Hi,
Before the surgery the congestion was constant. It's a little better now but breathing still feels forced (regardless of whether I'm standing or lying down). I also used the nasal strips and the sprays but they had very little effect. My current routine is a saline wash every morning and evening as well as using the nasal stents occasionally.
The stents I use are not like the strips you find in pharmacy. they're made of a nitinol braided mesh and look like the stents used in heart surgeries (photo attached). It's a kind of goofy set up. You use an insertion tube to put them in, and once inside the nasal airway you pull said insertion tube out which causes the stents to expand. They're a completely mechanical solution that brute force their way into opening the nose but my breathing gets noticeably easier when I use them. However there are the side effects l mentioned in my original post. It's painful to put them in and bring them out and they initially cause a lot of sneezing because the body reacts to a foreign substance being inside the nose. Now I only use them when I have to make a presentation at university because they make my voice that much clearer. Having said this, pain and discomfort are subjective to a certain degree. What's really uncomfortable for me could be only slightly annoying for you, so maybe give them a try.
Good luck.