Why do I feel worse the more open my nose is?

Hello, @jbuch0521
Many OTC medications that contain certain ingredients make me extremely ill. People (like I did) believe that OTC medications are harmless, when the truth is they can cause severe side-effects. Try doing without the OTCs and see what happens. By the way, even though Primatene Mist Inhaler is an OTC, you may want to try it to clear your sinuses. The ingredient is less lethal...IMHO.

@jbuch0521 -

Because 99% of the time surgery is not needed for nasal/sinus issues. As only 1% of people with issues have an anatomical issue.

The nose and sinuses work together with the rest of the body. It is not a separate unit. You need just the right negative pressure force in nasal/sinus cavities. When the nose is too open, which it’s not meant to be, the pressure in and out from air is absent which causes the tension headaches and pressure because there is not signal to the Trigeminal nerves to relax. The air is often too much for the throat and lungs to take in, with out the pressure notice so to speak. A wide open nose is not always a good thing. And can cause a lot of dryness

I might believe that dryness of the mucous membranes resulting from more air passage could stimulate more mucous production. Have you tried running a good ultrasonic nebulizer beside your bed at night to moisturize the air you breathe in? The smaller particles of an ultrasonic will travel deeper into the respiratory system.
I have dry eye issues and if I have a night where I don't awaken to place more drops then I pay for it the next day by having a dripping of tears all day. The irritation of the dryness stimulates excessive tearing. Just a thought.

This is a very interesting concept. What kinds of symptoms would one expect to have when the trigeminal nerves can't relax? And what can be done to alleviate this?

hi! i looked through your comments and youre very knowledgable about the nasal structure. so basically i have been getting symptoms similar to ENS but never had any nasal surgery before. After getting a sinus infection, my nose has been dry and crusty mucus and I cant sense airflow anymore. I also have been getting a tight throat and feelings of shortness of breath. is there any advice you could give me? i know i dont have it but having something mimicking it is truly dreadful. I also have GERD and possible LPR if that helps with anything. thank you so much for your time if youre reading this and please try to get back to me because I admire your knowledge! youre probably more knowledgeable then most ENTS anyways.

@zainameow123 -

Thank you, however I must stress that I am not a doctor, simply a patient who was very mis lead by the ENT(surgeon) community.

There are many things that can cause a dry feeling, lack of air sensation in the nose. Allergies, congestion, LPR, temperature changes, new medications etc..can all cause the same feelings.

You have to really sit down with yourself first and address your entire lifestyle.

If you noticed these changes after a sinus infection you could be suffering from prolonged inflammation in the nose, which sometimes an ENT can provide a nasal regimen to get the nasal mucosa back to a health baseline while also testing for allergies and or immunotherapy.

Either way, inflammation in the nose from whatever the cause can feel dry and tight which then equates to lack of air sensation.

You still can see an ENT for it, but just know they are surgeons first and foremost. Allergist and or PCP could help you just the same.

@jbuch0521 -

Types of feeling would be like you are clenching your jaw muscles all day causing temporalis tightness. Like non stop tension headache with nothing that relieves it. Neck and chest muscle tightness as well is also possible from lack of relaxing the nasal inhalation relaxing the muscles.

Some ENTs if smart (which is rare) would offer Amitriptyline to see if it helps.

The constant heavy head eye pressure is possibly from the lack of relaxation signaling to all those muscles. The saying “take a deep breath” “relax and breathe” is real. I truly gets the muscles from the neck up to relax and all over as well. But when your face feels in constant tension from too much air flow in nose to throat this can happen.

Not saying this is your situation but this has happened to those who have had nasal/sinus surgery.

Using Afrin would only open you up more. A wide open nose can give a paradoxical sensation of congestion, leaving people to reach for decongestant spray when the nose does not need it.