Has anyone had their sinuses examined with a fibre optic camera thing??????

[girlandboy]

It's just that I have a persistant post-nasal drip (nice huh!) that is resisting all attempts to cure it with medicine.

Saw the gp again this morning and he has given me another steroid nasal spray to try for a month. He said that if this doesn't cure it, then I will be referred to an ENT surgeon who will want to have a look around my sinuses with a fibre optic camera. Some sort of guided tour thing in the cavities of my head!

Has anyone else had this done, and if so, what can I expect to happen. I can't say that I'm looking forward to it.

[girlandboy]

Anyone?????????

[girlandboy]

Is it just me then?

Am I the only one with a broken head??

[girlandboy]

If no-one answers me, then I suppose I will have to wait for the evening crowd, just to see if any of them have had a camera up their nose!

[girlandboy]

Right then, bumping for the evening visitors!

[ChiefMangosuthuButhelezi]

I once went to see an ENT and he used a camera to look up my nose. I couldn't feel it.

[girlandboy]

Thanks Marla!

The gp had a quick look around for polyps by peering up my nose with his light thing. Couldn't see anything.

Just wondered what the mobile camera on a stick was going to be like.

Don't fancy anyone doing a tour round the inside of my face

[ComeOVeneer]

My mother had it done a few years ago pre surgery (she had a deviated septum and regularly had sinus problems). SHe said it was a tad uncomfortable but not painful. I may well be heading the same way as I too have loads of sinus problems.

[girlandboy]

Thanks Chief. That is very reassuring. Phew, I'm a bit of a wimp.

[girlandboy]

ComeOVeneer.

I'm just sick and tired of having gloop constantly running down the back of my nose and throat. Makes me feel sick all the time.

[mousemole]

I had it done and it was fine. Not painful.

[KristinaM]

I had it done in november. its just a bit uncomfortable and weird, not painful. they spray a local anaesthetic first

[girlandboy]

Thanks for replying - you've reassured me that it might not be too bad after all.

[girlandboy]

Let's just hope that once they've had a good look round, then I don't need my sinuses scraping out!

[Caz10]

I've had it done, it was just uncomfortable as others have said. I was crapping myself the whole time though as the guy said to me "if you think you'll need to sneeze you MUST tell me immediately so I can get it out quickly"!! Of course then I was convinced I would sneeze and die a painful death as a result...

Unfortunately I am still plagued by sinus troubles, as apparently my "holes" for want of a better word are too small, so sinuses don't drain well - if I really want to I can get them DRILLED bigger - not a chance!!!

[giraffescantdancethetango]

Caz - my gran has had that done and it didnt work so she had it repeated. didnt work again. now they are talking about pioneering surery from america involving inflating a balloon.

I have had the camera thing - endoscopy i think its called. It wasnt sore but I did swear at the Dr. it was more uncomfortable and I wanted to yank it out. I would have liked someone with me so be reassuring me sympathetically to calm me down I think.

I have constant PND and nothigns really helped. ALso have constant throat pain, swollen lymph nodes and now recurrent labyrinthitis.

Have you tried cutting out dairy or anything? Could it be allergy related?

[girlandboy]

Yes, I've cut out all dairy.

I've had the Beconase spray - didn't work
I've had a 2 week course of Trimethoprim - didn't work
Now got flunisolide steroid spray which I've got to squirt for a month. I have to say that there does seem to be a small improvement, so fingers crossed.

[Caz10]

That was what I had heard giraffeCDTT (not about your gran specifically, lol!) so it didn't seem worth the trauma. Is your gran going to do the balloon thing? I have just chickened out and haven't been back to see about alternatives.

[Caz10]

girlandboy the thing I have found with all of the treatments you mention is that if they do work (the steroids were ok) they are not a lasting solution. Very painful isn't it?

[girlandboy]

It's the raw egg white effect constantly sliding down my throat that I can't stand the most.

[Caz10]

heee that is such a nice way to describe it...boak.......but entirely accurate!

Do you sometimes feel like you might drown?! That sounds so silly written down but sometimes my ears are blocked, my throat is so coated and it just feels like I can't get a clear breath. Plus you can hear everything you say inside your head. YUK.

[girlandboy]

Yes it's horrible. I feel like I wnat to throw up all the time. But it WON'T COME UP!!! Or go down properly either?? It's lurking there, clogging my pipework up!

[giraffescantdancethetango]

lol was wondering if you had been stalking my poor wee gran. No shes not, shes on courses of intensive antibiotics. Her surgeon went to american to see it done though (the balloon thing)

tmi below

She has a plaster on her head constantly now as her sinus sort of burst out her forehead, and is constantly filling with crap and coming out. As the hole to drain it just isnt big enough. Do you have a lump on your forehead? She had this at the start.

Its minging isnt it the PND. Ive sort of learned how to suck it out quicker, its hard to explain took me a good year or so to do. Mine tends to be worse in the morning and I cough a good load of gunk up. I also had a CT scan of sinuses and that was all clear, you might get that too. Thats much more plesant, just have to lye there.

[mrsmaidamess]

Have you tried one of those neti (sp?) pot things to sluice out your sinuses?

lovely demonstration picture here