SINUS INFECTIONS

i AM REALLY HAVING TROUBLE WITH MY SINUSES. I HAVE USED THE NEIL NASAL RINSE AND I STILL GET A STUFFY NOSE. HAS ANYONE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM? PLEASE ADVISE. THANKS WGOODIE

1) do not use call caps

2) sinus infection is not "stuffy nose" a sinus infection is like getting hit in the face by as shovel and should be treated by a doctor

3) There are thousands of reasons for getting a stuffy nose including seasonal allergies

4) everybody in the world has had this problem and found their own solution that works for them - or not.

wgoodie, are you using a humidifier on your cpap? If not, you might try using one. If you are, try turning it down.

1. Visit your GP immediately if you suspect sinus infection; I can assure you that it is something that requires immediate attention and your MD will either tell you that it is NOT a sinus infection (very likely unless you have green/brown stuff oozing) or if it IS a sinus infection will probably give you either some light antibiotics or something heavy duty that will kill it in a week. I have had sinus infections for the past 20 years for reasons we need not get into but I can tell you that a stuffy nose is not a sinus infection necessarily.
2. Try a nasal spray (ooooooh! Nasty word) and see if that clears up your stuffy nose and perhaps leads to green/brown crap coming oozing out. If the latter see a doctor right away.
3. If simply a stuffy nose it is likely simply allergic reaction to a stimulus; anything from ragweed as the neighbors cut the back 40 to dust mites under the bed or in the mattress (we vacuum both every other day.... and NOT with one of those cyclonic pieces of crap... use a vacuum with a clean bag on it that will trap the crap. Or better yet, central vac that will suck it out into the garage where the mice can breathe it in and croak.
4. If your humidifier is adjustable like mine is (the ResMed H5i) then crank it up... the humidity tends to clear up the stuffy nose even if you have a humdinger cold.
5. If you are having issues with XPAP therapy as a result of stuffy nose; i) do not be afraid to spray sparingly with Afrin like nose spray to get a good night of sleep, and ii) get yourself a full face mask like the Mirage Quattro in a size that works well for you so that if you stuff up at 4 a.m. you can mouth breath and complete a good night of sleep (works great for me).

Sinus infections are not to be trifled with; the sinus is very close to the brain, the eyes, etc., and you do not want complications. I have been taking antibiotics as needed for twenty years now. Most of the time it is just allergic reaction to allergens. Or a cold. In either case, that humidifier, although I hate warm and moist air... is a Godsend. It tends to keep my sinus and nose clear and it tends to help break up the crap in my lungs which are already damaged from acute pneumonia and life support a year ago. Works wonders for me, even though I hate the warm moist air.

If it is, in fact, allergies? There are medications on the market that will help somewhat, like Benedryl (I take one every time we head out to the Soaring Club field or the gun club ranges). And there is also therapy for allergens that may desensitize you to them. And then there's the vacuum cleaner and my suggestion is to invest in the very best one that you can get... stay away from some that are well advertised on TV that have a ball to push around on... get yourself one that the salesrep at Sears uses at home. If it won't suck up golf balls or ball bearings then you'll just have to settle for it sucking up the dust mites. (Nasty little critters).

A Neti Pot works well too. You can get one in any drug store. You use it to rinse your sinuses out with warm salt water. It really does help.

With all due respect I have had my sinuses cleaned out by the MD's equivilant of a Netti Pot many, many times over the years early on and while yes, it did make a huge difference, relieving the pressure quickly and offering comfort, it did not clear the infection which returned within a day or two and in spades. For a while they tried steroidal nasal sprays along with antibiotics and that worked well but slowly. What I found was that in conjunction with Afrin like nasal spray I got the greatest relief albeit not permanent. The rebound was almost negligeble in comparison to the other issues. Today I still use Afrin like sprays but use my willpower to keep it down to twice a day and one shot in each nostril; the last shot of the day being just before retiring for the night. I also use Benedryl to combat the allergic reactions when in dire need.

Again, home remedies or OTC remedies are fine if there is either other action being taken or if no infection is involved but I would urge anyone with sinus infection to have it attended to by a physician. If there is any doubt at the beginning of the infection a simple blood test will generally tell the tell by elevated white cell count albeit slight. And a good look into the sinus cavities that are readily available will also tell the tell generally.

If an MD should even suggest surgery for sinus infection (chronic or otherwise) you want to get a second, third, fourth opinion to be sure. My final opinion was from a top ENT fellow and when asked what he would do if it was his wife? he said he would use Afrin (Otrivin) and take antibiotics as needed for as long as necessary. The surgery is without guarantees and is very major and very messy.

Sinus infections are pretty hard core. I am still taking medicine for one. I had antibiotics and steroids both for it. My ear was infected as well. I agree with Spinny's description of it. They are very painful and miserable. I suggest a FFM while you have one, I used one for a week.

Jaylee wrote:Sinus infections are pretty hard core. I am still taking medicine for one. I had antibiotics and steroids both for it. My ear was infected as well. I agree with Spinny's description of it. They are very painful and miserable. I suggest a FFM while you have one, I used one for a week.

+1 Jaylee. Forgot about the ear infections as it has been a long time. Wow. The pain was incredible. Misery is a good description when you have one going good. And again, it is no time to be messing about with over the counter stuff. And for us CPAP users, we actually have an advantage as I have discovered (at first I thought it was going to blow infectous matter into my lungs - not so it appears)... the advantage is that humidifer on your blower. Crank it up as high as you can take it and it does amazing things for your sinus' and your lungs. I don't think I have had an ear infection since getting the CPAP so can't comment but don't think it would do much for that. But I can attest to its benefits to the sinus cavities and the crap in your lungs. And a full face mask is the ONLY way to go if you've got a good one going on. I've been playing with the Mirage Quattro and am about to try out another recommended FFM.

Oh, and one more thing. If you have a cough. One of those annoying dry coughs that nothing will help I have found that taking double and triple doses of laxatives help. A lot.

I find that they make me deathly afraid of coughing.

torontoCPAPguy wrote: Oh, and one more thing. If you have a cough. One of those annoying dry coughs that nothing will help I have found that taking double and triple doses of laxatives help. A lot.

I find that they make me deathly afraid of coughing.

You are so funny.

My mom couldn't get us to take that Buckley's stuff when we were kids but we looooooved ExLax. In the end (pardon the pun) same effect.
Stops the coughing.

By the way, did you know that the active ingredient in ExLax is Phenalthalene? It's the same purple liquid that they use for titrating a liquid to neutral PH. Measuring the amount of Phenalthalene that you have mixed in tells you the original PH of the liquid!

That's the educational part.
Now for today's lesson.

As a teacher, if you have a chemistry lab you want to make sure that the Phenalthalene NEVER EVER EVER gets left unsupervised or it just might find its way into the big coffee pot in the teacher's lounge.

But you didn't read that here.

Recommend that you check out http://www.sinuses.com/. Dr Tichenor was sucessful in curing my sinusitis.

This may be useful for your GP if he/she doesn't have a lot of expertise with sinusitis.

torontoCPAPguy wrote:By the way, did you know that the active ingredient in ExLax is Phenalthalene? It's the same purple liquid that they use for titrating a liquid to neutral PH. Measuring the amount of Phenalthalene that you have mixed in tells you the original PH of the liquid!

That's the educational part.
Now for today's lesson.

As a teacher, if you have a chemistry lab you want to make sure that the Phenalthalene NEVER EVER EVER gets left unsupervised or it just might find its way into the big coffee pot in the teacher's lounge.

But you didn't read that here.

Wow, good to know. My students are only 5, so I think I am safe.

Neti pots is simply a device to irrigate the nasal cavity.
In the old days, it had another name that somehow is not used all that much anymore.
Look up "Birmingham Nasal Douche" on e-bay

Same thing- different era