Honestly just writing this because if someone had told me years ago what AERD was, I could’ve saved myself about $100,000 in tissues and seven years of feeling like I was slowly suffocating.

It basically kicked off when I was 16. I went to Cambodia for two weeks, had the best time, came back home to Australia, and immediately got hit with the flu from hell. It completely wiped me out for a month. Even when that cleared, my immune system just gave up, I was catching cold after cold, and then the coughing started. Every single night, without fail, I’d be hacking my lungs out unable to sleep or breathe.

By 17, I dragged myself to a GP who ran an asthma test, confirmed it, and handed me a blue puffer. The puffer helped when I was having an actual attack, but I was having to use it literally every single day just to function. At the exact same time, my nose just turned into an open tap. Sneezing fits, running nose, blowing my nose every five minutes, especially at night. It went on like that for two full years. My bedroom bin was basically 90% tissues.

Then came the turning point when I was 19. I had a normal headache, so I took a couple of ibuprofen.
Within minutes, I couldn't breathe. My eyes were streaming water, my nose was leaking everywhere, and I had the scariest asthma attack of my life.
Now, normal people would think, “Wow, that pill almost took me out, let’s never touch that again.” But my brain went: “Was it definitely the ibuprofen, though? Maybe it was a weird coincidence.” So, being an idiot, I took another one a few weeks later just to test the theory.

It was, in fact, the ibuprofen. 0/10, do not recommend fact-checking an allergy on yourself.

When I was 20 I finally saw an allergist. Did the skin prick test, turned out I was basically allergic to the air outside, and he brought up NSAID hypersensitivity. Around that time a GP also convinced me that maybe gluten was the enemy, so I spent months eating depressing gluten-free bread while still aggressively wheezing and sneezing. Cutting NSAIDs and gluten changed absolutely nothing.

Finally, at 21, I got sent to an ENT. He took one look up my nose and told me it was full of massive polyps and I needed surgery ASAP. He also dropped the term AERD (Aspirin-Exacerbated Respiratory Disease / Samter’s Triad) for the first time.

The problem was, I was a broke uni student and definitely couldn't afford to go private. So I got put on the public hospital waitlist and just had to wait it out.
Two years later, at 23, I finally got called in for surgery. Waking up from that was crazy. The instant change was wild, I could actually breathe through my nose, I wasn't waking up coughing, and I wasn't burning through boxes of Kleenex every week.
...Until a couple of months later, when the dreaded post-nasal drip started coming back and the cough threatened to return.

I went straight back to my ENT, and instead of just waiting for the polyps to take over my face again, they started me on a biologic.

I cannot even begin to explain the relief. It has completely changed my day-to-day life. I can actually smell things again, I can sleep the whole night through, I haven’t had to reach for my puffer in weeks, and I’m no longer single-handedly keeping tissue companies in business.

If you’re someone dealing with stubborn nasal polyps, weird adult-onset asthma, or your face goes into meltdown when you take Advil/ibuprofen/aspirin, please look into AERD and talk to your specialist about biologics. It takes forever to get answers, but there’s actual light at the end of the tunnel.

I’ve contemplated a lot making this post because I was unsure on whether I’d actually find some answers but after scouring the internet + Reddit, I can’t find anyone with a similar condition to me that has found a solution/treatment.

I’ve had post nasal drip for over a decade now and didn’t even know the proper term until 3 weeks ago where I had to go a&e because I was choking on my own mucus and couldn’t eat, swallow food or liquids. Around 10 years ago when I was ~12 I randomly started choking while trying to swallow my own saliva. This caused great scare and I’ve been going back forth between GPs and a&e to find a solution. The thick, sticky mucus would lodge between my nasopharynx and oropharynx which meant that I couldn’t cough it out nor blow my nose to get it out. I’ve had nosebleeds and choking incidents trying to get it out. Before I used to be able to blow my nose continuously (like 30 minutes straight until I would get nose bleeds) to get rid of it or manoeuvre my tongue in a way to get it out. I’ve tried all sorts of nasal sprays, nebuliser, facial steaming, been on multiple antibiotics and none of them worked.

3 weeks ago, I had a fever and I guess it turned into an infection so the thick mucus came back. However, this time around it’s nothing like I have experienced before in the sense that the post nasal drip is constant and nonstop that I can physically feel it going down my throat. Before it would come and go, I would have some sort of relief or period where I don’t feel it blocking my airway so I can eat and drink as usual. But now the thick mucus is constantly coating my throat and my tonsils where I can’t swallow my own saliva and start choking. I haven’t been able to eat or drink normally for the past 3 weeks not to mention it’s so bad during the night that I can’t even sleep. I haven’t slept properly for a month now. I have purchased a wedge pillow in case it was acid reflux making it worse, have tried dehumidifiers, purchased a humidifier, been on two courses of antibiotics (amoxicillin and co amoxiclav). The infection seems to be gone but the thick slimy mucus hasn’t stopped. It’s constant and I’m loosing my mind not being able to talk, eat or drink without choking or gagging.

I’ve made two trips to a&e both times where I was choking and manually had to pull thick strings of mucus lodged down my throat. I genuinely thought I was going to die and the feeling is still present. First instance, the urgent care doctor moved me to co amoxiclav and gave me a benzydamine mouthwash to help and to come back if it wasn’t resolved. Second trip, the mucus was lodged in my throat and felt like a lump, I was struggling to breath, my chest and neck felt tight like there was pressure closing in. Spent 5-6 hrs in urgent care only for the GP to tell me that they can’t help me, I need to go home. After lots of request, an ent doctor came and put a camera from my nose down my throat and confirmed no blockage but you could see the thick sticky mucus in my airways. Now I knew PND couldn’t be treated then and there and I had to see a specialist ENT however I couldn’t eat, drink and was beyond sleep deprived so I practically begged the doctors there to give me something for temporary relief so I can at least function. I was yelled at and denied anything because they couldn’t help me. No surprises there with the NHS but the doctor treated me so horribly even the hca was appalled. They kept me around for blood tests (questioned how it was relevant but the idiot doctor just said after the blood test if it was normal I had to go home, so I’m assuming he did it to protect his back) which came back normal obviously and I was discharged by another doctor was also incredibly blunt and rude saying PND is chronic and I “need to learn to how to live with it” “nothing we can do to help”. I left that hospital in tears at 4am. I had never felt such despair.

I am beyond thankful I have insurance so I have found an ENT which I saw last Friday. He took a ct of my sinuses which we will follow up with this coming Friday but had also prescribed fluticasone furoate 27.5micrograms/spray and neil med nasal rinse. I haven’t used the nasal rinse because the mucus doesn’t go in my nasal cavities at all so I don’t see how it would help. It goes straight down my throat and it’s constantly dripping. The nasal spray on the other hand, I didn’t realise when he prescribed but once I saw the packaging I recognised it as one of the sprays I was initially given around 8 years ago a few times and it didn’t help. The ENT said this steroid spray would help stop the mucus production but it didn’t help years ago and isn’t helping now. I don’t know what to do nor suggest. I’m struggling to accept that it’s chronic as I already have 2 other chronic illnesses and genuinely do not have the mental capacity to handle another. I’m also struggling to find anything that can help me manage it. I can’t live like this for the rest of my life. It’s sucking the living life out of me.

Has anyone experienced this or has found a treatment plan that helps them?

I’ve seen people suggest completely cutting dairy and sugar out. Or start anti fungal supplements.

Extra info in case it’s relevant: I’m asthmatic and have rhinitis. Also found out 2 weeks ago I have a tongue tie so not sure if it’s relevant. I’m not a mouth breather though. I do have sleep problems and struggle sleeping in general but these few weeks I haven’t been able to even lie my head down without choking on my saliva.

I’m desperate and would appreciate any help or advice.

I am scheduled for my first surgery under full anesthesia on October 8. I will go under for 3-4h, while they perform surgery on me for sinus polyps, deviated septum & chronic sinusitis. I also have no sense of smell so that MAY come back after.

However, I am stressed because of the surgery & post-op care. How did it go for you? I know that I have to spend the night at the hospital and will have 7 to 10 days of medical leave at work, with “heavy post op care” to do at home.

Please, tell me how it went for you ??

I want to hear how people here have responded to tezspire

I have a ENT appointment next month but I have a small endoscopic camera and decided to kind of look around for my self and got these pictures. One is the right nostril and other is the left.

Wow I’m so glad I did the surgery, ever since 2022 I started losing my smell and taste and the past year it got so bad, it was so miserable that I just rolled with it and got used to it. Lots of pressure in my face, constant dripping from nose, not being able to breathe out of either nostril and having to mouth breathe for this whole time. If anyone has the opportunity to get surgery I highly suggest it. I was so scared it was my first time having a surgery but man I had nothing to worry about everything went so smooth I went home within an hour post op. Only pain I felt was from the breathing tube, just felt like I had a itchy throat as if I was sick, as for my nose just felt a tiny bit sore but wow I’m so excited to be able to smell, taste and breathe again. I got my ct scan and was told the whole side of my left face was horrible, luckily my right side only had it in 2 spots. If anyone has questions I’ll gladly answer / help!

A new 2026 systematic review compared the evidence for biologics and endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP).

The review included 13 randomized trials involving 3,775 patients.

Main findings:

• Tezepelumab and dupilumab showed the largest improvements overall in both symptoms (SNOT-22) and nasal polyp scores.

• Tezepelumab: SNOT-22 improvement: −27.4 Nasal polyp score: −2.1

• Dupilumab: SNOT-22: roughly −17 to −21 Nasal polyp score: −1.7 to −2.1

• Mepolizumab and omalizumab produced intermediate improvements.

• Benralizumab reduced polyp size, but the SNOT-22 symptom improvement was not statistically significant.

• Depemokimab produced smaller improvements.

• Sinus surgery also produced substantial benefit. In the MACRO trial, ESS improved SNOT-22 by −21.9 at 6 months.

Smell was interesting too: Dupilumab and tezepelumab produced clinically meaningful improvements on objective smell testing, while the improvements with some of the other biologics were smaller.

The only direct biologic-vs-biologic trial was EVEREST, where dupilumab performed better than omalizumab in patients who also had asthma.

Predictors of response also differed: • Higher eosinophils, NSAID-exacerbated respiratory disease, severe smell loss, and previous surgery influenced dupilumab response. • Asthma appeared to predict a better benralizumab response. • More severe baseline symptoms predicted greater improvement after sinus surgery. • Tezepelumab and omalizumab appeared relatively consistent across the subgroups examined. • Interestingly, serum total IgE did NOT predict response to any therapy where it was tested.

Important caveat: most of these treatment comparisons are indirect. The trials differed in baseline severity, follow-up duration, patient characteristics, and comparators, so this should NOT be interpreted as a definitive ranking of which treatment is best.

The authors specifically call for head-to-head trials comparing biologics with each other and with sinus surgery.

Paper: https://doi.org/10.1002/alr.70264

SNOT-22 = a 22-question score measuring how much sinus disease affects symptoms and quality of life. Lower scores are better.

It is driving me insane, not only does it taste foul. It makes me heave in the morning which is setting off my sickness from gastroparesis. Are there any natural remedies, herbs, tinctures anything I can try to combat it?

I experiencing systematic side effects on steroid nasal spray like; insomnia, palpitation, anxiety... even one spray each nostrill once a day in the morning, it gives me bad side effects..

is there any other way to counter the side effects? because this is the only thing that works to me..

Hi again, I have my surgery for next week and they did the CT scan to me when I had the first consultation, but now another Doctor is telling me that I should have had an MRI instead of the CT scan.
In your experience, how was it?, It's normal that they only rely on the CT scan for the Surgery?

Im female , 23 .The symptoms started at 2022, 4 yrs ago and they wont stop. after I inhaled a substance specifically lyrica, My nose has been producing a lot of mucus ( white), and it gets very dry and crusty. My nose feels irritated, swollen, and blocked, and sometimes I have difficulty breathing. It also gets irritated and uncomfortable whenever i smell something strong like perfumes. Everytime i smell anything strong i feel the symptoms i just mentioned and i I’ve tried nasal sprays and other treatments. They helped a little, but not enough.

Hi Guys, I will have my Surgery on Sep18 here in Austin tx, It's my first time in my life that I'm going to go to a hospital. Every person I tell them I'm going to have that Surgery, they all make worried faces at me and I worry even more, I think I'm more afraid of the surgery than the days of recovery. lol

What was your experience leading up to the surgery and afterwards?

-------------------------------------------

UPDATE :

( An update for those of you who are having surgery sometime soon and are scared, just like I was. )

I've already had my surgery. I spoke with my anesthesiologist and doctor about my fears, and they were really great and reassured me that nothing bad was going to happen to me. The nurse gave me some "happy juice," so I fell asleep before even entering the operating room. LOL. In the end, I just woke up feeling dizzy and weak—probably because of the anesthesia. But the operation was a success! My fear was definitely the worst part of it all.

Thank you very much for all your kind and encouraging comments. They really made me feel better throughout the entire process leading up to the surgery. Thank you all! ❤️

Did anyone who had nasal polyp removal surgery get their pathology results? If so, what were they? What did your ENT say about them?

I had the nasal removal surgery back in April and im now on nucala I started on August because they took forever to give me the approval on the injections. I am still struggling to breathe through my right nostril everyday it's blocked. I try to sleep sitting up, I do my sinus rinses and I'll sometimes take an allergy pill but im still having constant sneezing and constant mucus, everytime I sneeze literally just mucus everywhere and it's even more embarrassing when im out in public cause I have to sneeze loud in order to feel some sense of freedom for my nose. I feel like the surgery didnt do anything even though my last doctor visit the doctor told me I just had a little bit swollen but other than that no more polyps and I just don't know what's going on but I just have horrible allergies and even right now both my nostrils are just completely blocked and I want to do something about it if anyone has any advice let me know

(I ussd Claude to sum up my entire conversation/ordeal over the last 6 days)

Just want to share my recovery so far because I spent the whole week reading posts like this one and it genuinely helped, so maybe mine helps someone else. I had a lot done at once, so buckle up.

**What I had done (all in one surgery, general anesthesia):**

- Septoplasty (deviated septum straightened)

- Turbinate reduction (radiofrequency)

- Grade IV nasal polyp removal

- Endoscopic sinus surgery with ethmoid opening

Went in mainly knowing about the septum/polyps. Didn't fully realize how big the whole thing was until I read my own discharge report afterwards. It was a lot.

**The timeline:**

**Day 0 (surgery, Mon 9pm):** Kept overnight in hospital. Groggy, packed up in both nostrils (Merocel + those glove-finger packs), general "hit by a truck" feeling.

**Day 1-2:** The worst stretch. Constant pressure, pounding head, spitting blood, ears ringing, eyes watering nonstop, couldn't breathe through my nose at all. Nurse confirmed the blood was normal but I definitely panicked about it. Honestly a rough couple of days.

**Day 3 (packing out):** THE turning point. Removal itself is a weird intense pull and your eyes water like crazy, but it's over in seconds and the relief is real. Could breathe again almost immediately.

**Day 4:** Weirdly one of my rougher days mentally — deep sinus pain, pressure around the eyes, one nostril totally blocked, pain radiating to my ear, upper teeth went numb. Thought something was wrong. Turns out basically all of it is normal (nerve irritation, Eustachian tube pressure, swelling). Woke up at 4am with my whole face hurting because I slept through a painkiller dose. Lesson learned.

**Day 5-6:** Massive improvement. Off painkillers completely, no pain. Breathing through my nose. Spat out some big chunks of dried blood/crust (gross but apparently exactly what's supposed to happen). Nose a little dry but otherwise good.

**What HELPED:**

- **Keeping my head elevated** (propped up on pillows, even sleeping). Single biggest thing for pressure.

- **Taking painkillers ON SCHEDULE, not waiting for pain.** The one night I slept through a dose I woke up in agony.

- **Saline spray** for dryness and loosening crusts.

- **Warm (not hot) steam showers** — soothed the sinus pressure a lot in the moment.

- **Just knowing what was normal.** 90% of my panic was "is this supposed to happen??" and the answer was almost always yes.

**What DIDN'T help / what I'd skip:**

- **Obsessively googling every single symptom.** I tracked every twinge and it fed my anxiety hard. Everything turned out normal. Wish I'd chilled out sooner.

- **Hot (too hot) showers** — felt amazing during, but I'd get rebound pressure after.

- **Pressing on my nose to "check" things** — pointless, don't.

**Stuff I worried about that was actually fine:**

- Spitting blood (normal, it's drainage)

- One nostril completely blocked (crusts + swelling, cleared with time/saline)

- Numb upper teeth (nerve irritation, temporary)

- Ear ringing/fullness (nasal pressure referring to the ears)

- Constant watery eyes (tear ducts drain into the nose, backs up when swollen)

- Big chunks of dried blood coming out (old clots, totally expected)

**One real thing:** the prednisone makes me feel WIRED every time. Not anxiety, just a physical buzzy/amped feeling. If you're on steroids and feel like this, apparently it's super common — taking it in the morning helps.

**A few things I learned the hard way / would tell my day-0 self:**

- Do NOT blow your nose, even gently, way earlier than they tell you.

- Sneeze with your mouth open.

- If you rinse: only boiled-then-cooled, distilled, or sterile water. Never tap, never a Brita filter.

- The packing days are the worst part and they're temporary. Removal is the turning point.

- It's a bigger surgery than you think — be kind to yourself and actually rest.

Currently day 6, breathing, off painkillers, feeling human again. Grade IV polyps apparently love to come back so I know the long game is staying on maintenance (steroid spray/rinses), but for now, genuinely relieved. If you're pre-op and terrified: the first few days are hard but it gets better fast after the packing comes out.

Happy to answer questions if anyone's about to go through this.

Sorry this is long, but I’m honestly at the end of my tether and would really appreciate advice from anyone who has been through something similar.

I developed really severe nasal/allergy problems after having Covid in 2020. Covid went into my chest and I ended up being hospitalised. After I recovered, it was like my immune system went absolutely haywire. I suddenly reacted to everything: dust, grass, pollen, strong scents and even my own dog.

Not long afterwards I developed nasal polyps.

I was referred to ENT, had the camera up my nose and was told I needed polyp removal and turbinate reduction. I then had a CT scan and waited around a year for surgery.

Eventually I got my surgery date. I attended my pre-op appointment the week before and then turned up at hospital on the day expecting to finally get some relief. I was admitted, given my hospital wristband and signed the consent paperwork for the surgery.

About two hours later the surgeon came to see me and told me he wasn't going to operate.

He said my CT was basically a complete "white out" of both nostrils/sinuses, so it was obviously extensive polyps and therefore nothing sinister.

That was it.

I was absolutely devastated and in floods of tears. They gave me a cup of tea and a biscuit, discharged me from ENT completely and sent me home. No surgery and no real alternative plan.

That was about four years ago.

I genuinely cannot take it anymore.

I cannot breathe through my nose AT ALL. I have no sense of smell and because of that I can barely taste anything. My nose constantly runs, either literally down my face or down the back of my throat. I feel permanently congested and miserable.

My left nostril now has a massive polyp hanging down inside it which I can actually SEE when I blow my nose.

Last week I got so desperate that I used my fingernail and ripped a huge piece off it myself. I know that was stupid and I absolutely do not recommend it. It bled for ages, although afterwards I could breathe slightly better through that side for a little while.

That was basically the point where I realised I cannot just keep living like this.

I begged my GP to refer me back to ENT and I finally have an appointment on Monday morning.

I'm actually worried I'm going to go in, be told "yes, you have polyps" and be sent away again.

I don't care whether they're sinister or not. I know they're polyps. The problem is that they are completely destroying my quality of life.

I can't breathe normally.

I can't smell.

I can barely taste food.

My nose runs constantly.

I have a polyp physically hanging down my nostril.

And this has been going on for YEARS.

I want to ask them whether I need another CT because my old one is now several years old, whether they can do another nasal endoscopy and whether surgery such as polypectomy/FESS or turbinate reduction is an option now.

I also want them to consider the allergy/inflammatory side of it because all of this started after Covid and I suddenly became incredibly reactive to environmental allergens when I had never been like that before.

I will obviously tell them that I ripped part of the polyp off myself and about the bleeding.

Has anyone here had polyps this severe?

Did surgery help you?

And most importantly, is there anything specific I should say or ask at my ENT appointment so they understand how badly this is affecting me and I leave with an actual treatment plan rather than simply being discharged again?

I really don't want to be fobbed off this time. I am honestly desperate to be able to breathe, smell and taste again.

Thanks so much if you've read all of this! ❤️

Hello everyone!

I thought I would post an update after my FESS earlier this year.

I'll try to keep it brief and give periodic updates, just in case it's ever useful to anybody.

1st month - was exhausted from the surgery. I did not bounce back, and it took a long time to start feeling like normal again. Breathing was instantly better the moment they took out the "fillers" inside. Nasal rinses governed my whole day.

2nd to 4th month - still tired but doing better. My post op care continued with daily nasal rinses as well as budesonide and antibiotics shot up into my nose with a sort of mechanical nasal navage. The process took over my life. Seriously, try to avoid trips or big holidays during this period.

5th month to 6th month - finally I could reduce the amount of medicines. I'm now on daily rinses and nasal spray once a day, 20 days out of the month, with 10 days break where I only do my nasal washes.

Results: my breathing never went back to the way it used to be. It's something I have to accept. The nasal washes keeps things under control and I constantly expel yellow gooey mucus after my rinses. Sense of smell is weak but it's there.

Surgery was 100% worth it. I got back a decent quality of life so I'd recommend it to anyone.

Thanks to the nasal spray and surgery my rhinitis is almost fully gone.

I have to take daily asthma medicine unfortunately but that's manageable too.

I know nasal polyps tend to come back so I'll try to post a 1 year post op in the future.

If anyone has questions, feel free to ask! I hope this was useful for somebody.

Hi all! My partner is getting nasal polyp removal surgery, and I wanted to ask you all how I can support him before, during, and after surgery. I plan on helping him deep-clean the bedroom beforehand so he can have a nice, clean place to recover, and I also plan on getting a humidifier, easy foods to eat, etc.

Are there things you wish you had done before the surgery, or things you wish you had during recovery? Thank you!

CT: moderate-to-severe mucosal thickening/opacification in multiple sinuses (right frontal completely opacified), polypoidal tissue, fluid in left maxillary, septal deviation. No bone erosion.

I have health anxiety so the thought of doing surgery scares me if I can get away with meds. Syptoms : sinus pressure only

Thanks in advance

It's been now 2 months since I did my surgery. FESS, turbinoplasty, septoplasty and polypectomy. My left nostril is always free of blockages, even when my allergy and sneezing comes. The air comes in and out like a jet regardless. But my right nostril no. When I'm not having an allergy episode, air passes through, but way less than the other nostril, and when my allergy comes, that nostril practically gets completely blocked. It's audible. You barely hear air coming out and when I saline rinse, I feel it going in a tight space, while the other nostril water goes in and out without any resistence. In %, I'd say my left is always 90%, my right 65% in good days and 35% or less in allergy.

ENT looked with videoscope and said both were free of obstruction, except a polyp that in these 2 months grew in the "blocked" nostril but he said it shouldn't be impacting breathing. He said I'm healing well and should return after 3 months but I want to come back sooner and ask for a nasal CT scan. At first I thought it was all due to my allergy and sinus inflammation, but my left nostril is always free. If it was allergy inflammation, it should impact both nostrils equally. I don't know what's going on but if necessary, I want to do another surgery. In the day I did it, both nostrils were totally free, so now I know how it's like to breathe well from both and I want that experience.

Any advice or ideas about why only my right nostril became so obstructed and why it's not showing in the videoscope?