Hi there

We have just arrived at the wife's sister for Christmas.

She is a lovely person with a lovely family and I'd like to help her.

She has a problem which I have noticed before but it is very bad right now and I started asking questions.

First the symptoms and clues:

Irritation inside the nasal cavity and constant sniffles.

She sounds very nasal indeed.

I just learned that she has had a little blood before now but it's rare.

It is worse in the morning.

It is worse in the cold season.

The smokey season doesn't seem to affect it.

It started about 5 years ago.

It doesn't make her tired or red eyed, it's really just nasal.

So I asked if she'd been tested for allergies.

At this point I should say she works in the Overbrook Hospital.

She said she has only ever seen the regular doctor and hasn't been referred upstairs.

He prescribes pseudo ephedrine, budesonide, and halodin, but from what I can understand he is telling her it can't be fixed.

I'd just like to know if this is so, or if there are any possibilities.

(and yes, i already told her that after 5 years she should ask for a specialist referral.)

Thanks!

I have nearly the same symptoms (no blood seen yet) for about a year now.

Went to the doctor...he prescribed antibiotics and a lot of other medicine...that I never took.

Please keep us informed as to the outcome.

Wish your wife's sister get better soon.

She needs to see a good ENT.

There are more/better treatments to be had.

She may have nasal polyps; only an ENT can exclude that.

Thankyou all

I had been thinking allergist but of course the ENT would be better first stop.

As she has a young family and finances are pressed as always she has avoided going outside the regular route but I will offer as a Xmas present.

Cheeryble

I looked at the excellent NHS website and polyps indeed look likely.

Interesting comment there that steroids etc indeed help but the only radical improvement comes with excision.

The commenter mentions that it takes quite a process to get to the excision stage in Britain.

This delay in a non-urgent procedure makes it an interesting example in a comparison between health care systems.

Britain of course spends radically less on healthcare and whilst urgent procedures are world class it is true delays elsewhere exist.

I personally would prefer the benefits to society such savings bring and be perfectly willing.....and have been....to experience some delay when I know it's not going to kill me because levels of cost found in the most expensive countries bring their own implications including health and certainly life quality.

I have laid down the law to sister in law and she will see consultant soon :-)

ps