Claudia S. is a 34-year old teacher who believed for a number of months that she was suffering from a cold. She found it increasingly harder to breathe through her nose; she needed to blow her nose continuously and had the feeling of mucous draining into her throat. As a teacher for PE and music, Claudia also experienced problems with her voice; she was often hoarse, and fits of coughing hampered her lessons. Over recent weeks, she also noticed that her sense of smell and taste was deteriorating. As a passionate cook, she found this particularly annoying.

When examining her, her doctor found that she was suffering from a chronic inflammation of the sinuses (rhinosinusitis) with adenoids.

These adenoids were removed by endoscopic sinus surgery. Since the operation, she irrigates her nose regularly with mild seawater solutions and uses a cortisone nasal spray. Within days, she noticed that she could breathe more freely and was once again able to smell the delicious cooking aromas. In her music and PE lessons, she was very soon able again to perform to her own satisfaction.