Visit to the ENT doctor

I haven't mentioned this here, but for the past six months I have often suffered from a nose that gets blocked at night. This is exacerbated when breathing with the aid of a CPAP machine, as one can't breathe through the mouth. As a result, I would awake, try to unblock the nostril either with a shot of Otrivine or eucalyptus oil. The oil doesn't always work and Otrivine is on the hit-list of doctors as its efficiency reduces the more one uses it (habituation); use can also lead to rebound congestion. During the day, I didn't sneeze very often, but frequently felt the need to blow my nose. Most mornings would start with five minutes of nose blowing.

This topic was of course raised during my viral/bacterial infections¹ during February and March; at the same time, when I complained of ear pain, the clinic nurse noticed that the right ear was full of wax. I booked an appointment for an ENT doctor, for which I would have to wait an unreasonable three months. Once the gross effects of the infection passed, my GP prescribed a nasal steroid spray that I would use in the middle of the night when my nose got blocked.

Well, the three month waiting period has passed and this morning I had my long awaited appointment with the ENT doctor. After hearing my presentation and showing her the nasal spray, her first remark was that the spray should be used twice a day for three months, not occasionally. I don't know how many doses are left in the inhaler so she prescribed a new one. I was then thoroughly examined - throat, glands, sinuses by hand, then nostrils by means of a nasal endoscope. This wasn't the most comfortable ten minutes of my life, but it wasn't particularly uncomfortable. The left nostril was declared clear, whereas the right nostril (which is the more likely nostril to get blocked) apparently has a lump of solidified mucus near the opening, which is why it gets blocked more often.

The doctor's attention then moved to my ears. I had naively thought that the wax would be extracted with some form of device like a corkscrew, but no - the wax is removed by a device very similar to that used in liposuction. There was a suction pump on a nearby table to which was connected a thin metal tube; the tube is inserted in the ear and the suction removes the wax. Removal of the wax in the left ear went quickly, but the right ear required far longer; the doctor showed me the results of the suction, entrapped in the thin metal tube that presumably is discarded.

I don't think that my hearing has improved yet in the right ear, but every now and then there is an odd feeling, like the ear becoming unblocked when travelling down a hill.

The doctor asked me to book a repeat appointment for three months time, and it will be interesting to see what progress will be made in that time. Of course, I want that my nose should stop getting blocked at night!

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