Turbinates

Question: What can I do to un-swell my nasal turbinates? Help! Both of my nasal (nostril) turbinates are EXTREMELY swollen and inflammed. I cannot breathe! I looked at them in the mirror, and they're so swollen and inflammed that it looks like 2 cherry's in my nose. I have to open my mouth to breathe. I've tried Afrin, but Afrin does not help. How can I get my nasal turbinates to un-swell so that I can breathe?!

Answer: Have you seen a doctor for this? If you haven't, you really should. I would guess you either have allergies or a bad case of sinusitis. Either way, the only way to reduce the swelling would be to treat the underlying problem. Good luck!

Question: Severely swollen turbinates about to see an Allergist soon!? I am starting to get really nervous, my turbinates are closing my nose up now. Has anyone hd any luck with getting turbinate swelling to go back to normal size without surgery? I also want people who have had turbinate coblation, or reduction surgery to respond and let me know how has breathing been since surgery! I hope my allergy doctor can help me better than the Ent I saw.

Answer: do exactly as your doctor suggests.

Question: Has anyone had an operation to remove part of their turbinates from the nose? Im having this operation soon but not sure what to expect or how soon afterwards i will be able to go back to work...also curious about minor details like whether i'll have black eyes for example.

Answer: My husband had it done in April. No black eyes but sore nose for a while. It was worth it though he can breathe now! He said the worst bit was having the packing removed next morning but it is very quick dont worry. Also you have to spray your nose daily with salt water to help it heal and prevent crusting., It did bleed a bit for a week or so and keep crusting over.

Question: How do I get my nasal turbinates to stop being swollen? when I look in my nose I can see two inflammed balls they cause me difficulty breathing what shall I do?

Answer: Ive been to several ENT's they will give you nasal spray which doesn't help me. I will advise you to try allegra d I have the prescription one which helps a little, other than that if no allergy or sinus meds work in a few days get to the dr asap! I am going n 2 months with this problem but slowly getting better.

Question: What is my best option for chronic enlarged turbinates? Ever since I can remember I could only breathe out of one nostril at a time. A few years ago I went to a ENT who said I had enlarged turbinates and I should try nasal sprays. I tried the whole container and it didn't get better and I haven't done anything since. Recently I've had trouble sleeping b/c I wake up w/a dry mouth and my GP said its b/c I can't breathe. He looked and said my turbinates are really enlarged. I see on this obstructednose website something called "powered submucosal inferior turbinoplasty" which it says is pretty good and doesn't have any chance of long term damange. Would that be my best option or should I try the sprays or anything else again? http://www.obstructednose.com/nasal_trea…

Answer: After a while sprays don't work and you'll need something stronger and stronger. If I were you, I'd get it over with and go for the powered submucosal inferior turbinoplasty.

Question: can you make your nasal turbinates grow? could someone please tell me is there any food or supplements that would be good for your nasal turbinates to make them better and work better thanks.

Answer: To answer your general question, no. The structure of your nasal turbinates are determined by the underlying bone structure of the nasal conchae, which ossifies in about the fifth month of fetal life. The mucosal epithelium largely contributes to the function of the turbinates, so keeping it healthy will allow them to best carry out that function. Using a gentile moisturizer just at the opening of your nares and sleeping with a humidifier should help.

Question: any alternative medicine or traditionl method to reduce enlarge turbinates?

Answer: Turbinates are viewed as air-conditioning for your nasal passages, thus they warm, moisten, and purify the air we breathe. They can also be the target for allergic rhinitis (hay fever), which could cause them to swell and result in nasal congestion, that often precedes sinusitis, and atrophic rhinitis (allergic rhinitis symptoms with turbinate swelling). Make sure you get enough naturally anti-allergy Vitamin C. Quercetin, a natural constituent of apples and onions is also anti-allergy. In addition to eating an apple or two a day, you could try eating alot of raw onion if you can stomach it alongside eating other fruits/raw salads rich in Vitamin C or alternatively opt for supplements. Also: nettle tea has anti-histaminic properties, though this may be an acquired taste :) Alternatively you could look for nettle leaf capsules. Marshmallow root or mullein leaf capsules to help remove mucous. Eyebright to help with short term relief of allergy-related itching and/or runny eyes. There is an homeopathic remedy also for swollen turbinates with/without atrophic rhinitis: Lemna Minor. Fopr more info read this: http://abchomeopathy.com/r.php/Lem-m You might like to purchase a proprietary nasal spray that contains a mixture of helpful herbals such as Vogels Sinna Nasal Spray, this also contains Lemna Minor, in addition to other homeopathic constituents: http://www.abacohealth.com/index.php/pro… Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Question: what purpose is served by the unique structure of the turbinates?

Answer: The purpose of the inferior, middle, and superior turbinate structures are noted here. http://american-rhinologic.org/patientin…

Question: i am getting surgery to reduce enlarged turbinates? and my septum straighted just wondering has anyone ever had this done before and if so what is it like after a couple days. and is it painfull

Answer: I had a similar surgery but my turbinates were very narrow and were causing me to get sinus infections. (every other month for 3 years) My septum was also straightened. When I researched it online, it said it was very painful. But I really didn't think the pain was bad at all. It was more the discomfort of having the dressing in your nose/sinus cavity for a week. Just be careful eating and drinking afterwords since anything you drink can come out your nose if you swallow the wrong way. Once they're removed the feeling of being able to REALLY breath is amazing. Also cold air after having the dressing removed can be uncomfortable for about 6 months after the surgery, so it's good to have it done close to spring/summer. Also use a saline sinus rinse after they remove the dressing to get all the "crusts" and mucus out. You'll probably have to go in once a week for a month to have any build up removed which feels kind of awkward, but great after your nose is cleared up. Do make sure you have somebody with you after the surgery, several hours after you get home you'll probably have to vomit up all of the blood and tissue that drained into your stomach - this in my opinion was the worst part of the surgery, after that it's not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Do be careful with the painkillers they give you since you'll be taking antibiotics after surgery. The combination of the two can cause severe nausea depending on how sensitive you are to them. Let your doc know if you start vomiting from it because it can cause a lot of problems.

Question: Has anyone had their turbinates shrunk to improve their allergies?

Answer: Some people's turbinates shrink when they are put into cold water but I don't know if it has any effect on allergies.

Question: Can an ethmoid blockage, cyst in maxillary sinus, large turbinates cause sleep apnea? I also have enlarged tonsils, which I know can be a part of sleep apnea. A CT Scan found all these other problems--can they be a part of the sleep apnea?

Answer: Not really. Classical signs of sleep apnea is: sporadic loud snoring at night, always feeling sleepy during the day, no matter how many hours of sleep a person always feels tired, an obese habitus (i.e. very overweight) and enlarged tonsils. Many many people have blockage in their sinuses and large turbinates but don't have sleep apnea. For example, people with seasonal allergies that develop a sinus infection. In the latter situation, the person breathes through his/her mouth. But, in sleep apnea, there is no breathing at all, which is the defining feature for the disease. If you feel that you might have sleep apnea then you should take a sleep study to confirm it. If you have sleep apnea then you have some options for treatment, including: wearing a face mask at night (i.e. positive airway pressure) or perform surgery to create a breathing hole in the throat.

Question: Sleep Apnea-has anyone had their deviated septum fixed or their turbinates trimmed? Has it helped your sleep apnea? Has it helped post-nasal drip or throat problems? Was it worth it?

Answer: I elected not to go for surgery! Just to use a CPAP device! Some people end up having to use the device after surgery anyway! Now my apnea was not just the blockage but it had to do with central nervous system signals not getting to the lungs! It would not of been totally cured by surgery anyway! Have you considered or was a air device even suggested! Or was surgery your only choice? If you can ask about the alternative of a CPAP device you will get used to it in 2 to 3 weeks and not even notice it in about 6 or so! Since using mine I without effort have lost 75 pounds I needed to loose weight and gotten a completely positive outlook on life! Now this is even though we lost everything due to hurricane Katrina! I am kinda a nut about this because I actually DIED during a simple operation while under anesthesia due to sleep apnea! I just stopped breathing! Anyway I went to one of those sleep labs and that is why I am such a pusher of the CPAP thing!\\\ It literally has made me feel much younger! The breathing of the air throught my nose during the night eliminates my PND completly during the night as the air comes in through the nose! Good Sleeping! Have you gone to a sleep Lab ? APS

Question: If surgery on uvula and turbinates did not work for snoring what other options are available besides face mask

Answer: if your tonsils are also that big that it causes an obstruction, maybe a tonsillectomy would work. try changing positions while sleeping as well, might work.

Question: What does the following ENT report sentence mean? "The nasal turbinates are edematous bilaterally." Thanks!?

Answer: Your nose is stuffed up.

Question: Swollen turbinates Turbinate surgery? Has anyone had swollen turbinates for longer than a month? If so how long did it take before they stopped swelling closed? Can cold weather be the cause of turbinate hypertrophy. Also has anyone ever had turbinate surgery and how has it helped you breathe so far?

Answer: When I had my sinus surgery, I also had a "turbinate reduction". It can take up to 2 months to see the full effect. I am sorry to hear you are having problems. Hang in there. I found doing the sinus rinses helped a great deal with the swelling and helped me breathe better.

Question: How long doe it take for my inferior turbinate to go down? I had allergic rhinitis, now after all the blockage and congestion is almost gone I notice I have swelling in my inferior turbineturbinate. How long does it take for the swelling to go down in my turbinate? I can almost fully breathe but I have a lil swelling in my turbinate that is still there and causing minor discomfort. Any advice?

Answer: You GO with all that terminology...(terbinate, terbinate, terbinate lol) But seriously, it will subside when it's no longer irritated. You can use a saline-based nasal spray to shrink the membranes. It's safe, non-addictive, and will provide immediate relief. Best wishes!

Question: How often can you get a turbinate reduction? Can you get one every year? Every 2 years? Just once or twice in a lifetime?

Answer: 18 months

Question: How long does it take to recover from a septoplasty and turbinate reduction? I had one done five days ago and I am still very sore and feel like I need my pain killers. Is it normal to take this long to recover?

Answer: It took me a couple of weeks.

Question: Will endoscopic sinus surger for septum repair and turbinate reduction change how your nose looks? I'm having surgery soon and am wondering if my nose will look different after the surgery. I am having turbinate reduction as well as repair of a deviated septum. Any thoughts? Thanks!

Answer: Ouch. It's going to hurt. Your nose will look the same, after the swelling goes down, you'll just be able to breathe freely. It's worth it. It's much easier with a cold or allergies after the surgery.

Question: What do tonsils have to do with nose breathing? For years, I've had trouble breathing through my nose. In a couple weeks I'm getting surgery to correct my deviated septum, reduce my turbinates and remove my adenoids and tonsils. I understand the first three but I don't get what my tonsils have to do with my nose breathing. They're not even inflamed.

Answer: Well, I had tubes put in my ears a while back, and i had to get my tonsils/adenoids removed the same day. I guess they're just all connected.