Sinusitis remedies please - I'm in agony!

[Loueytb3]

Going into week 3 of this bloody cold which has turned into the worst sinus pain possible. At the moment it feels like I have an absess on my tooth and my head is caving in. And that's after drugs. So far I've tried sudafed but they don't seem to have made any difference. Does anyone have any good solutions

[ThreeBeeOneGee]

Not sure how much it'll do for full blown sinusitis, but using a neti pot usually brings me relief from blocked sinuses. If I remember to use it regularly, it prevents it happening in the first place. Once everything's a bit less blocked, olbas oil makes me feel a bit better. I hope you feel better soon.

[Spookey80]

I had this last year, awful, awful pain. so i feel for you. The only thing that got rid of the pain was codein/paracetamol mix from chemist. But became full blown infection so needed antibiotics in the end anyway, which cleared me up.

[bryonywhisker]

Strongest strenth Sinutab (imo better than sudafed). Massage in between eyebrows with a drop of olbas while steaming your head over hot water under a towel (really careful not to get in eyes)
Ask chemist for menthol crystals (not crystal meth ) dissolve one of these in the boiling steam water. They are very potent.

[RustyBear]

Sudafed never does anything for me - but Sinutab is very good. You need to get it from the pharmacy counter, though, and I'm not sure if it's OK if you're pregnant.

[Spookey80]

The gum/ tooth pain/pressure was the worst.

[Loueytb3]

ThreeBeeOneGee - what's a neti pot???

Will try and get some sinutab and menthol crystals - thanks for tip. Will not ask pharmacist for crystal meth, no matter how tempting

I'm trying to work atm and my brain is not working

[ChocolateCremeEggBag]

Try the Sinus Rinse from NeilMed - look for it on Amazon, should be about £10 for the bottle and 60 sachets of the buffer (saline). It's a lot easier to use than a traditional Neti pot bu is the same concept

Is amazing to rinse out the front part of your sinuses and see all the gunk come out. Not a total miracle cure, but might bring some relief to you

[boxoftricks]

Pat your face, starting at the bridge of your nose with finger tips, working your way around your eye sockets to near yor ear lobes. Repeat. Google if need to, it helps drain.
Hot water bottle against side of face. Not too hot that you can't hold it there.
Neti pot definitely. I've used an egg cup before. And the little jug that comes with the iron! It will take a couple of goes where you think it will never work, but once you get a constant stream, it feels amazing. Remember to use slightly salty water.
Alternate ibuprofen and paracetamol or cocodamol.
Don't tie your hair back tightly.

Which sudafed are you taking? One with paracetamol? Get the one without paracetamol. You'll have to ask for it. Little round brown tablets I think. Blue and white box. Best thing yet.
If it gets worse, get anti biotics.
I get sinusitis every 3/4 months.... Am well practised!

[ThatVikRinA22]

i would inhale steam and then tomorrow get to GP....full blown sinusitis needs ABs.

last time i had it i couldnt put my head down.....it felt like it would explode if i did.

[boxoftricks]

*when I say alternate, I mean take both, so ibuprofen at 12, paracetamol at 2, ibu at 4, para at 6, it safe to combine, but just remember to leave 4 hours between each of the same meds. Means that by the time it's hit it's peak, and wearing off slightly, you get topped up.

[PowerPants]

You poor love. I had this last week - so bad I thought I had an abscess. Only thing that worked for me was sinus rinse with saltwater - you can get them from Boots.

[ThreeBeeOneGee]

A netipot is like a mini watering can with a spout not a sprinkler. If you tilt your head at the right angle and tip warm saline into one nostril, it flushes out your nasal passages and the water along with the gunk comes out of the other nostril. If it's done correctly, gunk also gets pulled out of the sinuses as the water goes past (Venturi effect or something that sounds similar).

You need to make up the saline using neti salt (not table salt!). I use a combination of just boiled water and cooled boiled water to get the solution to body temperature. After irrigating, make sure all the water has drained out properly by hanging your head upside down for a few seconds.

I'm sure there are other neti users on here. If you search, there are probably some threads about it.

[Loueytb3]

So I got the sinutab and menthol crystals and thought it was getting better on Monday but yesterday it started getting worse again and now I have a temperature and feel like I've been hit by a bus. Throat is killing. I'm not sure if its part of the same thing or something different but I think I may have to drag myself off to the Drs today.

[ThreeBeeOneGee]

It sounds as though you may need antibiotics at this point.

[Loueytb3]

Yep - now on antibiotics. Really hope they start working soon. I've been in bed all day and I have too much work to do and a half marathon I'm supposed to be running on Saturday

[ThreeBeeOneGee]

If you have taken a couple of doses today, there is a chance you might feel better by the weekend. Not sure whether you'll be able to train in the meantime though.

[bacon]

I have suffered terrible and read up on all options and antibiotics are a no-no. Apprantly ABs cant reach the tissues and can make the disorder worse.

The tissues are so inflammed they need to be given time to reduce swelling. Agree with everyone bring mositure in, take meds, and just rest.

The other option is oral steriods which does help but I cant take them as they affect me mentally.

Watch what you eat too, nothing spicy or anything that will irritate the lining. No alcohol as this swells the capillaries. Plenty of rest, keep the rooms humid and avoid cold air.

Its truly awful, anyone who hasnt suffered cant imagine how down, awful & nausea you feel.

[Porkster]

I had this for the first time last year. I tried every over-the-counter remedies available and nothing worked.

The only thing that gave me relief was antibiotics which worked within about 3
24 hours. What a relief!

[ChocolateCremeEggBag]

Please please consider trying a Neti pot or sinus rinse like this one. It's made such a difference to my sinuses since getting the NeilMed one, the sachets make it easy to make up the saline water ( if you just use plain water it feels like when you get swimming pool water up your nose)

The other thing you can do is to push your fingers into your cheeks just below your eyes and then up, this helps open up your sinus passages and get the snot moving.