Crazy nasal behaviour

[holytoast]

I am 19 weeks pregnant and my nose is driving me crazy! Sinus pain, blocked nose (making me snore and wake up with that lovely 'mouth open all night feeling') terrible sneezing fits that last about 10 mins at a time (and actually sometimes make me sick because I'm sneezing so much..not to mention the crossed legs every time) and to top it all, a ridiculously heightened sense of smell that can not only smell every fart my DH does but catagorise it too! [yucky eggy fart face]

Am I a total freak, and will it ever end?? apart from steam inhalation, which the pharmcist helpfully suggested I should do about every 2-3hrs (yeah right, can imagine stopping work to do that!) I just can't find anything that helps. Any ideas?

Can't say much to help but you get plenty of sympathy from over here. This is one of the strangest, and most annoying pregnancy symptoms I've suffered from throughout.

I have had a pretty good pregnancy otherwise this would probably pale into insignificance against something like hyperemesis so I did try to count my lucky stars....but it's hard to be all Pollyanna when you're suffering.

Apparently it's the progesterone that makes the nasal blood vessels swell. The acute sense of smell did fade for me past 20 weeks so you might find that goes. I resorted to dabbing cherry carmex just inside my nostrils for quite a while (an old trick for sweaty summer tube travelling). Just opening the fridge could make me want to vom. I will probably never want to see another cherry carmex for as long as I live once I give birth but still...

Also I took to applying those cold freeze head patches you can get for migraines across my nose before bedtime (oh so alluring but helped alleviate the sinus pain). And made sure I had plenty of water by my bed and some tictacs (not great for the teeth but helped with the yukky taste you can get from mouth breathing all night when you wake up).

Hope it improves...mine has definitely got better (37 weeks now). Oh and keep away from the cotton buds. I was manically attacking my nostrils convinced I could gauge out the blockage somehow until I read about the progesterone.

Maybe a plug for DH's posterior?

my nose is just out of control running!
so bad it makes me sick (legs crossed!)
25 weeks and starting to crave sudafed!
how bad can it be. . . .
feeling your pain

My book says this is normal. YOu can get saline nasal spray from chemists which can help to unblock it.

Hey I can sympathise with you. I got a saline spray from the chemist I think it was called sterimar, It keeps my nasal passages moist and I don't wake up so dry in the middle of the night anymore, might be worth a shot as well as the steam, esp for putting in your bag to take to work or using in the night time.

You have huge sympathy from me!

I've had this all the way so far, but I'm only 14 weeks pregnant so a long way to go yet.

The horrible 'mouth open all night' feeling has to be the worst for me. Although the coughing and sneezing (with accompanying crossed legs) has to come a close second.

No advice apart from maybe the saline spray as already suggested and inhaling some steam to see if that works?

Its called Vasomotar rhinitus and even though I had been suffereing for the last 6 years for nasual problems the minute I got pregnant with my second I was in hell. I couldnt breath, my nasual tissues swelled causing blocked up and at night I would have panic attacks anout breathing, People would look at me funny as I couldnt talk normal and it really scared me. I went to the doc who was hopeless and ended up on google which states that its due to hormonal changes (pregnancy rhinitus). I begged for steriod sparys and had Nasonex which is fine during pregnancy as its has low absobtion. I also had a vicks sinus snoother spray that soothered well.

Steam inhalation is fine but the minute you stop it comes back. Yes the saline drops/spray will help too.

Since giving birth the condition hasnt changed much and it really gets me down as there is no reason, its not through an allergy either.

Have had this in my previous pregnancy and my current. This one is much worse and is affecting my sleep badly. Consultant suggested I try piriton for it, which I am going to do! It might not work (it is an antihistamine) but at least it also makes you sleepy. It's getting a bit out of control now.

Saline didn't do anything for me but it's worth a try.Steam made things worse for me bizarrely and set off a sneezinfg fit. I ended up going to my GP and getting beconase nasal spray. I used it when I had a bad episode in particular any which stopped my sleeping. It worked really well - might be worth enquiring about. My symptoms eased up a bit after a month. It is miserable though - hope it eases up soon