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[leighleigh]

I know there's already a thread on here somewhere related to sinuses, but I couldn't find it in under a minute so I thought I'd start a new one.

So, I had a couple of severe colds early in the spring, and ever since I've been having sinus problems that are becoming persistently worse--at least I think it's my sinuses.  I don't have a stuffy nose or anything like that.  I have a sort of numb, tight feeling across my forehead all the time, it feels like someone is constantly pinching the bridge of my nose, pressure on the sides of my forehead, and itchy, tired feeling eyes.  I'm not in pain (just occasional headaches), but I feel like I'm walking around in a fog and am just tired all the time, though I'm sleeping better than usual--productivity is not high, and this is becoming a real concern (why I gave up so easily on finding that other thread, no doubt).  Oh.  I forgot to mention the relentless post-nasal drip (bleh).  It's occurred to me that I might have developed allergies of some sort, but I don't seem to have the typical symptoms.

I've taken Amoxycillin, Zithromax, and am now on a round of Augmentin--day 5 and not feeling better yet.  I've been doing the neti pot (big time fun), sinus rinses (also a hoot), hot compresses, steam, and over the counter sinus meds.  I'm thinking of seeing an ENT if the Augmentin doesn't do the trick.

Just wondering if anyone's dealt with similar issues.  My fear is that I'll feel this way forever and ever and that I'll never feel like doing anything that requires more energy than sitting around with my 7-year-old daughter watching "iCarly" reruns.  I'm starting a new job in in the fall and I want to feel and be spectacular!

[dept_geek]

I know there's already a thread on here somewhere related to sinuses, but I couldn't find it in under a minute so I thought I'd start a new one.

Really?

 I have a cold: http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php?topic=53335.0
 F---ing migraine! (in various posts) http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,55947.0.html
 Nyquil Flavors Poll: http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php?topic=37051.30
Snoring treatments: http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php?topic=50616.0
 felling a little bit overwhelmed: http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,55381.0.html
 Sinus ailments: http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php?topic=53462.new
Sinus Medicine: http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php?topic=48722.0
Are you losing your sense of smell?: http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php?topic=54084.0
Seaonal allergies (the aaaaaachew thread): http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php?topic=60770.0


Some of these are pretty old, however.   Happy reading.

[leighleigh]

Perhaps I need a taste of that productivity whip, dept_geek.  Thanks...I'll check these out.

[psychdiva]

Get thee to an ENT! You might need a CT scan to pinpoint why your sinuses aren't draining properly, and/or an extra-long course of antibiotics (sinuses have a poor blood supply, so the usual 14 days of antibiotics may not do the trick), and/or steroid nasal spray.

I know well that foggy, care-less, fatigued feeling that comes with sinus problems. When mine get bad, I can sleep 8 hours and then do 3-hour naps twice each day. Good luck with this and keep us posted on how you're doing.

[patchouli]

I was in your situation years ago.  What helped?  Sleeping on two pillows at night (still do) to keep my sinuses open, taking Sudafed (the red one) until my sinuses opened up when I was having a flare-up.  Once I had to have a round of cortisone and a special nasal spray (Nasalcrom?), but once I got in the habit of the pillow/Sudafed routine at the first hint of trouble, the times lessened tremendously for me and got off of the antibiotic merry-go-round.

I wish you well.

[kohelet]

ms_jones, my sympathies.  It's 3:30 a.m., and I'm awake because of my stupid sinuses.  Your thread was at the top of my "unread posts" list!  I get these really intense sinus headaches, sometimes completely disabling.  Mine are triggered by changes in the barometric pressure.  (I get a morbid satisfaction out of looking at the barometric pressure charts and tracking my headaches' progress--"Ah--that's where it started" ... "That's where I thought I was going to vomit" ... "That's where it started getting better" --it all tracks beautifully.)

I second the sudafed recommendation--the real stuff, pseudoephedrine, that you have to get from behind the counter to do your bit for meth control, not the completely useless sudafed pe.  If you've overlooked this, you might be amazed by its effectiveness--I was.  I occasionally OD just a little bit--not saying you should, but it helps me and I haven't had a heart attack yet.

I'm buying a neti-pot tomorrow.  There's a thread about that somewhere, too.  People swear by them.  I found the "nasal irrigation" wikipedia entry helpful--especially the links at the bottom to studies supporting it.  The video demonstrations on youtube are alarming, but I'm desperate for relief when sudafed alone doesn't do the trick.  If that doesn't help, I may visit the ENT, too.

Good luck getting your nasal cavities under control and with the new job!  (Congrats!)

[leighleigh]

Thanks for the advice, everyone!  I haven't taken Sudafed in years, since you could buy it off the shelf, but I remember having remarkable success with it back then, though I did get a bit wired from it.

Right now my GP has me on a 30-day round of Augmentin (which he says is the first thing an ENT would do--at least the ones here) and I am to see an ENT in my new town if it doesn't do the trick.  I've actually been feeling pretty decent the last couple of days.

Kohelet, I haven't found the neti pot or the sinus rinse (where you squeeze the bottle that shoots the rinse up into your sinuses) to be the perfect solution, but I do think they have helped.  They seem to alleviate the pressure somewhat, as well as the horrid post-nasal drip (egh).  I can never seem to get the spectacular visual effect achieved in the photographs on the internet, though, which is a little disappointing.  Hope you're feeling better today!

[marfa]

Been there, done that.  You have my complete sympathy!

I had great luck with a neti pot.  Without getting too disgusting, can I tell you my way of using it? Besides
up one nostril and out the other, I tilt my head back, go up the nose and then swallow it down the throat.  Takes some practice, but I thought it really helped with the postnasal drip.

Besides the usual antibiotics, my doc put me on Guaifenesin and I think it really helped. 

Tried some steriod shots, but now there's an asterisk next to my pubs during that period. :)

Oh, and then I moved.

Hang in there.

[patchouli]

Thanks for the advice, everyone!  I haven't taken Sudafed in years, since you could buy it off the shelf, but I remember having remarkable success with it back then, though I did get a bit wired from it.

One thing I forgot to mention; I only take one 30 mg. Sudafed as it makes me wired, too. 

[lohai0]

I have horrid sinuses.  I have been doing netipots 3x a week and daily when I have a flare up.  The Shower Soother tablets also help some.  I also supplement with Arnica (a natural anti inflammatory) when things are getting bad.  I also found out that a lot of my sinus problems were food allergy related.  Between the preventative treatment and getting rid of the allergens, I have only had one sinus infection this year, which is a record for me.  Switching to an orthopedic pillow has seemed to help at night.  My insurance won't pay for an ENT, but if yours does, I would go as soon as possible!