Ugh. Sinus infection. Anybody?

[Smarmie Doofus]

Feels like someone filled it with wet cement. ( *Damp* really)

Steamed it with chamomile tea last nite. (Towel over the head, breathe the steam, etc.) No go.

Clariten, no go.

Sudafed, no go.

Sleeping is next to imposcerous. Trying to avoid an MD visit.

Any ideas?

[lamp_shade]

1. I get one (sinusitis) every few years and if I don't start antibiotics right away...

I get very, very sick. See your doctor.

[Smarmie Doofus]

3. Awww..... mom! OK. Thanks. nt

[magellan]

2. Steam again with the addition of a few drops of eucalyptus oil

...take vitamin C and drink lots of fluids (hot best, but just make sure you're hydrated -- drink lots of water! Dehydration combined with drying a/c is the source of many of my sinus infections), try hot compresses on the sinuses in between steams.

I use a neti pot almost every day and this has helped me. If you don't have one you can try the advice here for nasal irrigation: http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/allergiesasthma/a/SinusIrrigation.htm

If it doesn't clear up within a few days, please see a doctor.

Hope you feel better soon, sinus infections are the absolute pits.

[Smarmie Doofus]

5. I think you're right about the AC.

AC mega-use seems to have preceded this monster. ( OTOH, there are a lot of variables.) Funny, I don't connect AC with "drying-out"; usually this happens in winter and I associate it with *steam heat*. Plus I used a room humidifier for a couple days when I felt it developing and it seemed to have availed me not.

I'll bookmark the site.

Eucolyptus oil.... check.

Thanks.

[TexasProgresive]

4. I got one last year

it was a rare occurrence since I haven't had a sinus infection since I was a boy. My doc gave me a prescription for Ceflix(sp) and told me to get a neti pot and irrigate my sinuses three times a day. I vote for the neti pot-tepid water with the prepackaged saline works wonders.

[Smarmie Doofus]

6. Wow ... that's two votes for neti-pot.

I'll look into it. I do seem to be prone to this sort of thing. Thanks.

[MADem]

11. See below--Ayr nasal irrigator is cheaper than a neti pot and way more comfy to use.

Trust me, as someone who has used both, the Ayr is leaps-n-bounds better than a neti pot.

Unless you like holding your head at an awkward and painful angle while pouring water up your nose?

With the Ayr, you just stand over the sink, head up, like a normal human being, lean forward, open mouth, squirt the stuff up your nose, and voila, it comes out the other nostril. No head twisting involved.

[TexasProgresive]

21. They were the same price when I bought mine at Walgreens.

I went with the pot because I thought it would be easier to keep clean. Either is good. Nothing like a nasal enema to clear your thinking.:fistbump:

[MADem]

23. I used a pot in SW Asia. I always ended up spilling shit all over my shirt!

Clumsy!

Good news is, it was so dry, it would be gone in a flash...but the Ayr to me is just easier! They are cool things, and boy does it work well!

[eShirl]

7. I wouldn't screw around with any infection above the neck

you're not going to want to amputate if it turns gangrenous on you

[ejpoeta]

8. i had one several years ago and went to the doctor. the doctor gave me a couple prescriptions

which i forgot to fill as i was on my way to florida. well, needless to say the infection didn't get better and lasted some time.

when i get a sinus headache, i take sinus/allergy medicine... but if you are in a full on infection, i would see the doctor. if you don't have insurance or something, then I don't know what you should do. Maybe try the sinus/allergy meds. they tend to knock me out when i take them, though. not just sudafed, mind you.... like benadryl or advil sinus/allergy. or sinus/cold. good luck.

[MercutioATC]

9. So you're trying to fix it without antibiotics?

In that case, your immune system is going to have to do the heavy lifting.

Immune-system boosters like echinacea, garlic, selenium and zinc, acetaminophen for discomfort and plenty of rest would be a good start.


Personally, I'd go to the doctor.

[MADem]

10. Go NOW and get an AYR nasal irrigation unit at your local pharmacy.

It will cost you a few dollars. It's nothing more than a modern "neti pot" (these are common in southwest asia) made of plastic instead of ceramic (and you don't have to twist your head to use it).

This is not medical advice, because it ain't medicine. It's just a method to deliver a warmed saline solution up one nose-hole and down/out the other. Cleans those sinuses in a wonderfully efficient fashion.




Here, you can read what others say about it. I'll say this, very simply--it works. It'll clear that shit out. Very good for people with situational allergies, too, if one doesn't want to be drugged up:

http://www.epinions.com/review/Ayr_Sinus_Rinse_Kit_Saline_Sinus_Wash/content_208975990404

[woodsprite]

13. I was going to suggest that.

Another brand is NeilMed. I boil the water, let it cool a bit. Then mix it with the saline powder, let it cool until lukewarm and give it a go. It took alot of nerve the first time I did it. I hate swimming without a nose clip, so I was having a hard time getting used to the idea of using a squeeze bottle to intentionally squirt water up my nose the first time. The 'squirter' holds 8oz. When I'm having an issue, I use it morning and night. Otherwise, 1x a day keeps my sinus headaches away. It's really soothing.

[MADem]

17. I've never heard of that brand, but until I found the Ayr, I was only familiar with

the neti pot, and the classic Persian "sniff handfuls of water up your nose" trick which never appealed to me. I got my Ayr on sale for something like three bucks--they usually cost a bit more than that, but the price point should be under ten.

It is the oddest thing, isn't it? Once you get past the aversion of shoving water up your nose, you wonder why you waited so long to give it a go!

[trotsky]

12. Go see a doctor.

Your body, with the help of nasal irrigation, might be able to fight it off OK.

However, you might also end up with serious complications.

See a damn doctor.

[Name removed]

18. Deleted message

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[trotsky]

20. Ooh, how many posts will you make it to this time?

Can you make it to double digits?

Yell a "hi" up the basement stairs to your mom for me, won't you?

[Why Syzygy]

14. I rarely

have sinus blockage. But for myself have found GSE to be effective at clearing it.

http://www.answers.com/topic/grapefruit-seed-extract

[TNDemo]

15. Eat lots of onion and garlic.

They are natural antibiotics. Keep breathing the steam.

[snappyturtle]

16. Sinus infections have been a curse on me since I was five.

IF it's really bad, see a doctor. Do not take otc stuff for weeks like I did one time andd ended up with a serious infection.

One suggestion: when you're all well again become friends with crushed red pepper...sprinkle on soups, cassseroles, scrambled eggs, etc....keeps my sinuses open and it is a natural source of capzacin...hope I spelled that right. Good luck!

[Name removed]

19. Deleted message

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[groovedaddy]

22. try 1 or 2 grams of vitamin c a few times a day. Worked for me. n.t

[astral]

24. oil of oregano

or oregano juice. Take internally, I don't know about use in nostrils since I didn't try it that way. Also start using vinegar and lemon juice regularly... I squeeze it into my water, and use the vinegar in my water too, not necessarily with the lemon juice, but like a teaspoon in 8 oz, or more stronger if you don't mind the taste of vinegar.

[rocktivity]

25. Wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

After recovering from an extremely bad cold, I bent down to get something from a bottom shelf and nearly fell over because it felt like someone had punched me right between the eyes--but from the inside! And there are people who live with that kind of pain and pressure all their lives???

:scared:
rocktivity

[leftyladyfrommo]

26. Here is what I did - and haven't had one since.

Antibiotics didn't work. Doctor just kind of said sorry, he didn't have any more ideas. So I went home and started to steam my face several times a day with water on the stove and eucalyptus oil. Tea Tree Oil in the water will help, too. And I also put warm water in a cup and added some salt (not too much) and just breathed it into my nose and up into my sinuses.

Took a little while but it worked. And I haven't had on since and that has been year's ago.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

27. When it starts, get yourself to a Thai, Vietnamese, or Sichuan restaurant

and order a spicy soup. (The Vietnamese soup known as canh chua tom is especially effective.) Take plenty of Kleenex. You may be able to prevent the infection from developing into full-blown hell.

In the meantime, be sure you get a lot of Vitamin D (at least 10 minutes of direct sunlight in the summer and 2000 IU--the amount you get from 10 minutes of sunlight--every day in the winter) and are otherwise well-nourished.

[Why Syzygy]

28. mmm Thai . I like that remedy. nt

[Lydia Leftcoast]

29. And ask for a spice level at least halfway up their scale of hotness

You want that nose to run!

[Smarmie Doofus]

30. Update: thanks everybody

It's been about 5 days. I'm over the hump but my son has something eeeeerily similar to what I had.

Here's what I tried:

Chamomile steam: didn't help.

Eucolyptus steam : didn't help.

OTC meds: didn't help.

Onions: didn't help

Red pepper: ingested and steamed.: not sure about that one.

Didn't do the neti-pot or the AYR gizmo but will probably try them both.

PC physician gave me Levaquil... all purpose antibiotic and I have about three days of that left. That *seemed* to help or at least it coincided with improvement.

I'll get around to trying the rest of these remedies, since it seems like I'm prone... and getting MORE prone ....to these things.

Much obliged.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

31. Yep had one that turned into pneumonia about 3 weeks ago.