headache/neckache/sinusache - help!

[babyignoramus]

Anyone else suffer with this? Basically I get really bunged up, which leads to a headache and a (related?) neckache. I constantly have to circle my neck, which makes lovely crunchy sounds! I have been prescribed antibiotics in the past and I use a saline flush on my sinuses but it never seems to go away - it's worse now I'm pregnant too. I've noticed bright light exacerbates it (esp. very bright sunlight or flourescent lights). It also makes me reeeaallly tired! Ideas would be welcomed!

[misi]

sinus problems are often a sign that your immune system is under stress or not working properly. tyhe sinus is part of the lymphatic system which for want of a better phrase is the drainage system of your body. it runs parallel to your viens/arteries but whereas your blood is pumped by the heart and goes round your body twice per minute (average) your lymphatic system is pumped by your muscles and goes round maybe twice a day. if your are sedandry (sp?) then your muscles work less so your lymphatics don't flow so well. all the crap that your white blood cells takes care of in your blood is washed into the lymphatic system for removal to either the intestines, liver or other elimination pathway. when you have a cold/flu/illness, some people with sluggish lymphatics notice their sinuses blocking up, this is all the extra crap being generated by your immune system. as the sinuses are a major detox pathway for the brain area and sit in strategic places in your face area (above eyes, side of nose and under eyes) then build up in these glands will buld pressure and can cause headaches. the lymphatic system also extends down your neck and the same pressure building could be responsible for the neck ache. (alos bright light effect as pressure within the sinus can cause pressure on the optic nerves and alter the amount of light your eyes process and therefore cause more pain etc). the tiredness could also be because your liver is working overtime as are your other elimination pathways and one way the body reacts to when it is overloaded with toxins is to slow down and sleep as sleeping drastically reduces your toxin load through reducing metabolic rate (your metabolism is one of the major toxic contributors to your system).
anti biotics only work if the lymphatic system becomes so bunged up and sluggish that it becomes infected and most lymphatic infections are viral anyway!! pregancy can make this worse as your body reduces its immune system reaction so as not to reject the baby. some people react with their sinuses feeling far better but others react by getting far worse as the lymphatic system will slow down even more and later in pregnancy, often muscle movement becomes much less and so the pumping effect reduces.

for the headaches, take whatever painkiller your GP reccommends, also try to exercise more especially the legs as they are a major source of pumping action. gentle massage of the facial area can work as can gentle massage of the neck (do this several times a day). My best ''potion'' for this is not reccommended for pregnancy I am afraid.

www.babyworld.co.uk/information/pregnancy/pregnancyproblems/pregprobs_nasal_problems.asp
www.babycentre.co.uk/pregnancy/antenatalhealth/naturalremedies/sinusitis/

[babyignoramus]

Wow, thanks for such a comprehensive answer -funnily enough it is far worse when I'm at work (sitting at a desk all day). Will make sure I get up more!

If you wouldn't mind, your concoction would be welcomed for after I've had the baby...

[BodenGroupie]

Misi, you are amazing. My dd missed the whole of the summer term with a severe headache which then developed into neck ache, dizziness and blurred vision. I had to fight to get her taken seriously (she's a very mature 14 and not one to make a fuss, but was up all night crying in agony). Finally got an MRI which happily was all clear but the consultant rang me to tell me
she was "laying it on a bit thick" and she should go back to school as there was obviously nothing wrong with her . It wasn't until September that she managed a full week.

Now I've got over the fear and she seems pretty much back to normal, I feel very bitter about the way we were treated. Are you an alternative therapist of some sort?

[misi]

babyignoramus, will be glad to let you know whats best when the time comes, let me know how you go after and what the main problems are after birth (as they will change to what they are now) and I can let you know what I take/reccommend

BodenGroupie, stress is a killer for people with sinus probs. do I assume correctly that she had sats summer term or is that next year? you don't have to have a runny or stuffed up nose to have sinus probs but many think you do which is why it is often overlooked. hopefull your daughter will be OK now but if this sort of thing happens again (it may be linked to pollens too, some pollens are particularly bad over the summer and with stress too......) when having a bad day, gently feel/press either side of her nose, under the eyes and around the top of her eyes and look for puffiness, tenderness or swelling and pain. this can often not be seen which is why its best to feel.
have you taken her to the opticians? one of my ''paranoia's'' is eyesight, any one coming to me with blurred vision (or any eye disturbance) even if I know it is a symptom and is no cause for concern, I always ask for them to go for a check up just to be safe!
yes, I am a natural practitioner (I don't like alternative really as we came before modern meds so we are the original, so therefore modern medicine is the alternative )

[BodenGroupie]

Whoops, sorry, natural

Yes, she should have had SATS but didn't attend school at all from Easter. She's also the least
stressed person you can imagine and was strangely disappointed at missing both them and the school exams. Throwing herself into GCSE coursework now and loving it - not always sure she's my daughter! She had had a sudden deterioration in her prescription about six months before all this happened but has since improved again. She's always had problems with a bunged up nose so I'll prod if we get any relapses - thanks so much for your reply, nice to be taken seriously after six months of being treated like a paranoid mother

[misi]

no worries bodengroupie, tis the reason I went into natural meds, fed up with apathy from modern med practitioners.
I was ill for 3 months and getting worse by the day, I was told it was in my head in the end and I should ''buck up''. went to a natural practitioner who did a simple blood test and found I had a parastic malarial infection and after spending 3 months off work, 2 weeks after starting her treatment regime I was back at work 1 day a week, then 2 days until 10 weeks after treatment began, I was back to work full time, I was so impressed I bought into the idea!! whatever the symptom, there is always a cause whether it physical or pyschological, either way it needs to be investigated and treated. often the 2 intersect too, pyschological symptoms can become very real physical reactions and vice versa but very often, it is something simple that has caused a cascade effect and the original cause becomes overshadowed and is not found.

it may be with your alien daughter () then, that she was affected by a pollen or other allergen or even a bug or virus around easter that caused an exxagerated reaction on top of her usual bunged up nose that led to the lymphatics becoming extra clogged. it can take several months for the lymphatic system to get back to normal without help which would fit the timescale you mention.

as a treatment for myself, I use New Era combination Q tissue salts. they are a low potency homeopathic treatment. I do not practice homeopathy and I am scepticle of it but these do really work for me and many people and can be taken daily with no side effect. if I get a bad day I do use other, stronger stuff but I find that if I keep this up, I have few problems. (my sinus above my left eye was 'nicked/cut' somehow when I was 7 during an adenoid operation). so, never settle for being thought of as paranoid 9 times out of 10 you will not be and the other time, well, everyone is out to get you at some point in your life !!

[BodenGroupie]

Thanks again! Forgot to mention, Alien Daughter
(must tell her that ) wasn't even allowed a blood test - rather cheaper than the MRI she did have!

[misi]

wow, blood test is usually the first thing any doctor does, U+E's, LFT's, FBC are the 3 standards that rule in or out plus then anything relevant to the presenting symptoms.
very strange!!

[BodenGroupie]

They said there was no point in testing when they didn't know what they were looking for . Wondered if they'd used up the year's budget!

[Earthymama]

Am so interested in this as I suffer constantly with my sinuses.

I'll try the exercise and save your comprehensive reply.

Thanks to OP and misi, Em

[misi]

boden, I was under the impresson thats what blood tests were for, this just gets worse doesn't it?