Rhinitis :: Excessive Mucus Production

My problem is the excessive production of mucus. It has been going on for about 12 years or so (I am now 58) and it is getting worse. Embarrassingly, it happens mainly when I eat (usually halfway through eating a large main meal, but also when eating hot and spicy food). It's embarrassing because nobody wants to share a meal with somebody who has a perennially runny nose.

It also happens, bizarrely, when I sit on the loo in the morning, when my nose runs non-stop! I have no idea why.

It also happens, albeit less spectacularly, in my sleep. This means that I usually wake up in the middle of the night, wheezing. About three years ago my doctor diagnosed asthma, and a Ventolin inhaler does help ease the wheezing, but the main problem is coughing up phlegm. Once I've cleared that off my chest (with difficulty, sometimes), I usually feel better. But increasingly I am dreading nights, because sleeping (ie lying down) causes that congested feeling and wheezing chest.

When I do strenuous exercise, particularly in cold weather, my chest seems to seize up and breathing gets difficult. This is accompanied by a noticeable increase in my heart rate, which I can feel thumping in my chest. Again, Ventolin seems to help here (which I guess is why my GP diagnosed asthma three years ago -- although I never had asthma as a child.

Other side effects include lack of smell or taste. They really are very poor  (practically non-existent) these days. But is this a by-product of getting older? After all, my hearing is much poorer these days and that is obviously not caused by excessive mucus!

I gave up smoking ten years ago. I am about 3 stone overweight (6ft 1in and 16st), two stone of which I pile don after giving up smoking. I work (mainly) in an office environment.

My doctor has prescribed Beconase nasal spray, which is only partially effective. Sometimes it seems to have no effect at all.

To be honest, my GP was pretty disinterested, so I haven't returned in over two years. In fact he retired about a year ago and I have yet to go and meet his replacement, because I expect I'll again be fobbed off. After all, my "illness" must appear rather insignificant to an overworked doctor dealing with patients with life-threatening and nasty diseases.

In other words,if you can give me any pointers, regarding what the problem is likely to be and what I can try, I am very happy to sort this out for myself.

Anybody else recognise any of the above?