chronic sinusitus any ideas on how to control it????

I hate being sick, well having bad sinuses mind u I didnt have no sinus problems ever until about 2-3 years ago it just all of a sudden hit me, and I am always cold now too, I do know that I went to a specialist about hyperthyroidism (i hardly sleep) and the person doing the test said my levels was 5. something and it should be 3.0 at the most, but the hospital lost my paperwork and such and i never went back to have it redone because of that, so instead of them putting me on medication they told my family doctor i was fine but anywho I have taken a whole box of sinus medicine and my sinuses are bad, I remember when I had tests done because I get really bad migranes it showed that I had chronic sinusitus, so I am always having sinus issues which really sux. But the Z pack medicine doesnt work(antibiotics) So they usually put me on ammoxicilin (sorry for spelling) and half the time that doesnt work fully and with this weather my sinuses are CRAZY, I am so congested and I have already killed a box of sinuse medicine and ugh I feel the same, any one have any suggestions on how they handle their sinuses?? Is there some trick I am up to try anything so I can fully breath again thanx in advance, also anyone now how to keep it under control for the future??

hmm i would be going back to the doc, just as soon as you can. But i do agree the weather has been nuts on my sinus also. only after it finally turned cold here did they stop running and and getting blocked.

Originally Posted by theimp98

hmm i would be going back to the doc, just as soon as you can. But i do agree the weather has been nuts on my sinus also. only after it finally turned cold here did they stop running and and getting blocked.

Click to expand...

i have come to the conclusion that I hate the weather I am also congested in the lungs now what a fun night and morning im gonna have but my doctor I will only see one of thje physicians at my doctors office, the head doctor or whatver is still convinced that my mom has a gobladder so I see the one lady and I do have to go because I cant sleep shes probly going to give me something for that but appearently I have a free appointment our copay is $10 so it doesnt matter, but I am the one that refuses to go to the doctors and yet I somehow am the one that gets a free appointment so hopefully soon, but man I wish there was something that wouold actually work with my sinuses it seems like it gets better than we go back to square one or worse like now its congestion in my lungs and my head and ugh I hate sinues and the weather

sinus are very hard to clear up, is what my doctor told me. The funny part was i never used to have them. Then i moved to asia for a severals years before come back to the US. AFter coming back is when the sinus part started. 2 years ago i had to go to the hospital, cause the sinus pressure got some bad, they ended up have to drain them.

now that was just plan bad.

I've only been able to breath out of half my nose at a time for... 16 maybe 17 years now? In my case it was a very bad cold when I was a child that turned into near/minor pneumonia before my parents would take me to a doctor, I've had congestion since.

You really need to get back to a doctor and force them to retest you for hyperthyroidism, make a big fuss over it if you have to. That they lost your paperwork is ridiculous. You may be able to get some sort of decongestant or an allergy medicine with a decongestant. I've taken a few of my husband's Allegra from time to time, they do work and it's amazing to actually be able to breath clearly. Though they don't last for me as long as they're supposed to, only about 4-6 hours instead of 24.
However, before you get any medications for anything get the hyperthyroidism issue worked out.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

I've only been able to breath out of half my nose at a time for... 16 maybe 17 years now?

In my case it was a very bad cold when I was a child that turned into near/minor pneumonia before my parents would take me to a doctor, I've had congestion since.

You really need to get back to a doctor and force them to retest you for hyperthyroidism, make a big fuss over it if you have to. That they lost your paperwork is ridiculous. You may be able to get some sort of decongestant or an allergy medicine with a decongestant. I've taken a few of my husband's Allegra from time to time, they do work and it's amazing to actually be able to breath clearly. Though they don't last for me as long as they're supposed to, only about 4-6 hours instead of 24.
However, before you get any medications for anything get the hyperthyroidism issue worked out.

Click to expand...

Me and my mom have tried it was actually the hospital I was then 15 or 16 and I had to get it done at childrens and I got it done in one section and they had to send it up to the specialist and the specialist lost it and so she sent a form saying that I was fine, which we knew differently because the people performing all the tests on me discussed what would happen and what he seen then, also I did have 2 small nodguls on my one thyroid thats why they did the tests that and i can never sleep...but they wont get me retested I have argued with my doctor bout this a few different times my gynie even was mad and tried to tell them to get me retested because i was also irregular and everything and she was the inital one who made the testing at the hospital she was at and then we had to discuss it with the family doctor and such and she said it was a good idea, but thats all where it went I went but because their bloodwokr at that office shows i am normal they wont get it redone, and the only place that my bloodwork has been right at was my gynies and the hospital so i just dont understand what they are talking bout at the family doctors office, they dont know how to find anything thats my conclusion....but I did save some papers that I can show about the chronic sinusitus so idk wat to do all i know is the congestion has moved into my chest and its harder to breath now even more

You may have an infection if the congestion has just recently worsened. Can you get another family/general practice doctor? It really sounds like you need a better one if they're saying you're "fine" despite all the tests and another doctor's concern over it.

I would have seriously been yelling at people if they lost the paperwork after all the trouble.

I know a few people with sinus problems that have had a procedure done to clean out their sinus's. One thing you want to do (a doc recommended this to me) is to drink lots and lots of water. Also if worse in winter make sure your house has enough humidity in the air. There are also saline solutions you can spray in your nose to keep it moistened.
It sounds like you have bronchitis now.

Drinking plenty of water does help a lot, it thins out the icky mucus drainage. Milk usually makes it worse. (if anyone was eating breakfast, I'm terribly sorry )

The medicine you are taking(over the counter) maybe making it worse! go back to your doctor. Before Claritin was a prescription and I was put on it from September until March. I haven't had sinus problems since. My family doctor thought I would need it each year. You could also develop bronchitis & inner ear infection if you don't get this taken care of. I don't understand why they won't re-test you. That is crap! Maybe it is time for another doctor!

i have sinus problems, and my dr suggested using a Neti pot. it really helps! i had to go to a health food store to get one. but making the saline solution for it is really easy.

This sounds a bit weird, but it helps much like garggling with salt water.
Mix a bit of salt with warm water, lean over the cup and inhale some of the salt water.
After, tilt your head back so you can feel it drip down into your throat (that way you know it passed through your nasal cavity).
If this doesn't appeal, there is a saline nasal spray you can buy at the drugstore.
It's an old trick. It helps heal your nasal passage and clears it up a bit. Plus, it's natural.

My mom and I both have chronic sinusitis.

First of all, you need to be retested for the thyroid problem. This can be very serious, and you need to have it taken care of. My mom had to have her thyroid removed - but medicine has come a long way since then.

Sometimes with chronic sinusitis a "rhinoscopy" is appropriate. Only an ear, nose, and throat doctor can make that determination. Both my mom and Gary have had to have one - it is a fairly simple outpatient procedure that takes just a morning or afternoon (cleaning and medicating the sinuses surgically) and full recovery is a few days. HOWEVER, my mom lost her sense of smell (and taste) for over a year after the procedure. Gary lost his for a few days.

To avoid ever having to have a rhinoscopy, the very best thing you can do is a daily sinus rinse. It may feel uncomfortable at first, but it is something Indians practicing ayurvedic "medicine" have used for thousands of years. Any good allergist or ENT doctor recommends them as well. Here's a link to the product I use: http://www.neilmed.com/

You can make your own mixture of saline solution and purchase a "neti" pot: http://store.bytheplanet.us/neti-pots-neti-pots.html. But make sure you use DISTILLED water and not spring water or tap water, as these can lead to infection. And if you're going to make your own saline solution, use kosher salt, as it has been purified.

With chronic sinusitis, it is important to keep the inflammation down. The sinus rinse itself may be enough, though it will likely take a few days for you to see the improvement. If the sinus rinse itself doesn't do it, you may want to talk to a Doctor about a steroid nasal spray, like Nasonex, Flonase or Nasocort. These are nasal sprays that treat the area directly, and are far, far better for your health in the long run than continuing to take decongestants. The nasal steroids are used twice a day. And if you do the nasal rinse at night, you would take the night time nasal steroids AFTER the nasal rinse.

Almost everyone I know has their sinus infections treated with Levaquin when using a drug. However, many allergists and ENT doctors around here have stopped prescribing anything for them because the problem has become so rampant that all we're doing is creating multi-strain resistant bacteria. Many allergists around here simply recommend the daily nasal rinse (sometimes called nasal irrigation) in combination with the steroid spray (which does require a prescription).

It is also a possibility that your congestion is a reaction to allergies. That would explain why the antibiotics haven't been working. Have you been to an allergist? Just another avenue to explore.

Good luck!

Laurie

I was going to recommend the exact same thing that Laurie did for immeditate (but temporary) relief of not being able to breathe....a sinus rinse. I just went through a bout of acute sinusitis and an upper respiratory infection. My sister works for an ENT (ear, nose, throat specialist)...she is the office manager there. She is always giving us sample medications and stuff. She gave me one of those sinus rinse kits (the exact same one in Laurie's post) because they couldn't sell it to patients. Some of the saline packets were busted. It really helped right away with the fact that I couldn't breathe. I was very nervous about using it, but it was really NO big deal.....and I could breathe again afterwards.

Smoking or being around cigarette smoke will aggravate then condition.

Originally Posted by LDG

And if you're going to make your own saline solution, use kosher salt, as it has been purified.

Click to expand...

And it doesn't have iodine added to it, which is a no no for a sinus rinse .

I take Singulair for my allergies (along with Chlotrimicon) and since starting it, my chronic sinus problems have greatly improved! (No brain numbing headaches for months at time- just periodicly ). Nasonex also helps, as does Sudafed for occasional use. Do drink plenty of water, and see an ENT if you can. Mine only does sinus cleaning as a last resort- there are lots of other things, as you can see , to try first.

I agree, you need to get your thyroid rechecked as soon as possible- if you have an underlying condition, getting better from anything may be very difficult.

And if you have congestion in your chest, go to the doctor right away. The chronic sinusitus can aggravate a chest infection, but you need to get to the doctor and get this checked out, before it gets worse.

I hope you are feeling better soon .

I cast my vote for the sinus wash! It has saved me from getting pneumonia, bronchitis, and ear infections many times. It gets the gunk out of your sinuses before the bacteria from the nose is spread to the lungs and ears, where it can casue massive bacterial infections.

http://www.recipezaar.com/70486

I use one cup of plain wam water and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a bulb syringe (sold with baby stuff). Good luck, and get those thyroid tests done!

Cheers, from
SwampWitch

p.s. I can't take any over-the-counter medicines, and have found ways to beat these things (most meds just mask symptoms). If you can stay away from refined sugar (fruit is fine) while you are sick, you help your body's immune system tremendously. One can of soda pop can suppress the immune system by up to 60% for three hours.

Neti pot and sinus rinse here. I started with that 4 years ago and have not had any sinus problems since. I always had sore throats every morning in the winter, from sinus drainage, I never have it now. Using a neti pot takes a bit of practice and sure feels weird at first, but once you get used to it, it's fine. I think it's like when you get a big nose full of salt water at the ocean and you hack all that stuff up.
~Rhonda

I dont know if your sinusitis is anything like with my son, but the ped. tells me not to give him anything with artificial colorings (foods or drinks) because that can aggravate the sinuses.

Dont know if thats right or if it makes any sense, but that what he told me!