Sinus issues taking its toll on me

[anzel]

Since last August I have been getting the post-nasal drip that turns to sore throat then to heavy chest congestion with yellow flem. I have gone to the Dr numerous times throughout the year and they kept putting me on 10 days of anti biotics.

Diagnosis has been bacterial sinus infection, allergies that turn to sinus infection, bronchitis that eventually becomes bronchitis with sinus infection. Every time I went to the Dr I told them something else seems to be wrong. So About 5 weeks a go I went to an allergist and after testing they found I really wasn't allergic to anything except mold and only slightly.

SO the allergist said that its a SINUS INFECTION and the short 10 day rounds of anti biotics that I had been on wasn't long enough to knock it out. So she put me on prednisone for 5 days and an antibiotic for 21 days. This was my 5th time taking antibiotics in less than a year.

So I felt great as usual while on the antibiotics and then after 2 weeks off they post nasal drip is back and the chest congestion is back. I have become pretty good at keeping it at bay with using a Neil med salin nose wash, a nasal spray, a daytime allergy med and benadryl at night. But it is slowly getting worse.

Next step is to go back to the allergist and she is gonna send me for a CT scan...

Anyone have similar issues?

 

[oldmusclemike]

I have been dealing with the same thing for 25 years. Way back in the 80's they wanted to bore my sinuses out. they said they were to small (inside diameter) Of course I said NO. It is a painful operation.

I very frequently get a build up of mucus in the passages and it will stop me up 100%. I take a shower to loosen it and then blow out what I call a bullet. Sorry guys I know this is gross but it is made up of dried mucus and blood and it is semi solid and hard. ( a bullet )

Now today I am suffering again and wish I had it done when I was young. You might investigate the problem from that standpoint. Narrow passages?

 

[anzel]

Yeah my best thought is that the mucus wont drain from my upper sinus cavity and then it gets infected. So maybe narrow passages or polyps or something.
Its a bitch , I wrote my OP this morn and now it seems worse. I feel the sore throat getting worse and I am dreading going to sleep cause thats when the post nasal drip gets worse.....

 

[halfwit]

My family has a genetic predisposition to sinus infections as our sinuses are narrow and deep. My grandmother had her sinuses removed some time ago, and I think some of the ducts plugged. It worked out great for her, albeit she does have to use lubricating eye drops on occasion.

Of course that's a final measure, but worth looking into. I personally just have a routine where I try to keep everything clear, and make sure docs know my history if I do get an infection. There are some really strong antibiotics that will destroy the bacteria, but repopulating the flora in your gut is a pain.

 

[anzel]

As far as anti biotics go , Since August I have been on 3 runs of amoxicillin that lasted 10 days that targeted sinus infection and 1 run of another that targeted bronchitis (which I think the Dr made a mistake on) and then my last run was 21 days long , the allergist felt that the runs were too short and didnt fully knock out the bacterial infection. So I have been on antibiotics for 61 days out of a 9 month period. To me thats enough !

To try and keep healthy gut flora I made sure to eat yogurt and take pro biotics and I drink Kambucha tea occasionally.

 

[Charles Bronson]

google : netti pot


had my nose crushed so many times, the one time i had a doc set the fractures and " fix " my nose, had horrible sinuses for years afterwards

using proper amount of salt/ warm water mixtures, daily use of a netti pot kept me clear and healthy

eventually restored my health, natural balance of flora and fauna

 

[anzel]

google : netti pot


had my nose crushed so many times, the one time i had a doc set the fractures and " fix " my nose, had horrible sinuses for years afterwards

using proper amount of salt/ warm water mixtures, daily use of a netti pot kept me clear and healthy

eventually restored my health, natural balance of flora and fauna

Yeah Im all over that. Even when healthy I use it twice a day. I use it with distilled water. But my condition is at a point where I have to rinse every 2-3 hours now. I have a bottle prepared in the bathroom for when I wake up at 1 or 2 am with a sore throat and I can run in and rinse and go back to bed. Right now when I rinse Im getting yellow and red coming out.
It is a very good product and I love it and it is the only thing thats keeping me going. I am also using a prescription nasal spray and zyrtec and benadryl through out the night. When I woke up this morning my chest was congested and I took a Bronkaid. So all that to keep me going, doesnt seem right. Luckily I have an appointment with my allergist tomorrow so Im sure she will send me for a CT scan.

 

[Charles Bronson]

use salt and warm water

play with different mixture ratios

you've got overgrowth of bugs thats making you sick.. so keep knocking those fuckers off with the saline until your body has a chance to heal itself - assisting your body in healing itself

becarefu with nasal sprays and shit like that - could be causing the kind of irritation and inflammation that will actually be counterproductive in your body catching up and healing itself..

i would suggest going to see an acupuncturist ( they're very good herbalist )

you might be surprised at what an acu can do for you with herbs and homeopathic remedies in assisitn your body to heal itself

western medicine/ pharmacology most times goes for the proverbial band aid over a bullet hole fix

people all want a magic pill that fixes everything - it is what sells meds theres days

so western medicine and pharmaceuticals will many times be addressing symptoms and making you mor comfortable in the short term while the problem continues on , or even progresses and gets worse


sorry you're going through this brother, i know how miserable it is

just know that this is not forever - just give your body the means to heal , the time to heal...

body does amazing things when given the resources and time

 

[anzel]

use salt and warm water

play with different mixture ratios

you've got overgrowth of bugs thats making you sick.. so keep knocking those fuckers off with the saline until your body has a chance to heal itself - assisting your body in healing itself

becarefu with nasal sprays and shit like that - could be causing the kind of irritation and inflammation that will actually be counterproductive in your body catching up and healing itself..

i would suggest going to see an acupuncturist ( they're very good herbalist )

you might be surprised at what an acu can do for you with herbs and homeopathic remedies in assisitn your body to heal itself

western medicine/ pharmacology most times goes for the proverbial band aid over a bullet hole fix

people all want a magic pill that fixes everything - it is what sells meds theres days

so western medicine and pharmaceuticals will many times be addressing symptoms and making you mor comfortable in the short term while the problem continues on , or even progresses and gets worse


sorry you're going through this brother, i know how miserable it is

just know that this is not forever - just give your body the means to heal , the time to heal...

body does amazing things when given the resources and time

Thanks my man!
I do know of an accupuncturist , I went to him for a jambed up shoulder blade... I feel that it was helpful to go. So Yes good idea !
I went to the allergist today and she changed some things around. Instead of the nasal spray she gave me these little vials with the steroid in it and I pour that into my nasal salin solution. ANd she is changing my oral allergy pill to another.... in the meantime I have to get a CT scan (she suspects polyps).

 

[king87]

What do you mean by overgrowth of bugs? I'm in this same boat. I get this at least every 60 days or so and seems to be getting worse over the last couple of years. I get soar throats and can taste the mucus when I cough but can never expel it. Even with heavy doses of mucinex and bro laid I rarely get it out. I've been leaning towards the whole gut flora deal and recently started probiotics 3 days ago

 

[anzel]

Update: My CT scan showed heavy inflammation on my sinuses. The ENT that looked at me said that I may need surgery. Right now I am using a steroid (just add another one to the list LOL) that I put in my nasal rinse bottle and squirt it up into the sinuses. So far so good.

Now for those of you who may be facing the same issues , here is the deal with surgery. They remove the inflammation. What that means is they remove some of the sinus lining that is inflammed. As usual this only treats the symptoms not the problem.

 

[anzel]

Update it's been a while:
I managed to get my sinuses looking good enough that the surgeon no longer feels surgery is needed. I have to keep using the steroid tho. Long term the steroid can increase chance of glaucoma or cataract.
So things were going well for a bit and then my chest started getting tight and I was coughing. They said my sinus looked fine. Maybe bronchitis. A few test s later and both my Dr said it was ASTHMA!
From what I have read alot of asthma sufferers have sinus issues. A cause of asthma can be infections.
So I was battered by infection afterror infection and this could have lead to my asthma.
I wish the dr could have isolated the sinus issue earlier and prevent it from turning into another more serious issue.
I'm 43 but I operate like a 33 year old. In my head and body I'm 10 years young. But now I feel like a 43 yr old cause I can't breath well and it's really cramping my style.

 

[halfwit]

Update it's been a while:
I managed to get my sinuses looking good enough that the surgeon no longer feels surgery is needed. I have to keep using the steroid tho. Long term the steroid can increase chance of glaucoma or cataract.
So things were going well for a bit and then my chest started getting tight and I was coughing. They said my sinus looked fine. Maybe bronchitis. A few test s later and both my Dr said it was ASTHMA!
From what I have read alot of asthma sufferers have sinus issues. A cause of asthma can be infections.
So I was battered by infection afterror infection and this could have lead to my asthma.
I wish the dr could have isolated the sinus issue earlier and prevent it from turning into another more serious issue.
I'm 43 but I operate like a 33 year old. In my head and body I'm 10 years young. But now I feel like a 43 yr old cause I can't breath well and it's really cramping my style.

Keep in mind too, certain glucosteroids can actually INCREASE infections. I'd look into seeing a pulmonologist at this point; I totally didn't know you were on steroidal anti-inflammatory meds, which may be part of your problem too.

 

[anzel]

Really? I'm glad I updated this post. I would have never considered this.
Thanks

 

[halfwit]

Really? I'm glad I updated this post. I would have never considered this.
Thanks

Yeah, unfortunately doctors tend to overlook somethings when focused on another. But that's just part of being human.

Please keep us updated, I'm hoping it's a simple fix for you!

 

[anzel]

Ok. Got a pulmonologist I'm calling 2mrw

 

[Mountain-Man]

I did allergy shots for two years no help doc gave me 3 Zyrtec Ed that helps a lot and being precribed it's only supposed to be two Ed but he found a loop hole cost me 12 $ a mth

 

[Schweddy]

I've has sinus issues my whole life. Had the surgery and was OKish for about a year. Then things went back to normal. Here is what works for me:

1. Google Xylitol powder for your neti pot. They also sell packets. This helps clean the nose of irritants. I use this almost daily (I neti daily) and ALWAYS before and after a flight.
2. I do 3 Zyrtec daily. I also throw in a Benadryl at night.
3. Get an electrostatic air filter for your HVAC.
4. I also put probiotic powder in my neti pot. This seems to help. If I start blowing out green stuff this can turn it around.
5. Humidifier with essential oils for anti viral/bacterial - oregano, theives, tea tree.

 

[anzel]

So you don't use the budesinide steroid that goes in the neti pot when you rinse?
I'm gonna have to try what u do the .
I don't need to be squinting that stuff up my nose the rest of my life.

So I do have asthma. I guess it's mild. Asthma, sinusitis, dry skin, it's all inflammation. They say when you start seeing g lots of inflammation your body is not doing well. Inflammatory states are perfect for all kinds of other probs to manifest.

 

[halfwit]

I've has sinus issues my whole life. Had the surgery and was OKish for about a year. Then things went back to normal. Here is what works for me:

1. Google Xylitol powder for your neti pot. They also sell packets. This helps clean the nose of irritants. I use this almost daily (I neti daily) and ALWAYS before and after a flight.
2. I do 3 Zyrtec daily. I also throw in a Benadryl at night.
3. Get an electrostatic air filter for your HVAC.
4. I also put probiotic powder in my neti pot. This seems to help. If I start blowing out green stuff this can turn it around.
5. Humidifier with essential oils for anti viral/bacterial - oregano, theives, tea tree.

Why would you feed the bacteria in your nose? I understand feeding beneficial bacteria in the gut, but nose/sinuses?