Finally a Nasal Dilator that Works
I've broken my nose twice, resulting in a deviated septum that blocks about 85% of my left nasal passage most of the time. I also struggle with sinusitis and allergies. For over 15 years, I've relied on (and become dependent on) nasal spray to keep my nasal passages open, especially at night so that I could breathe and sleep.
My routine was to dip a Q-tip into 12-hour nasal spray and swab my nasal cavities to open them up, allowing me to breathe. While I used to do this throughout the day, over the past year, I limited it to nighttime use, even though it often left me struggling to breathe during the day.
As with any drug, the more you use it, the more you need it, and the more frequently you have to use it. I would pour the nasal spray into small vials and keep them in my truck, by my bed, and in other locations, just like someone with an addiction. It sounds ridiculous, but I just wanted to be able to breathe.
Over the years, I've tried numerous nasal devices. Those stick-on strips never stayed in place and weren’t strong enough to open my nasal passages. Other clips also failed to do the job and were often uncomfortable.
Then, I ordered the Perform Air sample pack and found that the medium size fit me pretty well. When I inserted it deep enough, it opened the right side of my nose well and even helped the left side a bit too. Finally, air was flowing freely. Over the following week, I stopped swabbing my nose with nasal spray and found that I could sleep well with just the Perform Air. A month later, I’m completely off the nasal spray, using Perform Air only at night.
I watched one of the manufacturer’s videos where they bent the dilator to make it wider and even adjusted the little flaps that go against the nose to customize the fit. In the video, it looked super easy. But how? I don’t understand how they did that—this is hard plastic, and it doesn’t seem to bend or reshape. I suspect they must heat it somehow, but there’s no mention of this in the video. I’d really appreciate some instructions on how to do this to make the device fit even better. Other than that, I’m extremely happy to be off nasal spray and finally breathing better.
