Sinus Infections - Pittsburgh,PA

I HATE the Neti pot - it's MESSY!! I love the Neil Med bottle - it is clear and has a black top...it's easy and not a mess!!!

Good luck!

We do the neti pot to keep them away, but stop it once an infection arrives. I had O. last year that was really bad, half of my face was so swollen it closed a nostril, green stuff was literally shooting out of my eye and I'd busted my ear drum. It took antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and a few days of steroids to get everything under control.

Steam is a great reliever, esp if you can add eucalyptus oil to it. Ice packs help too. Drink drink drink! Good luck!

I've had a sinus infection for 9 years.

Don't get me wrong, it comes and goes... but the Puget Sound has more mold than 3 out of the 4 largest rainforests. As long as I'm IN Seattle, for 2-3 weeks of every month I'm here, I have a sinus infection. (Whenever I travel away from here it's gone in 24 hours or less).

Pseudoephedrine HCl.

You get it at the pharmacy with ID. (no Rx required, it's the original sudafed).

Try a half dose first -1 little red pill- (paired with 2 tylenol). If that doesn't take care of it in 30 minutes (be prepared for a lot of drainage/ hearing returning/ post nasal drip/ using up a box of Kleenex/ etc.), take the 2nd pill.

It won't cure it... but it will relieve the pressure & congestion and allow more blood to the region. More blood > more white blood cells/immune response > faster healing.

Sinus infections can be cause by bacterial, virual, or fungal infection. If yours isn't gone in 2-3 days after taking Sudafed every 4-6 hours see your doctor. My last O. I saw a doctor for (last month, because it had been a week and my immune system hadn't trounced it yet) turned out to be a staph infection. The time before that (6mo ago) it was 2 different kinds of strep. I'm used to sinus infections... but some are just "different" / my immune system isn't dealing with. Those invariably turn out to be "heavy hitters". But *poof* a few days on antibiotics, and clear headed again. At least, until the next mold spore release.

SinuRinse - get at walmart/target/walgreens. Same idea as a netti pot just easier to use and effective. Also, I would get some REGULAR (not DM) in the blue box mucinex to thin the mucus to help it move out! Drink TONS of liquids and take steamy showers.

Hi, Denise:

Ask an aromatherapist what oils are good for sinus infections at:
____@____.com
D.

I saw an ENT and he said part of my problem is that I have a deviated septum which could be causing alot of my sinus trouble. He says I need surgery. I am also going to go see an allergist before my surgery to see if there are any other options. The word surgery sounds scary!
I take generic Claritin everyday. I seem to have allergies all year round. I also take phenylephrine as needed with 3 ibuprofens if I have alot of pressure. Pseudoephedrine is too rough on me. Makes me feel to funny! I also started using the NeilMed sinus rinse once a day. This has all seemed to help. But, like I said - I may check with the allergist and go with the surgery. Check with your doc. There could be other issues going on and they could help you!

I use a neti pot - both the pour and the squirt kind. I recommend the squirt kind, btw. These have worked well for me during and as a preventive measure prior to sinus infection.
I also take Emergen-C and zyrtec. If I am having trouble sleeping I take a nightime cold and sinus med.
I am actually battling this right now and after two days am finally feeling much better.

Neti pot.

Hands down.

Even my Hubby's Doctor uses O.. Daily.

My Hubby has sinus issues. He uses a Neti pot and it really cuts down on the infections/congestion etc.

It is easy.
Even my Daughter could use it, herself, from about 5 years old.

Any drugstore, Whole Foods or natural food store will have it.
You can just use warm water in it. Or, the accompanying 'salt' packet with it. Do not use, over the counter table salt for it. Too harsh.

Ok--so my answer is a little of all of these--mostly. If it is a TRUE SI--YES--you DO need antibiotics. That infection is close to the brain.. and well..you get the point. Is the stuff coming out got color? That is how you can tell an infection from just sinus drainage. The Neti-pot works like a charm. You just have to breather through your mouth--like you are snorkeling. Clears things up quickly!! And also, a little trick I use--I take the hottest shower I can and let it beat on my face, forehead and neck and shoulders. All those together and you will be a new woman! Good luck. Hope you feel better soon!

Don't discount antibiotics if the infection hangs on or gets worse. There are all sorts of bacterial culprits, and some are pretty tenacious.

But assuming you can kick this without drugs, I have found that nasal irrigation (which I call a "nose gargle") is pretty terrific, if not exactly ladylike. I've never gotten the hang of a neti pot; I just pour a little warm saline in my clean palm and sniff it up while blocking the other nostril (two sniffs at a time is sometimes better). I turn my head in various directions to rinse my nasal cavities, then gently blow it all out. Repeat until secretions run clear.

You can also sniff the saline far enough back to spit it out of your mouth (yeah, gross, right?) or gargle it in the back of your throat to force some up into your sinuses. This is a great way to rinse surface microbes out of the back of your throat.

This charming process sometimes makes my nose run freely for an hour afterward, but that seems to be part of the cleansing process. A minimum of twice a day – 3 or 4 is probably better.

DON'T BLOW TOO HARD! Research suggests this can actually push infection into sinus cavities. And please don't overdo acetaminophen – it's a liver toxin, and an overdose can cause serious harm.

For an actual SI you do need antibiotics-so if you are also running a fever and it's a cold that has lasted longer then 14 days and you're heads about to explode--call your dr.

BUT a neti pot is great and easy to use-once you figure out to not breath in at the wrong times. Our Allergist rec's them for people with sinus issues to help maintain healthy passages, etc.

google "oil of oregano"

I have used a netty pot & all it did for me was make the drainage & sore throat worse. Try taking Zicam vitamins & Air-borne to help you fight it off. Up your Vitamin C!

I always go to the doctor and get a prescription for an antibiotic when I have a sinus infection. I can deal with sinus headaches, basically because nothing works to get rid of them for me. When I have an actual sinus infection I feel like my head is going to explode and I can't even walk without it killing my head. I've had sinus surgery and I still get sinus headaches frequently and occasional sinus infections. I feel for you if you have a sinus infection right now.

This is long - sorry but information that you need to know. Not to scare you, but DO NOT consent to sinus surgery until you have at least O. second opinion or more. 6 years ago my husband had sinus surgery and the surgeon made a big oops and perforated through to his brain in 2 places. Needless to say, my husband got a brain infection requiring 6 weeks of IV antibiotics and a CSF (cerebral spinal fluid) leak requiring a craniotomy. He lost 1/2 inch of his left frontal lobe, and olfactory nerve from the infection. 2 years later he still had a CSF trickle and they had to do another repair from the sinus side. (New doctor) Come to find out he didn't need surgery at all and the original doctor was a surgery factory performing 4-6 of these surgeries a week. Our professional witness doctors (O. local, O. national...the head of the ENT dept at Loyola and writes the text books on endoscopig sinus surgery) both said that they don't do that many surgeries a week, that it just isn't necessary. My husband routinely does saline flushes with distilled H2O and non iodized sea salt. When he is fighting a cold/sinus infection he increases the frequency to 2-3 times a day and adds betadine, hydrogen peroxide and baking soda. (Recommended by his doctor) He uses a NeilMed irrigator. We also discovered coconut oil. You can find it at the healthfood store. It has anti bacterial, anti viral and anti fungal properties and has really been effective. He swabs his nose with coconut oil on a q-tip twice a day. He also uses it as a butter replacement on many items. The recommendation is to eat 2-3 Tablespoons a day. I even cook popcorn in it and it tastes great. Last winter, before we knew about the coconut oil, my husband had a sinus infection that lasted 3+ months. No antibiotics would touch it. It was a fungal infection and required a special anti-fungal compounded rinse to treat it. Knock on wood, we discovered the coconut oil and even though we get the occasional cold, no sinus infection has set in. The ladies at Vitamin Cottage are the ones who told us about the coconut oil and seemed very knowledgable about it. We also did a lot of research. The coconut oil is also great for your skin, and I use it after my shower daily. No more aligator skin or bloody noses and that is saying something here in Colorado. If you don't know where to go for a second opinion, ask your doctor (ENT) who they would go to for surgery, call the medical schools in your area, don't always go with a friends recommendation, as they do not have the knowledge to know who is the best. Do not consent to any surgery unless they are using a mapping CT. My husband lost his career due to the original ENT's screw up. Yes we sued, but that doesn't even begin to cover the loss of income for the remainder of your working career. (Found out later that the original ENT was an alcoholic, and having an affair with another MD that was a parent at our children's school! We personally witnessed him driving under the influence, and a month later he was stopped for DUI.) Best of luck!

I use the Neilmed Sinus Rinse. You can buy it with the plastic bottle and packets of solution or just the packets on their own. I like the plastic bottle better than a netti pot because you can apply a little more pressure and w/o giving too much in........... get more junk out...... sorry ladies... sinuses are like that... YUCKO...
anyway... When my sinuses got really bad, I did have to use antibiotics because there was a slight infection... you can have sinus problems w/o the infection.. meaning, they just get all clogged up.. in my case, I also had an infection.. However, I will say... I had to do TWO 20 day rounds of meds as my sinuses would NOT clear up efficiently.. I have even read on the net that sometimes meds don't even do the trick and some people can remain on them for a year... sooooooooooooooo.... while my sinuses are a bit better, for the last two years they have NEVER been 100%... therefore, I use the Neilmed and at times, sinus sprays. I really don't like to use a lot of medications even if over the counter... which means, other times I just grin and bear it.. I'm going back to an ENT for the third time.. so far, I'm not allergic to anything and they can't explain why I am having sinus issues..
oh about the netti pot or the plastic bottle.. make sure IF you do it, don't breathe in............. you ll get water up your nose.. sounds obvious.. but it's easy to mess it up.. also, I prefer WARM water.. makes rinsing more bearable..
give it a try.. I highly recommend that neilrinse.. if not, a little salt and warm water works too. but if used too often, can dry out your nose..

good luck!!

Neti Pot works very well... It will take 3 days to really notice a difference but I would definitely recommend using it. It will take a couple times to get used to it but after that, you'll be fine...