We all know how bothersome a runny nose can be. You constantly have to blow your nose, your sense of smell is off and it can a pain, literally. Can you imagine having a runny nose for nearly 20 years?
Well, for more than 18 years, Nadia Campbell had no sense of taste or smell and lived with terrible sinus pain. Even after seeing five specialists and undergoing three surgeries, the 38-year-old said in a recent ABC News story she was still left with a runny nose that just kept on running, literally all night.
“Every day there was a problem,” said Campbell. “I had a dry mouth from breathing through my mouth and constant headaches.” Not to mention the amount of sleep she lost because of staying up each night to nurse her nose.
That all changed after doctors at Loyola University Health in Maywood, Illinois, diagnosed her with Samter’s triad, a newly recognized medical condition involving a combination of nasal polyps, asthma and a sensitivity to aspirin.
“My patients typically come in carrying a thick folder of medical records because they have tried for a long time to find a cure for their illness,” said Dr. Monica Patadia, the board-certified head and neck surgeon who treated Campbell.
More than 37 million Americans have at least one sinus problem a year, according to the…
…American Academy of Otolaryngology, making it one of the most common medical conditions the average person experiences.
After an outpatient surgery to remove the polyps and open her sinus cavities, Campbell spent several days undergoing a process to desensitize her to aspirin. This has enabled doctors to wean her off the strong steroid medications she took for almost two decades.
Patadia said the surgery was a success.
Campbell, despite a few lingering allergies, she is absolutely thrilled with the results. When she first experienced the feeling of breathing freely again, she said she cried with relief.
“I now sleep through the night and I can taste food again,” she said.
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