Quote Originally Posted by birdgirl73
It's a real common problem, Genghis. A radiologist once told me that a huge percentage of people have some degree of deviation in their nasal septum. You can find out a good bit of info by Googling "deviated nasal septum" and reading those links. Generally when it impedes your breathing to the point you're uncomfortable or in pain, surgery is considered warranted and will be covered by insurance. I know it's not fun to have a cold or sinus infection with one, either. My younger sister had the problem and had hers fixed when we were in college. For her, it was not a fun surgery to recover from, but once you've healed and the inflammation has subsided, your breathing will be easier. In the old days, like 20 years ago, when a patient had a deviated septum that needed fixing and also had an unfortunately shaped nose, it was fairly common for insurance to cover a rhinoplasty (nose job) at the same time. The thinking holds that if a surgeon goes in and fixes a broken arm that is also badly disfigured on the outside, it makes sense to go ahead and correct the external disfiguration if the patient is already under anesthesia. But I don't know if that sort of combination medically necessary/cosmetic procedure is routinely allowed any more.

Good luck with your nose! I know it's not fun for nighttime breathing, either, and is especially unpleasant for people with allergies.
Thanks for the great replies. It has been a struggle for me, it's a little easier to deal with in cold weather, when I'm not sick that is, than in the hot, humid weather of Virginia. So I plan on getting a Septoplasty and hope for the best. The nasal spray helps a little bit, I try to only use it before bed because it just tastes too awful. I'm going to get it right before summer, probably mid-may, so I can enjoy my summer without this damn breathing issue, anyways, thanks again for the great replies, it's nice to know there are others out there that have suffered from this, as i have.

-Ghenghis