congestion

My nose is congested. It has been for quite a while. It often is to some extent, as a result of my allergies. Yes, I take allergy medicine--Zyrtec daily, all year round. I'm definitely allergic to cut grass and dust and probably allergic to cat dander and all sorts of pollen.

My congestion has been worse this year, due in part to illness. At the end of January, I had a bad cold. It took 10 days to clear up, but my nose remained congested. I took a trip to South Carolina in the middle of February and had the pleasant experience of my nose clearing up for two days--a strong indicator that allergies are to blame. My congestion came back before I left SC.

In the second week of March, I developed another bad cold. It was so bad that one day I was completely stopped up, no air passing whatsoever. After 6 days the cold was gone, but my congestion wasn't. I still have it, 2 weeks after my recovery. My left nostril is particularly bad. It feels like there's a valve or flap in it that closes whenever I try to blow it.

Here are some things I've tried, apart from my daily Zyrtec:

• Sudafed 12 hour. I started this in February. I try to only take one or 1.5 per day. It helps most with sinus headaches rather than congestion.
• Advil, to relieve swelling. No noticeable effect.
• Benadryl, for allergies, just on occasion. Doesn't seem to help with breathing.
• Sudafed with antihistamine. No visible effect.
• Afrin for these last 3 days. I have to stop now because there is a rebound effect after 3 days. It helps a tiny bit, more an hour or two. The trouble is that it's a nose spray and I can't get it far into my left nostril.
• Albuterol inhaler. I have a prescription for this because I have a history of nasal swelling. No effect.
• Neti pot. Ineffective because the communication between my nostrils is entirely stopped. The water just sits in my left nostril. In my right nostril the water trickles into my throat.
• Putting my head over steaming water for 20 minutes. It seemed to relieve pressure in my forehead, but it didn't open up my airways.
• Putting a cold compress over my eyes and nose. This often helps with sinus headaches, and I thought it might also help relieve swelling. No effect.

Any other ideas? I supposed I'll need to see a GP, but I doubt she can really help. If I have a viral sinus infection, it just takes time to heal. I don't really think I have a bacterial infection, though I'm willing to experiment with antibiotics. I'll try pretty much anything at this point.

Follow-up 3/28: I saw a doctor today and got a steroid shot and a prescription for antibiotics. Fingers crossed.