What's up everyone! This is a pretty straight forward issue, but it proves to be a constant annoyance. I can barely remember one moment in a year where I have said to myself "wow, I can breathe through my nostrils."
Every day when I wake up, I have to snort a heap of mucus up, spit it out, repeat. My nose almost never runs, and my lungs themselves don't seem to be the immediate issue; I only really cough up anything first thing in the morning. I put this down to mucus run-off while I'm asleep. Sinus issues and allergies seem to run in both sides of my family, which is probably a very likely factor in this. I also suffer from Asthma (nowhere near as bad as it was when I was a kid).
The inside of my nose itself, is often dry, and the contents crusty and flaky. I do not appear to be "sick", to my knowledge, as the contents are often clear, or as close to it as mucus/snot generally can be. Sometimes so much that I can get a blood nose trying to physically clean my nose out. Generally I can't blow out or snort up much, so it's a constant battle to feel that relief.
I have tried damn near everything easily available, but mostly everything doesn't help. A hot shower (specifically running over my face) helps to loosen up a bit of it, and usually I can spit out a bit, but that's basically as far as my progress goes. I'll list some other methods I have tried to benefit from:
Antihistamines: Due to the already dry nature of my nose, this class of drugs seems to provide roughly zero relief. I'm talking all of your general cold/flu/hay-fever prevention/relief products. The side effects of being lethargic and feeling a little 'sketchy' make them not even worth taking at all.
Nasal-Sprays: Often just an Antihistamine, sometimes mixed with other, lesser-active substances. These seemed promising, as they are a liquid, so they should counter the dryness of my nose and beyond. Sadly, theory fails in this case. They too do little to nothing for the regular blockages.
Naturally Scented Decongestants: Products such as 'Vicks Vaporub', which is Menthol scented, and various other aromatic decongestants. They help a little bit, but are a constant upkeep and overpower the most formidable of deodorants. For them to have any positive effect, they also require me to apply them that close to my nostrils that I get mustache burn.
Hot Food: Oddly enough, this really works. The downside, however, is that it's very impractical. My nose will run like a tap eventually (proving to me that it WAS blocked, and I'm not just 'tripping out'), but not until I get to the stage of sweating, going red, stripping off clothing to 'cool down' etc. I think I'd rather the blocked nose?
Pseudoephedrine: I was fortunate enough to find an old box of Sudafed in my parents cupboard one day. I never actually swallowed the tablets, but instead snorted one or two. I only did this once, but my nose literally ran like a tap for an hour and a half or so. I'm hesitant to even ask for it though... It's generally frowned upon at Chemists, plus I am prescribed several potentially recreational drugs already, one being Dexamphetamine, which I believe will interact badly.
Dexamphetamine: I've tried this in very small doses insulated. I never would do this to get a buzz off the pills, but it works as quite an effective, but only temporary decongestant for my nose. Orally it is a lot less effective for this purpose. I can't get into a habit of snorting amphetamines for a simple blocked nose.
Additionally, I bought a product that pushes salty water into your nose by hand-pumping it. It works a little bit, but spending 10-20 minutes in front of a mirror, several times a day, feeling like I have just been dumped by a massive wave, isn't what I would call a comfortable or socially viable solution.
Where does this leave me?
Every day when I wake up, I have to snort a heap of mucus up, spit it out, repeat. My nose almost never runs, and my lungs themselves don't seem to be the immediate issue; I only really cough up anything first thing in the morning. I put this down to mucus run-off while I'm asleep. Sinus issues and allergies seem to run in both sides of my family, which is probably a very likely factor in this. I also suffer from Asthma (nowhere near as bad as it was when I was a kid).
The inside of my nose itself, is often dry, and the contents crusty and flaky. I do not appear to be "sick", to my knowledge, as the contents are often clear, or as close to it as mucus/snot generally can be. Sometimes so much that I can get a blood nose trying to physically clean my nose out. Generally I can't blow out or snort up much, so it's a constant battle to feel that relief.
I have tried damn near everything easily available, but mostly everything doesn't help. A hot shower (specifically running over my face) helps to loosen up a bit of it, and usually I can spit out a bit, but that's basically as far as my progress goes. I'll list some other methods I have tried to benefit from:
Antihistamines: Due to the already dry nature of my nose, this class of drugs seems to provide roughly zero relief. I'm talking all of your general cold/flu/hay-fever prevention/relief products. The side effects of being lethargic and feeling a little 'sketchy' make them not even worth taking at all.
Nasal-Sprays: Often just an Antihistamine, sometimes mixed with other, lesser-active substances. These seemed promising, as they are a liquid, so they should counter the dryness of my nose and beyond. Sadly, theory fails in this case. They too do little to nothing for the regular blockages.
Naturally Scented Decongestants: Products such as 'Vicks Vaporub', which is Menthol scented, and various other aromatic decongestants. They help a little bit, but are a constant upkeep and overpower the most formidable of deodorants. For them to have any positive effect, they also require me to apply them that close to my nostrils that I get mustache burn.
Hot Food: Oddly enough, this really works. The downside, however, is that it's very impractical. My nose will run like a tap eventually (proving to me that it WAS blocked, and I'm not just 'tripping out'), but not until I get to the stage of sweating, going red, stripping off clothing to 'cool down' etc. I think I'd rather the blocked nose?
Pseudoephedrine: I was fortunate enough to find an old box of Sudafed in my parents cupboard one day. I never actually swallowed the tablets, but instead snorted one or two. I only did this once, but my nose literally ran like a tap for an hour and a half or so. I'm hesitant to even ask for it though... It's generally frowned upon at Chemists, plus I am prescribed several potentially recreational drugs already, one being Dexamphetamine, which I believe will interact badly.
Dexamphetamine: I've tried this in very small doses insulated. I never would do this to get a buzz off the pills, but it works as quite an effective, but only temporary decongestant for my nose. Orally it is a lot less effective for this purpose. I can't get into a habit of snorting amphetamines for a simple blocked nose.
Additionally, I bought a product that pushes salty water into your nose by hand-pumping it. It works a little bit, but spending 10-20 minutes in front of a mirror, several times a day, feeling like I have just been dumped by a massive wave, isn't what I would call a comfortable or socially viable solution.
Where does this leave me?
