No, I'm not going to take you to Montepulciano, Italy, where these two gentlemen were discussing their life journeys, to discuss your symptoms. Nor are we going to visit a bar to discuss it! But the principle is the same: we must talk! And we must talk detail!

During your visit to my consulting rooms we will explore certain specific details of your exact symptoms. You may be questioned about the nature of your main complaint and accompanying symptoms, whether it may be blockage of your nose, a nasal or postnasal discharge (so-called "sinus drip"), headaches or facial pain, possible allergic symptoms and more. The nature, duration and time pattern of all these symptoms can help me to get a better understanding of your disease.

You may also be questioned about certain habits (like smoking) and your living and working conditions, which may all play a role in your disease. Current and previous medication may also be discussed - it will be of great value if you can provide specific names or pictures of these medications.

A short physical examination will be done where I will look for possible structural defects and signs of inflammation or infection.

In some instances this history and examination may be enough to reach a diagnosis and start with provisional or trial medication. However, because of the extreme difficulty in distinguishing between rhinitis and sinusitis, you may be required to have a CT scan of the sinuses done before a final diagnosis can be made and a treatment plan be discussed.