ASK THE DOC
Dr. H. Ganapathy, Consultant ENT Surgeon, Apollo Hospitals, Chennai, replies to this week’s questions.
My father has been facing the problem of frequent sneezing and running nose while sneezing. This has been there for at least five years. He is now 62. I’m not sure whether he has “Rhinitis”. What is his problem and how can it be cur
ed? Arvind
Answer: Your father is suffering from allergic rhinitis, which is of recent onset. If you find out the exact cause of the problem, avoidance of the same would result in permanent cure.
Otherwise symptoms can be alleviated temporarily with anti-allergic drugs. Please get him checked up by an ENT surgeon for any damage to sinuses as result of the allergy.
I had a rhinoplasty four years ago. Since then I have been experiencing the following symptoms. My nose gets stiff when exposed to sun, when I exert myself, eat something spicy or hot. I feel something gets compressed. Finally the nose swells and ret
urns back to normal state. I have consulted many skin specialists, ENT and plastic surgeons but got no clue. Why does this happen and is there some solution for this? Sheena
Answer: Rhinoplasty as such should not produce the symptoms you describe. Your symptoms seem to result from allergic reaction on exposure to certain food or environmental factors. Since your symptoms have developed after the operation
there is a possibility that splints used inside the nose may react to some allergens. Kindly check with your surgeon.
I am 51 now. There was discharge in my left ear during my childhood. My parents never took me to an ENT specialist. I consulted an ENT physician about 10 years back. I was informed that ear frame has got a hole, surgery will not improve the condition
, hearing will gradually decline/decrease and suggested I take care so that I do not catch a cold. At present there is a small quantity of discharge which is thick and brown in colour. Nowadays I feel heaviness on the left. Can you please suggest any remedy? Ramachandran
Answer: You have a condition called Chronic suppurtive otitis media. This means that you have a long-standing infection of the ear. This infection may resolve on its own in certain cases and may recur again if water gets into the ear o
r if you catch a cold. The discharge comes out through a hole in the ear drum. This has to be closed to prevent further infection. This can be done only by an operation called tympanoplasty.
For better results, the ear has to be free from infection. If you get a cold, often resulting in ear discharge, first attend to the cold and then treat the ear. If your nose and sinuses are normal then ear can be attended to. Hearing loss will be there in such conditions. It can be improved by surgery provided there is no damage to the hearing nerve.
I am a defence officer. Possibly while boxing during training in the National Defence Academy about 20 years back I injured my left nose resulting in DNS. Since then my left nose remains blocked. Due to the nature of my service and extreme climatic c
onditions my nose remains blocked most of the time. Recently while at Ahmedabad I developed a serious sinusitis which did not improve much despite heavy antibiotic intake. However, I find myself allergic to dust when I come down to cities from the hills resulting in irritation in nose and cold. Over a period of time, I have got all my tests and X Rays done at various military hospitals only with a thought of getting my self operated however did not go through the operations due to various operational commitments. Please advise remedies inclusive of medication/ surgery or any precaution to be observed. Neeraj Shukla
Answer: You have deviated nasal septum due to injury. This would have contributed to sinus problem. The damage to sinuses can be best assessed by CT scan of paranasal sinuses. Then get your nose and sinuses treated simultaneously.
As far as allergy to dust is concerned it is better avoided if possible. Or else take some antihistamine before you visit any area that is likely to affect you.
I have been experiencing hearing loss in my left ear. Recently I had undergone an audiogram test and the doctor said bones in the ear have got jammed. He said there are no medicines to rectify this problem and suggested surgery. But he asked me to wait for three more months and go for another test. Will this be a permanent hearing impairment or can it be corrected through surgery? Will my right ear also get affected. Are there any medicines to reverse this condition? M. Mahipal Reddy
Answer: From your description and the doctor’s statement, it seems that you suffer from a condition called Otosclerosis. It affects the middle and inner ear due to defective bone formation . It usually affects both ears. It can b
e in one ear also. There is no cure for the disease. Certain drugs are said to prevent or slow down the progress of the disease, which should be taken for two years.
To improve the hearing you have two options, either use a hearing aid or undergo an operation called stapedectomy or stapedotomy. Before you venture for any remedy recheck your hearing to rule out any nerve damage to your ear.
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