Utterly utterly miserable with sinus infection

[Lefmry]

So about two weeks a go my whole house came down with the flu/covid/god knows what. We all were quite poorly with raging temperatures, achy bodies, chills, shakes, being sick a couple of times, runny/blocked noses, headaches.. you get the picture, it was awful.

Of course two weeks on and everybody else is absolutely fine except me. It’s never gotten better for me only worse in other ways and is now a sinus infection. I’ve had such awful pain in one side of my face even radiating down to my neck, around my jaw, my teeth etc. banging head, horrible yellow stuff coming out of my nose, no energy, practically no voice still, needing to sit down after simplest of tasks because I just get so hot and the worst of all… a blocked ear.

The ear being blocked is driving me absolutely mad and has reduced me to tears today because I’m just so beyond fed up. I went to the doctors on Monday who prescribed me antibiotics but told me to wait 2-3 days as most sinus infections are viral and they may not do anything. Well I waited 2 days and couldn’t cope anymore so started them in case. It’s since been 3 days and honestly I feel worse than ever today, I cannot put it in to words how blocked one side of my entire head feels, it’s seriously ruining my life.

I will add I am also 33+ weeks pregnant with two small children. My partner has had to take this week off work to take care of us all because I’ve been quite literally bed-bound because of this. It’s been nothing short of pure misery on earth. I did get a sinus infection last year after a nasty cold but wasn’t heavily pregnant so didn’t feel quite as bad or as useless, but I do remember having all the exact same symptoms and wondering why the antibiotics weren’t working and then one day I was miraculously better but I can’t remember at all how long it took.

Does anybody else get sinus infections often? How long do they usually take to clear? Or specifically how long until your ears clear? Because I feel like that’s the worst thing right now.

Get yourself a steam mug from Amazon and some Olbas oil and steam at least 3x a day, also use Beconase nasal spray. Keep taking the antibiotics and go back to the GP if things don't improve. 💐

You need to steam for weeks, it isn't a quick result but it does work in my experience.

I've only once had a sinus infection and hopefully never again.
Coughing made me vomit. It was dreadful and disgusting and I was on holiday too.
Can't remember what treatment I had but I fully sympathise OP and hope it clears up soon.

I have had a few sinus infections though not as bad as you , steam helped me and also diy face massage with oil ,can be painful but helps loosen things up and get it moving, rub oily fingers down the side of your nose ,on the top of your cheek bones and painful but works for me rubbing firmly under your cheekbones.
Use a firm touch almost a press/push motion whilst you rub ,hopefully that may help you, sinus problems are truly awful .

Sinus infection is the absolute fucking worst. You have my sympathy.

I have one at the moment.

Fucking hate it.

I'm using sterimar saline spray u my nose which is clearing a lot of gunk out.

Alternating IB and para.

Using a hot wheat pack on my upper sinuses.

I've also used item to clear out my ears which helps.

Have you tried sterimar to ease the congestion? The bigger one that looks like a bottle of hair mousse. It’s just salty water so should be fine for use during pregnancy.

X post on the sterimar.

I would ne expecting the antibiotics to begin to work after 2-3 days (I get a lot of sinus infections and ear infections sadly) I would suggest you call 111 and ask if you can get something stronger. (Assuming you have something like amoxicillin) you should not still have pain radiating down your jaw.

You have my sympathy

I don't know if you're allowed to take these when pregnant, but the only thing that's ever helped when I have a sinus infection is Sudafed, and it works pretty quick.

Don’t steam your sinuses. They stopped recommending that a while ago.

Neilmed sinus rinse is helpful - slightly better than sterimar because it contains bicarb which helps ease the inflammation. It’s a bit more faff because you have to use cooled boiled water but I think worth it. Sterimar is still good though if the convenience is what you need right now.

Antibiotics take time to get to the sinuses because they aren’t served well by blood vessels, and you may need a much longer course once you’re no longer pregnant so it might be worth asking for a referral to a specialist.

Sinus infections are truly awful - the exhaustion alone is terrible. Huge sympathy op.

Who stopped recommending it because I've been told to do it every time I have one as it especially clears blocked ears?

https://kingspharmacy.co.uk/nhs-sinus-infection-treatment/#:~:text=Relief%20and%20Home%20Remedies,keep%20the%20nasal%20passages%20moist.

The respiratory consultant I saw told me that steam can irritate the linings of the passages and make things worse.

I guess like everything in medicine there are some who recommend and some who don’t.

Thanks everybody for the suggestions and even just sympathies! I have woken up today feeling exactly the same if not worse. Now I suddenly have a really sore throat to go with it. I cannot believe how miserable this is making me and how long it’s lasting for! 😩😩

Back again because 3 days on from this post and I am no better.

I have two days worth of antibiotics to take but not sure they’re even doing anything. My cough is even worse, I’m waking every morning with a major sore throat, yesterday I had teeth pain and pain when opening my mouth on that one side, my hearing is still totally muffled on one side and oh my
god the congestion in my nose is still so, so bad.

I’m assuming at this point it isn’t bacterial as the antibiotics would have surely worked? I honestly feel even worse today I don’t understand it, every day feels like day one of a really bad cold. My partner is still having to take time off to watch the kids and I feel dreadful because his job aren’t happy with it but I am just so miserable and poorly still.

I have been trying to use steam in a bowl etc, drinking lots, resting, maybe I need to buy a sinus rinse that you’ve all suggested. I can’t cope with another day of this misery and guilt over having to tap out of parenting and leaving everything to my partner, I feel awful.

Try this. I do this every day as I have lots of sinus issues (nasal polyps)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/NeilMed-Original-Squeeze-Bottle-Sachets/dp/B07YCFS4SB/ref=sr_1_9?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.xAjlbq9tJ4vJJ_teEjFbgBRz1hnC_PyM6VKpsic3Rybk2JYy5usMziea8SD2aGnSpXgt3auCsp3KBG0_-1PABVXAC2Xddd3VW4qLjnBXQdbRB4GPF49ZeTCjadr8_CHYHMSZiSoMy9VAc-rwjBNEBhY2a7k5Rbd9oMQGBgPiSHIyRoyTMZrkct2BtFJGLGzfEmMsnJXngvwrVBXgqWm2O0TW-e6Nf2O-XU-EDPyscLdho6jRyHlZThLuUGJ83wj-OByveGWjhTjyBh7MB3ehyCCc4oPflcLhY9g-PN25ecc.mZJTE9QgW0N_VbnKpjc16nU4USFMM1-zQUJZevTAIaY&dib_tag=se&keywords=neilmed+sinus+rinse+sachets&qid=1722247124&sr=8-9

Go back to the GP,don't assume anything,you might need different antibiotics.

I use a saline nasal rinse, you must use boiled and cooled water, it’s not nice and there is a technique to stop you swallowing it but worth it.

I'm just coming to the end of a very similar thing. It's been going on for weeks. I was at my routine asthma check and the practice nurse said there was a lot of this around, and it was 'likely' to be covid.

Decogestant tablets helped (Sudafed - Boots own brand didn't touch it). Rinsing with saline improved things a bit - as did Beconase.

My sympathies. It's miserable. I had a completely blocked ear for about a week, and really loud tinnitus in the other ear, as well the blocked nose (which felt like there was a tennis ball shoved up there).

I use NeilMed (see above) and I don't find anything unpleasant at all. I can't understand how you would swallow the water.

The boiled water is incase you have poor water quality (I use bathroom tap water) and also to dissolve the salt.

Here's an interesting article. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/09/220913110403.htm

Go back to your gp.

Went back to gp because my ear quite literally feels like it’s about ready to explode. It’s been seriously affecting my anxiety, I’ve been waking in the night having huge panic attacks over the worry I’ve lost my hearing for good. The appointment was actually for my son who is also now poorly again you couldn’t make it up, I feel like this is the virus that just keeps on giving and giving. The doctor looked in my ears and I was seriously ready for her to tell me I had severe wax build up or something but nope she said there’s an infection. So I’m now on another course of a different type of antibiotics and PRAYING they work because honestly this is the most miserable I’ve ever been.

How are you doing now @Lefmry ? Has the new antibiotic taken effect?

Poor you, sinus infections in pregnancy are awful! I used ice packs on my face, heating pads as well, a neti pot, and pirinase for congestion. Good luck OP