I’ve had bouts of sinusitis and rhinitis all my life (but have never properly understood the relationship between the two). I had a polypectomy once.
When I moved to rural Thailand, I developed very severe chronic rhinitis — the problem was more a constant irritating sensation in the nose rather than sneezing. For many years now I’ve controlled this with daily squirts of RHINOCORT® or Beconase™. (Could this be why my sense of smell is now so very poor?)
This happens to me every couple of months, for no apparent reason. I assume I have come into contact with something I am allergic to. One nostril will run like a faucet for several hours. I will go through an entire box of tissues.
Yes, I’ve had a crazy sneezing festival. It was set off by a sandalwood ball (about the size of a mothball) that my cousin had given me and I’d put in my knickers drawer. Just the smell that got onto my knickers, with clothes over the top (of course) set me off. I figured it out, took the offending knickers off, got rid of the ball and rewashed all of the “tainted” undies.
I was amazed that such a small amount of “fragrance” in such a roundabout way could have set me off, but that’s how it happened. Smells like frangipani or jasmine can also set me off.