Please help - Chronic Sinusitis??

[andwhatnow]

I am at my wits end. Could anyone who has suffered sinusitis/rhinitis please advise?

I have had a couple of sinus infections over the last year or so, one also with quite a bad ear infection a few months back. Basically I then continued to get intermittent pressure across my cheeks/head etc. Over the last two to three months it seems to be there almost every day, though sometimes improves as the day goes on. My head feels like I almost always have a dull headache right at the front. My sinuses behind my cheeks and the bridge of my noses aches. Sometimes the ear I had the bad ear infection in aches too and always feels full. When it gets bad my face, particularly my eyes become swollen. I look absolutely exhausted even though I will have had a good nights sleep. I feel the pressure when I learn forward and I'm convinced its worse when I'm lying down. I feel fatigued for no reason. I have no mucus (sorry!) to blow out but my nasal passages do feel quite dry. I have postnasal drip and often have to clear my throat.

I have visited the doctors and have tried Beconase, anti-biotics and steaming. I have had allergy tests with nothing found. I do not smoke. I cannot pinpoint a pattern as to what triggers it and why! I am so fed up of feeling naff. Has anyone else experienced this? Did their doctor suggest anything else?

Yea it's shit, isn't it? I've had it on and off since I was a child. I've had 2x lots of surgery too, including drilling!

And sometimes it comes back, and it's horrid. Something that can help keep things clear is neti pot or similar -basically washing your sinuses out. I use a Neilmed squeezy bottle thing and sachets of mixture, but you really could use any I old vessel and warm salty water. It's not a miracle cure, but can be good for maintenance. One thing that I think helps when the pain is bad, is a well wrapped hot water bottle held to the face, or on the pillow. It's not really pain-relieving , but can be quite soothing.

A friend has been referred to an ENT specialist for this (still waiting for an appointment).

I suffered terribly for around past 10 years. Mine was just one side and pain under eye/ cheek area. Hormones triggered mine every month.

A hot wheat bag and sinutab took the edge off.

Gp refered me to ENT and we tried 6 weeks of clarithromycin, otrivine and nasonex nasal sprays and nasal douche.....still didn't resolve.

In June last year I had FESS ( surgery to clean out sinus) and it's been amazing! Not one episode since.

May be worth you trying nasal douching.

Intense daily steaming is the only thing that really works for me. When using a nasal spray, moving my head in all directions to really get it into the whole of the sinuses really helps too. It's so horrible though, i do feel for you.

Snort salty water up your nose, have a look on you tube. Not for the faint hearted but it helped me.

I have this too, afraid I can't offer much other than sympathy! I hate steaming, I tend to rely on Sudafed/cold and flu medicine when it gets bad. I pretty much always have a heap apache, but now I don't really notice unless it gets bad.

I have bad sinusitis as a side effect of my meds - no choice not to take them unfortunately. I take Sudafed extra strength when it gets really bad, cover my chest with Vicks at night & use a Neilmed sinus rinse. Bought the sinus rinse from Amazon & I was really sceptical about it but it really works, I use it every day at the moment cos I've been having problems but once it's cleared I'll drop it to twice a week. Cost me about £13 but it was worth every penny.

Sorry forgot to say - my doctor told me recently that inhaling steam isn't recommended anymore for sinusitis - not sure why though.

Thank you for all of your suggestions which I will certainly try. Just one question - do you feel so fatigued with it, and how do you deal with it? It just seems to take it all out of me.

Another recommending the Neilmed sinus rinse, just be very careful to keep it clean otherwise you can reinfect yourself

Oddly enough, after many years of having this to contend with every winter, it has resolved completely since my underactive thyroid has been treated. Before that, an electric diffuser and essential oils kept the worst of it at bay.

Ita awful isn't it! I feel for you. I use tablets when I feel really bad, sudofed are probably the best ones. And I hold a heat pack to my face which seems to help, I also sleep with several pillows to try and be a little upright. Hope you feel better soon

I had this for years - well most of my life really, and eventually could rarely breath through my nose. Then I was referred to ENT - and (after different drops- stronger steroids etc and an MRI) has FESS surgery with septoplasty and polypse removal, and can breath again. I still get sinus infections but they tend to clear up faster (well they clear up between episodes- which just did not happen before), and the constant facial pain and ill feeling has gone. I am also less unwell. Samples of the infection in my sinuses were taken to find out which antibiotic would help most and that has helped enormously - the AB I had been prescribed before surgery was ineffective.
So I would say if the treatment the GP is giving you along with saline wash outs is not helping, discuss going to see the ENT specialist. Some areas have a faster access community specialist GP who can order up scans and give stronger nose drops-or other treatments and then list for surgery if needed. Good luck!