(ears, nose and throat) First I had to get a sinus scan (no dyes), then I had to get a hearing test and finally meet with the ENT doctor to go over the results.
So, I have no sinus issues. Yeahooo! (But why do I sleep with my mouth open and wake up exhausted most days?)
Well, he answered it when we went to the MRI. My left nostril has a tiny passageway for air. It is constantly blocked off. My right nostril is about half the size it should be. The fix? A simple nasal wash with a topical prescription steroid. He did a test that involved shoving a small tube (looked like what you can buy to dental floss your teeth). It hurt. Like I was screaming on my left side. Then he left it in for like five minutes. During which I pulled out the left side a little because the pain was at a 7 to an 8. Results?
It worked. Approximately five seconds after he removed them, both nostrils started dripping mucus out. I was like “What is this?” The doctor replied that it was how normal people talk about a runny nose. I mentioned how when I was sick and I had to blow my nose, I had to blow with such force to remove stuck mucus. …. He said, I shouldn’t have to do that again.
I have been on the medication three mornings and nights now. I am no longer snoring. According to my pixel watch, I am sleeping deeply more and I am waking up only twice per night — instead of the fifty plus times before this medication.
So … super happy. I am sleeping a lot. Which feels wonderful. I am dropping trazadone as soon as possible. The only reason I was taking it was to help me stay asleep. (It didn’t work. And it makes me feel drunk during the day and useless because I cannot easily access my frontal lobe.)
Anyway, it is super exciting to find the root of a problem that I have had since … hmmm … since middle school. I know I had it then because I had to open my mouth to run in track.