While it may be allergy season for some, one Arizona man found out his runny nose was slightly more malicious than your average spring time sniffle.

Joe Nagy had been suffering form a chronic runny nose for 18 months before finding out it was actually brain fluid leaking out his nose.

"This is one of the more common conditions to be missed for a long time... because so many people have runny noses," said Peter Nakaji, a neurosurgeon at Barrow Neurological Institute, according to Fox.

Nagy first noticed the problem occurring once or twice a week when he sat up in bed. However, soon he had pockets stuffed full of tissues, on guard everywhere he went.

"This clear liquid dribbled out of my nose like tears out of your eyes," Nagy said, according to the Daily Mail. "I go what is this?"

After trying various allergy medicines, Nagy went to the doctor. A test soon reveled that the problem was brain fluid dripping out a hole in the membrane that surrounded his brain. After treating a meningitis infection, Nagy was ready for surgery.

"We never have to cut up into the brain," Nakaji explained to Fox. "We're getting a needle up into the space to check it out, and then to put a little bit of glue. This is just a bit of cartilage from the nose that we can get to repair over it and then the body will seal it up."

Nagy is now healthy once more and no longer needs to worry about having a stash of tissues nearby.

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Health