Sinusitis

[INTJ]

Hi,

I've been suffering with a sinus infection for nearly 3 months. Can't breathe out of one nostril, pressure, lightheadedness, blurred vision, lethargy. Seen 3 different doctors so far, and been given :-

Antibiotics

Cortisone nasal spray

Decongestants

Saline rinse

Steroids

Just when things start to improve, it all comes back again. I wonder if anyone has any experiences of this, and could recommend a specialist, possibly with a view to having FESS (functional endoscopic sinus surgery) ?

The problem with this operation is with an unskilled surgeon there is a risk (albeit slight) of damaging the optic nerve and leaving you blind.

Thanks,

INTJ.

.

[Sulaphat]

Had similar, though not so severe, symptoms some time back. After the antibiotics, cortisone, steroids, etc. to get the immediate problem taken care of, the doctor then switched to treatment for the underlying allergies which triggered the inflamation and resultant infection. This seems to keep it from recurring. Have you gone this route already, or is the source of your problem something else? Had a colleague a number of years back who needed surgery to remove a polyp from his sphenoid (sp?) sinus which caused similar problems. He, however, went to Europe for the surgery.

[bina]

check for underlying causes : allergies first.... and for polyps etal... most studies now show that antibiotics and surgery have no lasting effect...

several friends use loratadine (lorastine) allergy pills one daily and aprt from once in a while, the amount of sinusitis attacks (and asthma too) have reduced greatly.

also, stay away from airconditioning... (my own personal trigger for sinusitis).

[Jockstar]

I've been suffering with a sinus infection for nearly 3 months. Can't breathe out of one nostril, pressure, lightheadedness, blurred vision, lethargy. Seen 3 different doctors so far, and been given :-

Antibiotics

Cortisone nasal spray

Decongestants

Saline rinse

Got the same problem and have used all of the treatments. At the moment i am using nasel rinse and the nose spray. My doctor has refered me to an alergist to try and desensitise my alergy to mites. But i have to wait till September for an appointment.

[bina]

forget desensitizing to dust mites why dont u just try anti allergy stuff that doesnt put u to sleep... like the stuff i suggested above... i know they have it in thailand also... u have to stop taking it some time before skin tests etc... i think its overthecounter nowadays.... youngest daughter using it and marked improvement in less nasal drip, sinus headaches and skin allergy reactions which all keep her asthma improved also as she is a very snotty kid since birth almost. probably allergic to everything in the air.

[Pink Mist]

natural therapy, and it works, garlic and horse radish, taken together, takes about a week to work.

becotide works.

[Jockstar]

forget desensitizing to dust mites why dont u just try anti allergy stuff that doesnt put u to sleep... like the stuff i suggested above... i know they have it in thailand also... u have to stop taking it some time before skin tests etc... i think its overthecounter nowadays.... youngest daughter using it and marked improvement in less nasal drip, sinus headaches and skin allergy reactions which all keep her asthma improved also as she is a very snotty kid since birth almost. probably allergic to everything in the air.

I've had it since i was a kid. But its been good for years and only recently has it come back badly. Would prefer to get it stopped altogether instead of taking tablets or whatever.

[Pink Mist]

forget desensitizing to dust mites why dont u just try anti allergy stuff that doesnt put u to sleep... like the stuff i suggested above... i know they have it in thailand also... u have to stop taking it some time before skin tests etc... i think its overthecounter nowadays.... youngest daughter using it and marked improvement in less nasal drip, sinus headaches and skin allergy reactions which all keep her asthma improved also as she is a very snotty kid since birth almost. probably allergic to everything in the air.

I've had it since i was a kid. But its been good for years and only recently has it come back badly. Would prefer to get it stopped altogether instead of taking tablets or whatever.

horseradish and garlic pills matey, you can get them from just about any chemist or health shop in syddley

[Ijustwannateach]

Seems like every time I catch a slight cold it results in a sinus infection- I can only assume that the bugs stay somewhere in my sinuses that aren't very accessible to my immune system, and when I weaken they party.

The previous advice is quite good; you also want to make sure your general health is good- diet, exercise, sleep, and not too much alcohol. If you are not being treated for allergies on a regular basis you should check that- uncontrolled post-nasal drainage makes a good breeding ground for the bugs in your nose, and also an invitation to bronchitis from the resultant coughing.

"S"

[Jockstar]

bugs in your nose, and also an invitation to bronchitis from the resultant coughing

No coughing here. Just a blocked nose.

[sceadugenga]

I get a bad attack every five years or so, lasts about two weeks. The rest of the time it just hangs there.

It's virtually incurable in it's worst form, I used to play bridge with a guy who looked like he's been hit in the forehead by an ax. I think he said they'd opened him up three times to get at it.

Not sure about natural therapy, it's pretty serious stuff when you have a bad attack.

[INTJ]

Thanks for the replies.

I had it really bad for a month, now it seems to come and go, on a daily (if not hourly) basis, almost as if there is a trigger of some kind.

How do I go about checking for allergies, and what does it entail ? Seems like a sensible step.

I want to get a CT scan done on Monday, just to check there is nothing seriously amiss in there. I was thinking about Samitivej on Sukhumvit (BKK), any comments on this place ? If there is nothing too infected, I think I'd rather live with it than let some Thai doctor drill my sinus cavities with a possibility of irrepairibly damaging my optic nerve !

BKK Pattaya and BKK Rayong have been a waste of time. The first "specialist" cleaned my ears out and told me to go to the neurology dept. The second gave me the usual bag of tablets (antibiotics and xanax).

The good thing out of this so far is it pushed me into giving up smoking 39 days ago, whch can only be a good thing. No danger of starting again now, either.

Could still do with a recommendation of a specialist, or at least some opinions on a good hospital ............

Cheers,

INTJ.

.

[bina]

not sure in thailand or the states but in israel the standard procedure is: little pricks of stuff on your back or arm containing pollen from different trees plants etc that are local to where u live, and usually, cat enzyme, dog stuff, and dust mite stuff ... u wait for a while, then they check the amount of swelling at each site (marked with numbers) to see how allergic u are.

some go farther and check for cockroach allergy (causes asthma atttacks in many people); and then recently a niece did the additional stuff which is 24-48 hour patches for nickel and food protein etc. ...depending on the results and your personal inclination, u can either opt for shots for desensitization or allergy pills, or decapitation of your head.

i do find that a/c in a car or in office or even shopping does trigger it with me... lack of drinking water, ... hot pepper etc help as do hot compresses and inhaling boiling water steam treatments with camphor and it seems to go on its own with or w/oout antibiotics since i cant use most antibiotics apart from doxicillin so try to not use...

i found i am allergic to red wine this also triggers my sinuses...

and plane rides are hel_l ...

[Sulaphat]

Could still do with a recommendation of a specialist, or at least some opinions on a good hospital ............

.

I have been satisfied seeing Dr. Vichien Trichorb at Bumrungrad. He is there most days from about 9 am until 1 pm at the ENT section.

[Jockstar]

forget desensitizing to dust mites why dont u just try anti allergy stuff that doesnt put u to sleep... like the stuff i suggested above... i know they have it in thailand also... u have to stop taking it some time before skin tests etc... i think its overthecounter nowadays.... youngest daughter using it and marked improvement in less nasal drip, sinus headaches and skin allergy reactions which all keep her asthma improved also as she is a very snotty kid since birth almost. probably allergic to everything in the air.

I've had it since i was a kid. But its been good for years and only recently has it come back badly. Would prefer to get it stopped altogether instead of taking tablets or whatever.

horseradish and garlic pills matey, you can get them from just about any chemist or health shop in syddley

Bought some today so will give it a go. Cheers

[Pink Mist]

probably will take a week or so and keep taking them,

good luck

[Tammi]

I had sinusitis for years until I stopped eating/drinking chocolate. No problem since then - about 5 years! So look at the stuff you eat - it might be as simple as that!

[tuffy]

My thai wife has terrible allergies. It is necessary for her to continually take allergy medicine, usually pills and spray. recently she went to BPH and they ran a series of test on her. they suggested she do a course of allergy injections, starting out every 3 weeks and tapering off over the next few years. Has anyone had any experience with this method and did it help? With out the daily allergy pills she is miserable with a runny nose headache etc. and even with the pills it is still pretty bad sometimes.

I really wish there was a something that could be done for her.

[themuse1969]

Ohhh, man?! You do all that shit the docs want for you, and you will suffer for no reasons! Go find a naturopath doc, Auervedic (Indian medicine) doc, or an herbalist, for crist sake. Gawd, people, get what they deserve when they flee to a med doc without thinking it through....esp. for something so simple, even if stubborn at times.

Here's what to do (sorry I laid into ya, my man): (1) Find an herb shop and buy some fenugreek and steep it in hot (not boiling) water for a tea. Make litres at a time for convenience. Drink 6-8 glasses per day. (2) Get some food grad iodine at a pharmacy if they have it. Stain a 3" circle of it in the inside of your elbow. If the stain disappears within 24hrs, you are deficient. Repeat this procedure until the stain remains. (3) Find an auyervedic doc or shop and buy some Andrographis capsules and take 4 per day between meals; or bulk powder and stir a rounded teaspoon into a bit of water or juice, 3 times per day.

If you were in the US I'd do it a little differently with products locally available. By the way, I'm clinical nutrition therapist. (Disclaimer: I do not treat symptoms; rather I strengthen the body so that IT can restore itself to normal function...(what a novel concept!)

Hi,

I've been suffering with a sinus infection for nearly 3 months. Can't breathe out of one nostril, pressure, lightheadedness, blurred vision, lethargy. Seen 3 different doctors so far, and been given :-

Antibiotics

Cortisone nasal spray

Decongestants

Saline rinse

Steroids

Just when things start to improve, it all comes back again. I wonder if anyone has any experiences of this, and could recommend a specialist, possibly with a view to having FESS (functional endoscopic sinus surgery) ?

The problem with this operation is with an unskilled surgeon there is a risk (albeit slight) of damaging the optic nerve and leaving you blind.

Thanks,

INTJ.

.