Hello again, merrett88!
I am delighted to have an opportunity to assist you again!
First, I must tell you that I am not a medical professional. Neither I
nor any other Researcher can give your nephew a diagnosis remotely
over the Internet. To truly determine the cause of his breathing
difficulties, he needs to visit a physician, who will take his history
and give him a full workup, including any diagnostic tests, such as
x-rays, that need to be performed.
What I can do is provide you with some information that will help you
and your nephew to become better informed about the possible causes of
his breathing problems, and to know what kinds of questions to ask
when he DOES visit his doctor.
I hope that you and your nephew will make an appointment to see a
physician in the near future, so that he can spend the next 25 years
breathing much more easily than the last 25 years. I suffer from a
variety of sinus and allergy problems, and when it gets really hot and
humid, I get bad headaches and have a very hard time breathing. I can
tell you from personal experience that this is NO way to have to live.
One of the most likely possibilities is that your nephew has a
deviated septum.
From WebMD's article "Nasal Obstruction", by Deborah Rosin, MD (The
Sinus Sourcebook, RGA Publishing Group):
"...there are a number of things that anatomically block the nose and
can lead to sinus problems. Blockage may occur when the lining of the
nose swells, or when there is a deformity of the cartilaginous or bony
structures that make up the framework of the nose...
Normal Nasal Blockage: The Nasal Cycle
You may notice one side of your nose feeling blocked, and sometime
later feel that the other side is clogged. Many people notice this at
night when lying in bed, since they have to alternate sides they sleep
on to be able to breathe comfortably. This is what is termed the
"nasal cycle," which is the normal cycle of congestion (swelling) and
decongestion (shrinkage) in the nose..."
According to Dr. Rosin, some of the medical conditions and external
triggers which may cause breathing problems due to nasal swelling
include chronic sinusitis, allergies, nose drop or nose spray overuse,
birth control pills,
hypertension (high blood pressure), and hormonal imbalances such as
hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid).
Dr. Rosin goes on to say that:
"Many anatomic factors cause nasal obstruction. You might suspect an
anatomic blockage when your breathing always seems worse on one side
of the nose, and if the blockage has been present for many months or
years. Remember that the two major components of the nasal passages
are the septum and the turbinates. Significant abnormalities of these
structures will impair breathing...
The nasal septum is the partition between the right and left sides of
the nose. It is composed of both cartilage and bone...
If you have an obvious twist to the outside of your nose, this may
also indicate a deviation on the inside...
Often, a deviated septum results from a nasal injury... Other people
are unable to recall any nasal trauma...
If the twist of the septum does not seem to harm your breathing, then
there is no reason to correct the problem. However, if the deviation
is severe enough to warrant repair, you may need surgery...
Surgery for a deviated septum involves working inside the nose to
reshape the cartilage and bone, either called a septoplasty or
submucous resection. It is performed on an outpatient basis under
either general ("all the way under") or local (sedation) anesthesia."
Dr. Rosin goes on to explain that other causes of breathing
difficulties can include hypertrophic (enlarged) turbinate bones,
nasal polyps, and enlarged adenoids.
There is a great deal more information in this article, included a
detailed explanation of the nasal anatomy, and some excellent diagrams
that will help you understand what may be causing your newphew's
breathing problems. I hope that the two of you will read it carefully,
so that he can go to his doctor with a good understanding of the
potential causes and treatments for his symptoms.
http://my.webmd.com/content/article/4/1680_51935.htm
I hope that surgery will not be required to relieve your nephew's
breathing difficulties. However, I can tell you that I had septoplasty
and turboplasty done several years ago, and that once I had healed, it
resulted in an immediate improvement in my quality of life in the form
of fewer sinus infections, fewer headaches, and general ability to
breathe better.
Whatever the treatment his doctor ends up prescribing, I hope that
your nephew has similar good results, so that he can spend more time
enjoying life, and less time just trying to breathe.
Search Strategy
causes of nasal obstruction
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=causes+of+nasal+obstruction&btnG=Google+Search
http://www.webmd.com search on "deviated septum"
Before Rating my Answer, if you have questions about this information,
please post a Request for Clarification, and I will be glad to see
what I can do for you.
I hope that this Answer provides exactly the information you and your
nephew were seeking!
Regards,
aceresearcher |
