Sinus Infection: Seeking Advice

[FDRLincoln]

My wife is struggling with an infection in her sinuses and ears. She is on her second course of antibiotics, but so far with no improvement. She has been running a low-grade fever between 99 and 100 for almost 3 weeks now. Obviously she has some sort of antibiotic resistant bug.

She will be returning to the doctor tomorrow, but I was wondering if anyone here had any tips to offer on how we can clear this up.

[oregonjen]

1. Has she been rinsing her sinuses?

There are over the counter solutions to use to rinse out the sinuses. That should help.

[Gloria]

7. I swear by the Neti pot!!!

There's a rince called Pretz Irrigation that's good (if it's still onthe market) with Yerba Santa. By Parnell Pharm. It's pretty pricey, though.


What I have always found most useful is using a Neti pot, which most health food stores have. Mix up your own fresh saline each time (about 1/4 tsp to a Neti pot of warm water) and it's great! You just have to learn how to use it, but it's easy once you get the hang of it. You pour the water into one nostril and it comes out the other (!)...it pulls out all the junk.

[LynneSin]

19. I agree!!! Irrigation is the key

I haven't mastered the Neti Pot (I usually end up choking) but still use a nasal saline solution spray.

I felt like shit when I got home from work due to my sinus and after a quick rinse with saline spray, I'm feeling much better now!

[MichiganVote]

2. Ca;; the eye dr. some of the infections begin in the ocular area

b/c the area is so small, infections recycle themselves

[salin]

3. Advice I got from the Stanfor Med.

along with the meds (which can dry the sinuses out, but leave the dried up infected mucus in the sinus cavity (gross, I know), one should drink TONS of water. The idea is to make the mucas much more "liquified" and more easily expellable from the body. I don't mean some water... I mean 8 ounces (or so) every couple of hours (or more). I had never had serious sinus problems - and suddenly had serious, painful, and frequent long sinus infections. The water treatment has made a big difference, for me. Am dealing with my first sinus infection in a couple of years - and am trying to "liquify" it - and it seems to be working.

[Floogeldy]

4. This thread is going to get locked

[oregonjen]

10. umm....why?

[miss_kitty]

21. no medical advice

it's always fun to see how long they will go

[Kathy in Cambridge]

5. Saline nasal spray, natural tear eye drops, steam

nasal rinses. I suffer from sinus pain and often infections. Steam helps relieve the discomfort-also using hot face cloths helps. What antibiotic is she on?

[diamond14]

6. here's the solution.....

I use this rinse-bottle...to flush out all that 'gross stuff' from my nose...it helps a LOT....you've got to get the infection out, either by rinsing, or by SURGERY....this rinsing actually SAVED MY LIFE...




this rinse bottle has served me well...healed up a sinus infection that sounds similar to your wife's...and after tons of different antibiotics...all I need was to RINSE the infection out...several times a day at first....I have continued this rinsing, though only once or twice a week for the past few years, with NO MORE sinus infections or colds...AMAZING...all you add is SALT (non-iodized) and a pince of baking soda....



you can get these sinus rinse bottles at most drug stores (for about $15)...or order on-line

www.neilmed.com



once you get used to using the little pre-mix packets that come with the bottle, then you can just mix your own salt-water (saves money), using one sinus rinse bottle full of warm water, with one-quarter teaspoon of table salt (with NO IODINE in it), and a pince of Baking Soda.....


this is the same as others are recommending on this thread, just different techniques...but always a mild warm SALT water....using the technique of a sinus rinse bottle, a neti pot (started in India), or a giant needle-less syringe....and it's exactly the technique ordered by surgeons AFTER a nose operation....it sounds odd, but the salt water actually soothes the interior of your nose, which is actually salty...and the pressure of the flow, flushes out a LOT of unsightly ugly crap out of the sinuses, which you'll be GLAD to get rid of....when an occasional nosebleed starts, just rinse a few times, and it will flush out crap, and stop the bleeding...,,

[Heddi]

8. Warm, humidified water (steam) sometimes helps to clear sinuses

even if temporarily.

Have her either:

1) Turn the shower on really really hot. Close the bathroom door and let it get super steamy, then go into the bathroom and just sit there and breathe in the steam

or

2) put on a pot of water to boil (put the lid on). When it starts to boil, take off the lid and be VERY CAREFUL SINCE STEAM CAN BURN VERY BADLY (#1 cause of kitchen burns). Drape a towel over her head so it's like a tent, and breathe in the steam from the pot.

As for the ear infection---those kind of go part-and-parcel with sinus infections.

Glad she's going to the Dr....she may not have antibacterial resitance...she may have had a viral sinusitis the whole time (antibiotics don't work on viral infections)

WHATEVER YOU DO....and I know that our well educated DU'er would NEVER suggest such things :wink: BUT--

DO NOT
UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES
PUT ANYTHING INTO HER EARS
(some people swear by warm baby oil, etc)

This can
1) burn her eardrum and cause further problems
2) allow build-up of bacteria in ear causing further problems
3) cause obstruction in ear, causing further problems.

Have her take some asprin if she can to cut down on the fever, and some Ibuprofin for the inflammation and try the steam thing. I get acute sinusitis and double ear infection EVERY SINGLE YEAR and I have to go on meds but the steam really helps to dilate my sinuses enough to just relieve some of the pressure

Good luck

Heddi
DU's own Nursing STudent :)

[no_hypocrisy]

9. Instead of antibiotics, I recommend elixirs that build up antibodies that

will fight and destroy the bacteria causing the infection. Go to the healthfood store or Whole Foods and ask for Sambucol (regular or immune system) Elderberry elixir. This stuff has prevented colds and the flu from cultivating and becoming full blown problems for me for the past 10 years. And it's tasty too!

[Thor_MN]

11. I have no idea about this site, but I have read about this elsewhere

Nasal infections caused by fungi. I read that there was a anti-fungal medication in trials for treating sinus infections and that many people in the study were begging to stay in when their portion of the study was concluded.

http://www.mercola.com/2004/apr/7/sinus_infections.htm

[RagingInMiami]

12. Salt water works wonders for sinus infections

Mix a little salt with water and get one of those rubber/plastic syringes from the pharmacy and use it to clear out the sinuses. This works better than the saline solution you can buy. What it does is it clears out the infected mucus in her sinuses.
Another thing she needs to do is avoid dairy products now because they will only make it worse.

[Cadence]

27. I agree. Salt water with a baby ear syringe.

I had re-curring sinus infections that wound up turning into a super infection resistant to all known antibiotics. I was on fifteen different antibiotics in one year and then was put on I.V. antibiotics for eight weeks. Finally had surgery and they scraped the lining of all my sinuses and removed huge sacks of infection. After the surgery, more I.V. antibiotics... still infected. Finally after two and a half years of serious pain and illness, I went the alternative medicine route. It was gone in two weeks. The infectious disease docs were shocked. I had stopped their treatment, done everything they say wasn't supposed to work and I had the first clear ct scan in 3 years.

Haven't had a problem since.

[beam me up scottie]

13. My advice: if her current doctor doesn't want to do anything

different, take her to another doctor, please. I had a recurring sinus infection for almost nine months. I am allergic to penicillin and my HMO doc kept giving me the same type of antibiotic. He really didn't seem to be concerned at the duration of the infection. I suffered scarring and permanent damage to my inner ear.
I was working at a minimum wage job at the time and there was no free clinic where I was living. Finally when I went for yet another follow-up visit in the eighth month of infection I was seen by a different doctor who treated it more aggressively (I can't remember which drugs he prescribed but they did the trick). I don't know how bad it would have gotten if it had continued.
I really do hope she feels better soon.
(I'm also jealous of her obviously devoted husband.)
:)

[Kathy in Cambridge]

17. Wow-that was really irresponsible of that doctor

you could have lost your hearing. Sinus infections can be really serious.

I am going to an ear, nose and throat guy next month-my GP suggested it.

[beam me up scottie]

25. That is why I hate HMO's. (and the whole for-profit medical system)

Seeing a specialist is definitely worthwhile, I suffered infections for years. Thanks to one I have been infection free for the better part of 5 years, allergy and sinus meds, sinus-rinsing and 8 glasses of water daily are the key (at least for me) I also take extra vitamin C every day. Everyone's different but having a good doctor is the best medicine of all.

[Bouncy Ball]

14. We swear by neti pots

all three of us use them.

http://www.healthandyoga.com/html/product/neti.html

Or just google "neti" or "neti pot."

[RagingInMiami]

15. Are you sure she might not be allergic to the antibiotics?

That could also be the case because this shouldn't last three weeks.

BTW, I'm not a doctor, I just play one in the bedroom.

[necso]

16. Medical advice, I believe,

is generally verboten.

However, since your wife is already planning to go to the doctor, I find that pseudophedrine is that only OTC med that works for me (I had an ear infection last year and it helped). Lots of fluids is also a good idea.

Be sure that the doctor knows that the fever has lasted as long as it has.

[u4ic]

18. This product is great:

http://www.cvtechnologies.com/coldfx/default.aspx

Cold FX. As someone who's been through almost every antibiotic known to humankind for sinus infections, it's saved me many, many rounds of them. Much, much better than echinacea.

There's also government sponsored research on it: http://www.cvtechnologies.com/coldfx/evidence.aspx

Steaming or rinsing is also essential. Keep the air moist, especially at night. A hot air mister/humidifier can really make a huge difference. Upping intake of vitamin C and zinc is also helpful.

[Wheaty]

20. I use..

I suffer from frequent Sinus Infections and I use a waterless Vaporizer since I got a case of mold in a traditional vaporizer one time and got twice as sick.

http://www.vaporeze.com/howitworks-home.htm

You can buy them at Eckards.

The Saline Rinse as other have suggested is the best route. The Saline rinse will do wonders.

I also use those breath right strips at night when I can afford them. They help a bit too.

Good Luck. Sinus infections are painful. Sometimes the pain is so fierce they cause me to throw-up. Try not to make very many loud noises around her. Treading lightly about the house when someone has a Sinus infection is greatly appreciated from the infection sufferer.

[FDRLincoln]

23. advice

I didn't know that medical advice was on the verboten list. Sorry.

Anyway, she is going back to the doctor tomorrow to try a different medicine.

[mondo joe]

22. Sinus Infections are TOUGH and some antibiotics aren't up to it

I once had two rounds of antibiotics but they weren't tough enough to take it out.

Or she may not have a sinus infection...

[miss_kitty]

24. keep an eye on her for a while

my mom died from a sinus infection that seemed to lessen, but turned into meningitis and caused an abscess to grow in her brain. So If she SEEMS better, but is still worn down, if her neck hurts really bad and is accompanied by a headache and a temp, waste no time in seeking medical care.

I wish I knew then what I know now...:cry:

[beam me up scottie]

26. Oh, I'm so sorry, how terrible.

You couldn't have known, isn't meningitis rare?

[miss_kitty]

28. Actually-I had a feeling I dismissed

and hell she'd been to the doctor, but he thought she had the flu that was going around. But the Thursday before she died, I saw her move-she wanted to look at something-and turned her upper body to look, not her head. Friday at work I thought "Hmmm. I wonder if she has meneingitis? Nah." Just like that.

It was 1981. A long time ago. But I always thought she'd get old.

[beam me up scottie]

29. My mom passed in similar circumstances.

We tried to get her to go to the hospital, but she wouldn't.
We think she knew it was time and she was ready.
Still.
I hear you.

[EstimatedProphet]

30. Locking

Please don't solicit medical advice on DU.
BTW good luck at the doctor tomorrow.