Got a nose riddle for you

[SheSpeeds]

This is about me, I'm 30. My oldest is 3.5 years old. From the 5th month of my pregnancy I had nasal congestion (october), assumed it was the rhino whatever that happens to some pregnant moms. It did not go away after he was born, nor between pregnancies, nor during my second pregnancy, and now my youngest is 16 months.

It is approximately the time that I had a fairly big (but gradual) shift from conventional to holistic. I've had 4 or so years to play around with my diet with elimination of ingredients, laundry detergent, ect. Vacations away from my city and house does not have an effect on it.

It's congestion like...I blow my nose once in the morning. If I think about it during the day, I can feel slightly constricted nasal passages (but nothing draining out my nose or my throat). It fairly dramatically messes with my sense of smell. I can smell things like flowers, pot roast, and an intensely poopy diaper, things that permeate a room, but not subtle smells.

I've taken pulsatilla on recommendation of a local homeopathic doctor, but I don't really care for that doc and did not return for a follow up visit. If i take an allergy pill, such as Claratin, it has no effect on this.

I'm back to feeling annoyed by this and looking for ideas.

[sewaneecook]

Your congestion sounds similar to mine that I had while PG with DS2. It lasted the entire pregnancy and it then continued after delivery. Mine got worse over the first few months PP and then an itchy scalp were added to the mix (the kind that made me want to pull my hair out), and then I eventually got hives and asthma issues (the asthma was something I thought I had outgrown several years ago). Most of this was because of a dust mite allergy for me. I now have dust mite covers on my pillows and bed, I have to wash my bedding weekly in hot water (all sheets, blankets, and anything not covered by the dust mite covers), and I'm on a nasal and inhailed steroid (veramyst and asmanex). The natural stuff wasn't working for me and I was miserable and the quality of my life has improved drastically ever since starting on the meds. Have you been tested for environmental allergies? I think dairy and wheat are often dietary culprits for nasal issues.

[SheSpeeds]

sounds similar

The itchy scalp is something that also comes and goes. Arguably related. Though no asthma type symptoms. Instead of an allergist, I went to a homeopathic doctor, and then didn't follow up with him. Going to an allergist, I envision like going to the dentist leaving with a baggie of "goodies" with the notion of "take these the rest of your life". And since this issue is about a 3 on a 1-10 scale, I'm trying to ignore it, particularly since I'm past the point of experimental dietary changes. I'm hoping my post and your feedback is enough to jump start my reinvestigation into this, as it's possible that it will get worse.

Does allergy medicine like Claratin cause any improvement in your symptoms?

Perhaps I need to bite the bullet and just see what an allergist has to say.

[sewaneecook]

Claritin makes me drowsy (I'm one of the lucky 10%!), but Zyrtec is helpful when I'm going to be outside at peak time for some of my allergy triggers (it makes my asthma less of a problem) or when I'm around cats. It doesn't touch the dust mite issues. I hope the allergy shots I'm doing make it so the other meds won't be necessary for too long. I was informed by my doctor that there was a great chance my allergies would either stay the same or get worse, and highly unlikely they would improve on their own (especially with the speed that the allergy developed). I was able to live with just the stuffy nose, but when I woke up several nights per week needing my inhailer (after several years of not needing it at all!), and getting hives whenever I cleaned house from the dust mites, I decided it was time to be more aggressive with treatment.

I try to go the natural route for medical issues, but sometimes they simply don't work for me and it's time to go with pharmaceuticals. This time my breathing and quality of life improved within just a few days of taking the meds and I haven't had the hives in almost a year or needed my rescue inhailer in months. I really hope your stuffy nose doesn't develop in to the hives or breathing issues.