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Original poster

sinus infection agony advice needed

17 replies

cheeryface · 24/12/2008 20:24

have had to take two courses of antibiotics to get rid of a sinus headache ( had it for weeks and weeks along with a d ripping feeling down throat)

anyway , felt ok for a few days and caught a cold which led to headache and face pain and ear pain that was on sunday sheer agony , much worse than all the previous weeks.

i had felt it coming on a couple of days before and got some amoxicillin off doc to take if it didnt go better in a day or so.
he said if i am still suffering headaches after christmas he will refer me.

anyway, although not quite as bad as on sunday (was the worst headcahe ive ever had) i still have headache and a lot of pain around my eyebrows and ear on one side of face.

what can i do ? i have had 4 days amoxicillin now. i have presents to wrap. is sinusitus normally this painful and does it normally cause such a bad headache ?

please anyone who knows about this help me!

OP posts:
Original poster
cheeryface · 24/12/2008 20:43

anyone ?

OP posts:
TipsyFairydifferentID · 24/12/2008 20:44

yes, sinusitus is a bitch. It sounds like you need a bigger dose of ab's tbh.
Is it worse if you're bending forward?

Iamastupidperson · 24/12/2008 20:46

It causes a shocking headache ,I felt like someone was hitting me in the head with a hammer each time I looked down or moved my head quickly ....even when I was asleep I was aware I had a headachhe.

I have no real advice the only thing that helped me was sleep and thats not really helpful for you to hear now ,hope the antibacs kick in soon took about 5 days for mine to start doing anything.

Feel really really sorry for you and my sister who has it also .

Original poster
cheeryface · 24/12/2008 20:49

all the weeks i was moaning about headache i had a weeks course of ab's and then 2 weeks of aome stronger ones . did the trick for about 2 days!

then i got this , much worse , so all in all i have had 4 weeks worth of ab's nearly

OP posts:
TaLcYundertheMistletoe · 24/12/2008 20:51

I was treated for the same, cheeryface... for months...eventually steroids helped.
However, ENT consultant revealed mine was allergy based, ABs did nothing.....poor you, sinus pain hurts like hell, wish i could offer advice..regular painrelief helped mainly paracetamol based, ibuprofen made my allergy worse......i hope you feel better soon. Apologies for typos..rather tipsy!

do you have asthme btw?

Iamastupidperson · 24/12/2008 20:53

Whatever you do try and avoid sticking your head over a bowl of boiling water.
I thought it would help unblock it all I almost screamed with the pain it caused my head.

If you are in agony could you go to a walk in clinic ,I know its a PITA but if you can get some relief it may be worth it .

Feenie · 24/12/2008 21:02

I have a tried and tested method - my mother recommended this to me when I was in similar agony. It sounds disgusting, and, quite frankly, it is, but it definitely works.
Inhale boiled (and cooled) salted water through one nostril. Spit out contents. Repeat on other side. Do this and the steam inhalation 3 times a day and you should find some relief after a few hours or so.
I googled it, and it's quite a common remedy.
Hope this helps!

Helennn · 24/12/2008 21:10

Just to answer your last question - yes, the headaches can be that bad. When I had it I honestly thought I had a brain abscess or such like, I was worried sick! I couldn't take AB's as i was about 12 weeks pregnant. The dentist, (went as I thought I maybe had wisdom tooth infection), said to try Otrivine spray and surprisingly this did work. I only had the infection for a couple of days so not sure if this is why it worked but it was certainly painful.

I'm sure you've probably tried steaming but I have kept a newspaper article about sinusitis which recommends pouring 4 cups of boiling water into a bowl, add 3 tsp of dried rosemary, 3 tsp of dried thyme and a few drops of peppermint oil, (all effective decongestants). Let the herbs steep for 10 mins then use as a steam inhalation for 5 mins. The steam helps kill viruses. Then, rub fingers up and down sides of nose for 2 mins, this stimulates acupressure points to drain sinuses.

Hope this helps, mine was over Xmas as well, totally spoilt it to say the least!

Voice · 24/12/2008 21:17

Like Helennn, I had this while pregnant--twice. Honestly labour was a doddle compared to the headaches.

I did lots of olibas inhalations and took max of paracetamol each day. It didn't cure the pain, but took the edge off. Feel better.

believer07 · 24/12/2008 22:21

you need to get off cows milk if you are on it and switch to goats milk,,it cured me in a couple of weeks.

MegBusset · 24/12/2008 22:38

Lots of sympathy -- I have had blocked sinuses on and off for the last few weeks and in the last week or so have had a lot of pain. Am also pg so can only take paracetamol. Inhalation doesn't seem to help. It's a bitch

babylovessanta · 24/12/2008 22:44

It is awful - you have my sympathy. Mine were so bad that I was on prescription painkillers, i find that AB work and then it comes back within a couple of weeks.

Right this is disgusiting (sp?) but I have found that my sinuses are much better since I started steam my face daily and blowing out the contents which are normally bloody - I think it is all the gunk from my sinuses.

Barking · 24/12/2008 22:55

Have you heard of nasopure ?
I had a bad sinus infection when pregnant with dc2 and found it amazing. There are other neti pots but I found the bottle method easier as you can squirt the water up the nose to push the mucus out easier.

It's a bottle that you fill with warm water and salt, (any salt is fine), lean over the sink and squirt up each nostril it washes all the gunk out. Tricky for the first couple of goes but I was fine after that. As you wash each nostril out you make the 'k' sound with back of your throat to stop the water going down the back of your throat.

I bought mine from shop neti

Original poster
cheeryface · 24/12/2008 23:21

thankyou so much for all the suggestions
have been putting head over steam and strangely in my case it seems to be making matters worse !
will try other ideas

OP posts:
Voice · 27/12/2008 01:53

I hope you're feeling better...

But if not, Barking's idea is something to try...in fact I was trying to look it up for you because there was a whole big article about it in the New York Times. The gist was that neti pots are the most effective cure for sinus infections, better than any conventional medical treatment. It was a scientific study apparently. If I'm ever unlucky to have one again I plan to give the neti pot a go.

healthcare · 23/11/2009 11:20

I found a great resource for reading up on sinus infection in sinushealthcenter[dot]com . There are a bunch of useful articles worth checking out.

healthcare · 23/11/2009 11:22

I found a great resource for reading up on sinus infection . There are a bunch of useful articles worth checking out

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