Sinusitis or cfs.

[Omri]

I was recently diagnosed with cfs after many tests. (Even had xray of chest and face).

I have stuffiness and post nasal drip (especially in the morning). My doctor said this is unrelated to the cfs and gave me allergy medicine.

I've read that sinusitis can cause fatigue, so I was wondering if this might be it instead. Although the xray test said everything was normal.

Does anyone else have nasal/ phlegm problems as a symptom of cfs? Is this common, or should I take more tests to cancel out other possibilities.

 

[MikeJackmin]

Each of us is different, but I have long known that runny nose/sneezing was a common feature of my CFS, specifically that it was a reliable sign of overexertion.

Lie down and relax for an hour. Does the symptom subside?

 

[SOC]

Since immune dysfunction of some form or another is a part of ME/CFS in many cases, it wouldn't be surprising if you had allergies or a sinus infection secondary to ME/CFS. But it doesn't really matter if you attribute it directly to ME or call it secondary, you'd treat it the same way. So who cares if your doctor thinks it's unrelated?

If you take the allergy meds and your sinusitis and "CFS" symptoms go away, then you didn't have ME/CFS. If you take the allergy meds and your allergy symptoms go away but you still have CFS symptoms, then you might have ME/CFS.

If you have fatigue and sinusistis but not PEM and other ME/CFS symptoms, then you don't have ME/CFS and your doctor misdiagnosed you, which is very common. Far too many doctors think that having unexplained fatigue means you have ME/CFS -- wrong, wrong, wrong. Being wrong doesn't stop them from giving the diagnosis right and left, though.

 

[acer2000]

There is a theory of CFS that is currently being explored by Dr Brewer that involves fungal infection of the sinuses giving off toxins and causing fatigue and other symptoms. You might search on it. There is a long thread with other info. Also, exposure to environmental issues can cause sinus inflammation (mold, chemicals, etc) so its also something to consider. Have you had an investigation to see if you have a sinus infection?

 

[BurnA]

I was recently diagnosed with cfs after many tests. (Even had xray of chest and face).

I have stuffiness and post nasal drip (especially in the morning). My doctor said this is unrelated to the cfs and gave me allergy medicine.

I've read that sinusitis can cause fatigue, so I was wondering if this might be it instead. Although the xray test said everything was normal.

Does anyone else have nasal/ phlegm problems as a symptom of cfs? Is this common, or should I take more tests to cancel out other possibilities.

Hi Omri, my cfs started with a virus and then what I was sure was a sinus infection. I took antibiotics, but no improvement. I had cat scan but sinus was ok. I went to ENT doctor who said I had rhinitis but not sinusitis. Until then I was sure I had sinusitis, my symptoms were exactly what one would expect for sinusitis - headache, post nasal drip, fatigue but unfortunately it wasn't....

Definitely worth ruling out though.

 

[IreneF]

I have chronic sinusitis. I think it is fairly common among cfs/me patients. I take a daily allergy pill, which prevents me from getting a sinus infection (extremely painful) but does nothing for my underlying condition. I think it might be part of the inflammatory nature of the disease.

 

[heapsreal]

Fatigue can be very intense from sinusitis and can be very similar to cfsme or its an added layer on top of cfsme. Saying that ,chronic sinusitis can be very hard to treat. It can be bacterial or fungal or even a mechanical reason such as a deviated septum etc.

 

[Snookum96]

I have chronic sinusitis. Sinus congestion was one of the first symptoms I noticed. I didn't usually have issues but I was suddenly stuffy all the time.

 

[IreneF]

I don't feel stuffed up. Not mucusy at all. Just constant headaches.

 

[Little Bluestem]

Here is the thread on sinus fungal infection. I see it is up to 57 pages, so scan for critical information.
Detection of Mycotoxins in Patients with CFS.

 

[heapsreal]

I don't feel stuffed up. Not mucusy at all. Just constant headaches.

Very similar for me too. Severe frontal sinus headaches across forehead and some post nasal drip like constantly having to clear my throat. It improves with abx.

The best i have done was oral abx augmentin and the beg nasal spray which is a combo abx and biofilm buster. This helped alot and the longest I've lasted between sinus infections . But its an ongoing thing i think with our crapped out immune system .

 

[Crux]

Sinus inflammation was the only thing they could detect in an MRI done years ago. I was so used to it, I was surprised it showed up.

I seem to have systemic infections that my body doesn't fight very well. Lymphocytes, WBC's, etc. don't increase.

The sinusitis symptoms are: swelling and headaches that progress to migraine, especially after a higher carb meal. ( It doesn't have to be very high carb either. bum.)

The best remedy, so far, has been the antibiotic, Clindamycin. I've been trying numerous abx this past year. About half of the patients' reviews I've read are that the side effects are intolerable, but that clindamycin works against whatever the infection is. ( They were taking very high dosages. 1200 mg. daily)

I've taken several rounds. I was only able to tolerate 150 mgs. daily the first two times. This time, I'm taking 450 mgs. daily in divided doses.

I've had on going tooth infections, gut, sinus, pelvic, etc. These infections have caused my condition, I believe. I'm now better able to function with more activity and mental clarity, after treatment with Clindamycin.

 

[ryan31337]

Hi Omri,

I think I posted this on one of your previous threads but I also suffer from the persistent post-nasal drip. I'm in agreement with other posters and think it is merely secondary for most, probably related to the inflammatory nature of ME, which certainly tallies with my experience whereby severity of it is directly linked to PEM and general function. As I mentioned before going gluten free & dairy free reduced the problem massively for me, from daily persistent thick phlegm including blood, to now only a small amount of mild clear phlegm on bad PEM days and non-existent the rest of the time unless I eat gluten/dairy.

I have had acute sinus infection also and in my experience it was completely different.