Sinus infection and upper tooth pain - any tips or advice please?

[Alabasterangel6]

I’m in the worse pain of my life - no exaggeration - I’d give birth 10 times over rather than have this.

I started with upper jaw pain middle of the week. Was convinced it was dental so went to see dentist yesterday PM who did a full upper X-ray and there is nothing there at all, all is well, but the pain has continued and ramped up overnight to the point where I can only describe it as having the worst toothache ever in every tooth in my upper jaw. It comes in waves (like labour but longer!) and each wave lasts about 30 minutes. I break out into a sweat and have tears running down my face. I didn’t sleep at all last night after 1am despite being dosed up to the max on ibuprofen and paracetamol in staggered doses. I also have nasty stuff running down the back of my throat which doesn’t taste nice and generally feel totally unwell (but no temp).

In desperation I went to the walk in at 8am and the nurse says it’s a sinus infection. She won’t give me antibiotics but has given me a flixonase spray and told me to take codeine but to potentially only try that at bedtime as I’ve never had it before and it may well make me nauseous?

Since coming home I have taken ibuprofen at the stated intervals, been inhaling steam and had my first dose of flixonase. My waves of pain are still just as bad and the ibuprofen just isn’t touching it at all. When I’m having a wave all I can do is grip the table or my head - I’ve never ever felt pain like it.

Anything else I can try or do?

I’ve just started a new job and I’ve got two absolutely critical meetings on Tuesday and I’m already worrying I won’t be better. To be fair if I still am in this much pain in waves by then I’ll probably want to remove my own head.

Anyone got any ideas? I’m willing to try anything but don’t feel safe to drive so may have to send DH out with any suggestions.

I feel your pain OP.

I’ve been battling with sinus issues for nearly a year now. My GP has suggested nasal rinsing, OTC meds, massaging, the lot. So far nothing has worked and it makes life pretty miserable.

Lying with a (fluffy) hot water bottle on my face helps a little. I can hear things popping when I do it and it eases the pressure around my eyes.

Does anyone else get excruciatingly itchy eyes?

When I had a dental sinus I was ready to get a hacksaw and remove my head as the pain was so awful.

Solpadeine or cocodamol didn’t touch the pain.

A few days in and I found what helped me was a series of exercises on YouTube that involved blowing down my nose by blocking off one nostril and repeating the other side etc, ibroprufen and eating hot peppers.

www.achooallergy.com/learning/clear-your-sinuses-with-capsaicin-from-hot-peppers/

I will try and find the nose blowing video and post it.

The hot peppers were very effective.

Can’t find the video I used but did find this and the positive comments are encouraging.

OP the worst pain in my life was like this, I did have antibiotics and it would get better but then come back in a couple of weeks. Took codeine every night for the pain. I too had seen the dentist and been told teeth were fine, but I didn't have xrays. It wasn't sinusitis at all for me, I had a abscess that could only be seen on an X-ray, doctor drained it and the pain went instantly. I have no idea if an abscess could not be seen or could be invisible on an X-ray.

I have this. I am due an op soon as I have two big sinus wholes and no membrane to keep liquid in the sinus flowing.

Holes!!!

Well I had a small bowl of spaghetti and ONE solpadeine and have snoozed my way through the evening. Pain waves are very much still there but I think frequency may be less. Snooozing has been done with my head tilted to the opposing side to the worse pain. Going to attempt nelimed then sleep.

I am relieved to hear others describe it as the worst pain ever. Seriously I would never believe it would feel this bad. I had a whole host of surgery on my head as a teen - huge occlusion/overbite so I had my lower jaw broken, a piece of bone from the top inserted and wired up and 6 molars removesd, then 3 years of fixed braces. And honestly, it was a piss in the ocean compared to this pain. No kidding.

Sinus pain is horrendous. It's sounds like you need a dose of steroids and antibiotics. The steroids work very quickly with sinus issues.

Nelimed was ‘interesting’ - I managed the 120ml but felt like the world was going to get washed out of my throat. Sadly it yielded no gunk other than clear stuff. Did flixonase 30 mins later which now aches like hell. Going to sleep in a respite gap in between waves. Bastarding pain.

GUAIFENESIN COUGH MEDICINE!!!!

I have just been through this and it didnt get better until I had a brainwave and started taking cough medicine with active ingredient guaifenesin, which thins mucus. Take it at maximum dose, it has really helped.

academic.oup.com/omcr/article/2018/9/omy060/5079196

You poor thing. I had this a few months ago and it lasted for weeks. Never had pain like it. I went from feeling like I'd been punched in the face, to then feeling like my cheeks were going to explode or that all my teeth were going to fall out.
I couldn't even bend down to fasten my shoes the pain was so awful.
I went to the doctors twice but they wouldn't give me antibiotics.
Unfortunately nothing helped me apart from inhaling menthol in the hot water (a tiny bit of relief) and lots of painkillers.
Someone told me to keep really hydrated so that's worth a try too.
Mine eventually started to clear up but then came back again on and off a little but not as painful.
I hope you get relief soon- it's horrible.

@Boilingfrog that’s a very good idea. Nurse did say no decongestant but expectorant and guifaneisen is that, so I’ll go out later and get some.

Slept sitting up and facing left surrounded by pillows.

I can def feel more crap down my throat today so hoping this means things are moving.

I do appreciate the issue with antibiotic abuse these days but I can’t get past not having some. There is clearly a whole inside my head which is full of infection and nasty stuff and the whole thing is clearly inflamed as a result, so how would antibiotics NOT work to clear that infection out? I can only assume my poor body is going to take a whole lot longer to do it by itself?

The GP similarly wouldn’t give my DD antibiotics last week for an ear infection, despite her being in pain for a week, clearly inflamed, blocked ear etc. Suggested instead were bicarb ear drops and nasal rinse. After about 3 days using these she could hear again and the pain subsided.

I think that it’s not so much antibiotic abuse, it’s more that it’s better for our bodies to try to fight infection if possible. Also take into account that antibiotics kill off the good bugs along with the bad.

I know it’s a pain but persevere, use the sinus rinse, take painkillers, drink fluids and try to take it easy.

Oh I've had this. Its awful. It had me in tears. Sinus rinse helps. Keep doing it. It takes practice - theres a knack to it. Also, holding a warm (not hot, obviously) hot water bottle to the face helps temporarily.

As previously said, anything with glucosamine will help liquify it.

Most of these infections (ear, sinus, throat etc...) are either viral or the bacteria resistant to most antibiotics. Most infections will resolve within a relatively short period of time which coincides with starting the ABs, but it is often not the ABs which cause the improvement (does that make sense)?

Same here
Used solphedine cough bottle sinus rinse and bongela on gums.
It comes and goes but it helps me sleep and helps with mouth pain

You need Olbas Oil

Loads in hot water and breath it in or leave it in your room to steam overnight or near on a pillow (or use some tissue under you pillow)

I've had this and it was horrendous. I got given antibiotics immediately and was cured with 24 hours. Why can't you have them?

Have you tried a hot curry or chilli con carne that would make your nose run? I suffer with my sinuses when I have a cold & this is the only way I get any relief, you need it to be very spicy, the kind that makes you go sweaty & your eyes & nose run.

I too have suffered this and it was appallingly painful.
Steroid nasal spray sorted it but it does take a couple of days to kick in. I was just crying with pain and I was convinced it was a tooth till the dentist said it was sinus.
Massive sympathy.

Oh, I forgot, the other thing that worked brilliantly to relieve the pressure was otrivene sinusitis spray.

I’ve never been given antibiotics or been referred for further tests despite suffering with constant infections for nearly a year.

It’s so frustrating how GPs approach things differently.

@SallyWD I can’t have them because at the walk in the nurse said that they take 3 days to reach into the sinuses and steroids would work faster. She said my own body would attack the infection which I guess is true but it feels BIG - probably isn’t really - but it’s so sore and pressured.

Can’t seem to tolerate anything vaguely warm - tepid tea/warm food gives me a ‘wave’ (like the worst and most sensitive tooth pain and ache but across my whole upper jaw). External cold seems better but I can’t sit delivering a 4 hour meeting on Tuesday with a can of Fanta attached to my face.

Throwing everything I can at it again today. Steam bath with menthol then sinus wash followed by flixonase, ibuprofen, and the gufaniesen (benalyn). Managed cold toast and juice and drinking a ton of water. DH says my face looks swollen on that side.

I can also now feel a generalised pressure in my head which wasn’t there before - I am hoping that this is things starting to ‘move’ and not getting worse

How are you feeling?