What is going on with my sinuses?
April 29, 2012 4:15 PM Subscribe
What is going on with my sinuses?
YANAD, YANMD.
In 2004, I came down with a really bad sinus infection. I was in the hospital for three days, and had a CT scan as well as a lumbar puncture (spinal tap) because it was suspected that I had meningitis.
It wasn't meningitis, and I was given nasal steroids, allergy meds, and antibiotics.
Since then, I get at least three very bad sinus infections a year that cause me to miss a lot of school and work. My sinuses will burn, my throat will burn, and I can't sleep.
Since 2008, I daily have to hack up thick mucus that seems to have accumulated in my sinuses. I have to do this in the morning, and throughout the day.
On Monday, I came down with a fever and I thought I had the flu. But the next day the fever disappeared and my sinuses have been acting strange since. Hacking up the mucus is more difficult, and since yesterday, the left side of my throat feels painful. It hurts to swallow and it feels like I have a golf ball there. I don't think my lymph nodes are swollen and my tonsils don't look swollen either.
A couple months ago I went to my doctor, was given Augmentin, and sent on my way. The Augmentin didn't do anything.
I have an appointment with an ENT tomorrow, as well as with another one Tuesday in case the first one is of no help.
I really need this problem fixed. I have a heavy duty air purifier, I eat well, and I know there could be many causes...but the fact that it has gone on for so long is discouraging. I have had mostly bad experiences with doctors not listening to me and just throwing antibiotics at me that don't work. I am really worried that I am not going to get help.
I know I want a scan of my sinuses and an extensive allergy test to test for food sensitivities, and I don't want my options to be antibiotics or surgery. I have read up on surgery and I am convinced that even smaller nasal passages are not always the problem.
Have you ever had anything like this? Any ideas as to why my throat feels like it does right now? And the fever? How can I make sure I finally get real help after almost 8 years of this?
YANAD, YANMD.
In 2004, I came down with a really bad sinus infection. I was in the hospital for three days, and had a CT scan as well as a lumbar puncture (spinal tap) because it was suspected that I had meningitis.
It wasn't meningitis, and I was given nasal steroids, allergy meds, and antibiotics.
Since then, I get at least three very bad sinus infections a year that cause me to miss a lot of school and work. My sinuses will burn, my throat will burn, and I can't sleep.
Since 2008, I daily have to hack up thick mucus that seems to have accumulated in my sinuses. I have to do this in the morning, and throughout the day.
On Monday, I came down with a fever and I thought I had the flu. But the next day the fever disappeared and my sinuses have been acting strange since. Hacking up the mucus is more difficult, and since yesterday, the left side of my throat feels painful. It hurts to swallow and it feels like I have a golf ball there. I don't think my lymph nodes are swollen and my tonsils don't look swollen either.
A couple months ago I went to my doctor, was given Augmentin, and sent on my way. The Augmentin didn't do anything.
I have an appointment with an ENT tomorrow, as well as with another one Tuesday in case the first one is of no help.
I really need this problem fixed. I have a heavy duty air purifier, I eat well, and I know there could be many causes...but the fact that it has gone on for so long is discouraging. I have had mostly bad experiences with doctors not listening to me and just throwing antibiotics at me that don't work. I am really worried that I am not going to get help.
I know I want a scan of my sinuses and an extensive allergy test to test for food sensitivities, and I don't want my options to be antibiotics or surgery. I have read up on surgery and I am convinced that even smaller nasal passages are not always the problem.
Have you ever had anything like this? Any ideas as to why my throat feels like it does right now? And the fever? How can I make sure I finally get real help after almost 8 years of this?
You could ask for a sweat chloride test to see if you have a form of Cystic Fibrosis. If you do have it, dietary changes and some other things may help. If you have it, doctors will tell you that you can't get well. They are wrong.
Best of luck, whatever the answer turns out to be.
posted by Michele in California at 4:23 PM on April 29, 2012
Best of luck, whatever the answer turns out to be.
posted by Michele in California at 4:23 PM on April 29, 2012
I don't know what is going on with your sinuses, but I wouldn't rule out any treatment options, such as surgery, until you hear what both of your ENTs say. Be very vocal and explicit about what is happening and make the point that doctors have been dismissive in the past. If either ENT is any good, s/he should be able to address the issue proactively. Good luck!
posted by katemcd at 4:24 PM on April 29, 2012
posted by katemcd at 4:24 PM on April 29, 2012
My sister had symptoms like this and the answer, after a long, long period of not knowing what was wrong and getting treated for sinus infections over and over, was acid reflux. I have a milder version of the same thing that mostly pops up when I'm under stress.
I know what you're thinking, but reflux doesn't cause heartburn for everyone (google "silent reflux", "atypical reflux", "laryngopharyngeal reflux"). For some people it shoots right past the esophagus, so you don't feel it there, and it screws up your sinuses or your lungs (I had another friend who was being treated for very severe asthma whose symptoms became much less pronounced once she started PPIs) and is much harder to diagnose because doctors assume symptoms in your ear, nose and throat are entirely divorced from anything originating in your stomach. Your globus sensation (the feeling of a lump in your throat) is a BIG red flag for me.
This might not be it, so don't necessarily get your hopes up, but I wanted to make sure this was an option for a diagnosis that you at least knew about, because a lot of docs do not think of it and will keep treating your sinus infections the only way they know how. Good luck.
posted by town of cats at 4:37 PM on April 29, 2012
I know what you're thinking, but reflux doesn't cause heartburn for everyone (google "silent reflux", "atypical reflux", "laryngopharyngeal reflux"). For some people it shoots right past the esophagus, so you don't feel it there, and it screws up your sinuses or your lungs (I had another friend who was being treated for very severe asthma whose symptoms became much less pronounced once she started PPIs) and is much harder to diagnose because doctors assume symptoms in your ear, nose and throat are entirely divorced from anything originating in your stomach. Your globus sensation (the feeling of a lump in your throat) is a BIG red flag for me.
This might not be it, so don't necessarily get your hopes up, but I wanted to make sure this was an option for a diagnosis that you at least knew about, because a lot of docs do not think of it and will keep treating your sinus infections the only way they know how. Good luck.
posted by town of cats at 4:37 PM on April 29, 2012
Definitely get a referral to an allergist. If your allergies are under control, perhaps your sinuses will calm down.
I had some relief with that, but eventually the sinus infections came roaring back with a vengeance--I was on antibiotics for 16 months nonstop--and it turned out that surgery was the best option, because my turbinates were all curled up on each other like a snail instead of all
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like they're supposed to be (I also had a really deviated septum like whoa), and it broke the cycle of decades of constant sinus infection.
I had Minimally Invasive Sinus Surgery with this dude and his team, and it changed my life. If there's a doc near you who does this kind of surgery, think about being evaluated by them.
Have they tried you on Levaquin? That's the usual next step if the Augmentin doesn't help. That said, if the Augmentin did nothing, maybe this is a viral or fungal infection rather than a bacterial infection...the ENT will probably do a smear for fungal infections, which is so not fun.
Best of luck to you. Not having my sinuses try to kill me constantly has made a huge difference in my life, so I have tremendous sympathy for what you're going through.
posted by Sidhedevil at 5:03 PM on April 29, 2012 [1 favorite]
I had some relief with that, but eventually the sinus infections came roaring back with a vengeance--I was on antibiotics for 16 months nonstop--and it turned out that surgery was the best option, because my turbinates were all curled up on each other like a snail instead of all
--- | ---
--- | ---
like they're supposed to be (I also had a really deviated septum like whoa), and it broke the cycle of decades of constant sinus infection.
I had Minimally Invasive Sinus Surgery with this dude and his team, and it changed my life. If there's a doc near you who does this kind of surgery, think about being evaluated by them.
Have they tried you on Levaquin? That's the usual next step if the Augmentin doesn't help. That said, if the Augmentin did nothing, maybe this is a viral or fungal infection rather than a bacterial infection...the ENT will probably do a smear for fungal infections, which is so not fun.
Best of luck to you. Not having my sinuses try to kill me constantly has made a huge difference in my life, so I have tremendous sympathy for what you're going through.
posted by Sidhedevil at 5:03 PM on April 29, 2012 [1 favorite]
Have you ever had anything like this? Any ideas as to why my throat feels like it does right now? And the fever? How can I make sure I finally get real help after almost 8 years of this?
I had a FESS done a few years ago, and honestly, I should have done it 10 years sooner.
Like you, I had pretty much constant sinus infections and problems and no real relief. I have really bad seasonal allergies to pretty much all that is green, and that surely didn't help.
But that surgery ? Probably the best thing I've ever done for myself. If I were you, and your ENT suggests it, I wouldn't rule out.
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 5:52 PM on April 29, 2012
I had a FESS done a few years ago, and honestly, I should have done it 10 years sooner.
Like you, I had pretty much constant sinus infections and problems and no real relief. I have really bad seasonal allergies to pretty much all that is green, and that surely didn't help.
But that surgery ? Probably the best thing I've ever done for myself. If I were you, and your ENT suggests it, I wouldn't rule out.
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 5:52 PM on April 29, 2012
Your symptoms are unusual and severe, and should be taken more seriously. I thought of cystic fibrosis as well. Remember that an ENT is a surgeon, and thus their treatment advice is going to lean towards surgery. If you want extensive allergy tests, you should also look into a consultation with an allergist/asthma practice.
/I have chronic issues with sinus inflammation, and I have also ruled out surgery for a number of reasons.
posted by desuetude at 9:58 PM on April 29, 2012
/I have chronic issues with sinus inflammation, and I have also ruled out surgery for a number of reasons.
posted by desuetude at 9:58 PM on April 29, 2012
If it's caused by seasonal allergies, maybe raw local honey is the answer for you. My sister swears it cured her when she recently developed severe seasonal allergies that didn't respond sustainably to anything the doctors gave her. The honey took about a month to take effect for her.
However, beyond anecdotal evidence there doesn't seem to be any science behind this.
posted by Dragonness at 10:27 AM on April 30, 2012
However, beyond anecdotal evidence there doesn't seem to be any science behind this.
posted by Dragonness at 10:27 AM on April 30, 2012
A friend had similar problems and they went away when she stopped eating gluten. She's a little embarrassed about this because she doesn't want to be "that person," but it worked.
posted by The corpse in the library at 10:49 AM on April 30, 2012
posted by The corpse in the library at 10:49 AM on April 30, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by DeltaForce at 4:16 PM on April 29, 2012