MY ANOSMATIC LIFE

It’s been a couple of months. I’ve had some whiffs, stopped wheezing, and been to some appointments.  My most recent appointment with my Otolaryngologist (Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor) was a turning point. It started off with me complaining about my ridiculous experience with the steroid rinse and how I’m never taking steroids again. I’m happy to report that I’m no longer wheezing every day… Just a little random wheeze here and there. My doctor then did the usual unpleasant nose inspection. He didn’t see any polyps in my nose, but he said there could possibly be some at the top of it… The part where you can’t see unless we do a CT scan. As told by my doctor, if I have no plans of doing surgery, there’s really no point in doing a CT scan. In previous posts, I reiterated that I am not interested in having another surgery because my polyps grew back aggressively after my past two surgeries. So, that’s not an option. Right now, all I feel is pressure at the top of my nose. So, it’s highly likely that it’s nothing but polyps.

By the end of the appointment, my Otolaryngologist recommended that I see a Rhinologist, someone who specializes in the sinuses. We’ve tried medications and surgeries for a decade now and almost every outcome has turned out to be temporary. Unfortunately, I have a special case of nasal polyps, where surgery and medications haven’t really helped my situation. I’m not going to lie, I felt some type of way when I heard him tell me that there’s nothing else he can do for me. It took a while for it to sink in. But I really appreciate my doctor’s honesty and recommendation to see someone else and get another opinion on treatment options. This is a total shift in my treatment because I’ve mainly depended on my Otolaryngologist for all these years… I’ve done everything he has recommended, but a third surgery.

So, an appointment was set up with the recommended Rhinologist and ended up getting canceled because of an unforeseen event. When I called to cancel, the secretary mentioned a CT scan. I definitely told her I did not schedule one and that low-key irritated me.  Like, who schedules a CT scan without notifying the patient? I have yet to call back and reschedule. I’m now leery about this whole seeing a Rhinologist because I don’t see what he could do for me, but another procedure. And I’m just kind of over it. Quite frankly, I’m tired of paying for appointments and procedures that have not improved my case. I need a plan without a surgical option that will actually be beneficial.

Fast forward: I recently had my annual check-up, told my Nurse Practitioner about my recent dilemma, and she suggested that I REALLY try Immunotherapy (allergy shots) since I’m going to deal with allergies for the rest of my life (her words). If only you could hear the way she told me.  I feel like in her mind, she was saying: “This has been discussed before… You should already be on shots… Like, get your life.” Or maybe that was just my thoughts.

Anyway, it just makes sense to get allergy shots because my allergies could possibly be the very reason why I have nasal polyps. 1) It doesn’t require anesthesia and 2) I’ve put the idea of starting allergy shots off for way too long. Like, it’s a shame.  Plus, it’s a long-term treatment that will actually be beneficial versus all the short-term treatments  (e.g. Steroids, nasal polyp removal) and the medications, such as antihistamines (Zyrtec, Allegra) and Leukotriene Inhibitors (Singulair/Montelukast) and countless nasal sprays, that haven’t worked.

I’m going right this time.