C/D: Sinus Infection

eucalyptus/teatree oil/basin of steaming water

and loads of pseudo-ephedrine-based drugs.

I tried to cure one once by snarking warm salt water up my nose and chewing raw garlic. Finally I had to take antibiotics.

i am also currently suffering
i get like
two of these a year
ive had that surgery recommended to me, to widen the sinuses
im not sure ill go that far just yet
but yeah in the meantime
this fucking blows
fucking allergies

and while pseudo-ephedrine helps
damned if im not REALLY SICK of that dried-out/swollen feeling i have afterwards
id almost rather deal with the congestion sometimes

"sir weeze" now i get it ;)

if your sinus infection is pretty severe, you best get to the doc's and get some antibiotics before it moves into your chest. a couple of years ago i got a severe sinus infection, but because i love going to the doctor's about as much as i like being punched in the face, i ignored it. then it turned in a very serious chest infection. ever since then i've had a cough, and when i talk for more than a few mins at a time i have to constantly clear my throat.

yeah, i pretty much have a perpetual prescription for antibiotics
one time i was on "tour" (in a band) and stuck on a greyhound for 14 hours
sitting there feeling it move to my ears and throat was not cool

and nearly OTM on the name :D

i take allegra-d (120 mg) DAILY...

and i went to the doctor, got antibiotics, mucinex, and a new scrip for FloNase, which is a lifesaver.

better today than yesterday, when i could feel all of the fluid pounding in my face, but still... sucks shit.

what is mucinex?

I went the whole summer w/o A/C and just put it in a few days ago only to wake up with the @#$%%!#$%&@!, therefore Dud.

Mucinex is a mucous thinner. Guafenesin, or something like that is the generic name.

Guaifenesin.

Larue, does it ever affect your vision? I find that often when in the throes of this, my already bad eyesight seems like it's running down the homestretch to total blindness.

classic!

oops wrong thread

haha!

i was about to say...

the vision thing definitely happens. i've been batty-blind.

I know someone whose twin brother went to the hospital to treat a sinus infection that went untreated too long and DIED.

DUD DUD DUD. I had it bad last year, it was fucking dreadful.

its time for
SINUSITIS II: THE QUICKENING

Sometimes I think drinking a crushed ice beverage and getting a terrible freezy headache actually has a therapeutic effect.

I get really bad sinus pain but I think it's associated with acid reflux. My nose is often swollen and sore and stuff or I get this weird feeling around my eyes where they just want to close even though I'm not tired, or they water a lot. Not allergic to anything though.

It's pretty shit. I got the operation that widens the entrances to the sinuses though I can't say it improved me. Having said that, that's the very reason why I think it is reflux causing my problems (well, plus lots of other evidence) so I can't conclusively advise anyone not to get the operation.

It is a pretty damn uncomfortable operation to recover from, but you know, health is wealth and all that, I would go for it if they're sure you just have recurring sinus probs.

Also you people who are in America, there's a machine called the Grossan Hydropulse that is meant to be absolutely amazing for sinus treatment. Never got it cos they were so damn flaky when I tried to order it and literally nowhere over here stocks it. Always wanted to give one a try though. There is a Google Group for sinusitis and people raved about this machine there, CONSTANTLY.

Should I tell my "gross thing the size of a chickpea that came out of my sinuses" story yet again? :D

The heating system here has been irritating my sinuses somewhat, but okay, it's been manageable, better than last year. They did put in a new system after all. However, the weather has warmed up here, and the mold must have come back out. (It had gotten cold enough before that my allergies had pretty much dropped off.) Now I seem to have developed a sinus infection, possibly bad enough that I am going to need to go to the doctor. Despite rinsing my sinuses out three times yesterday and taking enough pseudoephedrine and Excedrin migraine yesterday to (conclusively!) wake me up this morning at 5AM, I have a horrible sinus headache. What is there to say but: fuck this?

Trying to imagine scenario when this could be classic - apart from Jack Lemmon in "The Odd Couple".

I just wish I had bought more packages of Annie Chun's Kim Chee Noodle Bowl (but I just tried it for the first time).

http://www.worldpantry.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prmenbr=26081&prrfnbr=362783

Ouch, 30% of recommended salt intake, so that's 60% really because nobody is going to eat half a bowl. That's a little rough. Whatever, my blood pressure is probably already up anyway thanks to the pseudoephedrine.

Head of death.

Eradicate.

seriously fuck a sinus or fuck a reflux. can't stop swallowing mucus or acid or both for the last week, incessantly gulp gulp gulp and hacking to clear my throat in a really disgusting rude way. when I'm in public I want to tell people I can't breathe unless I do this.

it is crazy how sore and raw my throat gets from constantly having to gulp back this really thick mucus or reflux, whatever it is. nasty.

hahahaha I was thinking I had a VERY long and nasty migraine attack but apparently it's probably a very bad crappy sinus infection. I calledup the doc to talk about my postural low blood pressure (?). I wake up and literally SWIM. It's like my body wants to swing to theother side. So I go and start blabbering on about my symptoms while coughing like an old lady. "Oh I hear you have a nasty cough as well. Probably sinus infection. Did you ever have a nose fracure?" I couldnever much breath through my nose but now it's IMPOSSIBLE. Is it bnormal to be this nauseous? I even wake up due to this and my husband sleeps upstairs cause I make horrible noises. Tomorrow I'm going for a scan.

I almost constantly swallow snot. YUMMY. Is this why I am so nauseous?

Yeah might be sinus infection, which if not treated early can be a major bitch. I once spent all my xmas hols in bed, unable to move my head which felt three times its normal size.

i just got over one of these. the headaches are TORTURE.

My doc wasnt surprised i hadnt come cause of the migraines. Ss i feel ur pain. So no meds cause of pregnancy?

no they gave me a "safe" antibiotic and then some other thing that was supposed to relieve the symptoms but did fuck all.

ah our salesperson couldn't take anything when she was pregnant. at the time i didn't understand how fucking awful that must have been. she also seems to have meniere's (so basically swimming in her head and throwing up as a result).

i did what my doctor would have discouraged. took a sinutab. seems to be full of crap, but fuck it, i wanted to BREATHE through my nose for once. i feel GREAT.

i dunno, there could be something wrong with my nose cause i usually am not able to breathe through one part of my nose. yep, tried it, left side doesn't seem to work properly. so he could be right, that i had a fracture or whatever.

Based on what you're describing a CT scan seems advisable if at all feasible.

they will probably go all crazy looking for my non-existing brain. "sinus? who the fuck cares, she does NOT have a BRANE" we'll see tomorrow.

Good luck s.n. -- had a sinus infection six months back, led to three weeks of agony.

thanks, ned! my friend was angry for not going to the doctor earlier. wtf. i called when i started suffering from the low blood pressure. man, this sinutab is making me feel great. woha. fuck my doc and mom for saying (some) meds are evil.

i finally refilled my nasonex perscription and stopped getting these as a result of horrible hayfever all the time

There have been times when I've been TERRIFIED that I was going to end up with Meniere's Disease, since I used to be prone to inner ear infex. Miserable, miserable, just shoot me. Falling over and throwing up are my specialities.

Occasionally v difficult to explain to my then-British boss that it was different from a hangover.

Oh god, I feel so utterly crap. Yesterday, on my husband's birthday no less, I was sent to bed. I did. I still feel miserable. My husband called up the doctor to come over. Normally I would have gone tomorrow to pick up prescription. Yep, I had to wait about a week for my prescription. (Is this normal in the States/UK? It isn't here.) So here I am with antibiotics, spray and other shit to make me feel better. Gallons of yellow snot (TMI hehe) came out which could mean I have some form of allergy. Urgh. I also have low blood pressure for which the doc wants to prescribe meds later on (after I finished my run of meds now). I don't want to really. I am used to low blood pressure, I can handle it.

My sinus infection is back in full effect. God DAMN it.

I've gotten them really bad my whole life. Regular aspirin only works if you swallow four of them at a time. I am wondering if I have a deviated septum, my friend got the same headaches and surgery fixed that, plus she got a nice new nose.

Ah I too have a deviated septum. Doc told me afterI had a picture taken. Always knew I had it, but now it's affecting me: sinus sinus sinus. Do these go away by'emselves? Sigh, another doc app next week, I guess. I'm wondering if I had'em maybe before and mixed'em up with a migraine attack? Don't think so, cause this feels worse in some respects.

It would be terrible to spend thousands correcting a deviated septum only to wake up one morning and find yourself with yet another sinus headache!

One time I shoved dollops of pain cream in my nose and I am not kidding, it worked really well!

I tracked one down here in HK but they wanted $30+ for it! so I'm gonna use a teapot instead.

As long as the spout can be comfortably shoved up your nostril, a teapot ought to work OK.

well, i just ordered a neti pot. should arrive on monday.

I've had terrible aaarrgh sinus problems for the last few days. Does this gadget actually work?

I use SinuPulse. It does have some serious problems: the on/off button stopped working after a while, so I have to turn it on and off by plugging it in or unplugging it (really ideal when one is dealing with such a wet activity), the plastic cover that opens and closes over the tank broke off, and one of the little rubber things on the bottom came off, so it's now uneven. Still, I have not found anything better. If you use Waterpik with an attachment (which is how I started), I find that the engine dies more quickly than on the models designed specifically for nasal irrigation. Maybe the salt water just wears a Waterpik out more quickly?

Also, this distributor (who I've found to be reliable) carries lots of other sinus-related goods:

http://www.allergycontrol.com/

Maybe the salt water just wears a Waterpik out more quickly?

I think that perhaps it would, as the salt is still an abrasive even when dissolved in water. Thanks for the info. I'll just get a basic neti pot to start with and see how I get on with that.

ok i tried to sniff saline solution and some of it seems to have travelled up my sinuses to my ear and now MY FACE HURTS.

there was this moment when it had just happened when i tried to blow my nose and it felt like i was about to burst my eardrum from the inside.

i just want to be able to breathe through my nose again! maybe get my sense of smell back? is that too much to ask?

If you're having awful sinuses but aren't generally really sick, like hit-by-a-truck-with-a-fever sick, try some light cardio exercise. Some of the sinus "congestion" is blood flow inflaming the tissues, not the volume of snot alone.

Exercise seems to...I don't know, encourage that blood to circulate elsewhere? Works for me every time. Even though the effect doesn't last long after the exercise, at least you get a break where you can feel your face, OR maybe you can sneak some nasal spray in there while it's still open.

Yeah, I've often found that even a quick brisk walk somewhere when your nose is clogged up frees up the sinuses nicely -- but then it just returns when you stop moving. Which, if you really feel sick and miserable, makes it doubly frustrating since you're supposed to be resting, not exercising or doing much.

Yes, I especially love a good walk in the freezing cold. I get terribly pains when I leave the room closed (inc windows) and the heating on. Usually we sleep - yes, even now in the freezing cold- with the windows open and the doors as well.

Snoball, I use it practically every day. Some use it twice per day, some every once in a while. I do it every morning (unless I just forget but I usually don't). I have to say these things are bloody fantastic!

on my second one in three weeks, this sucks. neti pots are gold, so is flonase and a z-pack.

I just want to chip in and say that the neti pot rules. I've been using one for a year now, and it's made a lot of difference. I used to have a major sinus-triggered migraine at least once a fortnight, in the past year I've had two. It used to take me over an hour to get to sleep because of breathing problems, now it only takes about ten minutes. I can actually smell stuff now (disadvantages to this as I travel by bus). I have fewer colds now, and they seem to be over quicker, and the symptoms not as severe.

yeah a lot of my friends/family thought i was nuts using a neti pot. "what are you some new age weirdo?" blow me snotty.

i got post nasal drip going on

First sinus infection. Five days of terrible gunk in the morning, then feeling ok later in the day. But now the face pain has kicked in. I feel ok otherwise. Any point in bothering with hitting the pharmacy, or just let it go away on its own?

buy a sinupulse. it works marginally for me but i'm a marginal case, the reviews, and mates who've used it, are mostly very positive.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/SinuPulse-Elite-Advanced-Irrigation-System/dp/B001CWT4JI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1356828935&sr=8-1

That thing looks good, but this is the first time I've ever had a sinus infection and unless they become chronic I wouldn't lay out that much money. Just wondering whether I should get decongestants and stuff that people mention above, or whether that'll slow down recovery overall (which is the priority, because whilst mornings are grossss and it would be better if they weren't, it's still pretty mild compared to some of your horror stories above). In which case I'll just hydrate like crazy.

fucking dying here. the nhs now recommends that machine i linked to above, incidentally. that plus have some anti-histamines, say five our fathers, and fire all manner of sprays up your nose.

C

yeah sorry, bit out of context of global events. just not thinking straight.

i had one last year. p sure i was given antibiotics for it but i guess thats not the common treatment

i basically have them all the time since 2005, had the operation and stuff, that's why it's a bit of an ordeal, and the doc ends up telling you stuff you know won't work. apparently in the uk they no longer recommend antibiotics for them.

ya it wouldn't make sense for chronic sufferers

I got sent away from the GPs with antibiotics for sinus infection for years until a locum GP pointed out it was more likely to be cluster headaches (easily confused, apparently).

ive had a world of these over the past couple of years. docs are constantly trying to stab people with steroids these days. WTH

Do cluster headaches come with blood and pus?

Suffering horribly with this atm. I get 2 or 3 really nasty ones every year. I can't tolerate the sprays etc., so steam and paracetamol is about all I do.

Me=tooslow

Do cluster headaches come with blood and pus?

No. Pain on one side of the face and a curious blocked nose on one side.

This is definitely a sinus infection then!

Try that machine I posted upthread. It probably sounds a bit "it really works!" but read the reviews and check the rating.

Thanks LG, but it's a bit outside my price range o.O

i basically have them all the time since 2005, had the operation and stuff, that's why it's a bit of an ordeal, and the doc ends up telling you stuff you know won't work. apparently in the uk they no longer recommend antibiotics for them.

That's awful. I had the operation on them and it was very painful, it would be very frustrating to have that done and then find out it didn't help.

Thanks LG, but it's a bit outside my price range o.O

― you may not like it now but you will (Zora), Saturday, April 20, 2013

this is $9.99

http://www.natlallergy.com/images/400/sinucleanse-squeeze.jpg

yeah by all accounts those work pretty well too. despite my total lack of faith in the doc, the two days of steroid spray, irrigation, and anti-histamines seem to be working. i still feel a bit wrecked but i swear my sinuses are calming down.

http://goldenageofmusicvideo.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/MagnusPyke.jpg
Sinus!

I'm not big on medicating the heck out of things, but after several bad allergy-related sinus infections I just don't mess around any more. Claritin every day to keep the allergies at bay, and if/when I get any congestion from any cause, I hammer it with decongestants (the kind you have to show a photo ID to buy so they can make sure you're not making meth). And if there's any sign of actual infection -- persistent pain, greenish gunk -- straight to the antibiotics. In my experience, they do not go away on their own, and they will make your life miserable.

(And neti pots or other sinus washes are good too, but useless once you have an infection. They'll help clear out, but won't kill anything.)

jesse otm. I've started on exactly the same regime. In the past ometimes I've done saline spray or even got a scrip for Flonase which worked but at some point, no matter how careful I think I am, sooner or latter the bottle seems to get infected and then I reinfect myself.

so its a basin and hot water and a towel is it

suggest you add a tablespoon of vicks to the hot water, stir it til it melts and then breathe it in. Will help clear your head a bit.

ty will try

Classic.

Had a nasty bout last month but some general 'off' sensations there lingered further after I finally stopped sneezing and it turns out...I have this:

https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/001641.htm

Gross but manageable so right now I'm living on Claritin and Flonase and etc until I see a specialist in a couple of weeks.

AND SMOKING HURTS.

― the table is the table, Sunday, August 5, 2007 10:39 PM (eleven years ago) bookmarkflaglink

The truest complaint ^^

motherfuck, I haven't had one of these in 11 years, and it's kicking my ass for the last week.

just got antibiotics.

i was about to say...

the vision thing definitely happens. i've been batty-blind.

― the table is the table, Sunday, August 5, 2007 10:05 PM bookmarkflaglink

huh, this happened to me yesterday for 2 hours

i usually get like four of these a year but now that i work from home i haven’t been sick since february

I only previously got them when I lived in my old apt, which I was convinced had some kinda weird mold or shit hanging out that I couldn't find.

Dud