allergist says there is no remedy for lossof smell. Have gone to otolar. and he put me on Astelin,3 weeks ago and have noticed no change. Am on allergy shots and they seem to help the allergies and asthma greastly I can breath through my nose 80-90% of the time. Don';t know what step to take next. Really devistated over loss of smell. In years past when on heavy dose of kenalog shots, semm would return for a short period.
Reply: -------------------------------
If you have had some improvement in the past with systemic steroids such as kenalog shots, it may be that you have membrane swelling or perhaps polyps in the ethmoid sinuses which block air flow near the olfactory nerve (the nerve for sense of smell). Astelin is a new antihistamine spray - it is not likely that this spray would offer you any more benefit than antihistamine pills such as Claritin, Zyrtec, Allegra, etc in terms of improving your sense of smell. On the other hand, topical nasal steroids would probably have greater potential for improving your sense of smell (Vancenase, Rhinocort, Nasacort, Flonase, etc.). If it has not already been done, I would suggest a limited CAT scan be done of your sinuses to take a close look at the roof of the ethmoid sinus. If significant membrane thickening or polyps are present and steroid medication provides temporary improvement in sense of smell but ultimately fails to resolve the problem, sinus surgery might be considered.
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Steve Dankle, MD
Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
Milwaukee, Wis
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