MY ANOSMATIC LIFE

I went to a new allergist two months ago and had to fill out a questionnaire. It consisted of some of the following questions:

• Do you have nasal polyps?
• Are you allergic to any medication(s)?
• Do you have an aspirin sensitivity?
• Do you have asthma?
• Do you have a sense of smell?

I have all of them, except for the last one. The answers to all of them, especially 1, 3, & 4 presented an “aha” moment. As soon as I said yes, yes, yes, yes, and no, the allergist told me that I have what you call Samter’s Triad. I asked her to repeat it and spell it out. Never heard of it!

Of course, I went on a Google search rampage and started reading things like:

Patients with this condition develop a special rash and/or asthmatic reaction, which can be life threatening, when they take aspirin or aspirin-related drugs (ibuprofen, others). –Cleveland Clinic

Yep, that’s me – minus life-threatening (so far!). Then I read,

Even after appropriate sinus surgery, the polyps can return. –Cleveland Clinic

That sounds about right because mine have definitely grown back aggressively.

As I read more and more about it, it made more sense that this is definitely what I have.  According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAI), Samter’s Triad aka Aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD) aka ASA Triad is a “chronic medical condition that consists of three clinical features: asthma, sinus disease with recurrent nasal polyps, and sensitivity to aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) that inhibit an enzyme called cyclooxygenase-1.”

Then I saw these facts as I kept reading:

Approximately 9% of all adults with asthma and 30% of patients with asthma and nasal polyps have AERD. –AAAI

In general, AERD develops quite suddenly in adulthood, usually between the ages of 20 and 50, and there is no clearly understood trigger that causes the disease. –AAAI

Next, came symptoms:

People with AERD usually have asthma, nasal congestion and recurrent nasal polyps, and their symptoms often do not respond to conventional treatments. Many have experienced chronic sinus infections and a loss of sense of smell is common.  –AAAI

All these things I’ve been experiencing for the past couple of years that I thought were completely weird are actually because I have this chronic condition. Go figure!

If you’ve ever had a drink or two with me and I started randomly sneezing and you acted like it was completely normal and I made a big freaking deal and blamed it on the drink. Well, here’s why! Yes, sometimes when I drink an alcoholic beverage, I’ll start to sneeze a lot and at times will feel like I’m having an allergic reaction. It’s embarrassing sometimes. Back in September, I had a drink of red wine with a friend and snot came out of nowhere. Then I had a bad episode when I had a margarita last month with some co-workers and actually had to take a Zyrtec pill. The waiter (and my co-workers) looked at me like I was crazy because I blamed the drink and thought I was allergic to an ingredient. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve said “I’m allergic to something in this drink.” Coincidentally, it’s a symptom of Samter’s Triad.

It has been noted that about 75% of all patients with AERD develop mild-to-moderate respiratory reactions when they drink alcohol. These reactions are not always specific to just one type of alcohol and often occur after consuming less than one glass of alcohol. –AAAI

Now, I have an answer because I could not figure out why these things were happening to me. Apparently, aspirin desensitization is a treatment for AERD. I’m still doing research.

The only NSAID (Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug) I take is Naproxen (Aleve) and my other allergist (I see two at the same office) told me that I should actually stop taking it because of my Samter’s Triad diagnosis.

Sounds like a lot. Wish me and my doctors good luck in finding an alternative pain reliever!