Sinus infection? What would you do?

[Tuffcookie]

OP, I just got thru with this. The best thing you can do is force yourself to drink lots of water. Hope you're better soon.

TC

 

[Meech Loves Mickey]

OP - Go to your local pharmacy and get 24 hour Claritin D. You have to ask for it behind the Pharmacy Counter and will have to show your drivers license (so you don't go all Breaking Bad). Buying the generic or pharmacy brand will work too, just as long as it is the D (Decongestant) kind.

I was plagued with sinus and ear infections last year and this is the only thing that helped. (I had to go to an Otolaryngologist [ENT] to have my ear drained and this is what he recommended.) It will help dry out your sinuses and any fluid that might be building up in your ears.

Also, if you are planning on flying, be sure to chew gum as much as you can during the entire flight. The ENT recommended this also, as the pressure in the plane will 'squish' (his exact words) your eustachian tubes which can lead to an infection. Chewing the gum helps keep them open. (I know it seems odd, but this is what he recommended.)

As PP's have suggested, keep using the saline spray and drink lots of water.

I hope you feel better soon!

 

[Jeff in BigD]

I would definitely go to the doc.

This was a game changer for me:

I used to get 2-4 sinus infections a year. It made it difficult to breath & since I'm a nose breather, I had trouble even sleeping.

 

[tina.tina]

Mucinex usually works for me. Claritin D is a good suggestion, too. My doctor called in medicine for my conjunctivitis to Walgreens near DTD during my trip. If you go to the doctor now and don't get an antibiotic, maybe he/she will be willing to call one in if you are no better during your trip.

 

[skylizard]

If you're still not feeling better do yourself a favor and go to the doctor. If you do end up needing an antibiotic you'll want to give yourself enough time for it to begin working before you head out to Disney. The last thing you want is to feely crappy while on vacation!


ETA: sinus infections don't always mean you'll have yellow or green mucus. The last few sinus infections I've had (diagnosed by an ENT) I had clear mucus. Just a very runny nose. Each person can have very different symptoms.

 

[gemini2727]

OP, please make sure the doctor thinks that antibiotics are necessary and if so, please take appropriate probiotics with the antibiotic. My doctor prescribed Clindamycin for a suspected sinus infection (turned out it wasn't) and I came down with a C Diff infection two weeks later, which is becoming much more common in the general population and can be very dangerous. Wish I had known to be proactive with the probiotics then. Check out Florastor and Culturelle (the flora in yogurt doesn't do the trick for C Diff, but will help prevent yeast infections.) OK, off my soapbox! (It was a very bad experience for me, trying to save others the misery!)

 

[MrsJackSparrow4Life]

Can you call your doctor and make an appointment for Thursday? That way if nothing else they can give you a script to fill if you need to while you are away. It is much easier finding a pharmacy while on vacation than trying to deal with finding an UC. If by Thursday you are feeling better you can always call and cancel.

I work in a clinic and the provider I work for writes these "just in case" scripts for patients going out of town all the time.

 

[aprilchem]

I'm surprised so many people are mentioning antibiotics. My ENT doesn't prescribe antibiotics until a sinus infection has lasted 4 weeks, at minimum. Mine usually persist for about 3 or 3.5 weeks and then resolve themselves. Serious complications from sinus infections are rare.

For me, symptoms are headaches, stuffy nose, pain behind my eyes, and dizziness.

 

[Disneychix]

OP: even if not a sinus infection you may need a steroid to open up the passages. At this point I would visit the Dr.
Annoying as it is now to use vacation time and pay $40, imagine the inconvenience after Friday!

Feel better.

 

[smiths02]

Do you have access to call a nurse line or your doctor's office? Or can you e-mail?

Our insurance (Kaiser) has a nurse line available to call 24/7. The nurses always give a time frame (you should be seen in 2-10 hours, 24 hours, etc.) AND they give some advice you might not have thought of.

I think Neti Pots are great, but please be careful with what kind of water you use and how you sterilize the Neti Pot, people have gotten very sick and introduced infections into their bodies this way.

 

[Christine]

Do you have access to call a nurse line or your doctor's office? Or can you e-mail?

Our insurance (Kaiser) has a nurse line available to call 24/7. The nurses always give a time frame (you should be seen in 2-10 hours, 24 hours, etc.) AND they give some advice you might not have thought of.

I think Neti Pots are great, but please be careful with what kind of water you use and how you sterilize the Neti Pot, people have gotten very sick and introduced infections into their bodies this way.

Agree. We only use distilled water and the neti pot is sterizized after each used. We keep two on hand so we can rotate them.

 

[aprilgail2]

I'm surprised so many people are mentioning antibiotics. My ENT doesn't prescribe antibiotics until a sinus infection has lasted 4 weeks, at minimum. Mine usually persist for about 3 or 3.5 weeks and then resolve themselves. Serious complications from sinus infections are rare.

For me, symptoms are headaches, stuffy nose, pain behind my eyes, and dizziness.

I would get a new Dr. There is no way I would suffer with a sinus infection for 4 weeks before doing anything!

 

[MSLRAC]

I would get a new Dr. There is no way I would suffer with a sinus infection for 4 weeks before doing anything!

No joke! I am just getting over one and the headache was one of the worst I have ever had in my life. There is no way I would have suffered like that for a dang month.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

My husband has had an infection for over a week. He refused to admit it. All the signs were there. I tried to get him to take OTC as much as possible. He refused to stay home one day and go to the doctor.

So yesterday on Thanksgiving it finally took over. His head is pounding and he can't get off the couch much. He still lied about how he felt ate Thanksgiving and now has the horrible stomach ache with the congestion, runny nose, cough, and pounding headache. Luckily no fever.

Problem is the doctor is closed until Monday and he did not help me at all with Thanksgiving. I have Fibro and flared. I have been up for two days straight.

I wish he would have just been honest with me. Now he feels horrible and I am in pain. If he was honest, he could be on the mend and we could have done Thanksgiving on Sunday.

Men..... LOL!!

 

[Katie Dawn]

This was a game changer for me:

I used to get 2-4 sinus infections a year. It made it difficult to breath & since I'm a nose breather, I had trouble even sleeping.

Another vote for this particular product. When DH's doc came out to talk to me after DH's sinus surgery, he told me this specific style was his preferred design (as opposed to a "pot" shape, or the sinu-gator thing, etc.) Once DH started using this kind he agreed and hasn't gone back to any other style. Hope you feel better soon!

 

[dgthree]

Im hooked on the NetiCap.
NetiCap on Amazon.com

I love the fact that I can use it with the 8oz bottles of purified water, then don't have to worry about any bugs from the water.

 

[Poohforyou]

I'm surprised so many people are mentioning antibiotics. My ENT doesn't prescribe antibiotics until a sinus infection has lasted 4 weeks, at minimum. Mine usually persist for about 3 or 3.5 weeks and then resolve themselves. Serious complications from sinus infections are rare.

For me, symptoms are headaches, stuffy nose, pain behind my eyes, and dizziness.

As someone who's had many sinus infections there's no way I'd live with that pain for 4 weeks before going on an antibiotic. I can't imagine a doctor expecting that. I'm usually very debilitated from them. Intense pain, exhaustion etc.