sinus infection problem..

[disfan07]

Does anyone have any advice on how to deal with sinus infections at home?

I have a sinus infection again (3rd one since october). I am going to the doctors on monday to make sure it is nothing worse and to get antibiotics.

I have been using rhinocort nasal spray and saline spray but its not working. I also cannot use decongestants because I have an arrythmia. My last 2 sinus infections have landed me in teh hospital because of my asthma.

I am so congested and I have a terrible headache. Does anyone know anything else that I could do at home to help with this?

 

[rszdtrvl]

It was just bumped up, but here is a link to another sinus infection thread that was started today :

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2396195

 

[MariDisney]

Have you tried using a neti pot?

 

[minkydog]

Wow, three sinus infections since october. Maybe it's time for a sinus series or a CT scan to see what's going on in your sinuses. My son went through a period of near constant sinus infections and it turned out he had a deviated septum and enlarged turbinates. So enlarged that his sinuses couldn't empty, so they were keeping a low level infection in there all the time. When they went in to fix it they found out the nasal bridge had also collapsed. After they fixed all that (OP surgery) he has had maybe 3 sinus infections over the past 7 years.

 

[ElizK]

Have you tried using a neti pot?

The neti pot will really help.

 

[stevenpensacola]

This is a great product:

http://sinucleanse.com/index.htm

I've been using this for several years...has greatly reduced my sinus infections.

 

[mum4jenn]

Besides the neti pot (which is great) when my sinus infections get so bad I am in pain I hold a steaming hot compress on my face and massage firmly the area that is hurting so much. After a few nights of doing this (with the water as hot as I can stand) it starts to break up the infection where I can start releasing it through neti pot usage of some good blows of my nose.

 

[disfan07]

unfortunately, we know that the cause of my sinus infections actually does not really have anythign to do with my sinuses. Ive had 2 CT scans in teh past yr.
My sinnus infections are cause by a combination of allergies and a low IgA level.

rszdtrvl- thanks for the link. I was trying to do a search but for some reason it wasnt working for me before.

 

[RNMOM]

Mucinex. Be careful to avoid the one with the decongestant. I also can't take pseudophed and this helps me a lot. I take 2 at a time, as they say you can.

I had repeated infections and the CAT scan showed my right sinus was blocked by bone. I had ethmoidectomies and it has helped me greatly. I am beginning to have difficulties again but much less often.

If you are taking the same antibiotics each time you may not be knocking this bug off. You may also need to take it for a longer period. If you aren't seeing an ENT doctor I would suggest you do. Good luck.

 

[SnowWhite607]

I am struggling with sinus problems right now. Does the Neti Pot hurt or burn??

 

[mickeyboat]

I use a sinus rinse and Flonase twice a day and it helps a lot (it's like a neti pot). I had a terrible sinus infection last year that took 6 months to diagnose. I had to be on antibiotics and steroids for 3 weeks. If I stop using the rinse and spray, the congestion comes back.

Good luck to you!

eta - the sinus rinse does not hurt or burn.

 

[sunnyday123]

Besides the neti pot (which is great) when my sinus infections get so bad I am in pain I hold a steaming hot compress on my face and massage firmly the area that is hurting so much. After a few nights of doing this (with the water as hot as I can stand) it starts to break up the infection where I can start releasing it through neti pot usage of some good blows of my nose.

Also a steaming hot shower-or just the bathroom. And keep taking your allergy pills, although when this is over, you may want to try something new. Your body can build up a resistance to them, or your allergies can change.

 

[Binnie]

The neti pot doesn't hurt or burn, though it's not the most comfortable thing to do with your time. It's good for moving mucus, however I find that I sometimes get a bouceback effect. I heard that sometimes you need to use more of the salt in the water, but I haven't gone there yet.

If it's allergies that are causing the infections, you might consider/ask your doctor about allergy shots. I always thought they were snake oil and wouldn't even consider them, but after months of allergy-related sinus infections, I started. That was almost a year ago, and I've seen significant improvement overall. I'm still on the allergy drugs, but whereas that was never quite enough, it is now.

 

[CleoPahd]

My husband has Cystic Fibrosis and as a side effect suffers from chronic sinus infections. He's had several sinus surgeries over the past few years by one of the top sinus surgeons. His surgeon used to recommend cleansing the nasal passage 2x daily with a solution of salt water & bulb syringe, but now there is this product called the Neil Med Sinus rinse kit that he has been recommended to use and it really has made a difference. My husband says it felt a little strange at first, but the pros of using it by far out weight the odd feeling. It's available to purchase at most pharmacy chains. Hope you find something that works for you and feel better soon!

 

[Carly_Roach]

Another vote for neti pot! I've been having some sinus issues lately and used my neti pot a few times last week. It helped tremendously.

I use 32oz of warm water (you don't need exceptionally hot water) w/1 tsp of sea salt. I use a 32 oz bottle and shake it until the salt is completely dissolved. Then I run the water through each nostril twice with the neti pot, blowing my nose gently between each rinse. Don't be alarmed at the kind of crap that comes out!

I find that this clears my lower sinuses very well and allows the upper sinuses in my forehead to drain. Then I clear the lower sinuses again the next day and most of the pain is gone. Lather, rinse, repeat until all the sinus issues have been worked out. It can about three days for bad pain, but I typically find that the problem clears up with one or two uses. It could be more or less for other people.

 

[i'mfluffy]

I had cronic sinus infections. My ENT did a cat scan of my head so that he could see where the infection was. Turned out if was a deep infection what was sitting in the very back of my sinuses where they drain into the throat. It would just sit there and fester. I needed to have my sinuses suctioned out so it could clear up.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

I'm going through this right now! I have virus triggered asthma and have never been told to stay away from decongestants- why would that affect your asthma?

Aside from Tylenol cold, I use the Neil Med Sinus Rinse kit you can get at Wal Mart or Walgreens. It is amazing! It won't provide relief for long- it's normally about 10 minutes before I'm stuffed up again, but it will clear you up for at least a little bit.

I also do the hot compress on the sinuses that are blocked to encourage it to break up and drain. Steam showers are also good.

 

[minkydog]

there is this product called the Neil Med Sinus rinse kit that he has been recommended to use and it really has made a difference. My husband says it felt a little strange at first, but the pros of using it by far out weight the odd feeling. It's available to purchase at most pharmacy chains. Hope you find something that works for you and feel better soon!

Neil Med Sinus rinse is what DH uses and it has made a huge difference in his health. He is on long-term steroids so his immune system doesn't work. He is very prone to sinus infections and in fact, sinus infection put him into septic shock about 7 years ago. He nearly died! Now he uses the rinse every day and stays pretty clear. It doesn't hurt and its not messy if you use it in the shower. The main thing is you have to use warm water. Cold water will give you a headache.

IN addition to the Neil Med sinus rinse, DH uses a saline nasal spray. He was dependent on Afrin many years ago and it caused a rebound effect so he had to use it more and more. Saline nasal spray just cleanses and opens up the sinuses naturally.

 

[englishteacha]

My doctor suggests rinsing sinuses as well. She suggests a Neti pot OR a sports-top bottle to "blast" the gunk out.

 

[Goofyzgurl]

Have you tried using a neti pot?

I have to also reccommend the neti pot. I use it at least once a day and it just rinses all that gunk out of the sinuses. Our youngest loves doing it b/c she gets to see all that yuckiness coming out...what can you say 6 year olds...lol. Dh was having aweful sinus infections every 4-6 weeks in the winter months for the past 3 years. He would rinse with the neti pot and that helped a lot. I FINALLY got him to go to a ENT and they did a ct scan and saw that his left side was completed blocked b/c of a deviated septum. He just got the surgery to correct it last wednesday and he said that this is the first time in he doesn't know how long that he could feel air go up his left nostril.