Sinus ct scan today

[heapsreal]

Saw my doc today and got a referral for sinus ct scan, amazingly they could do the scan that afternoon which i did. I havent seen my doc since the ct scan but a quick word with the radiologist said that it looked clear but a doc will look deeper into it and write a full report. My doc was thinking it is probably fungal sinusitis and i have a referral for a fungal blood test which i will do in a few weeks when i have other tests due.

SO i think having clear ct sort of proves its not fungal and she said no polyps. I will say that my post nasal drip has eased and sinuses probably clear due to being on day 13 of 15 on augmentin. At this stage i think it shows that my chronic sinusitis is due to bacterial infection, it does improve with antibiotics but improvement isnt sustained.

From what i have read/researched it says many chronic sinusitis sufferers in my position is from immune defiencies. Mostly its from immunoglobulin defiencies but my results have alway been high normal or high(probably indicating infection), so i think all i can put this down to is my crappy nk function and also 2 out of 3 blood tests show im neutropenic. I will have to talk it over more with my doc, but until they have a sure fire way to improve our immune function, im left with going off and on antibiotics. Immunovir did help at the start of the year and when i had to take a break from them was when the sinusitis struck back. ALso maybe instead of cycle immunovir 2 months on and 1 month off, maybe shorter on and off cycle eg 4 weeks on and 1 week off????

Dam sinuses.

 

[Sasha]

Sorry the scan didn't yield any info that would help you find a better treatment.

 

[sianrecovery]

hey, well done Heaps, that was a good thing to do. Sounds like it will give you a clearer picture of how best to respond. I am also in the needing abx on and off, its just how it is at the moment. Roll on the day when we find the key to unlocking the immune dysfunction part of the puzzle.
Let us know your blood results - what do they do to check for fungal infections?

 

[Sasha]

Do you do nasal irrigation, heaps? I expect my chronic sinusitis is also immune-based and that if my ME went away, so would the sinusitis. I find daily nasal irrigation (the version where the water goes up one nostril and comes out the other, using a sterile, buffered saline solultion) got rid of my sinus headaches - cutting out gluten has meant I've been able to cut the irrigation down to a couple of times a week at most. My problem hasn't gone but those two things have really helped. My doctor had me on big doses of inhaled steroids (which I gave up after several months) and they were useless.

 

[Sushi]

heapsreal

You can have sinus problems that are both fungal and bacterial and I suspect that this is what plagues many of us with chronic sinus problems. This is true for me I believe.

Also, a quick look at the CT may not give the best reading. They expect to see them jammed up but you can have a miserable infection with only a small amount of infected guck.

Good luck with this,
Sushi

 

[heapsreal]

hey, well done Heaps, that was a good thing to do. Sounds like it will give you a clearer picture of how best to respond. I am also in the needing abx on and off, its just how it is at the moment. Roll on the day when we find the key to unlocking the immune dysfunction part of the puzzle.
Let us know your blood results - what do they do to check for fungal infections?

the fungal test is aspergillus serology, interesting to see what it says?

 

[heapsreal]

Do you do nasal irrigation, heaps? I expect my chronic sinusitis is also immune-based and that if my ME went away, so would the sinusitis. I find daily nasal irrigation (the version where the water goes up one nostril and comes out the other, using a sterile, buffered saline solultion) got rid of my sinus headaches - cutting out gluten has meant I've been able to cut the irrigation down to a couple of times a week at most. My problem hasn't gone but those two things have really helped. My doctor had me on big doses of inhaled steroids (which I gave up after several months) and they were useless.

hi sasha, i do heaps of irrigation for sinuses, my sinuses close to my nose are usually quite good, i think because of this but its mainly frontal sinuses where i have the problem.

 

[heapsreal]

heapsreal

You can have sinus problems that are both fungal and bacterial and I suspect that this is what plagues many of us with chronic sinus problems. This is true for me I believe.

Also, a quick look at the CT may not give the best reading. They expect to see them jammed up but you can have a miserable infection with only a small amount of infected guck.

Good luck with this,
Sushi

I suppose the final word on this will be when i see my doc. Maybe a trial of antifungals like diflucan or nizoral for 10 days could also help and be diagnostic??

 

[heapsreal]

Havent seen my doc but he did post the report of my ct scan to me, basically only showing very minor mucosal thickening of maxillary and anterior ethmoid sinuses. Like i have already mentioned this was done on day 13 of augmentin, so i think this indicates that its a bacterial issue that the augmentin has cleared up for now. So i take this that i just dont have an immune system to control the growth of bacteria in my sinuses. Maybe i could get another ct scan when off antibiotics and symptoms return as well as blood pressure increasing but i dont think this would prove much. Info i have read on chronic sinusitis does mention alot about most of the problems are caused because of poor sinus drainage but the ct-scan report didnt indicate any issues with this. All i can do is put my sinus issues down to my immune system. i respond well to antibiotics, but its not something one wants to stay on forever but may not really have a choice.

 

[Tristen]

heapsreal

You can have sinus problems that are both fungal and bacterial and I suspect that this is what plagues many of us with chronic sinus problems. This is true for me I believe.

Also, a quick look at the CT may not give the best reading. They expect to see them jammed up but you can have a miserable infection with only a small amount of infected guck.

Good luck with this,
Sushi

The other way around may be true as well. I have had a few brain MRI's and Spect scans over the years, and they always show pansinusitis......yet I have no sinus symptoms whatsoever. My old GP (who has long ago left her practice) said that I may need to be treated for systemic fungal infection. I've never followed up on this because first of all, I have no sinus symptoms, and second, there are so many other avenues to pursue with this disease. But the sinus issue has remained in back of my mind for many years now.

 

[Ian]

Can you post a copy of your CT scan somewhere ?

 

[heapsreal]

Can you post a copy of your CT scan somewhere ?

I have know idea how to post my ct scan, wouldnt even fit in my scanner. I will see what i can come up with over the next couple of days with my IT wizzardry

 

[heapsreal]

been 5 days since i finished augmentin, so far so good, some very slight post nasal drip but no build up or blockage in sinuses yet which usually causes a cracker of a headache and alot worse when i wake up in the morning due to poor drainage. I think if the slight post nasal drip keeps going then sinuses are draining. What usually happens is PND increases then it stops due to being blocked and then the intense frontal sinus headaches start and blood pressure goes up and bacteria multiply. Im keeping the saline flushes up which i think is helping prevent things getting worse and i do have a script for augmentin on hand if i need it. Im also back on immunovir which i think might have been playing a big part in preventing sinusitis as the dam buggers blocked up when i stopped immunovir. Im also off the doxy for now, maybe down the track it may work again if i need it. Thats right, im still using serrapitase which is suppose to be good for inflammation with alot of good reviews for chronic sinusitis, it may be working but i cant really tell.

cheers!!

 

[Little Bluestem]

Have you tried MSM? It keeps my PND going, thus preventing sinus infections/headaches. My sinus problems were never severe, though. I also find my neti pot helpful when I get around to using it.

 

[Nielk]

heapsreal,

Did you suffer from sinusitis prior to coming down with ME/CFS? My sinus problems have been there about
20 years before I had any of the other symptoms.

 

[golden]

I had Sinisitus before M.E.

I just wondered now if reduced Oxygen intake created a breeding ground for Virus and bacteria.

I tried consciously deep breathing exercises and it gave me severe symptoms and PEM

 

[heapsreal]

had sinusitis last 18 months , cfs for 11 yrs, i think my sinusitis is just a coinfection

 

[sianrecovery]

interesting on the deep breathing - I remember a really interesting thread Cort started years ago called Waiting to Exhale. The mechanisms that tell us to release breath often seem to be impaired. I did a session with a guy specialising in circular breathing, for an hour, and I had a very pronounced herx afterwards, but kind of in a good way, if you know what I mean?