Shortness of Breath
I agree with TE about the lung thing. I do feel like the shortness of breath is my main problem. When I work out I can really notice the decreased resistance. Before I had too much resistance, but now I may have too little. It makes me feel anxious sometimes as well. I had submucosal resection of the IT's and septoplasty. Who else has this problem?

I, too, notice shortness of breath during exercising. When I get on the treadmill I feel winded, kind of like I am suffocating. I think it's because I breathe through my mouth. Before I knew about ENS I kept wondering what is wrong with me? I have asthma but that is controlled and I don't wheeze on the treadmill so I knew it wasn't that. I even thought maybe it was my heart but that checked out just fine. The implant I received in February has helped a lot and I am trying to make an effort to breathe out of my nose. It's just that for so long it has felt stuffled up that it's hard to remember to do it. I'm hoping the second implant later this summer will help me out even more. I think others on this board have felt this way too.

I think most people breath through their mouths when exercising. Even when I do that I feel like my lungs are weaker.

You breathe constantly through your mouth and nose when exercising. The more oxygen you need - the more your mouth contributes - but your mouth is there basically as the secondary and not the main conduit of air tothe lungs. Further more, now we know that when nasal resistance is lost - lung capacity is reduced even when breathing through the mouth alone.

is it possible to have ens without shortness of breath?

Yes, but it would then be a much more milder form of ENS, which can still drive a person up the wall and warrants attention and medical and perhaps even surgical care, but still - is not the worse kind of ENS. ENS used to be referred to in some old papers and books as: "wide nasal cavity syndrome". I think that this might be a more accurate description of it as one can truly sense in it the main problem of ENS - which is a non-responsive and non-active nasal cavity (mainly because it's too wide and missing much or all of it's turbinates) and therefore must be interfering with the nose's most important function - Breathing.

TE, my main problem is shortness of breath and the feeling of wide nasal cavities. It makes me want to panic sometimes. For me it is the worst feeling. I do get an irritated burning sensation sometimes, but it is minor and is decreasing slowly. My workout stamina has also decreased. I can't run for too long without running out of breath and straining my heart muscle. Is this due to lung function?

Yes. However, it probably won't register on the regular pulmonary tests. Still worth a try.

Yes, that's precisely the test. If you have pre-surgical results that's good because if you take the same tests again they will be able to compare results. I had this test only a few weeks ago and they found that I was low but in the normal range. You will probably be in the normal range too but if it is way below the results of last time you will be able to prove a decline which needs monitoring.

I am also having problems with dry throat. I can actually feel the air it that back of my throat or pharynx. I also feel thirsty a lot more than usual. My main problem as of now is having wide nasal cavities. I am hoping that this won’t become atrophic over the years when winter hits home. I have a feeling that I will need implants eventually and this really upsets me.

new, I don't know how much of your IT's are left, and this is crucial as submucus resection can be too aggressive too. All your symptoms fit classical ENS and in that case time won't really heal anything too much. You will not get atrophic rhinitis but you will quite probably need implants. As a sufferer for 11 years now who helped begin this movement of ENS awareness in order to bring about the creation of solutions which I didn't have in my early years, I can tell you in retrospect that not a day goes by without me not feeling very unlucky for not having the implant options when I still had a chance to save something from my life. Therefore I can tell you without hesitation that if you are more than a year post op and still feel this lack of resistance and shortness of breath at the same level it was and no indication of dramatic improvement - it is there to stay and I would advise you to get your implants immediately. The implication of the severe breathing problems you describe which I share and know, but most here (who, are much less resected) have not experienced, can be catastrophic to your health - obesity, sleep apnea, chronic hypertension, and other nasty things which I do not want to mention. The implants work, They are good. They save lives. Some have stated they have improved as much as 90%. They aren't perfect and may never be quite the same, but they give you back control over your breathing, over yur life. They save yuor sleep and your mental state. I personally believe that if one is ready to do what it takes with Dr Houser and have both sides done and possibly repeated once and twice and even three times for improvements and perfection - almost everyone here can be around 80%-90% cured. Even those who have improved by as little as 30% say it has transformed their lives. There is nothing to loose as the alternatives are obvious. Some people don't want to listen to this. They can't handle this reality. But this reality is a hell of a lot better than our faith only a few years ago. There is real hope today thanks to Dr Houser. Sorry for being a little emotional here. It's just that your symptoms (though less severe) and fears reminded of of myself 10 years ago. There is REAL hope! I know because I helped Dr Houser with the research and have seen the objective results of his implants on all types of ENS.

New Victim, I know exactly what you mean by the shortness of breath. Of course, mine is exacerbated during the winter, but there were many nights that I would lie in bed with my heart beating out of my chest because I could not breath. All of us have regret and wish we could have a do over, but TE is exactly right. Sorry to tell you this, but it usually get worse before it gets better. Give it a year and then look at your options. Talk to people privately through this board and get as much information as you can and then make a decision. There is a wealth of good knowledge on this board and I am thankful for that everyday. js