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How do I stop my nose running?

I have had a runny nose for almost a year and a half now, it used to only be worse in the mornings but now it occurs all throughout the day. It also causes a lot of sneezing. The snot is clear and rather watery so it has been very annoying to deal with and it's interrupting my life. It also occurs outside, or at other people's houses so I doubt it could be allergy-related. It is now at the point where my left ear pops when I sneeze and it is quite painful. I have tried using a nasal salt wash a few times and it clears it up for a bit (when the blockage isn't too bad) but it comes back quickly. Any ideas?
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Avatar universal
Hi Greensucculent.
I will share my story with you as it might lead you in the right direction.
Back in 2009, I started noticing a change in my voice. I was a member of my church choir at the time and suddently I couldn't hit certain notes an my voice took on a raspy sound.
Around 2010, I took a couple of hits to the head by my 2 large dogs and during that year, I started having episodes of vertigo. Never having experienced that before, I went to the ER...3 times over the course of the year, each time telling me it was all in my head. During this time, my nose started dripping. ALL THE TIME! I was about to graduate massage school and I was beside myself. I went to every doctor I could find who all told me I was healthier than a 25 year old (I was in my early 50s at the time). I even went to an ENT who sent me home telling me it was all in my head. YES! that I knew but why was this happening??? Everywhere I went my nose dripped; I walked around with a tissue in my hand and a full supply in my purse. I stumbled across an article about CSF (cerebral spinal fluid) leaks and was convinced that was what it was. NOPE!
Fast forward to early 2011 I didn't want to live like this anymore and refused to go to anymore doctors out of sheer humiliation after paying for their expensive short visits and their "not you again" attitude. A friend and I were talking one day and she said "it sounds like allergies". I replied "other than penicillin, I've never been allergic to anything in my life". The next day I sat down crying thinking about our conversation and thought that maybe I was allergic to dairy. I love it and ate it at every meal. I decided right then and there I would give up dairy completely. And I did. I woke up the next morning and my itchy ears and eyes were less itchy and my nose dripped much less that day. Within a few days my nose stopped dripping completely and I felt clear in my head. I continued to avoid dairy at every cost, reading labels on everything and requesting dairy-free food in restaurants (emphasizing I had an allergy). Over 10 years later, I still do not eat dairy and my nose doesn't drip anymore.  All those horrible symptoms of nose dripping, dizziness, ear ringing, vertigo, off balance, brain fog were due to dairy allergy.
I did discover in 2016 that my dairy allergy was traced back to a deer tick bite in 2001 which resulted in Lyme Disease. This is too long of a story but if anyone is interested I am ready to share.
Long story short, if you have any gut issues, even mild burning or reflux, the stage is set for allergies. Taking allergy pills is like putting a bandage on the wound but the wound never heals. It is best to completely avoid the allergen. I wish you the best and would love to hear how you are doing.
Helpful - 1
Avatar universal
Hi, can you describe the consistency of the liquid coming out of your nose? You said it is pretty watery, but does it taste salty/metal-like? Have you ever had head or nose trauma or sinus surgeries of any kind? Are you experiencing headaches?

Reason I say this is that it may be prudent to get evaluated for a CSF leak. I would start with getting an ENT consult and having him test your nasal discharge for CSF fluid (beta 2 transferrin I believe is what the test is called). I wish you best of luck with this.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Most likely it is allergy related, but what you're allergic to will be hard to pinpoint.  Sometimes our bodies change and our immune systems change and our allergies get worse.  It has happened to me the last few months, and it's made life very hard.  I have always had allergies, but I took things that generally controlled them.  But a medication problem several years ago caused everything to go awry, especially my sleep and my mood, and so everything that goes wrong with me goes wrong in odd and difficult to treat or diagnose ways.  For some reason your immune system has gotten very prickly and is attacking things that aren't in fact harmful to you, but why you might know better than others because you know what has changed in your life.  Could be mold.  Could be clothing.  Could be cleaning products.  Could be skin care products.  Could be dust.  Could be animal dander.  Could be food.  Could be medication, such as having taken antibiotics.  You can become allergic to things you weren't allergic to before, and allergies can get worse.  It's hard to see how it could be something else, as it's unlikely you would stay sick with something so mild for so long.  Peace.
Helpful - 0
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The issue there is that it happens in so many places such as my friends house, outdoors, at school etc. and nothing has really changed so unless I've just become allergic to all clothing I don't really see anything that's consistent between them all. But I'll definitely keep an eye out for anything that could be triggering it, thank you!
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