Man has runny nose for 18 months, turns out he was leaking fluid from his brain

An Arizona man who had a runny nose for more than 18 months was actually leaking fluid from his brain.

Joe Nagy was shocked to find the liquid frequently dribbling into his mouth was not year-round allergies — but because his brain's membrane had a tiny hole in it.

"You don't really think about it, but our brains are really just above our noses all of the time," Barrow Neurological Institute neurosurgeon Dr. Peter Nakaji told KSAZ .

Nagy, a Phoenix resident, decided to undergo surgery to patch up the hole upon discovering his condition.

But he contracted meningitis, and the fluid became infected.

Once he was clear of the bug, he finally had the operation — and doctors used medical glue to seal up the hole.

My Fox Phoenix reports that the gauze on his nose was removed last week.

"I was waiting for the dribble, this leaking ’cause I was so used to it every day. I got my hankie. Nothing. It's never come back," a happy Nagy told the station.

Nakaji said people suffering from a runny nose should first consult an allergist or an ear, nose and throat specialist.

He added that brain fluid is exceptionally clear — and the reason Nagy's nose never stopped running was because humans produce 12 ounces each day to stop the brain from drying out.