What's the best over-the-counter nose spray?

Whats wrong with my nose? The ENT doesn't seem to know.?

• When I was little, the runny/stuffy nose was always to a week or so longer to go away. In about 10th or 11th grade, I was blessed with a bad cold with a wonderful side of bronchitis. After this, I suffered from random, and severe allergy attacks. On some days I was happy, rubbing my face in my loved cats fur and smothering him with massive amounts of affection, and didn't have a problem. I could do this for days at a time. On other days, I was blowing large amounts of white/clear snot out of my nose every minute. It got worse. Now I can rarely breathe through my nose. When I can its usually only on the right side, and its constricted. I periodically suffer from a stinging or burning sensation in my nose. I went to a doctor who looked up my nose and said everything is very inflamed and the only way to fix it was surgery. He referred me to an ENT. During my 2 and a half month wait for my appointment.... I found my self taking a cocktail of allergy meds to prevent my nose from spewing snot like a hose. I found that Antibiotics worked as well, but neither of which made the inflammation go away. The ENT stuck a tube up my nose and sprayed something in both sides. I was able to breath through my nose for the first time in years, and because of this I couldn’t stop laughing. Even after he pulled out the long, needle like scope which he used to view deep into my nose. He said there were no polyps. Just that everything was red. He said that a nasal spray would heal me of the few years old problem. He then told me that the spray he used should last for a few hours so I can enjoy it. I drove home breathing through my nose with a big smile on my face and took a nap. Sure enough when I woke up, everything was back to normal. That is a stuffy face and chapped lips. I went to the pharmacy and get my 100.00 spray... Azelastine HCI. It stopped the allergy attacks, but it failed to open my nose. After a while, the sprays effectiveness wore off, and the attacks continued. I got a CAT scan and returned to the ENT. It showed a cyct in my right cheeck. He said it had nothing to do with this, and that removing it would be pointless. Getting desperate I get a "NeilMed NASAFLO Neti Pot". One day I find that I'm able to breathe slightly through both sides of my nose. (this is unusual as the left side is almost always closed completely) So I try the neti pot hoping that this will soothe everything back to normal. I try it first with just warm bottled water, it failed to come out through the other side. I tried mixing in the powder, and even a few sprays of the Azelastine (I'm clearly getting desperate), and even still. I feel it pool up inside my sinus, but then that’s it. I tilt my head more, and I feel a pressure in my eye and it goes down my throat. I blow my nose and try the left side. Same thing only I get an itchy sensation, along with pressure in my left ear. It just refuse to go in one side and out the other. Any ideas as to what it could be or how to help?

• Answer:

  I have no idea why the neti pot won't work - maybe your sinuses are too clogged up to begin with. Given your symptoms, it seems like you might benefit from one of the steroidal nose sprays (Flonase, Nasonex, Rhinocort Aqua, Nasarel, Nasacort AQ, Beconase AQ or Veramyst), and by seeing an allergist. The steroidal nose sprays are long-acting and particularly effective at reducing inflammation (although they also take at least several days to take effect). An allergist can identify the allergen and give you shots to desensitize you to the allergen.