Anyone awake? Totally miserable (sinusitis)

[amehh]

Just the above really, supposed to be on my honeymoon and I've been suffering for over a week with sinusitis. Coming to the end of being able to use my nose spray and was prescribed co codamol for the pain in the end but when they wear off, it's back!

Currently awake (3.36am local time) can't sleep thanks to stabbing head and took medicine over an hour ago and still not kicked in.

I'm away for another week and just want to go home now. Just needed a vent really

Sit in the bathroom with the hot taps running if you're awake anyway.

Can you get a saline spray tomorrow?

Me too! I wasn't allowed a saline spray today when I went to the pharmacy and got fobbed off with "just steam" 😫
I miss being able to take sudafed! Hope you're better soon x

I've got a saline spray which just seems to make it worse. I've got otrivine sinusitis spray which helps but wears off, paracetomal doesn't touch the pain and co codamol also barely seems to help. I've honestly not slept more than 3 hours a night for 6 days now. Just had a little cry which of course made everything much more blocked up. FML

I'll call my doctor again tomorrow and see what they say but DH has suggested maybe we should just fly home but I really really don't want to! It seems absurd, a simple cold has ended up so horrendous, I've never felt pain like this before, headache wise. It's a constant pulsing/stabbing in my temple, on my cheeks and, if I'm super lucky, in both ears too steaming and warm compresses aren't doing anything anyway. Bah!

Sorry I'm just a whinge bag

You get "bounce back" congestion from the otrivine anyway, which I know isn't much consolation when you can't have it and it feels like the only effective thing.

It really is a miserable thing to have when it's severe

@ColeHawlins ooh I know, today will be day 6 (out of the recommended 7 days) for it and I've cut down from 3 doses to 2 but I'm dreading not using it as its the only thing that is unblocking me. I do normally get sinusitis with a cold (thinking I should probably see the doc regarding that, actually) but this is something else! Its just typical I'm not at home!

Just have to see what the doctor says tomorrow, the mucus (sorry TMI) coming out is absolutely horrendous and I'm baffled at how I have so much in there!

Poor you. Are you bad enough for a travel insurance claim and a second honeymoon later?

@Babynamess we do have travel insurance, including pregnancy cover, but I don't know if it would count when I haven't tried all avenues (as in, I haven't been given anti biotics yet, just reluctantly an Italian doctor gave me a prescription for 2 days worth of co codamol after my doctor at home recommended it).

I'm going to call my doctors in the morning and see what they suggest, we are flying again on Saturday to Spain (currently in Rome) so don't know if they might send a prescription to Spain for me to fill but that would be easier than trying to explain to doctors here - when I saw the Italian doctor, she first gave me a prescription for ibuprofen, then changed it to a cough syrup (not here for my cough!) And lastly a prescription for 1000mg paracetomal tablets of which I could take 1....the same dose as 2 500mg ones I have already been taking! I could have started crying right there haha)

I'm honestly not even much of a tablet taker normally but at the moment I want (and need) anything and everything!

So sorry you're miserable. I've had a few doses of sinusitis during my pregnancies and without decongestants it's v hard to function.

If you can try to source a sinus rinse that will save your life. I'm sure they have them in Italy and Spain. Rinse every couple of hours, it takes all the pressure away and cleans out all the green gunk to allow your sinuses time to recoup. That and whatever painkiller they allow (codeine or paracetamol). I use NeilMed which is an American brand, perhaps they have something similar there?

Best of luck, it's pure misery having sinus issues in pregnancy

I'll share your pain, I'm pregnant with a booked later on today am looking back at how my life is forever going to change in the next 12hrs forever. I also have stomach cramps and back pain with a sore throat. I've managed 35mins sleep and don't know how I'm going to manage a screaming baby when it's go time in one hour.

With a booked csection **

Hope you are managing some sleep you poor thing x

How far along are you? Do you normally suffer from sinusitis?

I ask because if not you may need to consider if it really is sinusitis especially as normal remedies aren't working.

I had what I thought was sinusitis from around 6 months even though I'd never had it before, when I was admitted at 8 months on bed rest for pre-eclampsia from talking to other mothers on the ward and a few of the nurses such symptoms can occur just prior to more clear pre-eclampsia symptoms start.

I hope I'm wrong obviously but I would hate to be right and not say and you end up with a problem.

Hope you're feeling better soon whatever the cause

I suffer from sinusitis and I find the best thing is a salt water rinse.
Snort it up nose then out again. Not harmful for you or baby. I surf and will do it by going in the sea, not when pregnant as wouldn’t know how clean the sea is, but can do it by making up a solution.

Also try an antihistamine, will take a couple of days but does also really help.

I also found cranial osteopathy helped with my sinus problems.

Thanks everyone for replying, I did eventually go back to sleep for a couple of hours.

@littleraindrop15 good luck with the c-section today
@Partyinthekitchen I wasnt able to get anything other than Sterimar decongestant back in England (all pharmacists looked baffled when I mentioned anything else) but I did read about NeilMed so I'll keep a look out for it
@Graphista I'm 10+6 so don't think its pre-eclampsia but thank you for commenting - I wouldn't have known it can show similar signs so will keep it in mind for later on down the line. I almost always get sinusitis now after a cold, it's been this way for about 5 years but this has definitely been the worst.
@Em39ma I thought we weren't able to take anti-histamines? Although that might help since I have to stop the Otrivine tomorrow
@Babynamess I'll have a look into that :)

Woken up with a headache again but will soldier on (off to the Vatican today and leaving in an hour) but will keep dosed up and call the doctors on the way. Tomorrow we have a short food tour and then flying Saturday to Spain where the plan is to do nothing so maybe some rest in Spain (in the sunshine) is what I really need, sightseeing wasn't my greatest idea but how was I to know!

Long shot but when I got sinusitis 3 times in 6 weeks what really helped was a hot stone facial which seemed to "iron" out all around my nose and what was really satisfying was a little crunching noise at one point 😳 where it must have unblocked something! Maybe you can find somewhere or do a home made face massage? That's what I'm going to try today. Enjoy the Vatican as much as you can and good luck x

I have very bad allergies and was told was fine to carry on taking my cetirizine.

I don't have any remedies but I just want to say I hope you feel better soon before I had my rhino-septoplasty I had Chronic Sinusitis & Rhinitis and its torture :( I used to use one of those microwave heat packs and lay it across my face when it got really bad

Fair enough just wanted to err on side of caution. But if you get it regularly anyway that makes sense.

It's horrible and very painful I've had it after every cold/flu since a very bad flu about 15 years ago. Nothing really helps much unfortunately I've tried all sorts

Hi everyone, thanks so much for commenting during my night time/early morning breakdown! I spoke to my doctor in England and she has said she thinks anti biotics are the way to go now (apparently neon green mucus for a week is the thing you need to have for them ) so I've got some amoxicillin to start tonight and also an anti-histamine so fingers crossed things should be looking up within 24-48 hours.

I'll definitely pay the doctor a visit when I get home to ask about why they are recurrent and possible preventative measures though as I really don't fancy doing this again - it's bad enough when you have free rein in the pharmacy, let alone when you are restricted by pregnancy!

Currently sat in the bathroom with the shower on creating a make-shift steam room!