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Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Original poster

Sinusitis................

28 replies

Zephyrcat · 28/11/2005 11:13

I had sinusitis when I was pg last year with ds and the doc told me I just had to deal with it and there was nothing I could take. It was sheer hell!! I've never been in so much pain!!

Now I've got it again Has anyone been told of anything that they definately can take in pg to help ease it? Obviously I'll check with the doc if I have to but don't want to use up an appointment and go all the way there to be told no again!!

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LilacBump · 28/11/2005 11:16

i would ask at a pharmacy.

shrub · 28/11/2005 11:23

Hi zephrcat - i used something called 'nasopure' - i still use it now as it minimises colds and my hayfever aswell. i think i bought it from a place called shopholistic or shopneti.co.uk. its basically a plastic bottle with a spray attachment that you fill with warm boiled water and salt solution and the force of the spray flushes all the gunk out of the other nostril. neti pots have been used for centuries in india and as part of yoga practice. the nasopure was invented by a dr. takes a liitle time to get use to - but after you do, it takes no more than 30 secs. will try and find the link....
it sounds all very weird but it does work

xmasspub · 28/11/2005 11:28

I really sympahtise as I had horrid sinusitus a couple of weeks ago and also didn't want to take anything as I'm pg.
I did various things and in combi they seemed to work. I am seeing an acupuncturist and he treated the area (felt so much better after being needled!). He also advised using "New Era" homeopathic tissue salts for cattarh and sinus problems and I think that they were good. I also did some steam inhalation and took long hot showers to loosen things up. Sore as hell, though.
Hope you get some relief soon.

shrub · 28/11/2005 11:30

nasopure

shrub · 28/11/2005 11:34

if interested you can buy just the bottle for £6.95 and add teaspoon of seasalt and ask them to send instructions

Original poster
Zephyrcat · 28/11/2005 11:43

Thank you for that link - it looks like what I was given for dd's stuffy nose when she was tiny - I never thought of doing it that way

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shrub · 28/11/2005 11:51

the pharmaceutical companies don't want us to know - there is something called 'nasalairguard' that came out a few years ago, a sort of filter that you can fit inside your nose to stop hayfever. i talked to the inventor as i couldn't get hold of them and he explained they were fighting a takeover bid from one of the big pharmaceuticals that were going to buy the product from him and stop production as it could have been a threat to their sales!
(i've been pregnant or breastfeeding for the last 5 years with really bad hayfever so this has become quite an obsession of mine )

Medea · 28/11/2005 11:54

Oh, how I empathize, Zephyrcat. . .had it twice in pregnancy too. I would literally spend whole days (when i wasn't being sick or looking after ds) under a towel doing steam inhalations with drops of olibas in the hot water. But to be honest. . .I'm not sure it really helped. But it was helpful to believe I was doing something helpful, if that makes sense. It took a good week to 10 days to go away, as I recall, and there really wasn't anything I could do to shift it, as I recall. What did help a bit was taking the max dosage of paracetamol allowed each day which brought down my fever and took the edge off the pain. Honestly labor seemed a doddle in comparison. I know how you feel. . .hope you shift it soon. (My second infection was shorter lived and less painful than the first.)

Original poster
Zephyrcat · 28/11/2005 11:54

I get severe hayfever too so that's really handy to know!!

pharmaceuticals companies are a bit of a nightmare for stopping us finding 'simple' things to help - my Dad lives in Australia where 'colloidal silver' is a commomly used remedy for practically everything but hardly anyone has heard of it here for the same reason!

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Lonelymum · 28/11/2005 11:58

Poor you! I had sinusitis when I was pg and couldn't take anything for it but that was because I am also allergic to some ABs. Are you sure there is nothing your GP can give you?

If you really have to get through it without ABs, all I can suggest is the menthol steam inhalation trick and my GP gave me some nasal spray, but I can't remember what it is called.

hockeymum · 28/11/2005 12:39

I had sinisitis in my first pregnancy. Docs were no help until it was apparent it was actually infected (fever etc) when they gave me antibiotics which really helped. They also said "You know you can safely take co-codamol too don't you" (I didn't know I'd suffered for 2 weeks without it!) Co-codamol was a godsend as it did reduce the pain factor a lot.

Original poster
Zephyrcat · 28/11/2005 14:59

co-codamol? really?? The doc I saw last year told me that I wasn't even allowed to take paracetamol!! Maybe he didn't like me!?!?

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Lonelymum · 28/11/2005 15:03

You can definitely have paracetamol in pg.

coribells · 30/11/2005 15:44

Zephyrcat,
This is not true. I have had really bad sinus this pregnancy, lasted four weeks. You can take sudafed ( just the very basic one). I have this confirmed by netdoctor and hospital consultant.

Original poster
Zephyrcat · 30/11/2005 15:50

Sudofed sounds like an absolute Godsend at the moment!! DP went and asked the pharmacist in Boots for me and she sold him a bottle of Olbas Oil - I could have told him that!! She said that there's nothing I can do unless it gets infected and then I might get some anti-biotics. If I make it to my ante-natal appt tomorrow I'll ask her about sudofed as well and see what she says although the way I'm feeling I'm close to getting anything I can get my hands on!!!

You would think that there would be a general yes/no can/can't take policy that everyone knows and sticks to for pg women. Seems to me that my last doc felt personally that pg women shouldn't take anything and so because he believed that, he told me that and left me to suffer!!

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coribells · 30/11/2005 16:04

I asked my consultant to look it up in Drug book so I am confident that she was right.

I think most GPs couldnt be bothered really and just take the approach that when prgnant you cant take any thing here is the link to netdoctor.

Original poster
Zephyrcat · 30/11/2005 16:18

Thanks loads

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Original poster
Zephyrcat · 30/11/2005 16:21

Feels like I've got 'Man Flu'

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expatinscotland · 30/11/2005 16:27

Yeah, I was told 'deal with it', too. 10 days later, I had green pus coming out of my ear - the sinusitis had become infected and gotten into both my ears. I could have told them back when it was just green mucus out the nose that steaming and Olbans oil weren't working.

Yeah, a fever and pussy ears are SO good for you during pregnancy.

I took Sudafed AND paracetemol w/codeine to get to sleep.

Original poster
Zephyrcat · 30/11/2005 16:30

Ooh not nice. As if there's not already enough to 'deal with' when you're pg?!?!?!

Did the sudafed make a big difference?

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expatinscotland · 30/11/2005 16:34

Not much. I used some stuff I had from America called 'NyQuil' and 'DayQuil'. I phoned a doctor ex bf of mine. He said the problem is mainly that none of this stuff has been tested on pregnant women, but I didn't have big pregnancy complications and was pretty far along - 35 weeks. It's not like I took hte max doses, either.

I mean, what's worse - taking a few doses of decongestant or having a nasty fever and being absolutely shattered b/c you cannot sleep for not being able to breathe?

Original poster
Zephyrcat · 30/11/2005 16:44

Yep with you on that one. I need something that will shift this pain across my forhead everytime I move/blink/breathe!! And God help me if I need to sneeze or cough!!!

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Original poster
Zephyrcat · 30/11/2005 16:45

Yep with you on that one. I need something that will shift this pain across my forhead everytime I move/blink/breathe!! And God help me if I need to sneeze or cough!!!

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expatinscotland · 30/11/2005 16:46

They're not even sure what all can cross the placenta.

Honestly, I was at the end of my tether this time round. It really, really hurt and it was really, really infected. To the point where my blood pressure actually spiked - probably from exhaustion.

I thought, 'There's not a whole lot worse than this.'

expecting · 05/01/2006 16:00

I took penicillin for sinusitis without realising I was pg but gp says it's fine - and it worked wonderfully.

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