Deviated septum + nasal congestion?

[pushitpete]

Hi All!

Question, I've had a ton of trouble sleeping the past yr (no issues falling asleep, waking up with dry mouth, sleeping 2-3hrs/time and then waking up).

Also feel like my nasal passage is always blocked while running, playing hockey etc.

i went to a Dr. and was diagnosed with a deviated septum..my symptoms got WAY worse after the diagnosis.

What are thoughts on the deviated septum/congested nasal symptoms? TMS?

Look forward to hearing from you!

Thanks,
Peter

 

[hecate105]

I don't know about the septum - although the symptoms getting worse after diagnosis does lend itself to that explanation...!
The sleeping then waking after a few hours is a classic anxiety type of pattern. Look at what is going on in your life that might be giving you stress - work, relationships, finances etc... see if you can find a link - then get journalling or start the SEP (Structured Educational Programme - on the main tmswiki site) Good luck!

 

[fern]

This is a tough one! I'm also curious about the connection between inflammation and TMS - I have chronic nasal congestion that allergies don't entirely explain. I believe anxiety can increase general inflammation, so I'm sure there's some connection between stress/anxiety/repression and congestion. That said, I had a friend who was diagnosed with panic attacks and anxiety because she was waking up several times in the middle of the night in total panic, and it was causing her general mental health to decline. She was put on anxiety meds and spent a lot of time talking to a therapist. Then...at an ENT appointment she found out she had a severely deviated septum. She had the surgery, and the middle-of-the-night panic attacks disappeared, and her mental health started improving. Her ENT and her therapist speculated that her septum must have been causing undiagnosed sleep apnea, and that her body was waking up in a literal panic because she was struggling to breathe.

All that is to say, I bet it could go either way. My TMS work hasn't touched my congestion at all (my main issue is digestive, anyway), but maybe it has helped other people, given the correlation between inflammation and stress. I have an ENT appointment for an ear issue that may or may not be related to my nasal congestion, and I wonder what I'll hear about my own septum. I bet I'll be here asking some similar questions in a couple weeks, especially if I the word "surgery" comes up! :-/

I figure if it's not an urgent health issue, it can't hurt to start the TMS work. Either way, you'll benefit from the self-reflection.