new member from Philadelphia with nasal crusting (aka: life of the party)

Jess, what you say makes sense. Damage done in the nose has a hard time healing as long as the crusties keep jabbing at it and irritating it and causing more crusties, a never ending cycle. Humidification is probably the key, all right, and I wouldn't worry about what others think about a desktop humidifier.

Alysia, I have a hard time thinking that bleeding and crusting cause a saddle nose. As I understand it, the saddle nose is caused by erosion of the septum, from Wegs eating away at it. The bleeding and crusting are a symptom of similar destructive processes taking place in other tissues of the nose and sinuses. I would think that both things were happening independently over that long period of time that you weren't properly treated, and when enough septum erosion had taken place, the saddle nose went. That is what happened with me, too, only it was only 2.5 years. I had lots of sinus discharge but didn't notice much crusting or bleeding until after the saddle nose dropped and I was already being treated for Wegs. Lung issues were what got me in for observation but the saddle nose was what made it clear I almost for sure had Wegs. Everyone's case is a little different, as we know. In both our cases, if we'd been treated earlier in the correct way, we wouldn't have saddle noses today.

The bleeding and crusting can be from damage from the disease. Mine has never stopped completely. I have to rinse with the Waterpik at least 2 times a day. It is what it is.

My Wegs started with nasal crusting and bleeding which greatly improved with aggressive treatment for the Wegs. I found I had to learn to leave the scabs alone till they healed and sloughed off naturally during a mild nasal rinse. Otherwise they just continued to bleed whenever i removed them and never healed up. Removing the mucous buildup frequently also helped me since otherwise the mucous dried onto my nasal passages like a hard plaque, and then its removal could also cause bleeding. I still have spots of blood at times in my nasal rinses but little scabbing or heavy crusting.

My breathing is much better now. I also found pulmonary rehab very helpful in improving my breathing and general endurance even though I am still very impaired compare to a normal healthy person.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by drz

My Wegs started with nasal crusting and bleeding which greatly improved with aggressive treatment for the Wegs. I found I had to learn to leave the scabs alone till they healed and sloughed off naturally during a mild nasal rinse. Otherwise they just continued to bleed whenever i removed them and never healed up. Removing the mucous buildup frequently also helped me since otherwise the mucous dried onto my nasal passages like a hard plaque, and then its removal could also cause bleeding. I still have spots of blood at times in my nasal rinses but little scabbing or heavy crusting.

---

Good points Dr Z! Aggressive rinsing with lots of volume of saline, but go easy on the blowing out the crusts. That has been my method for these past 24 months. I really like the less pressure and more volume that rinsing with a Waterpik allows. It lets me run more saline through the sinuses with less ferocity than the squeeze bottles, but lets me run the water through longer. Combine that with my new method of holding the saline in the sinuses and nose, and the crusts stay softened and come out a lot easier--without ripping loose and bleeding.

I have noticed that since my RTX infusions in November, my crusting has been less, but I still continue my twice daily rinsing routine. It just lets me breath better and keep the small stuff from needing to be blown out during the day. I rarely blow my nose during the day now. I get most of the offending gunk out every morning and evening with the rinses.