# Stuffy nose won't go away. What's up with this?



## ACsMom (Apr 21, 2006)

My 18 m/o has essentially had a stuffy nose since mid-June. She has a doc appt. coming up in a few days, so it'll get addressed with him, but I was just wondering if any of you experienced mamas have insight...

In mid-June we went on vacation and she caught a slight cold from her same-age cousin. No big deal. But since then, the stuffiness hasn't seemed to go away, and lately it's been getting worse. She can't even breathe through her nose anymore. I noticed recently that when she nurses, she has to keep letting go every few sucks to get a breath of air, and it occurred to me all of a sudden that she's been doing that for a while now. When she's sleeping, it's awful lately. When she first falls asleep, her little body tries mightily to breathe through her nose, and it's not until she's in a deeper sleep that she finally gives up and starts mouth-breathing. I've been using vics lotion with the eucalyptis every night and at naps - not sure it's helping. I've also tried a decongestant a couple times, didn't help her at all.

So, could this be an allergy to something? Seasonal, maybe? We live in coastal NC. Or maybe a food allergy? She doesn't really have any other symptoms, although she's had a runny nose more and more often lately - like twice a week, usually in the evening but not always. I would have addressed this earlier with the ped but I had to wait a long time for this appointment - one of the PAs is on maternity leave and they are extremely backed up.

So, just wondering what you guys think. Oh, the other thing is that a deviated septum runs in my husband's family - I know that until my dh had surgery, anything like a cold or sinus infection was much worse than normal for him. I'm wondering if she's inherited that, and if so, would this be one of the problems she'd have.

TIA.


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## Romana (Mar 3, 2006)

Dust or mold in the house? I have a dust allergy (doesn't everyone?







) and get a runny/stuffed nose every time we clean and it stirs up dust.

I'm sure others will have more thoughts. I hope you get some answers, too.


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## twinalicious (Jan 10, 2007)

I'd put my bet on dairy allergy.


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## RubySlippers (Oct 4, 2006)

Another vote for dairy - sounds like my DS... He had a cold that basically went away but never got rid of the stuffiness, and when we eliminated dairy because of other symptoms, we realized that his stuffiness had disappeared as well! My DH was also constantly stuffy until the dairy elim. (since we've been together I've been asking him what's up with it, and he always just said that he's just "like that") but since we didn't buy dairy anymore, he eliminated it by default, and his stuffiness miraculously disappeared as well...

Something to check out, anyway...

Good luck!


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## delfuego (Mar 17, 2006)

yeah, it sounds like an allergy to me too. could be either dairy or seasonal or both. i think ds has both. i definitely notice that he is more stuffy when he eats dairy (i never give him milk or cream but sometimes yogurt or butter) but i've also noticed that it seems to be worse in the spring and summer.

you could try eliminating all cows milk for awhile (about 6 weeks) to see if it helps. also, i know this a big no-no







: but we've been giving ds local raw honey (he's almost 2) - sweetening his oatmeal after it's cooked or giving him honey water to drink... a think it's made a big difference.


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## ACsMom (Apr 21, 2006)

Thanks for the thoughtful replies. Dairy is a possibility, b/c it runs in both sides of her family (dairy intolerance and/or allergy). She doesn't get much as it is, but she does get some (yogurt, a little cheese occasionally) and who knows, it might be enough. I'm wondering about soy, also. Anyway, anybody know of any herbs/homeopathics that are effective for sinus problems & stuffiness?


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## bizzibee1 (Jan 11, 2007)

My DD had the same problem. I noticed it lingering after a cold in Dec. I took her to the Dr a few times about it and finally at her 15mo appt in April the Dr ordered a Chest Xray. Since then we have been sent to a Ped and an Allergiest. We found out that she had a Heart Murmer, thanks to tehe X ray and a follow up ECG. I had noticed since she was 1 year(Jan) that if I gave her something with Dairy she got red marks around her mouth, so I avoided. I insisted on an Allergist. Well, now she has been diganosed with a Dairy allergy. Meanwhile, our dog, a collie passed away in Aprip. Since the dog has not been around and the dander is moving out, she has not been stuffy at all. I've actually tested the dog allergy with my friends dogs, and after she has been around them for a few hours, she is stuffy again. Unfortunatly, they do not do animal testing for allergies until the age of 3. Good luck!


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## ktmama (Jan 21, 2004)

My guess would be dairy too, which produces excess mucous. You need to be careful with ongoing congestion as it can lead to ear infections. I don't think your ped will be really helpful with a food allergy, though....


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## leerypolyp (Feb 22, 2005)

I get that from dairy and wheat -- and when I eat those things, I'm very allergic to dust mites and pollen. When I don't eat them, I don't react to my "triggers" much at all.

FWIW, the allergist I saw never even mentioned the possibility of food sensitivities -- just checked for dander/dust/pollen/mold. I discovered it on my own, trial and error, trying to track down the trigger for my daughter's eczema (guess what?).

RubySlippers, that happened with my husband too! Miraculously, his "deviated septum" stopped being symptomatic when I stopped buying dairy...


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## ACsMom (Apr 21, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bizzibee1* 
My DD had the same problem. I noticed it lingering after a cold in Dec. I took her to the Dr a few times about it and finally at her 15mo appt in April the Dr ordered a Chest Xray. Since then we have been sent to a Ped and an Allergiest. We found out that she had a Heart Murmer, thanks to tehe X ray and a follow up ECG. I had noticed since she was 1 year(Jan) that if I gave her something with Dairy she got red marks around her mouth, so I avoided. I insisted on an Allergist. Well, now she has been diganosed with a Dairy allergy. Meanwhile, our dog, a collie passed away in Aprip. Since the dog has not been around and the dander is moving out, she has not been stuffy at all. I've actually tested the dog allergy with my friends dogs, and after she has been around them for a few hours, she is stuffy again. Unfortunatly, they do not do animal testing for allergies until the age of 3. Good luck!


Bizzibee, are they saying that your daughter's stuffiness had something to do with the heart murmur, or is it just that you discovered the heart murmur because of the x-ray, and it's just a coincidence? I'm asking b/c my daughter was born with a slight pericardial effusion (doc said it was sub-clinical, but still...) I'm just wondering if that could be exacerbating any problems.

I've been giving Avery an herbal thing for kids with sinus problems (echinacea and eyebright) and I just noticed last night that the stuffiness wasn't so bad. She was actually breathing through her nose while nursing! That hasn't happened in a while. So, maybe it's helping. But we still don't know the cause of the symptoms - hope we can figure that out. My husband has an intense allergy to ragweed, and this is the season. Maybe it's that. Hmmm....Thanks again for all the replies, everyone.


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## cdahlgrd (Sep 4, 2002)

Could also be a sinus infection that isn't clearing up or. . . .

Could she have something up her nose?

Both will come with bad breath, ususally (although sinus infection don't always give you bad breath and need to be dx with an xray.


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