What is crusting?

[malin]

This might seem a silly question to some, but I've always wondered and never fully understood what "nasal crusting" is?

Sorry if this sound gross but is it anything like dried snot, like it sticks to the inside of your nose or is it something "further" up inside your nose? How do you know what's crusting and whats just snot from a cold or something similar like that?

[Jack]

It is dried mucus / blood / other discharge and during a bad Wegener's flare it can build up all the way through your nasal cavities back to the sinus and throat areas. There is no hope of breathing through it and when flushed out with saline the plugs can be almost as big as your little finger. If you are tempted to grab the end and pull it out, not only will it probably cause a bad bleed, but it feels like you are pulling your brains out!

[malin]

YIKES!

Well, that makes me feel a bit better about the dried little lumps of snot I keep getting at the moment, I was worried it might be "crusting" but from the sounds of it, I think its just dried snot caused by the dryness of my nose at the moment. My nose is sooo incredibly dry it's driving me crazy! Think it might be central heating n stuff that is causing it at the moment...

[DEE]

Great explnation Jack thats totally how it feels like, at its worse i did the helping along bit !!! scared myself silly stick to douching now and yes im worse when central heating is on
intetesting time in our house i turn it down because of nose and hubby turns up because he is cold

[freakyschizogirl]

And i bet the nose wins in the end DEE. hahaa!

I did a lot of damage to my nose by "helping" the crusting along. Stick to the saline solution now which is far more gentle by comparison.

[DEE]

Sure does for some reason when mine is bad i tend to get the sneezzes sp and it sorts its self out

[Hammy8241]

YIKES!

Well, that makes me feel a bit better about the dried little lumps of snot I keep getting at the moment, I was worried it might be "crusting" but from the sounds of it, I think its just dried snot caused by the dryness of my nose at the moment. My nose is sooo incredibly dry it's driving me crazy! Think it might be central heating n stuff that is causing it at the moment...

My ENT man recommended STERIMAR or NASOGEL to help with dryness. Never tried them though. Anyone?

[freakyschizogirl]

My ENT man recommended STERIMAR or NASOGEL to help with dryness. Never tried them though. Anyone?

I was recommended Sterimar by the so called ENT consultant, its pants. It takes an awful lot more effort as its made with sea salt water, so for one thing it isnt as soft on your nose as saline and two it doesnt shift our hardcore crusting! Stick to the neilmed, that is my advice anyway. I wasted my money on Sterimar for years.

I have seen some startling things coming out of my nose. I was thinking of saving some and comparing cos it really is shocking sometimes just how big the crusts are! Nice to know there are people out there who suffer as much as i do!

And Geoff my sneezing used to be legendary in my last workplace. People eventually stopped blessing me! And then you get thoe who look at you like you are passing on the plague one sneeze at a time. Gotta laugh.

[drz]

My ENT man recommended STERIMAR or NASOGEL to help with dryness. Never tried them though. Anyone?

I don't know about those specific products but any thing that contains thin KY jelly should work good to relieve drying in nasal passages. The tubes work fine and are much cheaper but you then have to insert the jell with fingers or q-tip. In nursing home and hospital they used surgical jell inserted with q tips to keep my nasal passages from drying out. This also helps prevents the severe nosebleeds when a dry crust comes lose.

[pberggren1]

Some of the chunks I get out are still large, even the size of my whole pinky finger.