vasomotor rhinitis

[CarellFan]

Does anyone here have vasomotor rhinitis? I am very interested this condition (a non-allergic condition that mimics an allergic response), especially due to the fact that one of the triggers of vasomotor rhinitis can be emotional stress (I have a crying fetish too, so this kind of ties my two fetishes together). Basically, as I understand it, if things like pollen, pets, dust, etc. bother you, then you have allergies and will test positive for allergies, but if you are "allergic" to things like perfume, strong fumes, cleaning products, etc., then you actually are experiencing a response called vasomotor rhinitis, not a true allergic response. But there are obviously many similarities in symptoms.

Specifically, I am interested in knowing what the symptoms feel like, what the sneezes feel like if it actually makes you sneeze (I have read that in most cases, vasomotor rhinitis does NOT cause sneezing or an itchy nose, more like just a runny or stuffy nose, but that for some people it can cause sneezing fits), and also want to know what triggers it in you (or in someone you know), especially if it comes from an emotionally stressful situation somehow. But stories of absolutely ANY trigger of vasomotor rhinitis will interest me!

For those who have both allergies and vasomotor rhinitis, I am guessing that it might be kind of hard to distinguish one set of symptoms from another, as the two might often get combined, but whatever insight you can provide as to the difference (or lack thereof) is welcome too!

I copied this list from another post (for reference):

Triggers of Vasomotor Rhinitis

Many cases are associated with a specific agent or condition. Examples of such agents/conditions are:

• Changes in temperature or barometric pressure, turbulent air

• Perfumes, strong cooking odours, smoke

• Inorganic dust (which is separate from house dust mite), air pollution

• Spicy foods, alcohol

• Some medications, like some blood pressure tablets

• Sexual arousal

• Stress (emotional or physical).

http://www.allergyclinic.co.nz/guides/50.html

[The Dude]

I think Yiffy mentioned having it, if she's still around. You could ask her.

[Nicole]

McHotPants has this. As a matter of fact, I asked him to go to my allergist over the summer because I was sure he had allergies, but nothing! Just the vasomotor rhinitis.

McHotPants gets a stuffy nose more than anything, and when the congestion clears a little bit is when he'll start to sneeze. So it doesn't irritate his nose like an allergen would, but the congestion itself makes him sneeze. Does that make sense?

The allergist told him a common trigger was liquid fabric softener, which of course I use. Another thing that triggers it for him are warm temperatures and humidity.

Interesting side note...when I get drunk (not much anymore, I'm old), I will sneeze about every 10 minutes. I wonder if I have it too. Weird!

Great topic!

[Trillium]

Unfortunately I do have nonallergic rhinitis (another word for vasomotor rhinitis), along with allergies. It's not that uncommon for a person to have both.

Triggers for me are perfume, smoke, dust (although question whether that is really allergy because dust contains mite allergen and perhaps mold -- it's hard to tell), some strong food scents (particularly garlic and fresh basil) and (worst of all!) eating (almost anything, not just spicy foods). Sometimes I sneeze (but no itchiness), other times (like after eating) I just get a runny nose, which is really annoying.

I think alcohol can be a trigger -- my ex-husband used to sneeze after drinking a lot (which he did frequently), and he tested negative for allergies. On the other hand, dark beers and red wine contain histamines, which as we all know is the allergy chemical, and can cause sneezing on its own, so it could be that, too.

As to the difference between the allergic and nonallergic responses -- it's hard to describe. For me, the main thing is that there's no itching when I'm exposed to the nonallergic triggers, whereas I'm very itchy when exposed to things I'm allergic to. I don't sneeze as much or for as long as I do when in allergy season, either. Emotional stress doesn't trigger a nonallergic response in me, but it does make my allergies (and asthma) worse.

It is an interesting topic and one that I've read quite a bit about.

[Sneezles]

I sneeze a hell of a lot if I drink red wine - which also happens to be my favourite drink

[atchoum]

Very interesting information here about how this sort of non allergic rhinitis affects people - very differently it seems.

I remember quite a few years ago spending a day tiling my bathroom with a tiler (?) who had vasomotor rhinitis. When he arrived he immediately blew his nose and then five minutes later blew it again. I assumed he had hayfever (and anticipated a very interesting day tiling a very small bathroom with him!), but he explained that it was "chronic rhinitis", that he had it most of the time, on and off, and didn't know what caused it. He had been for allergy tests, and they were all negative. At any rate, we did spend the whole day tiling the bathroom, and his nose dripped the whole day: most of the time he was working so he didn't bother to blow. But not a single sneeze.

[Cashewnut]

The hypochondriac in me is intrigued by this discussion! You see, for as long as I can remember, I have had the need to have one good honk during hot meals,much to the amusement of family and friends. There's never any sneezing though, and I have no allergies of which I'm aware. On the positive side though, I feel that my symptoms are mild to say the least. Prior to her leaving around one year go, I was "fascinated" by a former work colleague who seemed to have similar problems, an attractive young lady in her late Twenties. Every lunchtime she would unwittingly treat me to the same visual and aural feast! Shortly after commencing eating, she would leave her table in a matter of urgence and make a bee-line for the serviettes, in order to have an "emergency" honk! If I was lucky, she would catch me, or nudge my table back, as she noisily released the contents of her nose into her improvised hanky, like water bursting through a dam! She would then finish her dinner off, sniffling away, dabbing away at her nose, often accompanied by more honking... God I miss her!!!! Baby come back!

Hmmm, err, yes - I seem to have wandered off the point a bit. Anyway, who would have thought that reading a "specialist" (sounds better than fetish, doen't it?) forum could be so educational?

[snuffles]

That's a great description, Cashewnut

I have a friend that's the same. Actually, I wrote an obs about him too. His nose starts to run if he eats a lot. When we went out to dinner, he'll be dabbing at his nose throughout the meal which was distracting and entertaining at the same time. He blew his nose a couple times, and at the end as we left, he'd sneeze. At the time, I've never heard about it! But it's interesting to see that it's pretty common.

For me, I sneeze when I get cold. It stops immediately after I put on warm clothes. Normally it'd start with a runny nose and if I ignore it, then it'd turn into a sneezing fit.

[a red nine]

Sorry if this seems unrelated to the topic, but a crying fetish! That's interesting! I myself can't imagine that, but I'd be a hypocrite if I was one to put down a unique fetish.

[The Dude]

Hey, who else thinks this would make a cool name for a garage Punk/Ska band.....

"Drip and the Vasomotors"

[mochii]

Sorry if this seems unrelated to the topic, but a crying fetish! That's interesting! I myself can't imagine that, but I'd be a hypocrite if I was one to put down a unique fetish.

lol! that's the first thing i noticed too when looking at this!

I think it's kinda cute :3

I guess the reason for it would have the same characteristics as the sneezing fetish. like, the nurturing aspect, taking care of someone lol~

[VoOs]

Sorry if this seems unrelated to the topic, but a crying fetish! That's interesting! I myself can't imagine that, but I'd be a hypocrite if I was one to put down a unique fetish.

lol! that's the first thing i noticed too when looking at this!

I think it's kinda cute :3

I guess the reason for it would have the same characteristics as the sneezing fetish. like, the nurturing aspect, taking care of someone lol~

There's actually quite a lot of crying fetishists on these boards, mainly women who enjoy men crying. There's a thread about it on the Related Fetishes board, if anyone's interested.

[Kibou-chan]

I`m pretty sure I have this... I`d be really appreciative if someone who has it could take a look at my symptoms and tell me if it sounds like it! I`ve been trying to figure out what`s wrong with me for almost a year.

-I have intermittent periods of sinus problems. I`ll have a few months where they`re going nuts, a few months where I have no problems at all, and then back to the problems again for another few months.

-During these times, one side of my nose is near-constantly swollen shut, and I may have a slight dry cough. If my nose isn`t swollen shut, it`s either stuffy or runny. No noticeable rise in amount of sneezing.

-If it gets bad enough I get sinus-infection-like symptoms: post-nasal drip, sinus headaches, etc. and sometimes cough or dizziness. My mucus usually doesn`t look infected when this occurs.

-I`m almost entirely sure that I don`t have allergies but I`ve never been tested. I`ve never had an allergic reaction though.

-Antihistamines with decongestant work some and nasal sprays slightly more, but it never eradicates the symptoms.

-My nose tends to swell when I`m around smoke or pollutants. Even not washing my hair can cause my symptoms. The other night I went to a bonfire and went to sleep without showering. When I woke up I was completely congested and my mucus was slightly infected-looking, but after I cleaned up I felt fine.

-Can vasomotor rhinitis be triggered by mold and dust? During the summer I stayed in a moldy/dusty dorm room. If I set foot in the room for more than a minute my nose would plug up amazingly and my sinuses would go crazy, though it didn`t cause any allergic symptoms. I ended up getting pretty sick from that room.

Thanks for wading through that gigantic list of symptoms... Can anyone tell me if this is vasomotor rhinitis or perhaps some other sinus/allergy problem? I`m really eager to figure out what`s wrong.

Forgot to mention that I also tend to get a slight sore throat.

Mod Note: Merged posts ~Mute

[Trillium]

I`m pretty sure I have this... I`d be really appreciative if someone who has it could take a look at my symptoms and tell me if it sounds like it! I`ve been trying to figure out what`s wrong with me for almost a year.

-I have intermittent periods of sinus problems. I`ll have a few months where they`re going nuts, a few months where I have no problems at all, and then back to the problems again for another few months.

-During these times, one side of my nose is near-constantly swollen shut, and I may have a slight dry cough. If my nose isn`t swollen shut, it`s either stuffy or runny. No noticeable rise in amount of sneezing.

-If it gets bad enough I get sinus-infection-like symptoms: post-nasal drip, sinus headaches, etc. and sometimes cough or dizziness. My mucus usually doesn`t look infected when this occurs.

-I`m almost entirely sure that I don`t have allergies but I`ve never been tested. I`ve never had an allergic reaction though.

-Antihistamines with decongestant work some and nasal sprays slightly more, but it never eradicates the symptoms.

-My nose tends to swell when I`m around smoke or pollutants. Even not washing my hair can cause my symptoms. The other night I went to a bonfire and went to sleep without showering. When I woke up I was completely congested and my mucus was slightly infected-looking, but after I cleaned up I felt fine.

-Can vasomotor rhinitis be triggered by mold and dust? During the summer I stayed in a moldy/dusty dorm room. If I set foot in the room for more than a minute my nose would plug up amazingly and my sinuses would go crazy, though it didn`t cause any allergic symptoms. I ended up getting pretty sick from that room.

Thanks for wading through that gigantic list of symptoms... Can anyone tell me if this is vasomotor rhinitis or perhaps some other sinus/allergy problem? I`m really eager to figure out what`s wrong.

If you haven't been allergy tested, that would be a good idea. Start by seeing your primary care physician and during the exam ask if you should see an allergist. It would be inappropriate for any of us to offer suggestions on a diagnosis. BTW, it is common for a person to have both nasal allergies and vasomotor rhinitis -- being allergic means your nose will be extra-sensitive to irritants like dust, smoke, perfume (and mold can be a respiratory irritant as well as an allergen).

Hope this helps, and good luck.

[Chanel_no5]

I`m pretty sure I have this... I`d be really appreciative if someone who has it could take a look at my symptoms and tell me if it sounds like it! I`ve been trying to figure out what`s wrong with me for almost a year.

-I have intermittent periods of sinus problems. I`ll have a few months where they`re going nuts, a few months where I have no problems at all, and then back to the problems again for another few months.

-During these times, one side of my nose is near-constantly swollen shut, and I may have a slight dry cough. If my nose isn`t swollen shut, it`s either stuffy or runny. No noticeable rise in amount of sneezing.

-If it gets bad enough I get sinus-infection-like symptoms: post-nasal drip, sinus headaches, etc. and sometimes cough or dizziness. My mucus usually doesn`t look infected when this occurs.

-I`m almost entirely sure that I don`t have allergies but I`ve never been tested. I`ve never had an allergic reaction though.

-Antihistamines with decongestant work some and nasal sprays slightly more, but it never eradicates the symptoms.

-My nose tends to swell when I`m around smoke or pollutants. Even not washing my hair can cause my symptoms. The other night I went to a bonfire and went to sleep without showering. When I woke up I was completely congested and my mucus was slightly infected-looking, but after I cleaned up I felt fine.

-Can vasomotor rhinitis be triggered by mold and dust? During the summer I stayed in a moldy/dusty dorm room. If I set foot in the room for more than a minute my nose would plug up amazingly and my sinuses would go crazy, though it didn`t cause any allergic symptoms. I ended up getting pretty sick from that room.

Thanks for wading through that gigantic list of symptoms... Can anyone tell me if this is vasomotor rhinitis or perhaps some other sinus/allergy problem? I`m really eager to figure out what`s wrong.

If you haven't been allergy tested, that would be a good idea. Start by seeing your primary care physician and during the exam ask if you should see an allergist. It would be inappropriate for any of us to offer suggestions on a diagnosis. BTW, it is common for a person to have both nasal allergies and vasomotor rhinitis -- being allergic means your nose will be extra-sensitive to irritants like dust, smoke, perfume (and mold can be a respiratory irritant as well as an allergen).

Hope this helps, and good luck.

Oh. Is THAT what I'm having?!

I recognise all the symptoms Kibou-chan described, although some are slightly different (but not much).

I've had allergy tests which shows negative on all scales. Basically, there is nothing wrong with me, only there is. Sometimes it disappears completely, sometimes I'm absolutely SURE I'm allergic to my cats, my horse, the hay, or to pollen, or to just about whatever! Antihistamines doesn't help.

And I've noticed that it often turns up during certain hormone levels and/or times of extreme emotional stress. Which of course makes me worried about what is wrong - which makes it worse - and so on.

Wow.