Sinuses driving me nuts - help!!

[ashorterday]

I've had problems with my sinuses just on one side for nearly two years.

GP prescribed steroid nasal spray last year, also advised antihistamines which I took for months, made no difference.

The one side is always blocked, I feel like my right ear is blocked and I get chronic post nasal drip as well. I'm utterly sick of it.

It's always there but some weeks I'm expelling huge amounts of thick green mucus from that one nostril - I've used saline spray, decongestant pills, I use decongestant spray just so I can breathe at night but I really want to get to the bottom of it.

Has anyone found something that works? A method for clearing it all out? Any medications I've missed?

I think surgery is not so effective. I've had 3 operations on my sinuses, plus washouts and it just gets worse again. I suspect that surgery has been found to be not very curative after all .

@TheSpottedZebra

I think surgery is not so effective. I've had 3 operations on my sinuses, plus washouts and it just gets worse again. I suspect that surgery has been found to be not very curative after all .

This basically. Low success rate plus if you have allergic rhinitis as well like I do then surgery won't affect that.

Have you actually had antibiotics?

Obviously not as long term as you but I had covid back in mid December and had issues with congestion / sinuses. Covid cleared up and went but I kept having recurring issues with my sinuses and nothing was helping.

I then had a really bad bout where I literally couldn't breath and my throat was so painful from mouth breathing (urgh I know) that I really got to the end of my tether.

Spoke to GP and he said it was almost certainly bacterial infection that got in whilst sinuses were inflamed / damaged from covid but I obviously wasn't clearing. He agreed to antibiotics as it had been ongoing for so long and I'm pregnant and it kept causing fever. I was better in 72 hours followed by a full week (and counting) of horrific green mucus coming out (sorry TMI).

I'm not one for antibiotics at all particularly as I'm pregnant AND breastfeeding but I obviously really needed them.

OP, I've just come across your thread again.
Unless things have radically changed in the last 8 years, you need a long course of antibiotics for sinus infection.
I had a horrific one (and ultimately ended up with glue ear), and was told you need antibiotics for at least two weeks.

I'm on day six of a seven day course, I am still congested but not expelling as much mucus as I was. Now feeling rough because of bellyache the last couple of days which may be from the antibiotics!

I'll start on the vile green powder again tomorrow!

Put plenty of lime juice in it 🤣

And vodka 😃

I have this. As well as the steroid spray and saline rinse, GP recommended trying different antihistamines. I tried a couple of different ones for a fortnight each at a time and made no difference so I was very skeptical. Then I tried a 5th one, I think it was, and wow, within 2 days, it went from awful throbbing down whole side of my head to a bearable minor ache. Really worth keep trying all different antihistamines.

@Arucanafeather

I have this. As well as the steroid spray and saline rinse, GP recommended trying different antihistamines. I tried a couple of different ones for a fortnight each at a time and made no difference so I was very skeptical. Then I tried a 5th one, I think it was, and wow, within 2 days, it went from awful throbbing down whole side of my head to a bearable minor ache. Really worth keep trying all different antihistamines.

I find it hard to believe it might be an allergy as it's only in one side of my face.

I'm something of an expert on antihistamines though, as I'm a regular hay fever sufferer so I've tried the lot over the years!

How often do you take decongestants? I think there's a thing where you can get rebound congestion if you take them for too long? Worth looking into anyway.

I'm also a big fan of steaming ones head (I literally just use a pan of boiled water and a towel. I put a finger over the nostril that I can breathe through and breathe in like that after a little while of letting the steam just be around my face etc. I often have to stop to breathe through my mouth instead for the purpose of actually getting oxygen...

@Gladioli23

How often do you take decongestants? I think there's a thing where you can get rebound congestion if you take them for too long? Worth looking into anyway.

I'm also a big fan of steaming ones head (I literally just use a pan of boiled water and a towel. I put a finger over the nostril that I can breathe through and breathe in like that after a little while of letting the steam just be around my face etc. I often have to stop to breathe through my mouth instead for the purpose of actually getting oxygen...

I do the same.

I put the spirulina in a smoothie today . An unpeeled carrot and unpeeled pear. Water and some lime juice. Been a bit hard to get down but think if I peel next time won't be so gritty.

Bloody hell, I've had some really grim stuff come out of my nose today 🤦‍♀️ it was grey and almost solid lumps...on googling it sounds like what I have is a fungal infection. Obviously that won't respond to any of the treatment I've been given - says online the only cure is to have an op to clear out the "fungal balls" 🥺

Hi everyone, how's the Spirulina going? I've been gradually increasing it and think it does make a small difference.

Anyway, I had to pass this on because it might be a life changer.

As I said above, I have 2 deviated septums plus allergic rhinitis. I've been on all the antibiotics, antihistamines and nose sprays over the the last 20 years. Nothing really helped. Sinus rinsing did help for a few hours though I don't like doing it.

I went to Austria last week on holiday and pretty much as soon as I arrived I realised that I had one dose of Sudafed sinus pain left and my paracetamol packet was completely empty so I went to the pharmacy. Got the paracetamol no problem but they didn't have the Sudafed substitute I was looking for. Instead, they gave me Sinupret which i'd never heard of. Anyway, language barrier, desperation, I bought it. Almost hit the roof when I realised it cost me 16 Euros (pack of 20) and I was not convinced by the ingredients list.

I HAVEN'T EVEN NEEDED THE PARACETAMOL (or Ibuprofen that I had already) SINCE I STARTED TAKING IT. This shit is fucking amazing. I can breathe like a normal person! Through my nose! For the whole day! No more inflammation, the phlegm has loosened up and this is the best intervention I have ever ever tried. Now i'm back in the UK, i'm going straight to the pharmacy and my GP if required to see if I can take it for more than 7 days. I'm buying the biggest pack I can find. I hope it helps someone else as much as it has helped me. What a fluke. I swear, i'm looking at the world differently now. Now that I don't have to constantly manage pain. I do still wake up with a headache I don't know why but i'm grateful to have found this stuff.

Ok, I hope I wasn't too enthusiastic there, it isn't a miracle but it feels a bit like one to me.

@NutellaEllaElla I know this is an old post but did the Sinupret work long term? I'm looking for something to ease my sinus pain/headaches while waiting for ENT

Yes, it has made a big difference. So has Dymista which is prescribed for me

@NutellaEllaElla thank you so much for replying. I'm going to order some 🤞🏻🤞🏻

Have you tried craniosacral therapy? There's diy videos on YouTube.