Quote Originally Posted by annekat View Post
Mike, thanks for getting us back on topic.

Alessa, I agree with Mike that having the crusting go away after using a spray doesn't mean a whole lot. Most of do the NeilMed sinus rinse system or some other form of nasal irrigation, and that will dislodge a lot of stuff that is deep inside your nasal cavity and sinus openings. Many of us find we need to do it several times for the significant chunks to start loosening up and coming out. I'd think whatever you were getting out with a spray was relatively superficial and it is probably not capable of removing crusts and chunks that are further in and you might not know are there.

I hope you don't have Wegener's, but if you do, it could be a "smoldering" case with fairly mild or moderate symptoms, and Mike is right.... with me, for example, I went on for 2.5 years with nasal, ear, and sinus problems that no one thought of as way out of the ordinary, and I didn't get a dx of WG until it went into my lungs and I got really sick. That is pretty typical, unfortunately. It bothers me that the doc in Italy laughed at you when you mentioned WG. It's also true that the crusting could be from something else. But I think you should get it checked out. Maybe you qualify for Medicaid or can get on one of the new plans supposedly available to all who need them, with reduced premiums for those with lower incomes. BTW, my dx was obtained through a nasal biopsy, as Mike described above.

BTW, I also had red itchy eyes at the beginning which were relieved by eye drops, but I'm sure the underlying problem was WG.
Me too, with crusting and bloody noses for a couple years before the full eruption that almost killed me.