sinusitis problems????

[Montgomery Scott]

The opinions that Wes, David and Jason have suggested are very good ones: to reduce your allergic reaction (though it may have limited affects on wood dust) and to irrigate your sinus cavities.

I've had sinus surgery twice. The first time it was so bad that my eye socket bones was mostly decayed from the infection and disease that spread from the sinus infection. The second was a revision that opened up some sinus cavities that had closed up again.

I use the Grossman nasal irrigator http://www.alerg.com/page/A/PROD/SST...FQibggodEEQ6OQ
and I've not gone through the nasty symptoms the family had. It's easy and you can make your own solution from sea salt and baking soda and de-i water. I normally use a respirator in the shop as there is always dust even with the DC and overhead air cleaner, but for the few times I don't I can flush out the dust and other nasty stuff in my sinuses.

[Bob Stritzke]

I have had most of the treatments listed above. Except for the nail and hammer treaatment. I've has seven sinus surgeries in in the last 15 years. Five surgeries in the last five years. Got to the point that I would look forward to the annual surgery so that I could get some releaf. Lots of things will help depending on what the cause of your problem is.
Last fall my ENT started me on a treatment program for fungus using a generic of Sporanox. It's expensive, glad to have insurance drug coverage, and still had to get preapproval. However, I got through the holidays and feel better this year than I have in years.
Research is showing that fungus is a problem for many sinus sufferers. Your ENT can check for a type of white blood cell that indicates fungus problems.

[Steven Wilson]

The stakes up the nose was an interesting procedure, the relief of having the sinuses drain made up for the momentary pain and rather weird feeling of the procedure. Anyhow, the procedure is Maxillary Sinus Puncture and you can read up on it here http://www.emedicine.com/ent/topic340.htm.

[Kyle Kraft]

My LOML records the Oprah show every day and one episode had a "Dr. Oz" answering questions. To make a long story short, he recommended using a "nettie pot" which looks like a watering can with a long spout. You fill it with a tepid saline solution and get this.....you stick the nozzle in one nostril and pour the contents in and it runs out the other nostril! The folks who tried it swear by it. Apparently the saline solution washes all the perscunnion out of your nasal cavity thereby promoting a healthy environment. Allergy sufferers are supposed to benefit as well.

I'm considering trying it this spring, as the pollen tears me up.

[Wes Bischel]

Kyle, The nettie pot and irrigators do the same thing - yes it sounds weird, but it does help.
So all this sinus talk got me to wondering what other treatments are there. I found a new one - to me at least - Balloon Sinuplasty (a trademarked name believe it or not ). It's the sinus version of angioplasty. It looks interesting, but whether it works or not is another thing all together. Just passing it along.

Wes

[Jeff Kerr]

Thanks for a great topic!

I thought I was all alone. Imagine.

I have been fighting this exact thing for the last 2 years. It has gotten really bad. Basically I have been to see the Dr. every 3 weeks since I got sick in October. As soon as the meds run out I have a return bout of sinus infection.

At first I thought it was a chronic cold and maybe it did start out that way. I used Amoxicillin, then Cipro, then I went into Pneumonia and they had to up the meds again. Now the pneumonia is gone I have another sinus infection so I am back on the amoxicillin.

With all of this I too have tried the saline rinses. They didn't hurt but they didn't provide any noticeable relief.

I just happened to catch Dr. Gupta on CNN this weekend and he was talking with an allergists. I have to admit the allergist made a lot of sense when it came to the symptons. I think I am going to make an appointment with one. In the meantime, I picked up generic over the counter loratadine (active ingredient in Claratin) at Sams club for $13 bucks for 300 pills. It seems to be helping.

[Montgomery Scott]

Jeff,

I think it's time to face the fact that your doctor is not doing you much good. Go see a sinus specialist. Most GP's are limited to what they know and sinuses are no exception. You problem indicates you may have a more serious condition and all your GP is going to do, apparently, is give you more drugs.

Your sinuses may have closed up due to all the infection and therefore they do not drain properly and so no amount of drugs will cure you. A CT scan will show any blocked sinuses.

As I mentioned earlier I went through sinus surgery, last November was the most recent, and the difference is night and day; no more nasty stuff draining from my sinuses down my throat, or stuffiness. I can actually breathe and not snore like a train now.

[Larry James]

Good thread - seems there is not one remedy that fits all. Flonase nasal spray works for me. I suffered for years and tried many remedies with no success until a GP prescribed Flonase. I only use it as needed, mostly in the winter months. No more sitting in the dark until the headache goes away.

Larry

[David Wilhelm]

Any of you ever tried 3% peroxide in your sinus flush or drinking apple cider vinegar and water daily?

http://www.earthclinic.com/CURES/sinus_infection2.html

[Montgomery Scott]

Yes, I've used H2O2 when irrigating my sinuses as recommended by my ENT doctor. I use it no more than a 1:6 ratio with regular saline sol'n, though he recommends 1:3. Stuff makes your head burn so I flush it out with saline. If you have a sinus infection or feel a cold coming on, that stuff will kill it most effectively.

[Jon Lanier]

I have Vasomotor Rhinitis and sinus' are always an issue. I take Claritin and Rhinocort Nasal Spray to dry me out. If not and in the wrong season I can produce over 10 cups of mucus a day. The flu and colds are horrible to deal with.

[Thomas Knighton]

Here in Southwest Georgia, sinus problems aren't a medical condition. They're a rite of passage.

Mostly, I just take Tylenol Cold & Sinus and if that doesn't knock out the symptoms (or at least hold it's own), I go to the doctor.

Tom

[mark page]

I tried the H2O2 solution and think I got it a little on the strong side. It burned like a blowtorch. It may have given a slight open air feeling. Amazingly I tried the "drink a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar" routine and I think it helps drain the sinuses better than anything. I did feel more immediate drainage from this than anything I have tried so far. Drinking the vinegar just made me remember that when I was a very young tyke that my grandfather drank a tablespoon a day of what he called "coal oil", which I think was just unrefined kerosene. What for I don't know. If any of the old timers remember anything like this, they might chime in since I am now kind of interested in why he did this. He passed away in '73 and both parents gone now, so I don't have anyone to ask.

[Fred Haydon]

I have dealt with twice yearly sinus infections for the past 32 years. Sometimes they were bad enough that I needed antibiotics, other time I toughed it out with OTC remedies. Five years ago the Dr. found I had a heart arrythmia and that severly limited what I could take.

Then three years ago a friend of mine handed me a couple of packets of Emergen-C and told me to try them. While this isn't a cure-all, when I feel a sinus attack or a cold coming on I consume 4-6 packets over the course of a day or three, depending on how I feel. As I improve I gradually taper off. I'm finding that the attacks are much shorter and the suffering is greatly reduced. It has transformed two weeks of agony into 4-5 days of tolerable discomfort.

Cheers,
Fred

[James Carmichael]

Man, if it were only every 4-5 years, I'd be in heaven:-)

I'm like Jason, and antibiotics are almost a food group in my household (my 5 yo inherited my allergies, plus he has asthma). I've advised the family ENT we should be getting a frequent-flier discount, as we've put his kids through med school by now.

Lots of spicy food and hot showers seem to help me more than anything. Mucinex, lots of water, avoid dairy to keep the mucous thin and draining (a disgusting visual, I know). If preceeded by lots of sneezing, it could be allergen-triggered, in which case steriod nasal sprays are a great preventative.