I have had Asthma for over 20 years I am 60 and also have nasal polyps and get terrible sinusitis.
I had a bad couple of weeks with a chest infection in November and was given antibiotics and steroids, now my nasal polyps are in both nostrils and I can only breath through my mouth the GP said no to steroids the only thing thats reduces them as it is only a month since I last had them the only time in 12 months.
I read on here people have an emergency pack of anti biotics and steriods but I have never been offered this, I do have a hospital appointment on New years eve with ENT about the polyps but feel I will cancel as the thought of the removal of them terrifies me ,
I also have a huge problem even going to the GP my blood pressure rises to 220 and my heart rate was 122 last time but the GP has never asked about anxiety etc,
sorry about the long post I just feel desperate and invisible to the GP about the way I feel .
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blackmememe
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Honestly the polyps op is nothing, I had it done in 2007. It was marvellous for my sinus system to be unblocked with the rotten matter that was so old & solid that it couldn't escape. My then ENT specialist put me on steroid nasal spray for life & suggested I also use Neilmeds saline nasal rinse (buy via amazon or purchase in chemist). My (horrible) GP took the steroid nasal spray off my prescription and told me I could now buy it over the counter. I've now done this for years but only use it at night to save money. I buy either Numark, Beconase, Clarityn or similar but it has to be the steroid version. At the mo I get Beconase with the ingredient Beclometasone Dipropionate. We need to shrink the inflammation so mucus can escape . Sometimes Tesco has it more cheaply.
Yes, you could perhaps shout louder to get sinus support from the gp, suggest you might try the steroid nasal spray to 'see if it works'.
Re a prescription 'rescue pack' I think there are probably more patients who aren't allowed it now than are. My GP stopped mine years ago.
The November antibiotics should have helped kill off your sinus bacteria. Good luck, Peege
I was sedated by GA at the time but it was about a year before lungs began to go dodgy. I'm afraid I don't know anything about having it done without GA. They were all kind & gentle at St George's Hospital but 17.5 years ago. Perhaps they have more modern ways nowadays.
You sound just like me. I am 80 and thought of having a GA scares me with the state of my lungs. I keep hoping they develop something were they dont have to put you under. My doctor will give me standby steroids but I hate taking them.
What is it that particularly scares you about having the operation? If you can narrow down your anxiety to a specific thing it might help. Thinking "I'm terrified of having this operation" is such a general feeling, and it makes it impossible to deal with your fear. But if you can specify "I'm worried about x part of the procedure" then you can come up with ways of reducing the fear, e.g. by getting more information about the process or by thinking of how you will cope with side effects.
Also I think in most cases, the idea of an op is far worse than the reality. I know when I had to go in for eye surgery I was totally terrified for days beforehand, but when I came out after the op, I was thinking "Is that all?" and I was quite cross with myself for getting so stressed about it beforehand!
I used to have very bad nasal polyps but never had an operation. I used Beconase steroid nasal spray (prescribed), always lying on the bed with head hanging over edge of bed so as to keep the spray in my sinuses as long as possible, including slowly turning head so the liquid would wash throughout the sinuses. I did this at least twice a day, for years, and the polyps eventually became more manageable. Then I was prescribed Montelukast in addition to the spray. My sense of smell returned and the polyps reduced even more. I finally found out about the high omega 3/low omega 6 diet and that meant I could give up the steroid nasal spray.
My nasal polyps were part of a condition called Aspirin Exacerbated Respiratory Disease (or Samters Triad). The usual symptoms are asthma, nasal polyps and aspirin sensitivity. But an ENT will diagnose this and treat it accordingly. As you're also asthmatic, the ENT should offer you an aspirin challenge to rule it in or out.
You have my sympathy, as nasal polyps are horrible. It's exhausting, and miserable not being able to breathe through the nose. Mouth breathing is hard on the lungs and when we sleep, we're more likely to snore and develop sleep apnoea.
More information about Samters and the low omega 6 diet can be found here: samterssociety.org/
I should also emphasise, don't use Otrivine or Sudafed or those types of decongestants, as they can only be used for 3 or 4 days before they start making thing worse. Too much and they can go on to cause damage.
The operation is nothing to worry about and you will breathe much, much better after the op. Mine was under General anaesthetic, took about an hour. Polyps were not cancerous. I slept after it until the next day. Had lunch and was discharged.
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