Chronic Sinusitis

[seldon]

9+ weeks now with a cough + nasal congestion.

I'm fucking sick of it.

I have the antibiotic (for the past 6 days) that makes your mouth taste bitter and metallic. And, while "nasal discharge" aka snot is not longer green, seems to have done jack shit.

The biggest determing factor on whether or not I feel completely like shit or just partially bad is whether or not I've taken a niquil the previous night, which seems to clear my head while asleep. But I've been taking Niquil pretty consistently for 2+ weeks and I'm not sure I want to keep pumping decongestants into me, as I've heard they backfire eventually.

Suggestions?

Bueller? Help me stop feeling like shit and I'll be eternally indebted to you.

[SponsoredByDuctTape]

I've had sinus problems for most of my life, including bouts like yours (although more than a week sounds pretty bad).

1.) What I've always done right when I notice something's not right (and often times before that) is take 60mg of Psuedoephedrine, a.k.a Sudafed, along with two extra strength Tylenol. The store brand will be cheaper than name-brand. Just look at the active ingredients on the back of the box and figure out how much $ you're paying per milligram of Psuedoephedrine. As far as the other stuff goes that they throw in there (all those other big words), I haven't noticed that they do anything regardless of the quantity. Just get the Psuedoephedrine.

2.) Hot, hot showers. Lots of them. Steam is your friend. The more the better. An alternative is to boil a pot of water on the stove, put your head over it, and cover your head with a towel to keep the steam in. I'm serious. It sounds ridiculous, but it helps.

3.) Drink OJ. Lots.

Keep up on the meds. Take the Psuedoephedrine according to the box (I think it's 60mg every six hours - might be every four hours).

If you can, see a Ear, Nose, and Throat doc.

Hope this helps.

[Camel Toad]

ugghhh.
i blew out a sinus and had chronic infections for about a year. ended up seeing a doc who prescribed the nasal inhaler spray stuff (some steroid i think). said i would need it for the rest of my life. i used it until i could breath, then got the saline nasal injection system thingy. used that religiously for about 6 months. anytime i started feeling a sinus infection coming on, i would start up the saline rinse for a couple of weeks.
been major sinus infection free for a few years now. hope that helps.

[seldon]

how do you blow out a sinus?

I got a prescription for c-pro and that seems to have helped alot so far. I've been doing the niquil and sudafed regimen for awhile - it definitely helps with the symptoms but it didn't seem to really be "curing" anything.

[Camel Toad]

how do you blow out a sinus?

scuba...in really cold water

[Arty50]

Seldon, Duct's got the right advice. Try to find a good ENT. I used to think I had chronic sinusitus, but then I had a sinus CT Scan. My sinuses were fine, but my septum was severely tweaked. I just had surgery and I'm feeling a lot better, even though I'm not quite 100% healed yet.

I'm not saying this is the case for you. But a good ENT will talk to you about what's going on, find out the root of your problems, and apply a proper course of treatment. I was on Allegra and NasaCort for a while. The Allegra helped stabilize my allergies, but the NasaCort didn't do much. That's when I had the CT and found out there were other things going on. Nasal steroids (like NasaCort) are designed to reduce inflammation, which blocks your nasal passages and sinuses. In my case, my tattered septum was causing the blockage. Now I'm off the NasaCort for good and I'm going to take the Allegra only when necessary.

Also, allergists and ENTs perform similar functions. In my case, I think an ENT was a much better choice since my issues were mainly structural. If however, allergies are the root of one's problem perhaps an allergist is better. Because the issues are often related, there is a lot of crossover between the two specialities.

From the sound of it, I'd say you have a sinus infection. Green snot is a classic sign of this, one I never had. As for the antibiotics, they don't work overnight. I assume you have more than a 6 day course of treatment. Stick with it, I'm sure it will help. The lack of green snot is a good sign.

[13]

I'd like to add to the allergy standpoint, since Arty brought it up.

Has an environmental allergen been ruled out?

I know for a fact that my chronic congestion that lasts from the end of October to January is due to my mold allergy. I figured this out after I moved to Utah (very dry, therefore very little mold) from Michigan (very moist, fall is primo mold time).

The exposure to these allergens weakens my immune system, making me more susceptible to sinus infections. And the infucktions came like clockwork -- mid-to-late November.

For some reason, I didn't have a bout with a sinus infection this November for the first time in a decade. I think it has a lot to do with some of the factors SBDT mentioned... Daily multivitamin & Vitamin C, 2x/day HOT showers, regular excercise, plenty of sleep, etc.

I'm guessing you've only seen a general practitioner, so if you haven't, I third the advice on visiting an Otolaryngologist (ENT Dr).

[skideeppow]

I had the chronic sinusitis and had sinus surgery. Not pleasant but opened up my sinus.
I would recommened that you get a sinus flush (sold in most drug stores). This is a bottle that squeezes water with a salt and baking powder solution into your sinuses with pressure. I use this when i feel a cold coming on and it gets rid of it instantly.
Also, if i get a cold I get a script of gentamiesen to put in the flush solutino. This is an external antibiotic that wards off colds without affecting your immune system. (I get this from my ear nose throat doc).
Good luck

[Arty50]

Here's a good article on sinus rinses.

http://www.ent-consult.com/salineadditives.html

My neighbor bought me NeilMed Sinus Rinse when I had my septoplasty. I started using it a few weeks after my surgery and have to say it's pretty good.

[GrabAss]

yea man, i hear what you are saying. i have been out with some chest cold/sinus thing for a few days, but i have had allergy problems for weeks.
all that i would say they have already said. sudafed, also DayQuil works pretty well, and also i had some really gross alka seltzer and surprisingly that worked, might wanna try some of that.
good luck!