looking for something on the floor, move too quickly, or lean over too far.

*I HATE the taste of pure unflavored water & will not drink it, but have always shown very few to no symptoms of dehydration. Apple juice & coffee are pretty much the only things I will drink. I also hate the taste of milk, so that's not an option. Flavored water tastes metallic & sometimes soapy, so I rarely dring that either.