poor ventilation => npc

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npcsurvivor
npcsurvivor Member Posts: 27
edited March 2014 in Head and Neck Cancer #1
I am a one-year survivor of NPC (T2-N0-M0) cancer. I received concurrent radiation & chemo (Cisplatin) in May-June 09. About 3 months back (near my one year anniversary) I started to have nasal allergy type symptoms that I used to have for many years before cancer diagnosis and that had gotton worse toward the end when the cancer was diagnosed. The symptoms (itchy and runny nose, sneezing, sinus congestion, etc) had disappeared for about a year after therapy but they returned. The symptoms were especially bad in the morning and nasal rinse helped a bit but not much. Just recently I started to wonder about what I could do to ward off these symptoms as I was afraid the constant irritation in the nasal passages will lead to a recurrence. I noticed that when I would go out for a jog, the symptoms would always get better and stay under control for a while. Whether it was the adrenaline flow in the blood or the fresh air I didn't know. So I started researching (googling) about the benefits of ventillation or rather the bad effects of poor ventilation and found out that there is some research on it. Poor ventilation at work sites especially those dealing with hazardous materials is linked to NPC. I work from home and I don't think there's much formaldehyde in the construction as it's a new home. However, I don't have much ventilation in my room which is a bonus room with a window that does not open. New houses nowadays are built to be energy efficient which usually means they're air tight. I use a padestal fan but that does not circulate air from outside the room. Before the diagnosis I used to have a cool mist humidifer in my room in the winter to help with allergy symptoms. I don't know if that made things worse. So I did a test. I keep the air blower turned "on" all the time while I sleep and work in the room. It's been a week and I am pleased to report that my nasal symptoms are much better. I still feel some irritation in the morning but it goes away sooner. Now I am planning to replace the closed window in my room with one I can open. Has anybody with NPC tried improving the quality and flow of air in their place of living or work? I am convinced that it has a positive effect.

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  • npcsurvivor
    npcsurvivor Member Posts: 27
    #2
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    follow up on nasal irritation
    just wanted to post a follow up. the "blower on" experiment didn't last very long. it helped for a while but didn't last. however, i found a way to make the morning nasal irritation disappear. i have been using it for about 2 months now and i'm glad to say the symptoms have not appeared for a single day. i do this morning ritual every day right after i wake up. (i) nasal rinse which clears a lot of debris every now and then. note: try not to blow your nose too hard after the rinse as it irritates the skin (ii) weight training for about 30 mins. i use free weights. after that i have breakfast and go on with my routine. i try to avoid foods that are too sweet as they cause my nasal membranes to swell. my theory about how exercise helps is that it reduces blood flow in my nasal area which reduces inflammation. i'm sure other forms of exercise may also do the trick. i suffered for many years from nasal allergy type symptoms leading to cancer of nasopharnynx. i used so many types of oral and nasal therapies. none of them worked as well as this simple trick. hope this helps somebody!
  • DrMary
    DrMary Member Posts: 531 Member
    #3
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    npcsurvivor said:

    follow up on nasal irritation
    just wanted to post a follow up. the "blower on" experiment didn't last very long. it helped for a while but didn't last. however, i found a way to make the morning nasal irritation disappear. i have been using it for about 2 months now and i'm glad to say the symptoms have not appeared for a single day. i do this morning ritual every day right after i wake up. (i) nasal rinse which clears a lot of debris every now and then. note: try not to blow your nose too hard after the rinse as it irritates the skin (ii) weight training for about 30 mins. i use free weights. after that i have breakfast and go on with my routine. i try to avoid foods that are too sweet as they cause my nasal membranes to swell. my theory about how exercise helps is that it reduces blood flow in my nasal area which reduces inflammation. i'm sure other forms of exercise may also do the trick. i suffered for many years from nasal allergy type symptoms leading to cancer of nasopharnynx. i used so many types of oral and nasal therapies. none of them worked as well as this simple trick. hope this helps somebody!

    Morning Allergies
    Before I went further in my allergy treatments, my allergy doctor made me remove all possible allergens from my sleeping area. This means: do not open a window, as night pollen from trees can be the worst; use the best-rated aircleaner in your room that you can afford; do not use a humidfier, as it encourages both mold growth and dust mite growth; put dust-mite covers on your mattress and pillows; avoid any bedding you can't wash in hot water (or put your quilt in a dust-mite duvet); wash the bedding in hot water and change it at least weekly; no carpets in the room; as few dust-collectors (stuffed animals, trophies, books, etc.) as possible in the room; shower at night.

    If you have central heating, don't bother with duct cleaning - change your furnace filter every month and install filters on your vents. The vent filters and dust-mite covers are available at various sites (my doctor recommended www.allergysolution.com).

    Nasal rinse helps, but it's best to keep the allergens out in the first place.
  • npcsurvivor
    npcsurvivor Member Posts: 27
    #4
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    DrMary said:

    Morning Allergies
    Before I went further in my allergy treatments, my allergy doctor made me remove all possible allergens from my sleeping area. This means: do not open a window, as night pollen from trees can be the worst; use the best-rated aircleaner in your room that you can afford; do not use a humidfier, as it encourages both mold growth and dust mite growth; put dust-mite covers on your mattress and pillows; avoid any bedding you can't wash in hot water (or put your quilt in a dust-mite duvet); wash the bedding in hot water and change it at least weekly; no carpets in the room; as few dust-collectors (stuffed animals, trophies, books, etc.) as possible in the room; shower at night.

    If you have central heating, don't bother with duct cleaning - change your furnace filter every month and install filters on your vents. The vent filters and dust-mite covers are available at various sites (my doctor recommended www.allergysolution.com).

    Nasal rinse helps, but it's best to keep the allergens out in the first place.

    everybody is allergic
    I have had allergies to dust pollen and other critters but I don't think they are severe allergies. Everybody is allergic to some extent to various year-round and seasonal allergens. But I don't think you can practically eliminate allergens from your environment without spending a lot of time and effort and a good amount of money. I did try to do what you suggested in terms of dust mite control (dust-mite resistent covers, cleanliness, humidification control, new carpet, etc) but it didn't work, at least for me. On the other hand, the simple act of exercising in the morning does the trick for me.
  • Hondo
    Hondo Member Posts: 6,636 Member
    #5
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    npcsurvivor said:

    everybody is allergic
    I have had allergies to dust pollen and other critters but I don't think they are severe allergies. Everybody is allergic to some extent to various year-round and seasonal allergens. But I don't think you can practically eliminate allergens from your environment without spending a lot of time and effort and a good amount of money. I did try to do what you suggested in terms of dust mite control (dust-mite resistent covers, cleanliness, humidification control, new carpet, etc) but it didn't work, at least for me. On the other hand, the simple act of exercising in the morning does the trick for me.

    Survivor
    What happens when you open the window or go outside you are letting your body get fresh air more oxygen. The problem we all have is staying inside too much, at Home and at work, everyone breading the same air, it is what I call stale air. The best time to get fresh air is right before or during a rain storm you can smell the different in the air.

    I work with a lot of ex-submarine marines and every one of them will tell you when they are in a sub for weeks with out coming up the sub must make it own air. But when the sub surface and opens the main hatch everyone knows it because of the different in the smell of the air.

    I try a lot of different things right now I am trying something new using ozone water to rinse with instead of just filtered tap water. I do it only in the morning because if I do it too late at night it will keep me up all night long. I try using the nasal rinse about three times a day to help keep everything clean.

    Also I make my own colloidal silver and drink it first thing in the morning if I have a nasal infection rather then using an antibiotic.

    DrMary makes a good point be careful of pollen from trees which will give you more problems.

    Question: I never found a link between NPC and hazardous materials if you have a link or know where to find it please PM me with it as I had this stuff come back 3 times now. If it is work related I need to know so I can stay away for what ever is making this crap come back every few years.

    Take care and wish you well
    Hondo

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