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Sinuses again!

heapsreal

iherb 10% discount code OPA989,
Messages
10,089
Location
australia (brisbane)
Hopefully i have caught it early enough, last time my blood pressure went up because of the sinus congesion in the frontal sinuses. I find it really hard to distinguish between symptoms of sinusitis and cfs but starting to read the signs earlier. I dont really get a runny nose but do get some post nasal drip (PND) which hasnt really been that bad this time but have had headaches more constantly which have been global type headaches but what has been leading me to the sinus infection this time is that the last few mornings i have woken up with really bad headaches(which wake me up) but after being up for awhile they ease. From what i have read this is a common sign of sinus issues as the sinuses cant drain very well at all after lying down sleeping, also this morning my headache was more of a face ache which is basically where the sinuses are. Checked my blood pressure this morning and this time its ok for now. Also i use oxymetazoline sinus spray tonight which eased my headache considerably within a half an hour, so it also helps me to diagnose the sinusitis.

Last time it took me a few weeks to work out that what was going on was something other then cfs/me symptoms, also starting a few new treatments can make it hard to work out what is going on. Today i started some doxycycline which i will give a few days and if no improvement i have a weeks worth of azithromycin on hand, plus lots of saline nose sprays again. I dont see my cfs doc for another month and another doc i see has just gone on holidays, hopefully not too long, also hope the abx etc i start now help. Im going to ask my cfs doc about a ct scan of my sinuses to see how much congestion is there?? the abx i used last time helped, maybe need to stay on them alot longer, maybe also a swab but With crap nk function its going to be hard to keep many of these dam infections down.

I cant believe i just posted something about sinuses in Neilk's thread, lol. I think i put the mocker on myself??

cheers!!!
 

Nielk

Senior Member
Messages
6,970
Sorry you are suffering from sinusitis again! Do you think that our sinus problems are related to CFS or it's a separate entity with no connection to CFS. It seems to me that many people with CFS have sinus problems but, I don't know if it's greater than the normal population.
 

heapsreal

iherb 10% discount code OPA989,
Messages
10,089
Location
australia (brisbane)
Sorry you are suffering from sinusitis again! Do you think that our sinus problems are related to CFS or it's a separate entity with no connection to CFS. It seems to me that many people with CFS have sinus problems but, I don't know if it's greater than the normal population.

Hi nielk, i think for me sinus infection is a co-infection, i have never really had sinus issues until last year, also my last nk function test was the lowest it has been, so i wonder if this has something to do with it, making it easier for us to get them. I have read that people with cfs/me are more prone to sinus infection which i think is also related to immune dysfunction. I think for us it might be wise to keep abx on hand and when we notice them coming on, start treating them straight away. I think like all other infections we have to find away to improve our immune system. I dont think you can ever get rid of staph infection but lower it to a level that we can handle just like ebv/cmv etc unless we had normal immune systems. I think for some it maybe the cause of their fatigue illness and for others i think its secondary but treating it has to make us feel better, dam infections!

I hope your feeling better nielk,
cheers!!!
 

heapsreal

iherb 10% discount code OPA989,
Messages
10,089
Location
australia (brisbane)
I think recognising the sinus infection early and starting abx early has definately helped. I have been taking 100mg twice a day now for 3 days, i havent woken up with severe headaches and minimal facial pain as well, even slept better. early days but a good sign. I think if we let these infections get too far ahead then they get harder to treat. Good to have some abx on hand. I will stay on these abx for 2 weeks and see where im at

cheers!!!
 

jeffrez

Senior Member
Messages
1,112
Location
NY
Been dealing with severe sinus issues and infection since last october. We never really got a good freeze here in the NE and the fall molds weren't properly killed off, causing lots of people to get URTIs.

After a month of sinusitis, trying to treat unsuccessfully with neti rinses, doxy, garlic, Xclear, etc. a bad bout of insomnia in nov. crashed me and made things even worse. I shot in amphotericin with a nebulizer doc gave me in case it was fungal, but that didn't seem to help much either. Clarithromycin worked wonders and finally killed off the infection, CT scan shows perfectly clear sinuses w/no sign of infection, and yet the inflammatory burning/throbbing, brain foggy, congested feeling remains.

Think it's a combination of decreased immunity and adrenal/thyroid, as hypothyroidism definitely can cause sinusitis. Can be a vicious circle once it's initiated, as the sinuses then don't properly sweep out invaders and pathogens, setting you up for more problems and infections. Going to keep taking the Xclear myself as maintenance even after everything finally (I hope) clears, seems to be a good Xylitol product, which has anti-bac & anti-fungal properties. It's also good to make sure sinuses are properly hydrated so they don't dry out, either by breathing steam, mupirocin (edit: aka bactroban), or something OTC like Naso-gel.

I definitely empathize with you, good luck in your treatment measures.
 

hurtingallthetimet

Senior Member
Messages
612
hope you are feeling much better..its so hard being ill with soemthing else on top of the other illness...take care and feel better
 

Nielk

Senior Member
Messages
6,970
The best way to really find out what's going on inside the sinuses is to have it swabbed by an ENT and sent out for culture. I too have been fighting sinus infections the past 4 months. This is the second time that the culture came back positive for Staph. I've been on Cipro for a week now and m still ill with it. The doctor said that I should stay on it for three weeks. I don't get it because if it didn't help till now, why would the same med help in three weeks?
 

heapsreal

iherb 10% discount code OPA989,
Messages
10,089
Location
australia (brisbane)
The best way to really find out what's going on inside the sinuses is to have it swabbed by an ENT and sent out for culture. I too have been fighting sinus infections the past 4 months. This is the second time that the culture came back positive for Staph. I've been on Cipro for a week now and m still ill with it. The doctor said that I should stay on it for three weeks. I don't get it because if it didn't help till now, why would the same med help in three weeks?

Nielk, last year i read somewhere that chronic sinusitis should be kept on abx for awhile , from memory i think it was minimum 6 weeks, basically it said that doctors dont keep patients on abx long enough for chronic sinusitis??? I think also worth using a combination abx's for treatment too incase of resistance.

Im not sure sometimes if a swab is necessary sometimes when broad spectrum abx(or 2) are used, my doc has treated cfs patients since the 1990s and seen alot of sinus infections etc, he said to me that what ever they find would be killed by the abx he has given. I was neg earlier to myco and cpn and said most likely staph, he seemed right as i eventually got over it, only for a short while, but i think they are just more stubborn infections in us and need longer courses of abx etc. I think if they dont ease up within a few months of abx then ask for ct-scan of sinuses as maybe need them surgucally drained as a few people have told me this has made a big difference. But have also heard they can come back too???

cheers!!!
 

Nielk

Senior Member
Messages
6,970
Nielk, last year i read somewhere that chronic sinusitis should be kept on abx for awhile , from memory i think it was minimum 6 weeks, basically it said that doctors dont keep patients on abx long enough for chronic sinusitis??? I think also worth using a combination abx's for treatment too incase of resistance.

Im not sure sometimes if a swab is necessary sometimes when broad spectrum abx(or 2) are used, my doc has treated cfs patients since the 1990s and seen alot of sinus infections etc, he said to me that what ever they find would be killed by the abx he has given. I was neg earlier to myco and cpn and said most likely staph, he seemed right as i eventually got over it, only for a short while, but i think they are just more stubborn infections in us and need longer courses of abx etc. I think if they dont ease up within a few months of abx then ask for ct-scan of sinuses as maybe need them surgucally drained as a few people have told me this has made a big difference. But have also heard they can come back too???

cheers!!!

I had this surgery done a few years ago-to drain my clogged up sinuses. I was told that I will feel like a different person after the (very painful) surgery. I'll be able to breathe like never before and my chronic sinus/headache problem will be cleared. I'm still looking for that one day (at least) of relief. It never happened to me. By the time my sinuses recovered from the surgery, they were all swollen from the constant allergy problems that I suffer from.
 

heapsreal

iherb 10% discount code OPA989,
Messages
10,089
Location
australia (brisbane)
I had this surgery done a few years ago-to drain my clogged up sinuses. I was told that I will feel like a different person after the (very painful) surgery. I'll be able to breathe like never before and my chronic sinus/headache problem will be cleared. I'm still looking for that one day (at least) of relief. It never happened to me. By the time my sinuses recovered from the surgery, they were all swollen from the constant allergy problems that I suffer from.

bugger, no wonder u feel better on prednisone as it would help with your allergies as well as swollen sinuses too. Have u had cortisol testing done??

cheers!!!
 

Nielk

Senior Member
Messages
6,970
Has anyone with chronic sinus problems undergo an operation to open up the sinuses and felt relief afterwords - with no more infections?
 

mellster

Marco
Messages
805
Location
San Francisco
I have a friend who did that and it basically relieved him from frequent colds and sinus infections overnight - my sister is scheduled to have the same operation soon. It seems a really good option for those having frequent sinus troubles.
 

Nielk

Senior Member
Messages
6,970
I had it done about 4 years ago with no positive results. I didn't breathe better for one day and continued with the same sinus problems as before. I'm wondering whether it was a messed up surgery (even though it was performed by a top surgeon), or is it the fact that my ongoing allergies just messed up my sinuses up as soon as they were cleared?
 

heapsreal

iherb 10% discount code OPA989,
Messages
10,089
Location
australia (brisbane)
I had it done about 4 years ago with no positive results. I didn't breathe better for one day and continued with the same sinus problems as before. I'm wondering whether it was a messed up surgery (even though it was performed by a top surgeon), or is it the fact that my ongoing allergies just messed up my sinuses up as soon as they were cleared?

Nielk , it could be that your immune system is crap like the rest of us and sinuses are one of your main co-infections. Ask your doc about IV antibiotics and then swap to something long term like doxy for 6-12 months, keeping probiotics going as well to avoid any gut issues. Sorry your not feeling any better.

cheers!!!
 

jeffrez

Senior Member
Messages
1,112
Location
NY
I found this site very informative. According to that doc, most ppl need to continue medical treatment after sinus surgery to make sure things don't get bad again. Surgery alone without maintenance therapy has a higher chance of failure or recurrence of original problem.

>edit:
http://www.sinuses.com/index.htm
 

Nielk

Senior Member
Messages
6,970
I found this site very informative. According to that doc, most ppl need to continue medical treatment after sinus surgery to make sure things don't get bad again. Surgery alone without maintenance therapy has a higher chance of failure or recurrence of original problem.

Which site is that, Mr. Kite?