Chronic Sinus infections? Anyone?

[poohandwendy]

Ok, so I went to the doctor last week for headache and facial numbness...diagnosed with a sinus infection (xrays and bloodwork). Took antibiotic and decongestant for 7 days, the symptoms are still here...only 'slightly' improved. I have never felt congested at all.

Went back in for follow-up...xrays look the same...he thinks it may be a chronic sinus infection. Ok, more oral antibiotics, cortizone nasal spray, decongestants...AND... a shot of penicillin in the BUTT today, tommorow and friday!


he told me this can sometimes take weeks to clear up and thereis a possibility that they will need to 'go in' to clear the sinuses if antibiotics don't cut it.

Meanwhile...I am not even congested, no watery eyes, no sneezing, no drainage...this is so weird.

Has anyone dealt with this and did yours go away or did you have to get something surgically done?

I have had a headache for 3 weeks...I am going to go postal soon. The vicodin works, but only temporarily and makes me groggy....


Arrrrrggggghhhhh....PS, I know it could be so much worse, and that there are people dealing with much more serious health issues. I don't want to come of like a baby...I just am tired of this and wanted to vent...

 

[WDW LOVR]

I never have had to deal with sinus problems (knock on wood), but a good friend of mine had to have the invasive sinus cavity scrapping done. I hate to say this, but he said it was very painful.

 

[CheshireVal]

I had one that lasted over 2 months... that was 2 months of chronic headaches and misery.

I went in to an ENT and also had a CT scan but the blockage didn't look bad enough to warrant surgery. Instead, they kept me on antibiotics, Flonase, Sudafed and Prednisone for the entire time and eventually it kinda went away.

I still get sinus infections about 3 times a year but luckily they haven't lasted as long!

 

[luvmydogs]

Hey PAW!

I've had chronic sinus infections for the last several years, and after my PCP having to repeatedly treat me with several rounds of AB's, or having to switch AB's due to ineffectiveness, I was referred to an ENT, where I had the requesite CT's, MRI's, Xrays and a 'wash'... ENT determined that my sinuses (the left in particular) just don't 'drain' and stuff just gets stuck up there. It's not that I have constant congestion with them, either--just gunkiness and pain and headaches. Now, my ENT reccomended against surgery for me, because in my set of circumstances he gave me a 50/50 chance of it helping, and said the pain wouldn't be worth the risk. He instead gave me a rolling Rx for Nasacort--which I use daily; and of Septra DS--an antibiotic which I take when I feel the first twinge of infection coming on. Since I know the symptoms so well, the antibiotic therapy has worked very well for me--I can basically nip those infections before they get worse.

That was only my circumstance, and although the "window surgery" as my ENT calls it, may be an option in the future, right now the AB therapy is a good choice for me.

 

[justplaingoofy]

I know this may sound nasty, but I had that and went to my ENT, he had me flushing with a waterpik up the nose(special attachment of course). You can ask your Ear,Nose, throat MD about it. It worked for me.

Not sure where you live, but are you sure it is not allergies? Even though I don't sneeze and get the watery eyes (usual symptoms) it gives me headaches for days. I never even knew it was allergies.
Flonase and 12hr sudafed work for me.... & in the winter I add a saline nasal spray couple times a day.

Hope you feel better

 

[DawnCt1]

I had one that lasted over 2 months... that was 2 months of chronic headaches and misery.

I went in to an ENT and also had a CT scan but the blockage didn't look bad enough to warrant surgery. Instead, they kept me on antibiotics, Flonase, Sudafed and Prednisone for the entire time and eventually it kinda went away.

I still get sinus infections about 3 times a year but luckily they haven't lasted as long!

I agree, the ENT route is the way to go. Sinus infections can be a vicious circle that needs to be broken. The infection causes inflamation and swelling, which limits drainage and causes infection, etc. Adding the prednisone is probably what ended the cycle. Although no one likes prednisone, its a heck of a lot better than any sinus surgery.

 

[Crankyshank]

Yep I have them and it's caused sinus damage. My new allergist is talking surgery as something I need to consider

 

[golfgal]

Get one of these. It is a little gross, but THEY WORK! It is amazing how much junk you will get out of there. The kids' asthma and allergy doctor gave us this.

http://www.neilmed.com/

 

[The Mystery Machine]

OK...so did you use it on the kids?
How often do you use it? This is TMI but does the "junk" come out the other nasal cavity or where when you irrigate?

 

[harleyquinn]

OMG!! This is exactly what I'm going through right now! Last week I had pain in my mouth so bad that I went to the dentist thinking I had nerve proplems. He did a bunch of x-rays, and said my teeth are fine (yay!) and that my sinuses were causing it! He said I had the largest sinuses he'd ever seen. I take Zertec right now and it really helps. Mine is a combo of allergies and chronic sinusitis. I haven't seen a ENT since i was a kid, but I think it's time for me to go again. My mom (a nurse) has been bugging me to go.

 

[snoopy]

DH has the same exact type of sinus infection -- no congestion, but a major headache, and vertigo to boot -- it took almost 3 months to clear up. We were in the doctor's office every other week asking for another diagnosis, but that is exactly what it was -- a chronic sinus infection that was very resistant to antibiotics.

Good luck Wendy. I've had sinus headaches before and I know how awful they can be.

 

[Pooh Girl 71]

I get sinus infections pretty frequently. It always starts out with allergies gone haywire and then it I get the mind crushing headaches, my gums are sore and I feel like crap. I had one in Jan that lasted almost the whole month.

 

[justplaingoofy]

What I've found out recently was through the xrays they saw that my nasal passage was at an angle. So it cannot drain properly. Anytime allergies kick up or a cold starts, it doesn't drain right. So immediately when I feel the onset of a cold I start I take 12hr sudafed and Ibuprofen(anti inflammatory) around the clock for a couple of days. If I get congested the passage is inflammed and get even less drainage. when anything gets stuck in a dark, warm place bacteria grows..and you get an infection

Forced hot air heat which is really drying, as is a wood stove.
I would definitely recommend seeing an ENT.

Hope you get better

 

[yoopermom]

After years of chronic infections, I went to see the local ENT, and let me just say that I can see how they can afford to build such a huge nice office building. He was gung ho to do all sorts of surgery that I just wasn't comfortable with. I went for a second opinion to an ENT in a large city, and she was much more cautious, and did NOT feel that surgery as a quick fix would do any good. Yes, I know it helps some people, but it's still major (often painful) surgery, and even the first ENT wouldn't promise that it would solve the problem permanently. As someone else said, check into the possibility of allergies, since mine seem to work together to drive me crazy. Good luck!
Terri

 

[ADisneygirl]

I have the remnants of a sinus infection right now. It is hanging on and driving me nuts. It is only in my right sinus now. My nose is completely blocked up on that side. I am someone that resists taking decongestants because a doctor told me once how addictive they are and sometimes your congestion will rebound back worse than if nothing is taken. Now this doctor I am seeing told me to take it.

My question: does sudafed really clear up your nose? How long does it last for you? Can you take it a few days and not have problems when you stop?

 

[DisneyJen0504]

DH just had sinus surgery last week (a week ago today). He has had chronic sinus infections with painful headaches for the last 6 months but sinus problems for years. They decided they were sinus infections-Lots of antibiotics and even prednizone didnt help. He went to two different ENTs with cat scans of his sinuses. Both ENTs suggested the surgery for one main reason. If you dont clean out the sonus cavity, and it builds up causing infection, you risk the development of polyps (sp?). In DH's case, the CAT scan showed this.
He was told he would need to be out of work atleast a week. He had it last Wed. The pain when he woke up was so bad, they gave him morphine. He was in and out, very groggy and uncomfortable. The morphine made him sick to his stomach and lightheaded. It took many hours for him to finally be able to sit up without getting dizzy. They let us leave around 3:00pm, his surgery was done at 9:30am!!! His nose was packed and we had to change the gauze every hour. His face was in pain due to the packing and the draining fluid goes down your throat so he was nauseaus.
Doc prescribed painkillers and antibiotics.The next day we went back to the doc to remove packing. This was horribly painful for poor DH. After they remove it, they clean and medicate the inside which is painful and he said burns b/c everything is inflamed.
2 days later-Dh was hearing echoing when he spoke and pressure. back to doc who gave him decongestant and told him his ear would pop on its own. It did btw.
We followed up on Monday for a cleaning and doc said he is healing great. He feels so much better but he is still off until next week. He has to go every week for a cleaning so to speak. What is amazing is how great he says he can breathe. He also says foods taste amazing to him-everything has a such flavor.
So, it was a success story for my DH having the surgery so far. He feels amazing!!!

 

[MinnieM3]

3 sinus surgeries. No fun. Course of last resort. After years of problems.

 

[cyndibelle]

last year i think i had 10 sinus infections..i have had two sinus surgeries...i use nasal rinses...oh the horror of it all....if you have not done sinus rinses do it...and do it every day religiously ..it will help tremendously..they had me on all kinds of meds..nose sprays etc...and the sinus rinse is the only thing that would help...

 

[golfgal]

OK...so did you use it on the kids?
How often do you use it? This is TMI but does the "junk" come out the other nasal cavity or where when you irrigate?

Well, the kids used it on themselves. What you do is squirt it up one side and blow it out the other. I know it sounds gross, but it works. They warm the water in the microwave for about 10 seconds so it is close to body temp and it isn't as bad then. They are pretty good about using it when they really need it. They don't like it but it does make them feel better so they use it, pretty good for a 10 year old and a 13 year old. They have been using it for about 5-6 years off and on. They use it twice/day or so, but you can use is as often as you want, it is just a salt water rinse.

 

[WilmaBud]

I get chronic sinus infections. I had one about 6 years ago that lasted 8 months. I'd think it was gone, and a week later, it would erupt again. I finally had to take 30 days of prednisone and heavy-duty antibiotics to clear it up. My cat-scan showed that I have "pediatric sinuses,' plus I have a deviation on one side.

I've been to an ENT, and it didn't do much for me. My allergist is who I deal with. I'm on allergy shots (1 in each arm, every week), Singulair, and Nasonex every day. And I've learned to tell when I'm getting a sinus infection (almost all of my colds turn into one), and I have to start antibiotics immediately. I've tried the irrigation ( ), and it really hasn't worked for me. I also tried facial steaming, but that didn't help, either.

Even doing all of that, I had a 2 month sinus infection that I had to take 10 days of prednisone to get rid of. I refuse to consider the surgery because the risks are high, and a lot of people that I know who've had it still have sinus problems.

One thing I can tell you is avoid antihistamines when you have a cold or anything. They thicken up your mucus and inhibit draining. Also, when you're starting to get stuffed up, try using Afrin twice a day for 3 days (no longer, or you could get addicted or rebound stuffiness). On one of the doses of Afrin, wait 20 minutes, and then use your Flonase or Nasonex.

Good luck. I know how much sinus infections suck!