Bad sinus pain - nothing I can take can take it away

[bobthebaby]

I have terrible sinus pain and have had for 3 days. My 11 month old is bfed and allergic to dairy, he isn't great with a cup or bottle so I am his only source of fluid (apart from that in food).

Having been keen to avoid antibiotics after a night in which I woke up every half an hour in pain, I have given in and gone to the emergency doctor. She had a look up and can see at least one huge polyp, she can't see anything in the really sore nostril because its so swollen.

She has given me Paracetamol with Codeine Phosphate 8mg. This has not even taken the edge off the pain. Even when I take Nurofen as well it is still agonising. My dh rang them earlier to say I was no better and they said that they can't prescribe anything stronger because of the bfing.

For the first time in 11 months I am considering throwing in the bfeeding towel. Before I do can anyone help?

[clairabelle]

Sorry to hear you're feeling so poorly, the only thing i could reccomend is some olbas oil in a burner or on a hankie ( won't really help with the pain but may ease some of the congestion) Have you tried a warm pack around the area? Did your GP say anything about antibiotics when you went? You are on pretty maxium analgesia at the moment, the only thing they may do is increase the amount of codeine to 30mg with 500mg of paracetamol, this would be more effective but I'm not sure effective enough to balance against stopping BF. Are you taking the brufen regularly

[emmatmg]

I had something similar last year, although by the sound of it not nearly as bad as yours.

I'm afraid the only thing that cleared mine up was anti-biotics, I was 20 weeks PG at the time so really reluctant to take them but as paracetermol was about as useful as as a smack in the face they were my only option. However I didn't take the full course, when I felt it starting to get better I just started with pain killers again to take the edge off.

Maybe you could try that too, HTH

[robinw]

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[Epigirl]

btb, that sounds horrible. I've had some sinus pain in my time so I sympathise, although it was no where near as bad as yours (keeping dairy to a minimum has really helped me to aviod recurrence after years of pain BTW).

I too had to take anti-biotics very reluctatly recently, due to mastitis. One think I did discuss with a bf counsellor was that, if my ds showed signs of diarrhoea due to the antibiotics, I could express milk, chuck it, feed him a bottle and then go back to bf afterwards. This was a different situation as my ds was 4 weeks old and I don't know how successful it would have been but it made me feel better knowing there was an alternative.

Hope you feel better soon x

[Cawthorne]

sinus pain is awful. I had acupuncture and it really worked. I was quite cynical about it but it helped my sinuses for quite a few months having just one or two goes.

[aloha]

If it was me, I'd take the antibiotics AND carry on breastfeeding. I had years of sinus problems and know what a special agony it is. Poor you.

[Epigirl]

Sorry, forgot to make it clear that I ended up taking the anti-biotics for mastitis and carried on feeding.

[zebra]

I had a bad sinus attack right after DD was born... Lasted about 2 weeks, GP refused to prescribe anything since I was breastfeeding (didn't believe me it that it was sinusitus, and didn't try to examine me to check herself, hymph!). I didn't have a copy of Hales to argue with, either. Was probably not as bad as you describe BtB, but I wonder if methylated crystals might help? Get from a pharmacist, pour hot water over the tiniest amount in a bowl, hang your head over the bowl under a towel; that and Sudafed helped me.

[gingernut]

This definitely sounds like a case for antibiotics to me. I am sure there are some you can take. In the meantime, steam. I used to think this wasn't worth doing but have found taking a hot shower helps. Take one before you go to bed, it may loosen things a bit and help you sleep.

[gingernut]

I have just looked up amoxicillin, which is the antibiotic I was prescribed for sinusitis last year. It is found in breast milk in trace quantities. The BNF does not seem to mention any caution for breastfeeding mothers, so it might be an antibiotic your doctor would consider if you suggested it.

[robinw]

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[shrub]

have you asked if you can have your sinuses removed? also when i had it during pregnancy i used a 'neti' which i think is an indian invention used for draining sinuses - rather like a strange tea-pot shape you fill with salt water and pour it down one nostril then lean opposite way to let it drain out of the other! see google or dr-ali website.

[Tinker]

Can you get your sinuses removed? I know they can flush them out but didn't know you remove them. Sinus pain is excruciating, feels like you want to drill your face to release the pressure. I would take to ab's without a doubt

[motherinferior]

another vote for acupuncture here. It worked for me after a lifetime of chronic sinus problems. I really feel for you!

[bobthebaby]

Okay I took the antibiotics and am timing the doses so that there is the least chance of them getting through. I am allergic to penicillin which has been the problem, but the doc gave me some that are suitable for infants so it must be okay for me to take.

My main issue was the pain, but I am just taking as much of everything as I can. I am not timing these as the pain is non negotiable. My dh says it must be really bad if I am moaning and rolling on the floor as I had ds with no pain relief.

I will probably have to have the polyps removed. That should be another interesting experience as I think ENT specialists like to try and shrink them first with drugs, but will probably be too scared to in my case.

I don't have any dairy, and have found some xylitol granules from a health food shop which I have added to my water bottle. When should I know if they help Robinw? My dh is being fantastic and is keeping ds occupied and happy. They are going out today so I can try to rest.

Thank you all for your messages of support. It all seems a bit more manageable this morning.

[kiwisbird]

Hot and cold compresses alternate every ten minutes. a hassle but so worth it.

[robinw]

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[gingernut]

How are you feeling now, btb?

[bobthebaby]

Very bad night. I got about an hours sleep before the baby woke up. My poor dh did too. Despite the antibiotics, pain killers, xylitol, olbas oil, hot towels, cold towels I can hardly move my head for the pain. When I was pg my GP injected my neck with some local aneasthetic, which I was dubious about but did give me some relief. I am going to see him today and like a junkie dreaming about her next fix I am salivating at the prospect of the injection.

[bobthebaby]

Made an appointment with an acupuncturist, which is in a couple of hours. I feel as if when they stick the needle in my head will pop like a balloon. I'll keep you posted.

[robinw]

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[bobthebaby]

I've had 2 lots of acupuncture now, and a tiny bit more sleep. The sinus pain is getting much better and I now have discovered that I have a sore jaw (probably from clamping it shut in pain) and toothache. So I'm going to the dentist tomorrow to see if it is really my teeth, or if the nerves are just setting everything off. This is getting to be quite expensive.

The acupuncturist put a needle in that pressure point on my hand that robinw mentions, which gave the same throb as the one in my face - interesting.I have decided that sadly xylitol does nothing for me personally, but nothing ventured and all that...

[gingernut]

Hi BTB. Glad to hear it's getting a bit better. Hope you find it doesn't come back next time you have a cold, but once you've had a bad attack of sinusitis like this it does tend to, I've found. These days, as soon as I get a cold, I use steam and decongestants to try to ensure I don't get too bunged up in the first place and it does seem to work for me.