Are these allergy symptoms?

[ny biker]

For several years, I've had chronic sinus and nasal congestion, particularly on the left side. Much of the time it is just inflamation (no mucus). It is usually not fully congested, and it comes and goes. For example if I'm sitting and working or watching TV for several hours, I'll notice that it goes from partially blocked to totally clear and back to partially blocked. It's worse at night when I'm lying down, and in the morning I do have to blow my nose a lot to clear things out (everything is totally clear with no signs of a bacterial problem). There are no other common allergy symptoms like sneezing and itching or watery eyes.

It got worse last fall. I tried a decongestant which helped a little. Then I stopped taking that and switched to Claritin for a week, and that cleared it up. After I stopped taking the Claritin, the symptoms were not nearly as bad as they had been prior to taking the medicine. In the past few weeks they've started getting worse again.

I thought maybe I was allergic to something indoors like dust or mold, but now I'm starting to doubt that. I'm concerned I might be having problems with nasal polyps (I have asthma) but from reading about them it doesn't really sound like my symptoms fit that problem.

I have a prescription for Flonase but have not filled it yet. I don't want to start taking another maintenance drug without knowing why I need to take it. I'm going for a physical on Thursday, so I'm wondering if I should ask for a referral to an allergist or an ENT specialist while I'm there.

As for other allergies, the asthma is mostly exercise related. I have minor issues with hayfever -- my eyes itch a bit in the spring but I'm able to have the windows wide open during the peak of pollen season with no sneezing or other symptoms. I had allergy testing done a few years ago (prick tests for common allergens) with negative results. I do have problems with contact dermatitis so I have to be careful with cosmetics, lotions, stuff like that. I've had some wicked problems with poison ivy in the past (which I recently learned is related to an unpleasant reaction I had last year after eating cashews, but that's another story.)

Thanks in advance for your thoughts and advice.

[OakLeaf]

My thoughts: see the ENT.

It's normal for your breathing to switch from nostril to nostril; it's usually a three-hour cycle, and if one side is partially blocked because of congestion or inflammation (possibly in combination with a deviated septum; no one's sinuses are exactly the same on both sides), it can become completely blocked when the turbinates swell to switch to the other side.

It's odd that you can identify some definite allergies (hay fever, cashews, skin reactions to various things), and that an antihistamine helped, but that you tested negative when you were tested. Did they do the intracutaneous titration, or just single dilution pricks? Do you know what they tested you for? Might want to either see a different allergist, or choose an ENT who has an allergy practice.

IANAD, etc., etc....

[Eden]

Sounds like allergies to me. I only get the itchy eye stuff when the pollen (for me it is mostly trees) is at it's absolute worst. Then I get itchy eyes, itchy mouth, itchy inside my ears........ Otherwise my allergies tend to be kind of transient too. If I'm already suffering a little, contact with another even minor allergen can really set my nose off and it can come and go pretty quickly.

If you can control it with the Claratin, IMHO just do that. I have a prescription for Flonase too. I only take it when I really need to. Even though it is relatively safe it is a steroid. Continuous use can put you at risk for stuff like problems with the tissues in your nose, and eye problems including cataracts. One of my teammates who used it for years is now dealing with that. Since eye problems already run in my family (my grandmother and my aunt and uncle all have glaucoma - my dad not yet) its something I don't like to chance with.

[Zen]

There are some high pollen counts right now.

[griffiths]

Could well be allergy problems going on here especially as asthma is also a form of an allergy.

If you have allergies you have adrenal dysfunction. Allergies result from a lack of antihistamine and antileukotriene epinephrine and anti-inflammatory and immune modulating corticosteroids.

Best way to strengthen the adrenal glands is with adaptogenic herbs such as aswhagandha, jiaogulan, suma root, schizandra berry all which restore normal adrenal function.

[Kiwi Stoker]

I started having blocked noses at night, constantly sore throat from stuff running down, raised rashes on my hands, watery and itchy nose- yes allergy.
I tried all medications and sprays but you cannot take nasal sprays for more than 3 days or the symptoms return.
I saw the netti pot thing at the chemist but it took 3 months before I'd go and buy it to try. I use the bottle which you "squirt" gently saline water up your nasal passages rather than the one that looks like a tea pot. All I can say is that now I only have to do it once a week and I don't have symptoms at all.
It doesn't cost a lot and being drug free is a bonus so I would reccommend giving this a try.

[ny biker]

I started having blocked noses at night, constantly sore throat from stuff running down, raised rashes on my hands, watery and itchy nose- yes allergy.
I tried all medications and sprays but you cannot take nasal sprays for more than 3 days or the symptoms return.
I saw the netti pot thing at the chemist but it took 3 months before I'd go and buy it to try. I use the bottle which you "squirt" gently saline water up your nasal passages rather than the one that looks like a tea pot. All I can say is that now I only have to do it once a week and I don't have symptoms at all.
It doesn't cost a lot and being drug free is a bonus so I would reccommend giving this a try.

A neti pot made the rash on your hands go away?

I don't have any post nasal drip, it's mostly an inflammation problem, which is why it seems strange. Also I can't see any pattern of when it gets better or worse to try to figure out what I would be allergic to.