r/NasalPolyps

Hello everyone,

This is probably a bit different from the usual posts here, but I could really use some support or reassurance from anyone who has gone through polyp removal surgery.

My boyfriend (24) is scheduled for the procedure next month after struggling for a long time with severe nasal blockage, poor sleep, and sleep apnea. Right now, his nasal polyps are so bad that even his CPAP machine isn’t working properly because the airflow is blocked.

I’ve been reading a lot online, and honestly it’s made me pretty anxious - especially since he also has some pre-existing heart issues. I’m from another country, so I’m not very familiar with the healthcare system in the US, and not being able to be there for him during the anesthesia and recovery makes me even more stressed.

If anyone here has had this surgery, could you share how it went for you? Was the recovery manageable? Did you experience any complications, or did things generally go smoothly?

I’d really appreciate hearing some real experiences. Thank you so much. <3

Hi everybody, I'd like to know if this is common because I'm a little worried. I had my surgery on 04/30. It was a tonsillectomy, reduction of lingual tonsils, septoplasty, turbinectomy, and FESS surgery. Right now, I am 19 days post-op, and to be honest, everything that I eat tastes like nothing. I have just eaten a burger, which I love, and I couldn't taste it, not even my soda (Traditional Coke). I just felt the bubbles since it is a carbonated drink, but I can't even taste it. I love eating, it is the main way I cope with my anxiety, and I am about to go crazy due to this! If anybody has had any similar experience, please let me know.

Hey everyone,

Just hit 6 weeks post full house FESS (frontal, maxillary, ethmoid and sphenoid all opened up) and looking for some reassurance or shared experiences from others with eosinophilic CRS.

Background:

• Eosinophilic CRS, Type 2 inflammation — high eosinophil count in nasal tissue
• Full house FESS approximately 6 weeks ago
• On twice daily Pulmicort (budesonide) saline rinses + daily saline flush

My main issue: The frontal sinus area is giving me more grief now than it did before surgery. Intermittent pressure, tenderness over the frontal bone, and a general malaise/fatigue on bad days. Two ENTs have scoped me recently and said everything looks clear structurally — no blockage or polyps.

My surgeon said the frontal pain isn't "normal" but hasn't given me much more guidance than that. I understand Pulmicort takes months to really work on eosinophilic tissue.

Questions for the community:

1. Did anyone else experience worse frontal symptoms post FESS than before, especially with an eosinophilic profile?
2. When did things start to genuinely improve for you?
3. Any tips for managing the frontal sinus specifically beyond the Pulmicort rinses?

Would really appreciate hearing from others who've been through this. It's a long recovery and the medical guidance has been pretty minimal day to day.

Thanks

I read some articles about this. Do a search for "snot transplants". The idea is to put nasal flora from a person without sinus problems into your poor suffering nose, so that the healthy bacteria can compete with the "weeds". Not being one to wait for years of double-blind studies for official permission to say, drink a glass of water when I'm thirsty, nor to pay a professional to do something simple I can try myself, I went for the free and easily available option. To wit, I handed my wife a cotton swab, she swabbed a barely visible amount of clear mucus from her nostrils, which I then applied in my nostrils.
The morning after the second application I could actually taste the tomato sauce on our home made pizza! And I was briefly able to sniff, after at least 3 weeks of 100% blockage on both sides. This is the 4th day. I've been able to sniff a couple of times each day, The very fat swollen nose looks almost totally normal, the sinus headache is gone, the eyes are not watering non-stop, my nose is not streaming, I used no tissues in the night, and my snot has gone from deep yellow and even green and clumpy (sorry!) to white to pale yellowish. I'll continue and see how it goes, but at least I'm hopeful instead of miserable. If you have a loved one or good friend, you could do the same. Do a search first for Sinonasal Microbiota Transplants, if you wish. Health and the best of luck to you all!

Hey everyone, just as the title says, which medications are you on to manage your asthma? I'm on nexthaler, morning and evening, but it's just not enough.

My nose shape has completely changed after fess for removal of nasal polyps. Like My nose bridge was straight before now i have a hump shape on my nose that appeared straight after the surgery. Im 9 months post op i was assuming it was swelling at first but now im scared this is permanent. did anyone else experience this? cant even go back to the ent who did the surgery as they have discharged me and i would need a referral which would take forever again

Has anyone read “the 12 keys to shrinking nasal polyps by Bertrand Waterman“?

I’m going to be giving a read and share my findings. Maybe it can help out in someway and I can let you guys know if it’s worth reading! ♥️

EDIT 1: I'm already gaining new information about potential nasal irritants I would never have considered We all know about AERD (and thanks to this subreddit I know of GERD) but I have never heard of : 1. A tooth root or deep cavity being the potential cause for nasal polyps, specifically the premolar and upper molar region. 2. Heavy metal fillings in molars.

Fun fact : the area of the brain that controls stress, is the same area that controls the nasal mucosa cycle. Being stressed can literally cause nasal irritation - more mucus and postnasal drip

When do you accept that things are better, but aren’t exactly where you want them to be? And maybe… That’s going to have to be enough?

I’m currently one month post a course of long-term steroids

I’m taking Nasofan daily, alongside fluticasone drops.

The general status is
- have some minor blocking which tends to alleviate if I take my medication (but is a daily feeling, switching between nostrils)
- have almost complete smell loss unless it’s a strong perfume
- I’m unsure if I’m ever gonna be able to have more than a single drink of alcohol ever again due to inflammation

I’m okay with how the blocking symptoms are now – but I’m aware if I do ever miss medication it is instantly worse – which is my worry

The smell loss is so painful and I’m not sure whether to push and see if I can get at least somewhat better – or just accept that this is what it is.

My ENT requested a CT scan but I haven’t seen it and I may request it so that I can have a look at how things were in the middle of my steroid course

Hands-down, the best decision I ever made in my life. I am so glad that I got over my fear of anesthesia and just did it. I have not had any issues with breathing and honestly, I feel great. Thank God, the nasal polyps have not grown back (fingers crossed). I smell EVERYTHING. I have not had a pressure headache in my face since. Haven’t had a single sinus infection. The best part is how easy it is for me to clear my nose when blowing it. The insides of sinuses are so wide open, I get everything out. If in the future, I need the surgery again, I’m running to the operating table. I still do the salt rinses and use a humidifier.

If you haven’t made up your mind yet and are afraid to do it, please take it from me… Just do it. I was at the point where my nose was completely blocked and it started to mess with me mentally. Pray and do it for yourself and for your quality of life. You will not regret it.

Whenever I eat raw ginger - not powdered, not in tea, nothing aside from the raw root - my nose gets temporarily relief, it feels like the polyps shrink.

The weird thing is this, it only feels like it's shrinking whilst i'm eating the ginger. Once it's digested, the effect lingers on but not as long.

Whilst the ginger is being chewed in my mouth, i really do feel significant relief in my nose. Please can other people try this so we can see if there's a pattern here!

Question and info gathering here.

I’ve had nasal polyps for 17 years now. Smell and taste gone. I have allergies to lots of things. Tried everything from diets to fasts, different rinses, etc. I’ve always avoided surgery because they grow back and a close friend of mine did it and hers grew back.

Last year (2025) I cut out all alcohol. I gave up beer 8 years ago as I knew that was a trigger. Then last April 2025 by cat died at 17 years old. I used to have two, then none.

So I was doing daily rinses and Flonase. Seemed to manage way better than in years past, but still barely ever smell and taste.

My smell and taste came back May 2025. It last all year up until April 2026. I assumed I was good and it must have been the cats. But now looking back, I also had a torn ligament in my finger. Doctor had me take aleve (naproxen) 1 pill AM and one PM. I did that for a month.

Could it be that the naproxen is what gave me relief and it lasted a year and then wore off?

I can’t go back to not smelling and tasting. The 2 times I did prednisone I responded well and got smell and taste back right away, but that would last like 3-4 weeks.

How bad is it to take naproxen for a month? To gain a year of great living I feel like I’d do it again. Would that be that bad?

I’ve been thinking it could also be this time of year with everything blooming so I am trying to see without it if things get better. Anyone have any experience with OTC nsaids like this?

Just trying to solve the mystery of how I got a year of goodness. Cats, alcohol, nsaids for a month? Not sure but at this point I’m thinking it had to be the drugs.

Finally the Military Hospital in Saudi Arabia is offering Dupixent for free for soldiers and civilians who work for the ministry of defense .

Hallöchen,

ich bin neu hier und habe direkt mal eine Frage.
Schonmal vorab Danke fürs durchlesen!

Kurz zu meinem Krankheitsverlauf:

Seit vielen Jahren habe ich mir Cronischen Nasennebenhöhlenentzündungen sowie Polypen Wachstum zu kämpfen. Im Januar 2025 habe ich mich dann zu einer Operation an den Nasennebenhöhlen überwunden. Die Operation war für mich extrem schmerzhaft und mit Nachblutungen verbunden. Doch nach circa vier Wochen stellte ich erfreulicherweise fest, dass ich wieder riechen kann. Damit dachte ich, dass ich es geschafft habe. Ich nah fleißig das verordnete Kortisonnasenspray. 2 Sprühstöße morgens und zwei abends in jedes Nasenloch.
Nach circa drei/vier Monaten spürte ich, wie meine Nase wieder „zu“ ging und der Geruchssinn langsam wieder abnahm.
Also bin ich wieder zum HNO.
Überraschung: Die Polypen waren zurück.

Also wieder alles von vorne: Kortisontabletten, mehrmals Antibiotikum, Nasenspülungen, Nasentropfen, Naseneinlagen mit in medikamentengetränkten Tüchern, weiter Kortisonnasenspray, Homöopathische Mittel, Darmaufbau, Hausmittel, Inhalieren usw….

Nichts half, dass es dauerhaft besser wurde.
Im Gegenteil.
Täglich Kopfschmerzen, Druckschmerzen an der Stirn und Schläfen, Heiserkeit, keine Atmung durch die Nase möglich,trockner Hals, ständiger Sekretfluss im Rachen, Müdigkeit, Konzentrationsprobleme.
Ich fühlte mich dauerhaft krank. Geruchssinnverlust und dann auch noch kein Geschmackssinn mehr. Diese Symptome beeinträchtigten meinen Alltag immer mehr und nahmen mir deutlich die Lebensqualität.
Ich rannte von Arzt zu Arzt, Ct Untersuchung, Ultraschall der Nasennebenhöhlen.
Im Ct wurde festgestellt, dass alle Nasennebenhöhlen vollständig verlegt sind. Das bedeutet der Zustand jetzt ist schlimmer als vor der Operation.

Alle HNO Ärzte ratlos.

Es stand eine weitere Operation im Raum, bei der aus zwei Stirnhöhlen eine gemacht werden sollte. Also mit Knochenentnahme, doch ich wurde direkt aufgeklärt, dass die Polypen mit hoher Wahrscheinlichkeit wieder kommen werden. Die OP wäre also nur eine Überbrückung danit ich mehr als 3/4 Monate symptomfrei bin.
Doch das stand für mich nicht im Raum.

Dann kam wurde ich an einen „Spezialisten“ überwiesen, welchen die Biologika Immuntherapie durchführt. Leider sind die Spritzen sehr teuer und dafür müssen gewisse Komponenten erfüllt sein, damit die Krnakenkasse die Kosten übernimmt. Es wird ein Score berechnet wie weit die Polypen in die Nase wachsen.
Zu Beginn war mein Score bei drei, obwohl im Ct alles bereits zu war. Der Polypenwuchs in der Nase war noch zu wenig.
Also keine Indikation für diese Therapie. Ich wurde vertröstet. Sollte weiter warten bis es noch schlimmer wird. Also quälte ich mich Tag für Tag und Monate weiter mit den Symptomen durch den Alltag.
Vor ca. 3 Wochen die Erlösung.
Der Score wurde bemessen. Er war nun bei 7.
Mehrere Untersuchungen wurde gemacht und siehe da:
Ich wurde zur Therapie zugelassen.

Daher habe ich heute die erste Tezspire Spritze erhalten mit dem Wirkstoff: Tezepelumab erhalten.
Ich hoffe darauf, dass es mir hilft und der Spuk ein Ende nimmt. Leider ist das Medikament noch nicht so lange auf dem Markt und es gibt nicht viele Erfahrungsberichte darüber.

Daher nun meine Frage:

Hat jemand von euch Erfahrung mit der Tezspire Spritze und kann berichten über Nebenwirkungen, Symptomverlauf etc.?

Liebe Grüße und Danke für eure Zeit😊

I have been suffering from CRSwNP for the entire decade. Symptoms started showing around late 2019/early 2020. After receiving the diagnosis, I was put on prednisolone temporarily (to get the treatment started) and mometasone furoate nasal spray (which I take to this day). Had surgeries in 2021, removing polyps under local anesthesia, and FESS in 2024. These did help with being able to breathe through the nose better, but didn't bring my sense of smell back. I would estimate I am at about 10-20 % compared to before the diagnosis.

Since not being able to smell much of anything has really taken a turn on my mental health, I started pushing my ENT specialist to get me a prescription for monoclonal antibodies. He said he couldn't do it, since my case is not bad enough. (Sadly, statutory health insurance in Germany places high barriers for prescription due to high costs.) I was referred to the nearest university hospital anyway. I finally had my appointment this week, and after some further tests (which confirmed nasal polyps had indeed come back) they did a blood test right away. If this comes back positive, I will still be able to be prescribed either Dupixent or Tezspire. They already gave me further information on these medications as well as an appointment for the first injection. I really hope this is going to be it. I haven't been this hopeful or excited in a long time.

hellow please share your best solution for nasal polyps ?

So, I’m scheduled to have septoplasty, polypectomy, turbinate reduction next week. I apparently have a VERY large dumb bell shaped polyp in one of my sinuses causing complete blockage growing down my throat atp and visible when I open my mouth. Has anyone had similar experiences? I am terrified of surgery/recovery and haven’t come across anyone who’s had a similar experience with very large nasal polyps. Any advice is greatly appreciated!