You see, I have suffered from sinus infections for decades. For years and years I would have sinus headaches and aches and pains. In 99% of the cases I would self soothe, self manage and sort myself out. However in 2021 I kept getting so so many of them that the GP, after the second course of antibiotics said that this was getting silly and that I did need to see the ENT. The ENT is the Ear, nose and throat specialist doctor and in 2022 I finally got to see them. It was on the day of the Queens Funeral. They did ask if I wanted to change it but if like me you have waited months to see a specialist I am not waiting any more. So I went. I drove there super early and the streets were quiet. I got to the hospital in record time and I was first up to see the ENT.

After the usual medical history and discussion, the ENT took the camera out and had a good old look up the right nostril. Nothing, nada, no infection present. Then the left...and this is where it gets interesting. The ENT made the "hmm" noise and then said "interesting." Then said that they thought they knew what I had going on and it wasnt a sinus infection. I said "oh well that's great - what is it?"

But before they would tell me two things happened;

1. They said "Before I confirm it, you need a CT scan but I am fairly sure we will know what this is."
2. My nose started to tingle

I made another "hmm" noise and the ENT looked at me. And I said that my nose was starting to tingle and that something was happening and the nose was tickling. They apologised as the ENT felt that the camera had set something off. I was told to get home, take 2 paracetamols and wait it out. I went home and followed a funeral cortege very slowly through Surrey. The fact that the Queen's funeral was about to take place did not escape my attention even though the pain was already shooting through my face and into my tooth as I drove home. 

Finally we have a name for this pain. Sluders. I thought the ENT said Schrödinger's. And we laughed because to be honest, until we saw it, maybe it wasn't really real. But it was. Anyway, Sluders Neuralgia is a facial pain in the turbinate system. In my case, the delicate, elastic nature of my tissues especially in the nasal passages means that the bony projection is pressing against my nerves. Causing them to switch on when the spur and tissues get inflamed or irritated. I actually get on my own nerves!!!

There really isn't much I can do about it. An operation to remove the spur is a possibility but only if the reocurrence of the pain is daily and stops me living a life. However givne the issues with tissues and how slow I am to heal and scarring potential which is not a good idea in the nasal cavity no operations are planned at all. I tend to manage the pain and gets on with things. This time I am putting the pain to good use by resting and talking about it instead. 

I have figured out that what sets it off is sticking anything up the nose. Everyone is right - DO NOT STICK THINGS UP YOUR NOSE! So that includes cameras (yes the ENT apologise a lot but it did show us in real time what was going on), COVID tests - I tend to use the throat ones now, pollen - not much I can do about nature but I can mask, eye drops - to lubricate the nasal passages and whole area, nasal wash - which I use once a month to clear anything out. Now if it is a cold or something like that, then I have to go through a cold witha splitting cold and spur headache. Combining the two is something I really DO NOT recommend. OUCH.