Living with Chronic Nasal Congestion — Can You Help Me Find Relief?

Suffering from chronic nasal congestion is no fun. Breathing through your mouth makes it feel as dry as sandpaper. Pressure around your eyes causes pain. You don’t experience the full flavor of what you’re eating. 

Everyone has experienced nasal congestion, a hallmark of the common cold, at one time or another. However, if you find yourself congested repeatedly, it’s time to get help. In Midtown, New York City, Dr. Nilesh Patel, board-certified otolaryngologist, provides the expert treatment you require. 

Dr. Patel reviews your medical history and examines your ears, nose, and throat. If your symptoms are seasonal, you may have allergies, and Dr. Patel recommends allergy testing if you haven’t already had it. Allergy shots can calm your symptoms if you have seasonal or other allergies if prescriptions don’t work. 

If conservative treatments such as saline rinses and raising the humidity level in your home haven’t worked to ease your nasal congestion, Dr. Patel performs a nasal endoscopy. He inserts a thin tube, the endoscope, into your nose, leading it through your sinuses. The endoscope has a light and camera which projects images of your nasal passages onto a computer screen. If Dr. Patel needs more information, he may ask you to get a CT scan. 

These test results help Dr. Patel diagnose why you have chronic nasal congestion. Following are some of the common reasons for this ailment along with notes on helpful treatments when conservative methods haven’t worked. 

Correcting a deviated septum

The test results may show that you have a deviated septum. Your nose has two nostrils. Cartilage called the septum separates them. In your nose, the cartilage may be crooked; it may not be in the middle of the chambers. You have a deviated septum. You may have been born with a deviated septum, or it could be the result of an injury or incorrect previous treatment. 

If your deviated septum is causing your chronic nasal congestion, Dr. Patel may recommend a septoplasty to give you relief. It’s a minor surgery to straighten the cartilage separating your nostrils.

Removing nasal polyps

Dr. Patel could also find nasal polyps during an endoscopy. These polyps are benign growths in your nose or sinus passages. They often develop from chronic nasal congestion and inflammation. 

Steroid sprays, oral steroids, or injections may work to shrink your polyps and give you relief. If that treatment doesn’t work, Dr. Patel may place a very small stent to open the nasal passage to administer medication. He may also perform an endoscopy to remove the polyps so you can breathe with ease again. 

Balloon sinuplasty for chronic sinusitis

If your nasal congestion is caused by chronic sinusitis, Dr. Patel can perform a balloon sinuplasty, a minimally invasive procedure that opens your sinuses so they can drain normally.

Turbinate reduction for chronic sinusitis

Turbinates are bones supporting your sinus walls. They filter germs and help prevent respiratory infections. However, in some people, the bones are oversized and block airflow, causing difficulty breathing and chronic nasal congestion. 

Turbinate reduction is a minimally invasive procedure. Dr. Patel removes a small amount of bone and/or mucus membranes to help you breathe better. 

You don’t have to suffer chronic nasal congestion. Call Dr. Nilesh Patel today for relief so you can breathe normally again.