Has anyone done Radio Frequency Thermal Ablation of the nostril?

[kcareer]

My nostrils started blocking and congested at nights for the past two months. The side I will be sleeping on, will be the nostril that will be blocked and congested. Then when I turn to sleep on the other side of my body, then that nostril will be blocked and congested. The nostril that was blocked and congested before will then gradually open up. They take turns. This is a cycle. My oncologist said that this is not Cancer related; but I did not have this problem until I had this prostate cancer. I was diagnosed in 2016. I had 6 rounds of doxe chemo, now I am on lupron every 4 months, Xtandi 160 mg every day, 400 mg gabapentin daily, and Xgeva injection every two weeks. My PSA has gone down from 117 to less than 0.09. I have had several side effects like fatigue, hot flashes, peripheral neuropathy. Initially my GP said it was chronic sinusits. I was treated for that but the nose congestion is still there. My GP has sent me to an ENT doctor and the ENT doc wants to do Radio Frequency Thermal Ablation of my nostril. Has anyone done this treatment? I need help.

[Hidden]

No, but I had my turbinates surgically reduced decades ago and it worked. So I’m sure the ablation is the latest thing and works better with less recovery time (the post surgery packing was awful). I’m guessing there is something in your treatment that you are slightly allergic to or that causes a reaction in your sinuses causing the turbinates to swell. It may just be a coincidental allergy that has developed.

[kcareer in reply to Hidden]

Thank you, Anomalous. I will talk this over again with the ENT.

[tango65]

Before doing any procedure to the turbinates , you could consult about Flonase (over the counter nasal steroids) a couple of puff each nostril at bedtime.

[kcareer in reply to tango65]

Thank you, Tango65. I am using Flonase in the mornings. I will try using it at bedtime also.

[tango65 in reply to kcareer]

Best of luck!!

[Kaliber]

I’d go with the post that mentions Flonase and possibly add the OTC decongestant called chlorpheniramine .... little round yellow pills. Both work excellent for me. Maybe they could buy you a little time before getting the nasal burn work. Anything , absolutely anything you do that impacts the interior nasal nerves endings is “ extremely “ painful. Some claim the most painful of all because of the direct connection to the brain those nerves have. They hurt like hell when I has some septum work done and I was on serious opioids.

Disclaimer: as always, always check with your medical team before using any otc meds

💪💪💪😊😊😊❤️❤️❤️

[kcareer in reply to Kaliber]

Thank you, Kaliber. I am already using Flonase in the mornings. I will buy the OTC decongestant chlorpheniramine and add it to the Flonase.

[Kaliber in reply to kcareer]

Just remember the down side , if you use those for more than a short while .... they mostly quit working and you are left with a 5X worse rebound histamine problem . The only way to escape is quit and tough it out until the rebound after effects wear off. I call it drowning in snot yayahahahaya.

Just say’in 💪💪💪❤️❤️❤️

[kcareer in reply to Kaliber]

Thanks again. Advice well taken.

[Pheart2]

I had the same problem for last 5 months. Used over the counter nasal sprays. Symptoms went away with weather changed. I believe it was just an Allergy.

[kcareer in reply to Pheart2]

Thank you, Pheart2. I will do some OTC decongestant/nasal sprays and then wait out this allergy season to die down.

[Hidden in reply to kcareer]

One final thing. Over the years a few things have made the swelling turbinates worse-maybe an allergy to pets or really it can be hard to figure out what causes it. I have been using a nasal wash at night called Alkalol i used to buy at CVS but its cheaper on Amazon. It really works well and then use the flonase after the nasal wash so it works better. The Alkalol shrinks the turbinates and helps you breath all night. If all these tips don't work, do the ablation. It sucks not being able to breathe through your nose and with the new procedure, it won't take long to get over and then your problem is solved, probably for the rest of your life.

[kcareer in reply to Hidden]

Anomalous, thank you. I met my GP and she suggested using the Flonase and Clarithin one day, and then alternate with Flonase and Chlorpheniramine the next day. She said to try this method for sometime to find out if I would get some relief. I want to try this before the ablation for fear of any surgery risk.