sinus issues

[funkychunkymonkey]

So maybe someone can help me, since my doctor wont. For almost two months I have been having sinus problems. A lot of mornings I wake up with sinus pain. I have deep cleaned the room; allergy proofed my room and even tried kicking my cats out of the room. None of this helped. So then I tried the neti pot which does provide minor relief. Nasal saline helps sometimes too. My doctor blames allergies, and I take allergy pills daily. Along with the pain, I’ve been experiencing dizziness, nasal draining, and bloody noses and excesses phlegm in the throat. Any ideas of how to get some relief?

 

[usnuzuloose]

I hear you and I have this non stop all the time everyday. The only thing I do is take advil for the pain. My sinus pain is usually intense. I'm sorry I could not be more of help. Some days I want to bang my head on the wall. At least you know you are not alone.

 

[abdmom]

Do you have a Hepa filter in your room? I find that works wonders for nighttime allergies. There's probably still dander from the cats in the room. The Hepa will get rid of it - eventually.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Are you seeing your primary care physician or an allergist? As my first suggestion would be to see an allergist and get tested if you have not done so already.

Second--I would get a slide of your nasal mucous checked. Both dd and I have allergies, but when we went to get her tested, he allergist suspected a sinus infection and checked for that. She had to blow her nose and they checked it on a slide under a microscope. She had to have that treated before allergy testing. It was later revealed she also had allergies.



Lastly--we were told it isn't necessary to have the ductwork
cleaned. We only finally did on request of our tenant (who later decided not to rent). I couldn't believe what came out. (ducts are over 30 years old). I noticed an improvement in air quality.

Allergist did recommend air purifiers if they fit into the budget. We found those helpful when we were diligent with their use.

But--if you have never been tested, it can be difficult to care for allergies--you'd be surprised where allergens lurk. Dd has a dust allergy. That means putting a zipped cover on mattresses and her pillows. And tehnicalky ditching the stuffed animals. We haven't done the latter. Thus--she still snorts. (that sound of trying to clear sinuses).

I use Vermyst nasal spray and have found that helpful.
It is a medicine (not habit forming--in fact I am
bad about remembering that I have it to use).

 

[NHdisneylover]

This does not sounds like it could be the case, but I had sinus issues for about three years that the doctors could never figure out. Then we moved to NH and the first thing my doctor there said when I told him was "Have you ever been treated for acid reflux?" It turns out that GERD can cause sinus problems with no heart burn type feelings in some people. Sure enough--within a few days of starting to take Tagamet the sinus headaches and dizzyness went away.

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

Have you changed the filter on the furnace or AC unit? I know when I start getting bad headaches I harass DH to change it. Once he does it eases some of the pain.

My DSis had sinus problems like you have. She still does to some degree. Dr. sent her to an ENT to have it checked out. Seemed that she had large blockages in her sinus cavaties. She had them cleared out and that helped for a few years. Good luck.

 

[christineann]

If you are not being treated by an ENT, I would find one.

I had some serious sinus issues that weren't related to allergies and had to have surgery. I had never had a sinus infection in my life, but I have had a few since the surgery. Peppermint tea is very soothing, temporary but good.

 

[DizBelle]

I have allergies and this is the tail end of my bad time of year. I was having some serious sinus congestion problems and using nasal decongestent spray (way too much). I found that nasalcrom is now available over the counter. It is a mast cell stabilizer which helps prevent histamine release which causes the problems in the first place. I was SURPRISED how quickly I was able to stop using nasal decongestent altogether.

The generic CVS brand was $12.99 for a pretty large bottle. It's lasted me a few weeks so far and it was definitely worth every penny.

If your problem is caused by a histamine reaction, I strongly suggest you try the nasalcrom.

 

[ENSOCK]

My doctor told me to cut off all ceiling fans!! Worked for me. Also, a cool mist humifer (sp?) helps to keep the air moist and my sinus do not dry and bleed as much. Good luck!

 

[RNMOM]

I have had good relief from my allergies and my sinus sx with Nasacort. There are several of these nasal spays out there. Is your doctor an internest of family practitioner? I would suggest going to an allergist if you need to. Even an ENT doctor can help you out. I used to have repeated then constant sinus infections and ended up having ethmoidectomies to open my sinuses. It has been wonderful for the last 20 years to not have the knife sticking into my right temple daily. It really felt like that.

Have you tried sudafed or mucinex? Sudafed will reduce the swelling in your sinuses so they drain well and the mucinex will help liquify the mucus so it can drain better. There used to be a prescription drug that combined the two but now you can get each over the counter. It was given to me often and helped a lot. Follow the dosage recommendations and if you are on other medications, check with the pharmacist or your doctor before starting these meds.

I often got relief from warm compresses when the pain was bad. Good luck with your quest.