Anyone Dealing With Sinus Issues?

[Machair]

In many of my relapses I seem to get a very stuffy feeling in my sinusses with head pressure and sometimes pain or fullness in the ears, and a general fluey feeling with no temperature. Does anyone get this head cold feeling?

 

[gracenote]

Yes. Sinuses have always been a problem for me. Nothing shows up on X-rays. I saw an ENT last year and nothing remarkable. I just had an I-CAT and nothing much. I do keep getting a recurring staff infection that doesn't stay treated, but mostly pressure, fullness, ringing in my ears. I've long suspected a fungal element as taking anti-fungals for my gut helps some. But this has been an ongoing problem.

Air temperature changes, barometric pressure changes, rooms out-gassing, etc. can make it worse. Also moldy weather. But it's always there to one degree or another. All I can say is it's not as terrible as it used to be. I did a lot of nasal rinses and head-steaming and trying to kill stuff.

The best book I've read on this is Sinus Survival by Ivker.

I wish I could help you. I wish someone could help me.

 

[alice1]

I've had a hard time with it recently and I always feel worse when it rains.I mentioned this to my new naturopath doc and she said it's Candida.I had tests done with spit (this is suppose to be a great way of testing) and sure enough my Candida levels were very high.I'm usually very good with food but over the holidays I had my moments.So I'll be starting a candida diet very soon.I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[flybro]

Yes. Sinuses have always been a problem for me. Nothing shows up on X-rays. I saw an ENT last year and nothing remarkable. I just had an I-CAT and nothing much. I do keep getting a recurring staff infection that doesn't stay treated, but mostly pressure, fullness, ringing in my ears. I've long suspected a fungal element as taking anti-fungals for my gut helps some. But this has been an ongoing problem.

Air temperature changes, barometric pressure changes, rooms out-gassing, etc. can make it worse. Also moldy weather. But it's always there to one degree or another. All I can say is it's not as terrible as it used to be. I did a lot of nasal rinses and head-steaming and trying to kill stuff.

The best book I've read on this is Sinus Survival by Ivker.

I wish I could help you. I wish someone could help me.

WoW gracenote this is pretty much how it is for me. Had my first sinus infection last year, b4 then i never new they existed, now they are alwys letting me feel they're presence. I find the light makes it much worse, and the more sensitive my sinus's are the more light sensitive my eyes get too.

I take over the counter sinu-tab when its really bad and it does help quite a bit. MyDoc said they can make things worse, so I had nothing for six months. I had lots of pain in my face, my head and really bad sewaty head, could'nt bare light. A couple of weeks back I decided to try the over the counter remedy and now wish I tried it months ago.

 

[Terri]

Increased sinus activity

I always get increased sinus activity when I am in a flare (relapse). And my ears hurt as well as my throat and sometimes even my jaw, teeth and check muscles. Also of course flu like swollen gland stuff. Yuck!

 

[alice1]

flybro I'm so glad you're getting relief.

 

[Athene]

Kenny De Meirler says that many of his patients with chronic sinusitis have chlamydia pneumoniae infection.

I used to have dreadful sinusitis all the time (for about 20 years) but it has improved dramatically now that I have got my diet sorted out (I had food allergies which I didn't know could cause sinusitis). SO in my case I don't think there was an infection.

 

[minimus]

In many of my relapses I seem to get a very stuffy feeling in my sinusses with head pressure and sometimes pain or fullness in the ears, and a general fluey feeling with no temperature. Does anyone get this head cold feeling?

I have ongoing fairly severe sinus problems. Sinusitis can really make me feel extraordinarily miserable (worse than I normally do.) I don't tolerate oral Sudafed at all -- it does relieve my sinus problems but for me causes bad insomnia, even if I take a very low dose in the very early morning. If you don't have sleep issues, you might try taking a low dose of Sudafed in the AM.

I see an allergist who specializes in chronic sinusitis in New York. He has done sinus endoscopies on me and comprehensive sinus cultures. The culture found about a dozen antibiotic-resistant bacteria and fungi in my sinuses. His protocol for me is to use a Grossan nasal irrigator every morning when I wake up using distilled water, kosher salt, baking soda, and (if necessary) a liquid over-the-counter nasal decongestant. This protocol does help, but is not a cure-all. If I have a sinus infection, he recommends adding something called Alkalol to the irrigator solution, as it is supposed to act like a topical antibiotic. In any case, a nasal irrigator is worth a try if your sinus problems are bad enough.

 

[Sushi]

I have ongoing fairly severe sinus problems. Sinusitis can really make me feel extraordinarily miserable (worse than I normally do.) I don't tolerate oral Sudafed at all -- it does relieve my sinus problems but for me causes bad insomnia, even if I take a very low dose in the very early morning. If you don't have sleep issues, you might try taking a low dose of Sudafed in the AM.

I see an allergist who specializes in chronic sinusitis in New York. He has done sinus endoscopies on me and comprehensive sinus cultures. The culture found about a dozen antibiotic-resistant bacteria and fungi in my sinuses. His protocol for me is to use a Grossan nasal irrigator every morning when I wake up using distilled water, kosher salt, baking soda, and (if necessary) a liquid over-the-counter nasal decongestant. This protocol does help, but is not a cure-all. If I have a sinus infection, he recommends adding something called Alkalol to the irrigator solution, as it is supposed to act like a topical antibiotic. In any case, a nasal irrigator is worth a try if your sinus problems are bad enough.

Hi minimus,

I do exactly the same thing! But my Grossan irrigator just stopped working--I bet it is "congested" itself but don't know how to take it apart to investigate. I also used Alkalol and added a bit of xylitol to the solution too.

My chronic sinus problems are getting better though since I have been doing laser energetic detoxes for toxins and heavy metals. For me it seems like toxicity "backs up" into the sinuses when the other routes of detox are overloaded.

I did love that Grossan irrigator! :tear: I need to try to get it fixed.

Sushi

 

[Robin]

His protocol for me is to use a Grossan nasal irrigator every morning when I wake up using distilled water, kosher salt, baking soda, and (if necessary) a liquid over-the-counter nasal decongestant. This protocol does help, but is not a cure-all. If I have a sinus infection, he recommends adding something called Alkalol to the irrigator solution, as it is supposed to act like a topical antibiotic.

That's so interesting! Thanks for sharing.

I've had 3 sinus infections this year and will be seeing an ENT this month. I had to wait for an appointment but apparently he's the go-to guy for sinus problems. I'll have to ask about the nasal irrigator. I know I have some structural issues that make it harder for my sinuses to drain but since this is the first time I've really had problems I'm not sure what steps to take. It will be interesting!

 

[SaraM]

I have had chronic sinus infection for years.Somebody on another board mentioned Glutathione nasal spray cured his polyp.I made the spray myself and in fact I felt better after using it. Too much Glutathione in distilled water causes a burning sensation.
Some doctors do non invasive balloon surgery,too, which I guess is pretty much new.

 

[calzy]

yep..me too..chronic. I take RX Fluticasone spray every morning. GP said its allergies, course she was baffled as to why I refused the flu shot..."but you only have chronic fatigue"?

 

[FernRhizome]

I just posted about vocal toning as a method to help with sinus issues. My posting is on the body/mind site. I am actually not a big body/mind person, but the vocal toning vibrates muscles that impact the sinuses....and it helps some folks. ~FernRhizome

 

[PoetInSF]

It's a CFS inflammation thing. My Eustachian tube gets all plugged up when I have a flare. (I had my sinus CT scanned and it came back clear as bell.) Taking sudafed brings a temporary relief. Strangely, Sudafed also partially relieves muscle ache and weakness. (My doc thinks it's because sudafed raises blood pressure.) Sudafed is habit forming though, so I limit it to twice a week at the most. I also take it in the mornings only in order not to disturb my sleep.

 

[Sushi]

Hi minimus,

I do exactly the same thing! But my Grossan irrigator just stopped working--I did love that Grossan irrigator! :tear: I need to try to get it fixed.

Sushi

Whoopie!

I just found the manual and discovered they can get air bubbles in them. They said how to fix it and it worked! I have my Grossan irrigator back!

Sushi

 

[Sunday]

I guess I'm lucky that I don't have a lot of sinus stuff - some, but not a lot. But now I know where to go for suggestions! All of these sound as if they have merit.

Has anybody tried Umcka? It's made out of a S. African pelargonium; local healers used it for all kinds of respiratory problems, and in Europe they have tested it and found it good. I used to be a victim of chronic bronchitis - every year, without fail, 2 or 3 weeks hacking my guts out. With Umcka, not. Which is why I got it into the local health food store where I used to work. After I started pushing it, I got a lot of comments like, "I had this cough for 6 weeks, and it went away!" "My kid has finally stopped wheezing after a month."

But while these conditions involve the sinuses, they're more about the lungs IMO. The lit on Umcka studies says that it's equally good for sinus stuff, but I haven't had a chance to test it. One of the things I especially like about it is, unlike OTC remedies, it doesn't make you all dopey (I'm like that naturally, thanks). And unlike anitbiotics, it doesn't throw your entire system into disorder.

I'm not a salesperson for Umcka by the way: I just think it's really great and more people should use it rather than crap that doesn't really work. But I don't know how effective it is for sinus stuff alone. It definitely dries up phlegm, that I can attest to. And seems to relieve inflammation as well.

 

[Carrigon]

Post Nasal Drip Driving Me Crazy

Ever since I had Swine Flu in October, I've had this awful mucus problem and cannot get rid of it. The doc put me on two different antibiotics and only the clindamycin seemed to cut it alittle. But it didn't go away and now it's back again. Back of my throat, and on my tongue and gets worse if I drink anything cold. Just can't get rid of it. I've tried so many things. Some days it has seemed better than others, but in the last two days, it's totally back. And half the time, I think I've got it coming up the throat, too. I swear I have permanent damage from the Swine Flu or it never fully went away. I never had this prior to that flu. The doc gave me a steroid nasal spray to try, but I'm leary of it. The side effects don't appeal to me and alot of people said they lost their sense of smell and taste on it. I don't want that. I just don't know what to do at this point. Theraflu and Nyquil just stuff up my nose and then I can't sleep. Mucinex doesn't work on it and nothing I've tried works. The only temporary relief I get is sucking on vitamin C tablets, but it comes right back. The glands in my throat are swollen and tender, too. I don't think I'm ever going to get rid of this.

 

[kerrilyn]

Sorry to hear that Carrigon. It's really annoying, I find it makes it so hard to breathe properly. For a couple years I wondered why I was getting a summer cold all the time before I realized it was post nasal drip. I think mine is related to an allergic reaction. It's no longer just in the summer but I don't have it in the winter.

Swine Flu - ack! That must have been horrible and scary, glad you pulled through ok - except for the post nasal drip.

 

[Carrigon]

It took from Oct all the way through the first week of January for my lungs to clear from Swine Flu. It was a horrible flu. I spent all of November vomiting almost every day from it. And the mucus was so bad that I was using box after box of tissues spitting it out day and night. It's better than that now, but it's still horrible. I got hit hard because my immune system is so down from CFIDS/ME. I just wish this last lingering thing from it would clear up.

 

[fingers2022]

Hi Carrigon

I too have PND. Started early on in my ME and never went away (I'm afraid to say, but hopefully yours will). I think it's maybe a genetic weakness in my family. Infections always get me around the ear nose and throat - I've found stabilised allicin helps keep them away from my chest some of the time.

It seems like somethings gone wrong with the plumbing - I once had a nosebleed and the blood came out of my mouth via PND!

I have become adept at sucking in air strongly through my nose in order to free the mucous, then cough it up and spit it out (sorry for the gory details!, and yes it sounds horrendous). This is the only way I get relief.

Wonder if it's related to ME (didn't have it before), and wonder how common in sufferers.

take care
F